"This is how our new anti-mind-control device works. You just clip it to the inside nostrils of a JW, push the button, and presto: the mind resumes thinking for itself."
Confession
JoinedPosts by Confession
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26
Apostfest caption competition
by ballistic inok, here's a picture from mikes bbq, you know what to do.
i know some of you guys really crack me up at this, but i'll have the first go, .
'hey, check this new mobile phone out... it's got smellivision' .
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Anti-Apostate Leaflet for Convention
by slimboyfat ini am working on an anti-apostate leaflet to deflect attention from all those pesky apostates who will be swarming at the convention tomorrow.
keep on the alert - apostates about!
but if we are prepared for what they will say, we can deflect their wicked claims.
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Confession
I absolutely love the concept, slim. Nice work. I think I might change a few of the more sarcastic things, such as the final line, but who knows? Maybe it's the right thing to do.
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57
JW spies on the JWD
by greendawn inwhat do you have to say to all the jws who under the direction of the governing body are lurking and spying on this forum and then give the gathered intel to their masters?
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Confession
Mrs. Whip,
Very well conceived and written.
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JW spies on the JWD
by greendawn inwhat do you have to say to all the jws who under the direction of the governing body are lurking and spying on this forum and then give the gathered intel to their masters?
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Confession
Personally I don't think appealing to them by trying to expose how corrupt or bad many of the people are will prove effective. The organization does an impressive job of convincing the flock how good they largely are, and despite the existence of such ones, there are also good examples that exist. I don't think I'd bring up the UN/NGO issue. Although I consider it quite substantive, I think (despite the clear definitions shown) many adherents may find it easy to rationalize that the WTS never meant what they're being accused of.Dates? Yes, I'd mention that. Brothers, (yes I call you brothers because it was only months ago that I was one of you--and I believe the chances are strong that you will come to see the real truth about this organization just as I have,) are you really aware of just how many dates the organization has set throughout the past? 1799? 1874? 1918? 1925? 1975? Why don't most Witnesses know about the first four dates mentioned? I know... I used to be good at defending the 1975 issue myself. Here's what I used to say...
"Whomever is giving you your information is in error. Our organization never said the end was coming in 1975. It's true they mentioned that Bible chronology pointed to 1975 as the end of 6000 years of human history--and some apparently took this too far--but this was not the fault of the Watchtower Society. Yes, it's true that more solid dates were set in decades past, but did you know that some in Jesus' day also had incorrect expectations? Notice this scripture in Luke. They said, "Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?" It should come as no surprise that we who are awaiting God's promises of a new heavens and a new earth might, in our zeal, occasionally beome a bit hasty. This is by no means an indication that our organization is a False Prophet. Our organization has NEVER claimed to be a prophet. The Society's first president used to only say that he was simply like 'a finger pointing to the Word of God.'"
Brother, if you've indeed been looking through these message boards with any regularity, you know that many of the organizations representatives gave talks in which they boldly stated, "Stay alive till 75!" My own father left his good job of more than twenty years to move up to a small town where "the need was great." I don't belittle my father; he is a good man who I'm convinced does what he believes to be right. But the consequences on my family were devastating when the job he accepted proved to be less than what he'd been promised--and we lived at poverty level for many years. We made this move in 1974 because of the emphasis placed on 1975. My parents had to spend what little of their savings they had--for as long as it lasted--and that wasn't long. This is not bitterness talking. My perspective of this scenario has only come *after* figuring out that the Watchtower Society is not what it purports to be.
Further, the fact that some of Jesus' disciples would ask a question of him is in no way parallel to dates set and proclaimed by the Watchtower Society. They were asking this question of God's spokesman at the time. Well who have we been taught is God's spokesman today? Never claimed to be a prophet? What about this quote taken directly from the Watchtower of 4/1/72?
"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? ...This 'prophet' was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian witnesses..."
The organization often uses the term "honest-hearted." If you are honest-hearted, you know that they have purported to be God's spokesman. They use the term "revealed truth." If it was revealed, *who* revealed it? Aren't they claiming that God did? And if God revealed it, then how can it be anything other than "inspired?" As a former traveling overseer once wrote...
"The Society doesn't claim to be inspired, but it speaks with the same degree of authority as though it was and is, and they demand that they be taken at face value as though they are inspired, not even permitting people to question, or to have doubts or reservations about anything they teach. Then they beg off from responsibility when something has to be changed or corrected or some prophecy goes unfulfilled."
I urge you to think about this. The Society has created a situation in which they have claimed a type of prophetic office--while exempting themselves from any accountability that should accompany that office.
The Hebrew Scriptures, which the Society so often likes to quote from today, have a much simpler understanding of this matter, don't you think?"20 "'However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.'"
2 Chronicles 26:20-22
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JW blackmailing
by greendawn incan you recall instances where your jw family or friends tried to blackmail you in one way or other to stay in the witchtower after you decided to leave it?
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Confession
When my family finally discovers my position regarding the WTS I'm sure they will resort to some of the things you've all experienced. But I recall that when I was seventeen--and my mother was insisting I be baptized--she resorted to an interesting sort of threat. In the early eighties JWs in good standing did not usually "go to college," but instead they might "take some classes." There had been some discussion of my "taking classes" at a community college, but my mother assured me that if I didn't get baptized she and my father would definitely not pay for them.
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The cold shunning after re-enstatement. Did you get it?
by Sparkplug inrichierich posted something about how odd witness kids parties were and it reminded me of being reinstated.
i never quite fit when i got back in.
i would sit in the car groups and think...are these people for real?
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Confession
While a JW in good standing, I used to think complaints like this came from persons who generally didn't fit in well with others and who were themselves chronic faultfinders. I still think such people exist, but also know that the JWs will give you the cold shoulder because they're scared of you--for at least three reasons.
One, you are like a vampire that has been cured. While they know they're supposed to embrace you upon your return, the substantial effect of a JW disfellowshiping is not usually something they can easily forget--can't just turn on and off like a faucet. This is not primarily your fault; it's the fault of the organization that condemned you as a wicked evildoer publicly. Two, many (probably most) JWs (not unlike non-JWs) allow themselves to be controlled by what others in their circle will think of them. If they get the impression that others are not reaching out to you--or that eyebrows would be raised by their doing so--they hesitate. Three, many (on some level) are experiencing cognitive dissonance. Even though we know this is not true, the flock is told that the ONLY reason someone is disfellowshiped is because they were wickedly unrepentant, that they "refused to abandon their wrong course." To some you will remind them of their own hidden inclination to take a walk on the wild side by stepping outside the confines; something that may hold a degree of attraction--but more often it scares the bejeezus out of them.
In my case, I was popular among all of my JW friends. When I was DFd, they were quite shocked. When I decided to play their game and become reinstated, many warmly welcomed me upon my return---at the meetings. But, after four months (two attending meetings and two discontinuing them,) I can report that not a single one of them has phoned or in some other way attempted to contact me. Not even elders. I believe that this is primarily for the third reason mentioned above. Some of them are consciously (or more likely subconsciously) worried that I learned something they're afraid of finding out for themselves. The best way to avoid the discomfort this produces within them is simply to try not to think about me.
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The New and Hidden Class Consciousness of Jehovah's Witnesses
by truthseeker inclass consciousness is defined as identification with other members of ones own class and awareness of its relationship with other classes.
a remarkable change has happened in the last ten years among jehovah's witnesses, and this is largely due to the way we communicate.. .
the internet has brought about huge social changes in the way we think, do business and research, and how we spend our free time.. .
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Confession
As I read, truth seeker, you were killing me softly with your song...
I'm only now understanding how this is the case. I've just come to understand the real "truth" about the WT Society since last September--as a longtime "organization man." Even as I was reading your post, I received a call from my ex-wife in which she admitted to never really believing they were what they purported to be. My own daughter has expressed the same thing to me. My reaction?
WHAT THE &%@!!! Was I the ONLY guy who took this stuff seriously??!! I was SERIOUS about this thing! I really believed in it!
In reality, though my ex-wife and I are apart and have only small dealings, it was so incredibly refreshing to hear her expressions in this regard. I'd felt a responsibility to share with her what I'd found--because I was the one who got her involved in this mess. But she'd already figured it out long ago.
Unlike others, though, I don't think I'll be able to live among the class you've identified. I can play along for awhile, until things are easier on my daughter, but it's time for me to start learning how to live.
My love to all my true brothers and sisters who've gone through--or are going through--what I am now.
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Respected in the JW community
by greendawn inbefore leaving the org were you considered to be a respected member of the jw community?
if you felt that you were, did this make it harder to leave and lose any sense of recognition and importance you enjoyed there?
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Confession
Yes, I received a good deal of respect from the congregation. I'd been an MS and elder for six years, and even though I stepped aside because of a separation from my wife, I kept active in field service and in meeting attendance. I answered and commented well, and was asked to give any impromptu talks about eighty percent of the time they were necessary.
Has the above made it harder to leave? Yes. I think of the ones in the congregation I used to study with; how stupefied they must be about my no longer attending meetings. It isn't as though I feel compelled to remain because of them. It's more that I feel a certain responsibility to share with them what I've discovered--and weighing that against the terrible ramifications should I actually try to talk to them about it. And, yes, as someone else wrote, it's a bit hard knowing most of them are thinking the same things I used to think when someone left... "Well, he must have loved the world more than he loved Jehovah." "The pull of the world was just too strong for him." "When you leave the organization, you get to thinkin' squirrely." "You know sometimes intelligent people can start to think they're smarter than Jehovah!" "The world has poisoned his mind."
But the more time that passes, the easier it becomes to cope with these things. It's going to be a tough road ahead, but my ever increasing peace of mind is a great help.
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Are you an Irritating Bastard?
by gumby inhow many of you ex witnesses out there became irritating bastards to family and friends when you left the organisation?
did you push your believing mate right out the door with your verbal assaults?
did you send out a long letter to all of your witness family and friends telling them what a lying cult the watchtower organisation is?
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Confession
I really appreciate this thread, but want to ask, just how should we act when leaving? Apart from my daughter (who found out my position on the WT Society from documents she found in my computer) none of my family or friends knows. Are you suggesting I keep my mouth shut? Don't say anything about what I've discovered?
Up till now that's what I've done, but soon the questions will start coming. Just how far do you take this closed-mouth approach? In what other area of life does a person keep from sharing something this important with those closest to him or her?
Your comments are appreciated.
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need slogan, ideas please!
by pudd ini know this is not jw related but can i tap into your wealth of wisdom and talents please!
i work in a playgroup in a small village and we need to come up with a catchy/ humorous slogan to put on a banner on our float for the village festival parade this weekend.
the over all theme is medieval, and as a playgroup we are dressed as robin hood and maid marions.
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Confession
LOL! So sorry. When you said "playgroup," I thought you meant some type of community theater.