Posts by dubstepped

46

May 2019 Watchtower doubles down on the "Two Witness Rule" !

by stuckinarut2 in

this is simply disturbing and infuriating!.

the may 2019 wt has defiantly and arrogantly been released by the gb, and it is full of their disgusting excuses for not complying with authorities!.

(i have seen and read all the articles, but cant work out how to upload a link here - perhaps someone can assist?).

dubstepped

I've always felt that there's nothing wrong with the 2 witness rule itself per se. The problem is that unqualified individuals are handling something that they shouldn't to begin with, and then if there aren't 2 witnesses they don't take it seriously. They should simply recuse themselves from hearing any such accusation and immediately ENCOURAGE (which isn't the same as "we do not discourage") people to take the matter to the proper authorities. This isn't even hard.

Instead, it is all about control with the cult. They need you to need them. They need you to bring everything to them to exert dominance. Then once you do they have standards above what could likely be met and history shows that over and over they actually have discouraged people from going to the proper authorities. The whole thing is a mess.

I do agree that you can't just run with and condemn people based on accusations, but the proper authorities have training on how to handle such matters and know what evidence to gather. Many elders are morons and should never be handling such matters. They certainly should never be handling them in the deplorable manner that many do, asking horrifically sensitive questions as people unqualified to deal with the answers.

The whole thing is simply inappropriate. I do agree that a focus on the 2 witness rule itself is probably a focus in the wrong direction. However, it's also erroneous to simplify the 2 witness rule to the base rule itself and to ignore everything that its existence within the cult entails.

22

Disfellowshipped/disassociated – How did your parents handle it?

by Richard_I in

to those who were disfellowshipped/disassociated – how did your still-in parents handle it?.

i don’t want to fade, so i am thinking about disassociating soon – i don’t care if i’m playing by the org’s rules, i just want out.. however, i am concerned about how my parents will react.

i don’t want them to become super depressed or whatever due to me leaving the org.. i don’t want them to be hurt by my decision to leave the org, but i feel like there is no way of avoiding this..

dubstepped

It's up to you man. What is most important to you? For some it is taking a stand against the JWs. For others it is family, even if those relationships are toxic. Only you can weight the pros and cons. As to what kind of scrutiny your family ends up under, that's their problem unless you're trying to keep a relationship with them. Some relationships are worth keeping, others aren't. Everyone has to make their choices and live with the consequences. What choice will you make? Do the one that fits you. It's your life, not that of your parents or anyone else. I know one member here disassociated recently and it was good for them. I know that in a group I run a few have done so and felt good about it. Others continue playing the game and fade. It's your life. We can't make the decision for you. We can be happy that you're out, however you choose.

4

"Caves" from this forum on the Shunned Podcast

by dubstepped in

---------------new episode-----------------.

episode twenty four - silvers is shunned by jehovah's witnesses.

homeless at just 13 years of age, married at 16, raised by extended family that claimed him as their own to create the young jehovah’s witness that they wanted, silvers led a life that encompassed the whole toxic palette of cult life.

dubstepped

I know that he's listening to it now. It's quite the journey. He's a strong guy that should be proud of just making it through all that he's experienced.

4

"Caves" from this forum on the Shunned Podcast

by dubstepped in

---------------new episode-----------------.

episode twenty four - silvers is shunned by jehovah's witnesses.

homeless at just 13 years of age, married at 16, raised by extended family that claimed him as their own to create the young jehovah’s witness that they wanted, silvers led a life that encompassed the whole toxic palette of cult life.

dubstepped

---------------New Episode-----------------

Episode Twenty Four - Silvers is shunned by Jehovah's Witnesses

Homeless at just 13 years of age, married at 16, raised by extended family that claimed him as their own to create the young Jehovah’s Witness that they wanted, Silvers led a life that encompassed the whole toxic palette of cult life. His life was touched by abuse of every kind and he’s been as low as a human can get mentally and emotionally, but yet here he stands. Today he tells his story to the world. Today Silvers takes that stand for himself and not only will you hear his story but you will get an inspiring update afterward. That’s not to say that life is easy for him or that everything always turns up roses, but his story is a testament to the human spirit. He is one that keeps getting up over and over again and fights for something better.

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 on my website at:

https://shunnedpodcast.com/episode-twenty-four-silvers-is-…/

Or, if you like you can use Youtube to listen at:

https://youtu.be/9c70dhx66gY

23

Shunning Hath Begunith

by Solzhenitsyn in

my spouse assumed that being honest would feel liberating.

appointments were made with pimi parents to let them know of the decision to no longer be a jw.

before the tall nonfat latte at starbucks was half drunk and after her parents asked several direct questions, they stood up, hugged her and said "well this is goodbye, return to jehovah and we'll pick up right where we left off, we love you," and walked out the door.

dubstepped

I'd say that shunning is pretty consistent, though nothing is 100%, and should always be expected. It's the rules for good JWs and is the baseline. Anything you receive beyond that is weakness in your JW relatives where their humanity hasn't been quite squashed out yet. It is both good and bad. Often JWs that make their own rules are more permissive but that also makes it all more bearable for them. Those that are more all or nothing tend to go more toward the nothing side if they can't do it all. But shunning is what they are supposed to do. The inconsistency comes from individuals doing their own thing despite the cult, but that still seems like the minority overall.

6

Daily Text - 1/30/19

by Jidders in

the love of the greater number will grow cold.—matt.

24:12. i read the daily text today, thoughts on a scripture that does seem to be somewhat fulfilled with the increase in atheism and alternative religions?

it had definitely been going on back then but is it a general assumption?.

dubstepped

Ah, the cherry picking of scriptures and the fitting of them to any circumstance in a bout of confirmation bias.

Jehovah's Witnesses know all about a lack of natural affection or love cooling off as they shun their family members. Let's not act like humans haven't been tribal for millennia or that atheists haven't existed or whatever. Playing these games with scripture is so futile. Everyone has been doing this for centuries, saying the same thing about their eras.

23

Shunning Hath Begunith

by Solzhenitsyn in

my spouse assumed that being honest would feel liberating.

appointments were made with pimi parents to let them know of the decision to no longer be a jw.

before the tall nonfat latte at starbucks was half drunk and after her parents asked several direct questions, they stood up, hugged her and said "well this is goodbye, return to jehovah and we'll pick up right where we left off, we love you," and walked out the door.

dubstepped

I'm so sorry man. My wife's family caught wind that we traveled to see my disfellowshipped brother one time and she never heard from them again. Her sister told her she was an apostate, spread the word, and it was over in a night. No closure, no discussion, we were still in.

The only way around is through. She will have to learn the concept of acceptance. She will have to make new friends who love her for who she is. It will take time. Friends are tougher to make as you get older. Maybe she can reconnect with people from her past that were shunned.

My wife has made some good friends. She didn't really have much from her past so her roots were almost totally severed and it has been much tougher for her than for me.

I wish you both happiness and peace. Time truly does heal if we put in the work, but she's going to likely have a tough time, at least for a while. You need to let her be, let her deal with her feelings, and not try to fix things. Be a good support and listen and empathize. She'll find her way.

31

Jehovah's Witnesses Called At My Door

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

last saturday morning, i answered a knock at my door to see a man standing next to a young boy who handed me a pamphlet posing the question, "how do you view the bible?

would you say it is (1) a book of human wisdom?

(2) a book of myths and legends?

dubstepped

Nice work! I too am surprised that they would engage that long.

5

Random Musings of an ex-JW Closing a Chapter

by StarTrekAngel in

as you all may recall, i made it public a few months back that i was moving away from my former neighboorhood.

well, we moved into our new place during the christmas/new year week, and it has been an awesome decision.

more on that later.naturally, after having hauled all our "material possessions" to our new place, we embarked on the process of giving our old home a touch of paint, etc.

dubstepped

Lol @ Simon's post. I will now think of that myself.

Great story OP! So many of us have dealt with the physical fallout of cult life in some form or fashion. I love that you went and finished that job up yourself. It has to give you a type of closure. What a wonderful thing to do for yourself.

Go live that new life in that new place and be happy!

5

The Life of an Ex Jehovah's Witness: Kicked out at 16, a Telltale Atheist Video

by Wakanda in

tears welled up a couple times... telltale is amazing.

simply amazing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9yuwezmx0q.

dubstepped

A podcast is like internet talk radio that you can download and take with you on your phone or whatever and listen to on the go. Or you can just listen to it online if you want. If you get into listening to podcasts there is so much good content out there on just about any subject you want. You just need a podcast app like Apple Podcasts or Podbean or (the one I use) Podcast Republic. You search for the podcast, subscribe to the podcast, it is downloaded each time a new one comes out, and you can listen on the go or at home. You can also just download individual episodes to try them out. Some popular traditional radio shows also put out podcasts so that people can listen when they have time on their own.

I did one called This JW Life where I told my story as a JW and the process of leaving. Now I do one called Shunned (which I announce on here when I put out a new episode) where I help others to tell their stories of leaving the JWs (along with other cults). Apparently telltale does one called "telltale" (just look for his symbol that he uses on here to post). There are other exjw podcasts like Critical Thinker, JW Community, JW podcast, and occasionally another new one will pop up here or there.

I also like true crime shows, business and entrepreneurial podcasts, lots of story podcasts where people tell real life stories, financial podcasts, etc.