Posts by OneEyedJoe

18

What did you think was going to happen?!?

by Simon in

so my wife has to make some home-made cookies for a work x-mas cookie exchange (i've told her to grab a handful of the receptionists 'cause hers were nice last year).. anyway.

being a supportive husband i volunteer to help and my definition of "help" is anything to do with chocolate - specifically melting it to dip the cookies in.. "ok", she says, "thanks!".

i can't believe my luck.

OneEyedJoe

Balance it out with whiskey. That always works for me.

11

The WTBTS predicts the I-Phone!! ???????

by DATA-DOG in

does anyone remember the recent rumors of chuck russell predicting the methods of communication that we now enjoy?

i believe he was quoting a science journal that actually made the predictions.

hmmmm...i wonder what they said about aluminium cans???

OneEyedJoe

Citing my sources. I was a little off, looks like Tesla was only a year earlier on the prediction. And it was Rutherford that made the prediction on behalf of the WTS.

http://www.geekwire.com/2015/nikola-tesla-predicted-smartphones-in-1926-like-a-boss/

11

The WTBTS predicts the I-Phone!! ???????

by DATA-DOG in

does anyone remember the recent rumors of chuck russell predicting the methods of communication that we now enjoy?

i believe he was quoting a science journal that actually made the predictions.

hmmmm...i wonder what they said about aluminium cans???

OneEyedJoe

Tesla made a similar prediction years before. Like everything he sold, CTR stole this too

34

Do most ex JW's go politically left?

by Lightgrowsbrighter in

i've found it interesting that- imho- most of the politically vocal ex-jw's at this website seem to lean left.

i'm personally pretty centered- right on some issues, left on others, but overall have a pretty cynical view of all political/religious leaders.

i find it somewhat ironic that people who leave such a dogmatic group like the witnesses become so politically dogmatic.

I started to move more toward a libertarian attitude even while I was in. My change in thinking about politics (in my youth a strong centralized seemed ideal) was closely matched with my awakening from the cult. As I started to see that wanting my freedom from other's impositions logically meant that I should be willing to give that same from to others, I began to see that JWs don't allow us to give this freedom of choice to others. I found it difficult to be bigoted towards homosexuals, for example.

Anyway I think political leanings after exiting probably depends a lot on religious alignment as you leave. Those that remain evangelical or otherwise strongly Christian are probably more likely to lean right.

55

"High" education

by Esmeralda001 in

did any of you guys disregard the wt recommendations and pursue a career.

if you answer "yes": was your journey easy?

are you happy with the end result?

OneEyedJoe

I went to college and finished just as they started ramping back up on the anti-education rhetoric so I didn't get much condemnation at the time. Afterwards, though, anytime someone asked me what I did for work I could hear the disgust dropping off their tongue as their inevitable response was "oh did you have to go to school for that" "was that a 4-year degree?" Ugh. Other than the cult, though, college was probably the best thing I ever did.

45

Closest to the truth?

by punkofnice in

i know many jws that state that the watchtower corporation is the 'closest to the truth'.

thus they quiet their cognitive dissonance.. i don't have access to a corporation library any more.

is this a stance that the watchtower corporation has actually claimed?.

OneEyedJoe

I don't recall them ever using that phrase or anything like it, but I used that same thinking for years while I struggled with doubts. For me, what was going on in my head was this: There are obviously some problems with the doctrine, but Christendom is so much worse (a determination based solely on the cult indoctrination) so where else would I go? Since I was working from the base assumption that the WTS was made up of well-meaning people that hadn't lied to me and were chosen by god, the only conclusion that I could come to was that they were far better than other religions, even if they still had things wrong.

16

Even Now, You Haunt Me...

by Garrett in

jw
friends

even after leaving the organization, it still lurks in the background like a shadow.. as some of you know, i met a wonderful girl a while ago (which i'm going to need your help with).

she is a catholic and i am open and very respectful of her beliefs.

however, i know there will be a time where i will have to tell her that i once was a witness... and to be honest, i'm quite scared of that.. i don't want things to be ruined between us because of a disgusting cult that i was in.

OneEyedJoe

I've told two people about my cult past and though I'm not dating either, they only cared to the extent that they're interested in me personally, and there's some curiosity related to cult stuff in general. So far as I can tell it hasn't made either of them think less of me in any way. Try not to get yourself too worried about how "worldly" people will treat you or react to things... They're generally more understanding than JWs, in my experience.

46

"Why don't you just call yourself an atheist?"

by slimboyfat in

the best answer to this question ever.

i don't tire listening to it.

"i am not, i am not simply the one who says 'i'" .

OneEyedJoe

I don't get what everyone's problem is with "labels." That's what words are for, they label things.

We don't have labels for people who don't believe in unicorns.

This is a false equivalency, because to my knowledge there is no label for someone who believes in unicorns. There are general terms like delusional or insane for instance, but if you want to use that as a label for unicorn believers then one might argue that a label for people who don't believe in unicorns is simply "sane." We live in a world where there are names for people who believe in one or more deities, so why wouldn't there be a word for those who don't? If we frequently encountered people who believed in unicorns we'd likely have a word for it and a word for those who don't believe.

It doesn't seem ridiculous or oppressive or whatever that I be expected to indicate that I'm an atheist when discussing related topics with someone - it's a quick, simple way to give a general idea of my stance. If someone then makes assumptions that are not supported by that broad description, what do I care? If they don't want to be wrong, they'll ask for clarification. If they don't mind being wrong then they'll probably live by their assumptions and I'm no worse off for it. Everyone thinks they're a rational thinker or a skeptic or whatever. So saying that doesn't necessarily tell someone much about you. Saying you're an atheist indicates much more in this case.

In short - I just don't get the fuss about labels, maybe someone can explain it to me. I get why someone might avoid labels that are of insufficient resolution to meaningfully capture some aspect of yourself (i.e. if someone who is a transgender female is attracted to other females, I can understand a hesitancy to identify as either gay or straight) but the label "atheist" is pretty straight forward especially in the context that it takes for most of us here. And, indeed, there are many other words to describe succinctly what one's theistic leanings are that one doesn't have to rely on either being labeled atheist or theist.

46

The Elders are Coming Help!

by LaurenM in

so the elders keep bugging me and pestering me about having a meeting with them to "introduce me to my new congregation" for some reason (do any ex elders know what that even means??).

i keep postponing and making excuses and they are getting more and more aggressive.

i finally agreed for them to come over today, but really don't want to..should i hide from them again?

OneEyedJoe

They have no power over you, and you don't owe them anything. If they ask you a question, "I don't want to talk about it" is a perfectly valid response. Tell them you appreciate their concern, but that it's unfounded. If you need anything from, you'll let them know.

24

Simple, yet very effective way, for ALL to spread the TTATT to current JW family and friends, possible GAME CHANGER.

by Dunedain in

i am sure this has probably been thought about, and maybe others have mentioned it already.

in fact, i cant even take credit for this brilliant idea.

it is a "tactic" that my father uses, to great effect, and he is a current jw.. as we all know, there is a wealth of info on the internet, and many other sources, that clearly exposes the many lies of the wts.

OneEyedJoe

Reminds me of a post by billy the ex bethelite:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/254990/exjw-psychology-102-how-ask-question-when-questions-arent-allowed