okay i'll admit that what i'm about to ask is a little silly.
this is the kind of stuff that crosses over into tinfoil hat territory, but you can't help but notice it.. did anyone else see gary breaux in this month's broadcast doing that weird "hand diamond" thing over his bible?
he was also wearing a pinky ring.
They are Masons and the diamond represents something (Dallas Canada explains it I believe) so they will show the sign so other Masons can see it and recognize it. It's all about hiding in plain sight.
Which is why they also put the diamond on the bible on the website.
its the smaller hand book and fragile due to the acid over time.
looking to go though it as little as possible so if anyone knows what pages have the most crazy things i would appreciate it.
.
Man, I wish I could get a hold of one. Where did you find yours?
I've been trying to locate an original one and also an old Trinity brochure.
As far as the quotes, I'm not sure but you can probably find some right off the bat.
i spent a few days recently on holiday in the town where i grew up.
my overriding feeling was that i should be going round knocking on doors, searching out 45+ year olds and apologising to them for telling them that the end of the world as we know it would in all likelihood be coming before the turn of the century, and if not very soon after (cue picture in the live forever book).
thank god no one paid me much attention back then.
When I come across old territories even some where I had "studies" I always feel the same way.
Just that guilt trip we get from knowing how stupid and gullible we really were.
No, but seriously, why aren't you out there knocking doors? J/K.
The WTS is a shinning example of how one can exploit human ignorance and emotions to create wealth and power.
Finkelstein nailed it.
The level of mind conditioning is so deep for the average JW that the WTS can do and say what they please and the members will ask if there's anything else they need to do.
What sad condition to live in.
both the june and july broadcasts featured sections about serving where the need is greater.
as i recall, my wife watches them as i hover in the background, india and thailand have both been heavily featured.
next, i hear some friends talking about how they are thinking of moving to india.
The leaders are targeting third world countries with little to no internet connectivity or availability.
Which basically means they are not very well informed about the JW crimes the world around. And once suckered into the JW cult they'll be even less inclined to research anything anti-JW.
It's the U.S. pre-1990s internet where they are ripe for the picking.
Check out this Washington Post article (here) and map of countries where internet is rarely available due to infrastructure and abject poverty.
i got this pm from edgar james adams.
hello my fellow brethren!.
i am trying to educate people about the positive influence that jehovah's witnesses can have on humanity and on my local community in general!
Foreign scammer who was stupid enough to think the site is pro-JW.
I say 'foreign' because had he lived in the U.S. he would know there's only one official JW site and anything outside of this are frowned upon.
well, i finally made an account.
i’ve been lurking on here for four or so years, enjoying the debates and experiences of all of you.
it really helped in that initial year after i woke up, when the frustration and betrayal felt strongest.
Stay strong mentally and know that YOU ARE RIGHT.
Your parents reaction was more or less a programmed response after repeated exposure to false JW teachings.
“look at what Satan’s done to you.”
Even if what you said is true, they will always side with what their mind knows to be the ONLY truth. It's just the way the mind works and JW leaders know this. Don't take it personal but your parents can't see anything right now.
I congratulate you for standing up for truth.
were you so indoctrinated that you just couldn’t leave?
was it due to family pressure?
was it your friendships that you didn’t want to lose?
@ NN: Funny right? When she would say that I just scoffed at how deluded and manipulated the mind could get.
Some of the first books I read were CoC and some hard to find Duane Magnani books. I think I read CoC online but the Magnani books I had to actually buy. I searched high and low for all books WT related. I also read Apostles of Denial which is an excellent book. That one I read online as well.
Today, yes, like you and thousands of other board members I also ask myself:
How could I have believed that?
@ Vidiot: Yeah, you're right. I strongly suspect many of the friends know something is off but would rather continue taking the crap and saying "umm, yummy, please no more" (quote from film Greedy) than to have to turn their world upside down and stop being made a stooge. Some people just have more sand to stand up for truth than others.
were you so indoctrinated that you just couldn’t leave?
was it due to family pressure?
was it your friendships that you didn’t want to lose?
When I first started with the doubts I wanted to make sure I was right. I had to prove it to myself because I had dedicated decades and was not about to just throw it away without being 100% sure. This research lasted a couple of months as I had to be careful about not raising suspicion with the friends (I was a highly respected senior member of the congo that's all I'll disclose). The more I dug the worse it got. By about the third month I was fully convinced I had been made a fool. So at that time I needed to figure out how to remove myself from everything without causing much of a stir. Enter the "fade." So I stopped offering remarks, stopped giving talks (made excuses), and started missing every other meeting. I still had to carry out my congo duties which I did (assigning talks, counseling, pastoral visits, assigning ushers, etc) reluctantly but continued to do so.
This went on for about an additional 2 months and even though I was irregular in terms of meeting attendance I made sure to attend all social activities. Whenever I attended the social gatherings I would immediately pick up on the "vibe" and "look/stares" from the friends that told me just like I attended all social gatherings that I should likewise be able to attend all KH meetings. By this time I could care less and they knew their little insignificant stares and looks were all worthless to me as I was OTWO. These stares just confirmed what I had already learned about cults and how members are trained to make those that are non-compliant feel guilty.
It wasn't until the middle of the fifth month that I asked to speak with a very good friend of mine in private after one meeting. This "very good friend" being the good little company elder that he was asked if it was okay if we were joined by another elder to which I agreed. At this point I feel he knew something was up given my recent "spiritual activity." It was at this meeting that I resigned and turned in my KH keys. Naturally, both men were in shock and asked if I would reconsider and perhaps wait until the next CO visit to see if "something could be done." I understood this "something could be done" as the CO's attempt to make me reconsider. I told them that my decision was final and I wished them the best.
These men knew the impact my stepping down would cause within the congo as I was a very influential and personal confidant of many friends. I would be the first to be approached when members were looking for realistic, down to earth, emotional support. Someone who would actually understand and view them from a "normal" lens and not a WTS lens. But after turning in everything I continued attending meetings perhaps twice a month until I finally quit altogether. I showed up for the next 2 assemblies and 2 memorials but after that I was finished.
I knew I would have to walk away from many "friends" people I had grown up with and were like family. So from the moment I found out it was 100% bull crap I prepared myself mentally. As far as my home, well my spouse did not take the changes too kindly and was completely opposed to me leaving. She felt that "apostates and satan" had invaded me and I was now their puppet believing all the lies and vitriol they would spew on God's only earthly organization. After a couple of years she finally stopped attending as many "friends" started to keep their distance from her even though she never did anything! I know, loving organization right?
So, to answer the OP question; Once I found out it was bull crap I started "the fade" and never looked back. I did not care how people would perceive me as I was not going to continue to be made a fool. There were many heartaches and emotional turmoil but today, I am at peace, and could not be happier. Our home is at peace and although religion is still a sensitive area we are back to my pre-exiting days. As each day goes by my spouse continues to see the org for what it really is. I hope one day she can also walk away mentally.
has anyone ever been to a jehovah witness social event and you are having a good time till a couple idiots show up and have to twist everything back to the society.
how many pioneers in your cong?.
do you hear about russia?
I remember being at a JW wedding reception having a good time. By this time I had stopped attending but the newlyweds were from another congo. So almost everyone was not aware of my "unspiritual" state. So there I am shooting the bull with some bros from this congo when I see this man walk up to the table and signal to one of the friends (with his finger no less) to get up and follow him. Having been in the org for decades I knew right then and there that man was an elder who let the authority get to his head. In my mind I'm thinking surely he called him to ask him to help with something there. There was no way, I kept thinking, that he was calling him to reprimand him about something spiritual, at least not there and now. So I just sat there and continued talking with this friend's brother and friends.
Sure enough, about 5 minutes later the guy comes back to the table with a long face. You know the kind you have when you exit the backroom after getting it from the elders. Being that I wasn't next to him I asked his brother what had happened and why did he look so down now. The brother explained that the elder had called him to reprimand him for something about clothing or talking to some girl I don't remember exactly. But certainly it was something that could have waited till the next meeting.
I was seething. I could not believe this maggot elder (you know those that have that smug look on their face) would pull that crap there. As I sat there fuming my wife looks over at me to ask what's bothering me and I told her what had happened with this maggot elder. She told me to relax and not let it get to me. My plan was to go to this maggot's table and ask to speak to him in the kitchen. And then proceed to tell him what a piece of crap he was for pulling something like that right then and there. You have to understand I was full of rage at this point in my life having found out how the WTS had made a fool of me so anything pro-WTS would set me off.
So I waited until my wife left the table so I could get at this maggot. Somehow, my wife knew what I was up to and never left. She stayed there and made people come to her. That maggot doesn't know how close he came to bodily harm. Thinking back, I thank my wife for doing that. In my state of mind, and knowing and having dealt with elders, I knew he would have mouthed off and I would have decked him plain and simple. This elder was a real stickler and company man. Last I heard him and his wife had been invited to bethel to serve but that was some years ago. He may be back or a CO. To me, he will always remain a punk bully.
