Posts by Alive!

44

Why Do People Become JWs?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was born in the religion but why on earth do people join this religion?

?.

Alive!

stillin28 minutes agoOnly speaking for myself, I saw value. Principles that weren't really honored in the churches, like honesty, and pacifism, and loyalty. I really felt that these people were taking a solid stand against the "darkness" do the world. Like the ones who stood up to Hitler. This seemed like just the thing. The Bible seemed to be the key, the people were friendly, etc, etc ad nauseum.
So I joined, let myself be separated from my friends, I had new friends now. And I toughed out the details for more than 30 years until my bullshit meter started howling, "too much invisible shit! Too much invisible shit!" And I realized that knowing the "party line" to answer any questions is not true wisdom. Knowing when to say "I don't know" is the beginning of wisdom.

My experience practically to a T.

Like you my 'bullshit' meter was screeching.

Since fading away, the madness seems to have intensified in the whole 'production'.

And after I had 'faded' I followed the Australia RC, watching each video.

I felt sick. I felt justified in walking away....I coukd not uphold this kind of behaviour, manipulative language and ducking and diving and 'recruit' hopeful seekers into this organisation.

Clearly something as terribly wrong.

44

Why Do People Become JWs?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was born in the religion but why on earth do people join this religion?

?.

Alive!

I was close friends with several 'converts' and then myself....about five...two in particular were my closest friends.

Each of these close friends were above average intelligence (successful careers, management roles etc)

I'd say each of them was kindness itself, but looking for answers.

'Born-ins' flocked around them and became their encouragers, inviting them to every social function...and back in the 80s and early 90s, it seemed like indeed the JWs had a special insight into scripture.

i hated churches and religion.

JWs said 'religion is a snare and a racket'

I could read the signs from a world perspective that our planet and society was heading for big trouble.

JWs said read Mathew 24 and 1Timothy 3....and try Revelation 'He will bring to ruin those ruining the earth'

It's all heady stuff......and of course there was so much more that 'struck a ring of truth'

Sadly, it revealed to be something else, but at the time, giddy with the pressing 'love' of everyone (born-ins) and overwhelmed with the prophetic evidence.....we wanted to do what seemed to be right.

We had no idea what lay in store behind the smiles and the out stretched hands.

We didn't realise what folk were hiding.

I'm still the half way decent person I've always been - I don't consider myself a 'sucker' for trusting such a extraordinary performance by a global crowd.

And I can tell you that my 'worldly' friends and extended family members (again, successful and socially adjusted folk) were mightily impressed by our witness friends and said they really were special people.

So there you go.

26

My Introduction

by Ray Frankz in

this is my first post and i'm feeling like i'm doing something bad big time!

i know on my mind it isn't, but the feelings are less manageable.. well, since i'm still a jw it's better not to give too much info, but i'm from brazil.. i've grown-up in the religion and practicly all my family, my closest friends and my girlfriend are loyal jws.

i used to be a regular pioneer but i still have a service privilege on my congregation.. i've had questions about the teachings of the wt since i was 10, but naturally i always pushed it away as it were "questioning the holy organization".. i started a friendship with some people in a course i took and we talked about a lot of subjects.

Alive!

Welcome.

Quoted the above .....spot on.

26

My Introduction

by Ray Frankz in

this is my first post and i'm feeling like i'm doing something bad big time!

i know on my mind it isn't, but the feelings are less manageable.. well, since i'm still a jw it's better not to give too much info, but i'm from brazil.. i've grown-up in the religion and practicly all my family, my closest friends and my girlfriend are loyal jws.

i used to be a regular pioneer but i still have a service privilege on my congregation.. i've had questions about the teachings of the wt since i was 10, but naturally i always pushed it away as it were "questioning the holy organization".. i started a friendship with some people in a course i took and we talked about a lot of subjects.

Alive!

- The organization fosters a kind of Darwinian spirituality, so-to-speak, as a survival of the fittest

47

Are JWs "mind trained" to be habitual liars?

by nonjwspouse in

i don't mean overly obvious, or otherwise meaning to cause harm, but taught to lie for the purpose of avoidance.

this type of lying can be pervasive in areas of life that are not just to avoid discussions with people who have questions about the jw, etc.

my husband will lie/be deceitful about the silliest, simple things.

Alive!

This trait of deceit is such a strange thing to find amongst 'the most honest people' in the world....

I do think there is a critical honesty regarding things like stolen goods, finding money etc, being given too much change! most JWs I know would be very honest over these things, avoiding being caught up with anything that smacked of taking something etc.

But when it comes to communication, it's like the JW culture overall fails to act in a truly generous nature of respect where other human beings are deserving of respectful treatment....if that makes sense...in that there are smoke screens, things held back....

And then you see this permeating into the JW population. It's really noticeable.

But then, individuals and groups behave like this everywhere......its just particularly weird amongst people who spend hours studying words and scriptures on being truthful!

47

Are JWs "mind trained" to be habitual liars?

by nonjwspouse in

i don't mean overly obvious, or otherwise meaning to cause harm, but taught to lie for the purpose of avoidance.

this type of lying can be pervasive in areas of life that are not just to avoid discussions with people who have questions about the jw, etc.

my husband will lie/be deceitful about the silliest, simple things.

Alive!

And the JWs are immersed in a world of not telling it straight, avoidance, verbal dancing etc.

It's a strange thing.

47

Are JWs "mind trained" to be habitual liars?

by nonjwspouse in

i don't mean overly obvious, or otherwise meaning to cause harm, but taught to lie for the purpose of avoidance.

this type of lying can be pervasive in areas of life that are not just to avoid discussions with people who have questions about the jw, etc.

my husband will lie/be deceitful about the silliest, simple things.

Alive!

It's a horrible thing.....my husband has lied in the past on terribly serious matters.

It has impacted on our 35 year old marraige and relationship in so many ways.

In the end it changes you. Living with a partner who lies so easily can make you feel somewhat insane. Believe me!

They don't understand or know the difference I think. Ingrained from child hood There seems to be no conscience involved.

My mother in law ( not a witness) is a shocking example of verbal deceit....I love her anyway, she really tries hard to be a good person. But it's this incredibly childish lying and avoidance....ugh.

47

Are JWs "mind trained" to be habitual liars?

by nonjwspouse in

i don't mean overly obvious, or otherwise meaning to cause harm, but taught to lie for the purpose of avoidance.

this type of lying can be pervasive in areas of life that are not just to avoid discussions with people who have questions about the jw, etc.

my husband will lie/be deceitful about the silliest, simple things.

Alive!

Chipping in.....

This 'trait' of deceit was something that I noticed from early years of association with witnesses...

It started off as 'avoidance' or twisting of words and reinventing realities...all of which has been mentioned in this thread.

My own husband was not brought up as a JW, but like the OP, he absolutely cannot seem to just 'tell it as it is' - and I don't mean simply embroidering a good story for entertainment value! He chooses avoidance nearly every time, and it can be exhausting as he also has a history of lying about very serious matters.

But I know this is a family trait which developed through a dysfunctional parenting situation...and I should mention, both my husband and his family are relatively 'decent' people. Intensely law-abiding, honest in money matters....but this strange avoidance thing, keeping them 'personally' unattached and a bit of an 'island'....some of the verbal dances they perform are hilarious, if it wasn't also unsettling and uncomfortable 🤔 - one constantly had to readjust expectations when talking about things with them.

I believe JWs have a similar dysfunctional global 'family' upbringing.

So yes, this odd and unsettling deceptive behaviour is ingrained....and often done with a smile and a hug 😆

I learnt how to talk this way myself, in their company...after awhile it became second nature to not directly answer questions about the bible, witnesses etc when around the 'outside' world of people. 😞🤔

50

A JW explains Blood Fractions

by OrphanCrow in

i was looking around from some information on the wt's stance concerning the use of stem cells, and i came across this article on a defending jehovah's witnesses blog.. rather than informing the reader all that much about stem cells, the author diverts the conversation into a discussion of "blood fractions" (*note: the term "blood fractions" appears to be another one of those wt bloodspeak terms coined by the wt.

"blood components" or "blood products" are the terms used more frequently by the medical world.

"fractions" implies tiny amounts).

Alive!

Through the years, following my baptism and conversion in the 90s....I was ever bewildered by the amount of literature on blood and 'fractions' - and changing medical directives etc.

I reasoned with myself, during the initial process in which blood is artificially removed from the living body, does it cease to be blood? No.

Surely, I reasoned, the abstaining of blood finds its moral and scriptural beginnings in the actual taking and donating of blood. An upholder of this doctrine would surely refuse any substance that initially involved the donating and taking of blood. It's that simple, because whatever you call the end 'blood fraction', blood was donated in order to produce it.

But anyway, the real issue is that a life isnt taken or snuffed out in order to sustain another humans life through the taking of blood. We don't kill a human to get their blood, in order to 'sustain' our own lives.

That, in anyone's book is repulsive.

Blood taken from a willing, voluntary and living being is a mere transfer of 'organ'.

A life is not lost or murdered.

This doctrine is another embarrassment to JWs and also a danger.

52

last convention before global attack on witnesses

by Phoebe in

jw
friends

so it's not enough that i'm dealing with post traumatic stress/anxiety and panic attacks all related to my life as a jw (50 years baptized -- i stopped going a couple of months ago) at 3 a.m. i get an email from the other side of the world.

'you have to go to the convention.

bro sanderson says we must watch the news, things are happening.

Alive!

Hi Phoebe,

I'm guessing you must be in your 60s at least, given your 50 yrs of baptised activity.

How brqve you have been to pull away from the organisation, to question all those things that felt so wrong.

Dear lady, your post really resonated with some of my experiences in the past few years.

The witnesses aren't trained to think carefully about the timing or impact of their 'missiles of warning'....how many emotionally or mentally fragile folk did we disturb with our frighteningly illustrated tracts or publications....leaving them in the loneliness of their lives to read and look at pictures which were frightening to view and didn't need to be realised in an illustration.

I can imagine your anxiety, the process of upturning your whole life is anxious making enough....without loveless emails that took just a few minutes to dash off.

I've kept my life in hope, hope in our universal creator. I grew ever weary of 'speaking on his behalf' the twisted judgemental thinking of those (aka the FDS) who demonstrated a poor grasp of scriptural understanding over years and years of foolishness. And now, they use emotional manipulation more then ever through videos, short movies. No to that.

Try not to read any social media or emails in the wee hours...definitely not helpful to your emotional state.

Take care, breathe through each hour.

And if you can, speak in your heart to the One you trusted all these years.

The nature of whom you measured against the nature of these 'men' and found them entirely out of synch.