OneEyedJoe

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Posts by OneEyedJoe

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  51

  I'm my favorite type of JW - Double Life

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the borg's tactics on most jw work.

  they put fear into their mind, they guilt trip them and basically make them scared to do anything when they are away from the kingdom hall.

  it allows them to control every aspect of their life.

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  OneEyedJoe

  I guess the part that I find so objectionable is the tacit approval that simply being in the seat (and apparently you're an elder, too?) gives. For about a year I prevented myself from finding TTATT because there was an elder in our congregation that was really intelligent and I liked him very much personally and I told myself "If he doesn't see a problem with it, then maybe I'm fooling myself." I never talked to him about my doubts, just held him up as an example of a sane, normal, intelligent man that clearly saw it as the truth.

  If I found out that he had been faking it for over a decade, I guess I'd be pretty upset.

  Just another perspective in case that's something you might worry about. It's impossible to know how you may be negatively impacting the lives of others just by your mere presence. Especially if you're an elder.
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  51

  I'm my favorite type of JW - Double Life

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the borg's tactics on most jw work.

  they put fear into their mind, they guilt trip them and basically make them scared to do anything when they are away from the kingdom hall.

  it allows them to control every aspect of their life.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OneEyedJoe

  Wait, you've been awake and remained in for 16 years, or you've been in for 16 years total, and only recently woken up? I can't imagine what could possibly make someone stick around for that long if they're awake. All the wasted time, the implicit support by your mere presence, etc would drive me insane well before that.
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  51

  I'm my favorite type of JW - Double Life

  by thedepressedsoul in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the borg's tactics on most jw work.

  they put fear into their mind, they guilt trip them and basically make them scared to do anything when they are away from the kingdom hall.

  it allows them to control every aspect of their life.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OneEyedJoe

  I hate to break it to ya, but you're definitely an apostate by their definition. Just because you're still going through the motions doesn't make it not so.

  How long have you been doing it, if I could ask? I was able to do it for a while, trying to plant seeds in my wife, but over the last year it's slowly ramped up to the point where I'll do just about anything not to go to anything cult related.
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  5

  How long do JW study the bible with someone? Until baptism?

  by Lynnie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have a 35 year old cousin who got baptized last year after rejecting the jw since she was 13. not sure what happened to change her mind, i suspect it's all about family since her dad is an elder and her two sisters are very much in.

  her oldest sister is married to a middle management guy in bethel.

  so she studied for about 2 years until she decided to get baptised.

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  OneEyedJoe

  That's been the trend for a while - though studying for 2 years prior to getting dunked is on the long side. Usually 6 months to a year is considered normal. Pre-baptism they study one book (draw close to god, I think it is now?) Then post baptism they go to the next book (keep yourself in god's love?) And sometimes a third book, I think.

  As they say in the baptism talk, it's not the end, it's the beginning. The beginning of a life enslaved to the cult and pressured to constantly be up on your indoctrination.
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  45

  How to Choose a Wife!

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  back in the day, when my family moved to a new congregation, i fell head over heels with a young sister who was an elder's daughter.

  it wasn't long before we were talking about marriage and i was contemplating buying her an engagement ring.

  my parents were not happy at all.

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  OneEyedJoe

  I always wondered "what happens if he refused?" If he says no, shouldn't he be equally obligated to break up with her for making the suggestion? At that point the "it was just a test!"retort would just seem like backpedaling.

  It's no wonder that the happiest marriages I've seen in this cult were between "spiritually weak" couples. The more you follow the rules, the worse job you'll do finding a compatible spouse and the worse you'll be at putting them first before anything else.
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  15

  UK Branch visit 2015

  by tamagotchi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anyone know anything about it?

  apparently it's going to be broadcast live nationally to all the congregations this saturday

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  OneEyedJoe

  The only thing I can tell you for sure is that it'll be a waste of about 3 hours of your time.

  The US branch visit consisted of public shaming of bethelites, a few puff pieces about some missionaries, then AMIII making a bunch of Pharisaical rules that, in spite of his opening claims, had no support in either the Bible nor the cult's literature.

  The Canadian visit was apparently more up building, so it's anyone's guess what you'll get.
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  45

  How to Choose a Wife!

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  back in the day, when my family moved to a new congregation, i fell head over heels with a young sister who was an elder's daughter.

  it wasn't long before we were talking about marriage and i was contemplating buying her an engagement ring.

  my parents were not happy at all.

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• 

  OneEyedJoe

  I don't remember this being a thing 20 years ago. It's horrifying to think that anybody who asks can just be shown your record card.
  This religion really has a privacy problem

  I've always understood the process to be that the elders look at the records for you and give you a yes/no/maybe type answer. So not a total betrayal of privacy, I guess. When you contrast it with what would be likely to happen if you asked if brother McPedophile is safe to have around your kids, though, it becomes indefensible.

  The idea that an elder can work out someone's heart condition based on a few numbers on a publisher card is just absurd.
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  45

  How to Choose a Wife!

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  back in the day, when my family moved to a new congregation, i fell head over heels with a young sister who was an elder's daughter.

  it wasn't long before we were talking about marriage and i was contemplating buying her an engagement ring.

  my parents were not happy at all.

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• 

  OneEyedJoe

  I think it probably has less to do with producing more baby dubs than it does with training a pattern of obedience and a "put the cult first" mentality. That and if you know your spouse has been trained to be loyal to the cult before you, you're more likely to subdue your doubts with an appeal to consequences - you won't let yourself doubt because it'll mean losing your spouse.

  Born-ins have proven to be a retention nightmare, and the ones that stay are usually half-assed about it.
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  45

  How to Choose a Wife!

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  back in the day, when my family moved to a new congregation, i fell head over heels with a young sister who was an elder's daughter.

  it wasn't long before we were talking about marriage and i was contemplating buying her an engagement ring.

  my parents were not happy at all.

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  2. 
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• 

  OneEyedJoe

  Yeah, I figured this to be the case since I've heard variations from different sources. The fact that they would openly encourage such deception from the platform always bothered me.
• 
  45

  How to Choose a Wife!

  by snugglebunny in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  back in the day, when my family moved to a new congregation, i fell head over heels with a young sister who was an elder's daughter.

  it wasn't long before we were talking about marriage and i was contemplating buying her an engagement ring.

  my parents were not happy at all.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  OneEyedJoe

  Yeah, I've heard from the platform numerous times that you should discuss any potential marriage mate with the elders in their congregation.

  Another thing along the same lines (also heard from the platform in more than one congregation) is the story of a girl that was dating a JW and one day she suggests that they leave the cult and go alope. When the young man agreed, she revealed that it was a test and ended the relationship. The message being that someone that is loyal to the cult before you will make an ideal marriage mate.