Well to be fair, at least in my area, fireman is a pretty popular gig among JWs that don't want to be janitors. You're right on the mark with the others, though. I'd also add to the list scientists and engineers.
OneEyedJoe
JoinedPosts by OneEyedJoe
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The Watchtower organization's crime against humanity
by TerryWalstrom inwho are the real heroes of society?.
are they not the people who are doctors and nurses and teachers and firemen and policemen and counselors and humanitarians?.
because of the watchtower organization, we are missing generations of those kinds of heroes who will not exist (but could have) because jehovah's witnesses destroyed them by convincing millions of it's members those professions are meaningless and unimportant for them to pursue.
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Advice needed on Crisis of Conscience
by cappytan inso, some of you may have seen my thread from yesterday about my wife waking up.. we had further discussion yesterday evening after i sent her the pbs video on the abuse scandals plaguing the watchtower.
she was so furious and pissed off at wt hq.
apparently a close relative of her's was abused by an elder and the only reason he was reproved and removed as an elder was because he confessed.
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OneEyedJoe
I would send it to her via email and tell her you'll let her decide if/when she's ready to read it. That way it'll be sitting there itching at her curiosity and she'll eventually have to read it.
Take that with a grain of salt, though....I've certainly made no where near the progress with my wife that you've made in such a short time.
Good luck!
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Introducing myself! Come say hi!
by Sparlocks_Apprentice inhello all you wonderful people on the "evil" interwebs.
i'm joining this site once again because i forgot my old username and such.
i like the new layout!.
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OneEyedJoe
Ever seen Mulan? The song "reflection" I think fits well with lots of witnesses hiding their true selves... especially born-ins. The pressure to be perfect and "fit in" with the rest of God's "sheep".
I don't think I ever saw that one. At the time, as I recall, the elders in my congregation were busily demonizing that particular movie for one thing or another haha. I think I've seen other people on here reference the same thing, though. It's amazing how many songs and books take on a whole new meaning to you once you wake up from the lies of the cult.
There's a girl I work with that I think you'd get along with. She makes a yearly trip out to some anime convention and always makes her own costume.
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Introducing myself! Come say hi!
by Sparlocks_Apprentice inhello all you wonderful people on the "evil" interwebs.
i'm joining this site once again because i forgot my old username and such.
i like the new layout!.
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OneEyedJoe
And I get to go to Anime Conventions now... if you know what that is.
Haha, while I'm not really into all that much, I'm certainly enough of a nerd to know what that is. It's ridiculous all the trivial rules in this cult that seem designed only to rob you of all of life's little pleasures and all of your individuality.
It's always great to see another person who's able to escape and life a genuine and guilt-free life out of this cult. Living well is the best revenge!
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Introducing myself! Come say hi!
by Sparlocks_Apprentice inhello all you wonderful people on the "evil" interwebs.
i'm joining this site once again because i forgot my old username and such.
i like the new layout!.
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OneEyedJoe
Welcome! I wish I had the presence of mind to see this cult for what it was at your age. Would've made a whole host of things easier. When you're only starting to build your life, it's much easier to start over from scratch than when you've already got one with some momentum behind it. Well done!
If you ever need a listening ear, feel free to PM me.
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Hot topic in congregations: having a beard/goatee
by nevaagain ini am starting this topic because i was wondering, i see many who leave "the truth" are glad because they can finally have a beard.
is having a beard really a no go in congregations?
how is / was it in your congregation?.
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OneEyedJoe
It definitely depends on the congregation. It seems the only hard rule that they pass down in writing is that a bearded man cannot give parts on conventions/assemblies. Some elders take this to mean that a beard isn't acceptable at all. That's not surprising since much of JW doctrine is developed based on the formula of 'this rule applied to this small group, so it shows the principle that it should be applied to everyone.'
When you grow a beard, you'll inevitably get compliments from the guys who want to grow one too but don't have the balls, and you'll get passive-aggressive statements ("did you forget to shave?" "it looks like you have some dirt on your face." etc) from everyone else. If the elders are the iron-fist type, they'll probably try to make an example of you, but if you have a few elders that are sympathizers, it's possible that nothing will happen.
If you do grow a beard, memorize Mark 7:13 - "You make the word of God invalid by the tradition that you have handed down." Encourage anyone who challenges you to read the full account and find out who Jesus was talking to, and come back when they can state that they're not behaving just as those men were.
On a related, but slightly off-topic note, it's my theory that rules such as this are in place specifically to identify potential apostates. When someone starts to wake up to TTATT they're bound to start wanting to think for themselves a little. Even if they're not fully awake, but just see that the cult is making unscriptural rules, it's dangerous - those faithful in what is least will be faithful in what is most. If they start breaking the small rules they'll break bigger ones. The beard thing has the advantage that it takes active effort not to grow a beard, so it's natural to let it happen when you no longer have a strong reason to do it. Also, if someone stops going or fades, the beard is a sign to any friends that might otherwise think they're just going to a different congregation. In a sense, it's like an unofficial DA that most will recognize and will cause them to avoid you. It's all about maintaining the virtual cult compound - separating those that are in the cult from those who are out by means of small cues like dress, grooming and language. You don't have to physically separate people from the outside world if you can create the walls in their minds.
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Wife is FOR SURE waking up
by cappytan inwell, this is a new development.
she broached the subject of ttatt tonight.
said i was right about the flood.
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OneEyedJoe
Such great news! It's only a matter of time for you. Is always great to see another marriage beating this cult. It gives me hope that I'll be able to keep mine together. Well done you magnificent bastard! -
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How old were you ??
by Clambake inwhen you had to start dumping your worldy friends ??.
just curious that's all.
not being a witness ( ubm here ) i think everyone has known a jw kid and at a certain age " my mommy won't let me play with you ".
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OneEyedJoe
I was never really allowed to have worldly friends until like senior year of highschool. At that point, it wasn't much of allowing it so much as my parents couldn't stop it. Like a lot of people, though, I lost touch with highschool friends when I left highschool and same story for college friends. Never dumped anyone for the cult, though.
I do totally agree that my worldly friends were always much better friends than any JW. I just couldn't see it at the time for some reason, or if I did I ignored this obvious evidence that it wasn't "the truth."
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What exactly is encouragement?
by naazira inwhen elders want to meet with an inactive person to encourage them, what does this really mean?
encouragement is a term thrown around by the organisation.
does this encouragement usually consist of prying into the inactive one's lifestyle?.
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OneEyedJoe
Encouragement (n) -
1. Passive-aggressive social pressure intended to get you to become more involved with the cult.
2. Reminders that you will become a drug addict, lose your job, have marital problems, and/or die at Armageddon if you fail to rejoin the cult.
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Do you feel bad throwing away literature?
by stuckinarut2 inso do you feel bad throwing away your old literature?.
what about your old song book or bible from your early days in the org?.
if so, is it because of sentimentality, monetary cost or because it might be 'sacred' ?.
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OneEyedJoe
Old literature? I take stuff straight from the literature desk over to the bin.
I was defrauded all my life into donating to this company, so I figure I'm still owed a bit of literature to do with as I please. I'm pleased to throw them in the trash.