Posts by cyber-sista

43

JWs And Ex-JWs--Do You Struggle With Depression Because You Were A JW?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i've seen how some are so burdened by the fact that they were witnesses, that literally, every day is a struggle.

are you in need of therapeutic help because you are or were a jehovah's witness?

cyber-sista

Yes,

Somedays I feel well centered and removed from JW world and almost happy, but on other days I get triggered by some JW encounter and it all feels rather surreal again--kind of like I get trapped in the feeling again and it makes me feel angry and depressed to be in that mode again. There are still some who try to "encourage" me by rambling on about their theocratic activities (latest magazine, assembly, et) I am learning more about how to turn them off, as I can't handle their chatter. I would like to blurt out to them all i know about their beloved org, but some are so fragile that I am afraid it could break them, but most likely I would be branded as a crazy apostate. this is another major frustration to me as it makes me feel trapped and angry too. I also get depressed when I see others in there who are still suffering--my own sister rejecting her 2 sons and their pain from being rejected. NO, it is not a "happifying" situation, though the use of that WT word cracks me up a bit. I guess the sarcastic humour that some display on this board helps me too. The WT org is so bizarre it verges on being ridicuously funny at time.

cybs

35

How far back are j.w.'s allowed to research the w.t. doctrine?

by hubert in

's research russel's and rutherford's teachings once they are baptized?

if not, where in their material does it instruct them not to?

how far back are they "allowed" to research?

cyber-sista

The light started to go on for me when I wrote the ~~almighty Oz~~ the society to report some problems I was having with the elders and also to ask some specific questions. Of course they didn't address the issue with the elders at all, but answered my few questions with old WT articles as if they were the laws for me to follow. I looked up one article from 1961 and then started to read some of the surrounding bizarre articles. I read further and became more confused as the doctrines kept flip-flopping over the years. Studying the old WT articles was the beginning of the end of my WT career.

cybs

31

This Month's KM: Family Calendar?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

as many of you might have noticed, the may 2005 km has a group of 4 or 5 articles about scheduling family activities.

it includes a blank week long calendar and little slips that you can cut out and paste onto the calendar.

i think this is another crazy, last ditch effort to try and grab the remaining witnesses into the protective brood of the gb.

cyber-sista

4 Schoolwork can also pose a challenge. "I do some of my schoolwork before the meetings and the rest after I come home," said one youth. If all assigned homework cannot be completed on meeting nights, some parents have explained to teachers that attendance at Christian meetings is a priority for their family.

Yeh, right--how many teachers would fall for this one? This is unreal. The school system does not make exceptions for these sorts of things. Shows how far from realilty they really are.

cybs

31

This Month's KM: Family Calendar?

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

as many of you might have noticed, the may 2005 km has a group of 4 or 5 articles about scheduling family activities.

it includes a blank week long calendar and little slips that you can cut out and paste onto the calendar.

i think this is another crazy, last ditch effort to try and grab the remaining witnesses into the protective brood of the gb.

cyber-sista

aaahhhhhhhhh.....Can you imagine how dull the part was at the Thurs meeting when they reviewed this stuff? They probably interviewed one of those ~~disfunctional~~ model families in the congo. The father usually begins something like this: "Well, family in the KM this week are some very helpful suggestions about making a schedule of theocratic activity that I would like to share with you. Why don't you turn over to page 3 column 4 blah blah blah"..... (Next they will be instructing them how to wipe.)

Hey Richie--thanks for reminding me how grateful I am not to be there anymore.

cybs

28

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 5-15-05 WT Study (Children Pt 2)

by blondie in

(psalm 36:9) parents, how do you view receiving such a precious gift from god?.

(scriptures: 1 snippet, 1 cited).

(scriptures: 2, cited; 2 snippets).

cyber-sista

The end of this article sounds like an advertisement for the "Learn from the great teacher book" Bet they are going to have a book selling campaign on this book real soon.

I raised my daughter around the JW religion though her father was not a JW. She never did take to the religion herself (told me she never did believe it--thank goodness) The pressure that was put upon me over the years to force her to conform to the religion was very great, especially when she came into her teens. I was asked a lot about studying with her--why wasn't she baptised yet?--was I helping her to progress towards baptism? The mistake I made (according to the WT) is that I allowed her to make her own decision about the religion I couldn't believe the pressure that was put upon me then and the accusations that I was faced with by the elders and others that I should not show approval of her and her course in life and utimately that I had not "trained" her right (At 21 she married someone who was not a jw--she was not one either). I had done my best and these sorts of comments hurt me deeply. She had grown up to be a nice person and I was proud of her. But of course being a "nice" person isn't good enough for the WT.

The WT Org has no concept as to what healthy child behaviour is. Much guilt is laid upon parents to force their children to conform to the WT program and by the numbers of those leaving it's not working. It is causing a lot of emotional damage though to the children and to the parents. This was my first hand experience anyway and my observations as to what is happening to others too.

thanks Blondie for another great review.

cybs

34

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 5-8-05 WT Study (April 1, 2005 issue)

by blondie in

paragraph 1

paragraph 2

(1 john 3:14, 18) parents, you do well to imitate jesus' love and patience, never giving up in your efforts to train your children.. children fail to respond to your counsel.

cyber-sista

22 Such a planned program takes parental initiative. The Bible says: "You must tie them ["these words," or commandments of God] as a sign upon your hand, and they must serve as a frontlet band between your eyes; and you must write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates." (Deuteronomy 6:8, 9) This does not mean that parents should literally write God's laws on doorposts and gates, tie a copy of them on the hands of their children, and place one between their eyes. Rather, the point is that parents should constantly keep the teachings of God before their children. Teaching their children should be done in such a regular, constant way that it is as though God's teachings are right there before the children all the time.

Planned program/ regular constant way/all the time = conditioning/ brainwashing)

the yellow unlined part is like duhhhhh--they are just making sure that no programmed borg/drone does this for real--wouldn't want to give the impression that JWs are inbalanced now would we?

Looking forward to next weeks article.

Thanks blondie,

cybs

78

CO's talk: "Those who leave the truth say they've never been happier"

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

yep, it's true.

while giving his usual spiel about how true christians should struggle, he says that some of those who have left the truth, say they never felt better.. .

the answer: "they don't have to stuggle anymore.".

cyber-sista

the pot is boiling down. the only ones who can possibly remain are:
1. mentally ill, can't help it
2. elderly with no other social connections, no other choice
3. the "trapped" ones, who don't want to lose their family ties
4. the bullies who love herding them all around
that is how i see it, and I know people in each situation. can't think of a witness i know who isn't in one of those classes, my family included. sad.
trudy

Trudy, you've got it in a nutshell... A talk telling people that those wicked ones who leave are "happy" because they no longer need to struggle to be a witness is very twisted reasoning. So now being happy = being wicked. Now those JWs who are at all happy will be questioning themselves--is something wrong with me because I am not stuggling and miserable? The WT continues on with its crazy making. cybs

34

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 5-1-05 WT Study (Christ's Slaves?)

by blondie in

comments you will not hear at the may 1, 2005 wt study (march 15, 2005 issue date)

review comments

many elders have been able to become a leader and still have the comforts of the world.. paragraph 18.

cyber-sista

4 A slave has been defined as "a person who is the legal property of another or others and is bound to absolute obedience." We become Jehovahs legal property when we dedicate our lives to him and get baptized. "You do not belong to yourselves, for you were bought with a price," explains the apostle Paul. (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20) That price, of course, is Jesus Christs ransom sacrifice, since on that basis God accepts us as his servants, whether we are anointed Christians or we are their companions with an earthly hope. (Ephesians 1:7; 2:13; Revelation 5:9) Thus, from the time of our baptism, "we belong to Jehovah." (Romans 14:8) Since we have been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we also become his slaves and are under obligation to keep his commandments.?1 Peter 1:18, 19.

Great unlining this week blondie. I have added a few highlights of my own finding that there are many layers of mind controlling conditioning repeated over and over again throughout the WT literature. This week mentioned the word slave and similiar words over and over and over again again. With articles like this it is so obviously clear now how the WT works on gaining mind control over its members--heck they don't even hide it very well, but I didn't see it when I was a part of the Org. It makes me feel very odd now that I was involved with this insanity.

Thanks Blondie, your comments make me grateful I am no longer a slave of this madness.

cybs

8

The Awakening

by Cygnus in

jw
friends

as many of you know, i have had some severe emotional issues the last couple of months.

repression from growing up jw and being so damned responsible for all my years and setting aside emotions....... now the emotions are finally kicking their way through the door and coming out with a vengeance.

i found a piece on a website devoted to anti-depressants and i normally don't do this but i thought i would share it with the board.

cyber-sista

Wow,

I am copying this one to read again. Good stuff--great writing.

Thank you!

cybs

31

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 4-24-05 WT Study (Self-Sacrifice) 3-15-05

by blondie in

god or the wts?

is there anything we can give god or jesus to earn/buy everlasting life?

cyber-sista

There was a time when I used to think that the cold and unloving enviroment in the congs was due to the JWs not listening to such great advice from the FDS as we see here, they are such spiritual and wise counsellors.

However later I realised that it was the FDS that was giving the bad example by being grossly uncharitable, power crazed, and subtly deceitful. They did not have the right spirit that's why it was lacking among the rank and file, they could not give the right example.

Yes, I think this is the frustration that many in the organization feel. I know those in there who are naturally loving people who try their hardest to do what is right and to practice love in their lives, but they almost have to do it on the sly. Being a loving kind and merciful person is not what is being taught by the WT Org and is almost a sign of weakness--what did they call it in an article recently about being forgiving to those sinners who had done wrong?--undeserved kindness was it? Somehow the Wt has taken these normal gifts of compassion that some people have and turned them into weaknesses. This is a great frustration to those I know who are still in there and trying to be decent loving human beings, but still fit into the WT "Christian" mold. Most of them have gone on medication now, as they have to remain in denial about what their religion is really teaching. Some of them continue on with their WT programmed mantra--"the brotherhood is sooooooo loving" as if trying to convince themselves that it is so.

I admit I was one of those,

cybs