Posts by dubstepped

58

Two witness rule: who cares?

by _Morpheus in

i find people railing against the so called “two witness rule” puzzling.

i think its a complete and total non issue.

for those that protest, argue or advocate for change in that rule, why?

The two witness rule does matter in that it gets to how serious they view a thing but ultimately if they'd just say "this is a possible crime, we should have the police investigate" then the two witness rule wouldn't matter. I think it matters, but I think it's become the focus of many and really it's not the answer. They will hold to their "scriptural teaching" on the number of witnesses but regardless of what they do internally there needs to be external involvement as well. Nobody is going to change their internal policies but external forces can hold them accountable and enact mandatory reporting with penalties for failure to do so.

So it all matters, just at different levels.

37

My sister passed away this evening

by smiddy3 in

it was only about two months ago she was diagnosed with lung cancer and she was a non smoker .. she was never a jw and she never held it against me that i was for 33 years.. we had a good relationship even though we lived in different states about 2000 miles apart,.. tears are rolling down my cheeks as i type this .

r.i.p.

sylvia .

dubstepped

So sorry to hear it Smiddy. Hugs to you.

10

Just About To Leave For My Work's Christmas Party

by pale.emperor in

it's my work's christmas parts this evening.

just getting myself ready for it and decided to wear a suit rather than casual shirt and pants.

it's funny because i've just noticed that i now only own one suit.

dubstepped

Have fun, but be sure to read the latest Watchtower condemning Christmas as a refresher on why it's evil before you go so that you can tell the others.

4

"Put on the JW uniform - and take off Humanity"

by stuckinarut2 in

we all know about the variation in the "cult persona vs the "real persona" of those in high control groups such as jws.. it struck me this becomes even more pronounced and apparent when jws actually put on their physical meeting or service attire, or are engaged in jw activities.

they become more robotic as their responses and actions - yes their opinions and discussions- are stripped of humanity and thought, and they become turned into some sort of regurgitating jw orator.. when they literally put on a suit or tie, the level of judgement, arrogance and black and white thinking takes on a whole new level.

take that clothing off, and put them in casual attire to attend some sort of enjoyable activity (eg sports watching or the like) and they become far more relaxed, and "normal".. i have noticed this particularly with my father.

dubstepped

My dad ways had the "kingdom hall personality". A total asshole that turned into a total sweetheart when he put the suit on and went to the meeting. Drove my mom crazy.

23

Word association game

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

iconic.

dubstepped

Suits

16

Can we ever get our loved ones out?

by SnakesInTheTower in

jw
friends

a post on another thread got me to thinking and writing.. should we even be trying to get our loved ones out of jehovah's witnesses?.

when a person truly believes in their belief system, or even if they don't but have held to that system for a long time, there is nothing we can say that will move them from that system.. why?

perhaps pride.

dubstepped

Nice post. It's not our job to save anyone. We can't for the most part, it's up to them. It may put them in a bad place if they did wake up. They get to live their life, and I get to live mine. I never expect to see them again. If I do it's a bonus, almost a resurrection of sorts, as I'm dead to them and they're pretty much dead to me.

5

I Got My Best Friend Back

by Saethydd in

yesterday morning i woke up to an incredibly unexpected text message on my phone.

my best friend from before i was disfellowshipped had sent me a really long message.

he apologized for the way things had been and told me how much he missed me, and then he told he respected my decision, that he understood and didn't harbor any bad feelings against me for it, that all he wants is for me to be happy.. i responded to his message and told him that if he wanted me to explain my reasons i would, but that we needn't discuss them if he would rather not.

dubstepped

Wow, miracles DO happen. Congrats man, I'm happy for you. I also think that he just showed something about himself. I'm interested to see where this goes over time.

New Episode - V - Shunning In A Racist Family Cult

by dubstepped in

this episode features a fascinating interview with someone that was raised in a racist family cult.

it was very small, just 14 people or so in actuality, but the teachings of the leader were found online and attracted a lot of alt-right and neo-nazi supporters that were drawn to it.

this is a look into the literal life cycle of a cult.

dubstepped

This episode features a fascinating interview with someone that was raised in a racist family cult. It was very small, just 14 people or so in actuality, but the teachings of the leader were found online and attracted a lot of alt-right and neo-nazi supporters that were drawn to it. This is a look into the literal life cycle of a cult. It shows how it began, how it eventually came to an end, but how even then the beliefs still linger, which is the power of a cult. Last month's episode really shined a light on the narcissism present in Jehovah's Witnesses, and this episode shows how one narcissist can impact so many people's lives, and how narcissism breeds narcissism among the group.

We will not be using this guest's name. She picked a letter to go by so we'll call her V. I will also not be releasing the name of the cult or the website that was used. We live in a world right now that is more concerned with hunting people down based on what a person said years ago than they are looking at who a person is now. My guest has been impacted in this current climate, where employment can be affected based on affiliation with a thing at one point in a person's life simply because they were raised in it. I'm not a proponent of outrage culture and I'm not here to cause problems for people. V should be applauded for her present and not punished for her past. She showed bravery and the willingness to be vulnerable in telling us all about her life.

You can download and listen on your podcast app of choice (iTunes, Apple Podcast, Google Play, Podcast Republic, Podbean, etc.). I personally use Podcast Republic.

You can also listen at https://shunnedpodcast.com/episode-twenty-one-v-practiced-shunning-in-her-racist-family-cult/ by using the player there.

Or you can listen on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKlQ6Q03n3M&t=3s

29

"The Branch did not approve of us to get a video security system"

by James Jack in

this was the reply i was given by our coordinator at our recent kingdom hall security meeting.. he explained that they aren't allowed to buy any appliances or do any changes to the kingdom hall without branch approval.

"we put in our letter that a video security system could be purchased for around $600 locally and an app could be downloaded for the attendants to monitor the cameras what's going onoutside.

" they said;" such a system would not be needed in our area of the country, if standard protocols of security are followed as outline by the branch.

dubstepped

Sounds like someone has about $600 they need to be sending off. We'll be watching for it. Thanks, your brothers, blah blah blah.

4

Interview with an Apostate: Syme

by Syme in

i was born in a south european country 35 years ago; stopped being a jw a few years ago, and now pursuit an academic career.

my parents are still in.

i was never married, but am now in a loving relationship.

dubstepped

Great stuff there! The wisdom regarding boundaries is something we all have to learn, especially if we want to keep JWs in our lives.

I too struggle with the death thing. I disassociated 3 years ago and coming to terms with death has been hard. I accept it intellectually, but not emotionally. A finite end is hard to imagine once you've bought the infinite narrative for your entire life.