I have no problem with earning a living off of activism. It allows one to spend more time participating in the activism. Marketing puts the message out there, like it or not. I think that too many people have demonized anyone making a buck. Making money isn't evil, and it takes money to pursue activism. I don't begrudge Simon for putting ads up on this site. It costs money to do all of these things. It is a fact of life, one that idealism can't seem to reconcile.
dubstepped
JoinedPosts by dubstepped
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21
Commercial activism.
by Ben131895 inin his last couple of vlogs, john cedars is wearing a t-shirt saying shunned.
some people liked it and asked him if they could purchase one.. in his last vlog (#111) he is advertising it and mentioned the link www.apostee.com, based in the us.
comments attached to vlog # 110 mentioned the fact that this company will close in april and that the business will be continued by cedars itself, who has also a stock of anti-witness items.. besides that, he was not the owner of jwsurvey.org, but since january 16, 2016 he is.. it looks (as mentioned before by simon in an earlier thread), this guy is making a living from his activism, a paid career.. one should seriously question his true motives, demonstrated in his activism.
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A Chance To Plant A Seed That We All Have
by dubstepped ini'd like to brainstorm something with the rest of you.
this summer at the regional conventions we all know by now that a talk on shunning is going to be given.
we all know what that talk will likely point to.
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dubstepped
My wife's suggestion was a musical card that plays "What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more", lol.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5G1FmU-ldgI'm thinking more along the lines of something that says "God is Love" "Love Never Fails" and other short attention grabbers at the top with a personalized message underneath contrasting the love that we have for them with the toxic love they're showing by shunning.
I have a friend that is a graphic designer and will really have postcards produced if needed. I think I like the idea of a postcard over a letter because it grabs your attention and can't be unseen.
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A Chance To Plant A Seed That We All Have
by dubstepped ini'd like to brainstorm something with the rest of you.
this summer at the regional conventions we all know by now that a talk on shunning is going to be given.
we all know what that talk will likely point to.
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dubstepped
I'd like to brainstorm something with the rest of you. This summer at the regional conventions we all know by now that a talk on shunning is going to be given. We all know what that talk will likely point to. Shunning is healthy because it keeps the congregation clean, it is reflective of loyal love shown to Jehovah, and that it is actually loving to us as "unrepentant wrongdoers". You and I know that is garbage.
I believe that most JW's still have their authentic person inside. I did, it was just covered by JW-speak. It hurts to shun other people just as it hurts to be shunned. I did it for years and it always hurt, though out of sight was out of mind until something caught my eye and pricked my authentic self. I knew that shunning wasn't loving.
So, the way I see it, you and I have an opportunity to plant a seed of love to the authentic selves that lie beneath our JW relatives exteriors. There's a soft chocolate center under that toxic candy shell. The GB is about to put another layer of toxic candy shell on top. We have a moment here to reach the center and make it so that when they hear the toxic words from the stage it just might cause them some dissonance.
My challenge is to develop something that I/we can send to our former loved ones prior to that talk that reaches their humanity within so that when the toxic message is presented, maybe, just maybe, it pricks the nerves on that authentic self underneath.
I'm picturing a letter, a VERY short letter, that shows our relatives what love really is. It can't be long because for most of us our relatives may not read anything if they know it is from us, so it has to pack a lot of punch in a few short words. I have even pictured a postcard, almost like and advertisement, something so short and with some key graphics and words that it tugs at the heart underneath the indoctrination.
Maybe a picture of a loving family enjoying a meal together, or embracing, with a message about how "noone has love greater than this, that they would die in behalf of their friends" or how their "exists a friend sticking closer than a brother" or how "love hopes all things, endures all things, never fails", etc. Something as a slogan for the campaign, something quick hitting and scriptural, with a personal message underneath that grabs them really fast and shows them the contrast between love and shunning. This is a chance to plant a seed that might just grow when the shun gun is brought out at the convention.
I'm interested in hearing your feedback. I know that it was the lack of genuine love shown that finally got me to wake up. It was healing emotionally that started my entire process. Then I allowed myself to dive into the deeper doctrinal issues, but to start it was basic humanity that woke me up. I want to take a shot at waking up others by appealing to their basic humanity. Shunning causes cognitive dissonance and if there is an opening in the toxic armor I believe that is where it lies.
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"I should have known" moments
by dubstepped ini got ready for the meeting.
my wife did too.
we drove out to the kingdom hall and the closer we got the higher my anxiety would spike.
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dubstepped
I got ready for the meeting. My wife did too. We drove out to the Kingdom Hall and the closer we got the higher my anxiety would spike. As we pulled into the parking lot I just felt sick, and I looked at my wife and said "I can't do this", and once again, we turned right around and went home. The feeling of relief was instant the second we left that parking lot and headed home.
This was repeated over and over. Sometimes I made it in and to the meeting. Other times I left before even going in. Eventually I just didn't even want to leave the house and head that way. I had this massive social anxiety that was kicking my ass, and my wife was understanding. Funny how almost all of that went away once I left and disassociated from those people forever. I should have known. I had all of the signs that my body was giving me that the religion and people just wasn't for me, but I ignored it for years.
What about you? Did your mind/body send you messages that looking back you can see was its way of telling you that you were doing something unhealthy? Looking back the signs were there for me. No matter how hard I pushed to fit into their mold, it just literally made me sick.
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Facing mortality after leaving the witnesses
by truthseeker intell me i'm not overly thinking this.. i'm 39 years old...still youngish...but i worry about getting old.
i look in the mirror and it depresses me.
i suppose i still cling to watchtower utopia when no one would age over 25.. i used to look forward to paradise earth because it meant all the evil in the world, nuclear warfare, terrorist attacks and sickos would be no more, but we are deep in the 21st century with no end in sight.. appreciate your comments.
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dubstepped
I feel the same way. I'm 38 and just left last year. It's a total mindf*ck to go from never having to die to knowing you will. I'm a naturally anxious person with obsessive thoughts at time and it messes with me regardless of what others have said here. I'm trying to focus more on living a life I can be proud of when looking back on my death bed instead of focusing on the big dirt nap. -
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I would rather be in the JW cult than the ex-jw cult
by questioningmyfaith ini have posted one other time on this website.
just for the mere fact that i wasn't anger and bitter and ready to declare the gb the sociopathic criminals that so many here ascribe to, my initial question digressed to bickering over ad hominem attacks against the gb and not my beliefs that i'm questioning.
some did give me some help on my questions.
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dubstepped
You have to weed through a tremendous amount of attitude on here. If you care to do so you can find interesting points to consider that will be presented as fervently as "the truth" as what we were taught as JWs. Don't you dare disagree because you'll be buried under attitude or word vomit. With that said, this place helps teach me just to move on and ignore those that insist on their version of life and their interpretation of evidence that currently exists. I like to come for the current JW events and personal experiences, many that I realize are just as embellished as the parts on the conventions were. But that's people. As you move away from a cult it is hard to deal with lots of differences because they never existed before in your life. -
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Pshycos! - 2016 "Remain Loyal to Jehovah" Regional Convention Program
by thedepressedsoul inwow this is interesting!
i think how much emphasis this puts on "loyalty" shows their is an issue.
they're trying to plug the wholes as much and quickly as possible.
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dubstepped
I found it interesting that they slipped inactive ones right in there with unbelievers like relatives, mates, and former students. If you're inactive it's like you've gone back beyond step on in da troof. I've just never seen them lumped into a group like that before. -
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Sweet 16 - Happy Birthday to Us !
by Simon init's the forum's 16th birthday today!.
amazing that not only have we lasted so long but we're still thriving and growing.. thanks to all the people and often colorful characters who've contributed to the site over the years.
some are still here with us, some have since moved on, but all have touched each others lives in some way along our different journeys.. .
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dubstepped
Congrats Simon, and happy birthday to the forum. Pretty cool to make it 16 years online. -
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Is this a site controlled by atheists?
by The Rebel inunder the exterior of being an ex- witness site, is this site simply converting atheism?.
i pose the question, because many come here in distress and insecurity with the realization that the w.t is wrong but still retain a belief in god.
my personal opinion is the threads on god are not challenged by an atheists personal animosity to believers, they are challenged and become confrontational because the atheist wants an elaboration and factual proof to a believers faith.. is this unreasonable?
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dubstepped
Yes. -
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I COLLECT QUOTES. . . Here are some of my favorites
by Terry inplease post your favorites too.
my favorite quotations:.
you cannot change what you refuse to confront.. sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.. don’t think of cost.
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dubstepped
Run with those who search for truth, and run like hell from those that claim to have found it.
Is the life you're living worth the price you're paying.
(Those two were huge for me during my awakening. Also, nice idea for a thread. I like many of yours too.)