i have just posted a new article at http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/5min.htm that is copied below.
can you please check it and make any suggestions?
a few bits may not make total sense as they are links to other pages in the website.
Excellent, JWfacts!!! The information you present and the way you present it is just what I was trying to come up with myself (and hadn't yet managed to do). If my mother responds well to the letter I just sent her, using this will be my next step. Thanks
~Merry
i had a chance to take a photo shoot of billygoat.
i had to show this off to you....because she is very shy about showing it.
maybe shy is the wrong word, but it is the best one i could think of.
Truly beautifulBoth of ya
~Merry
i have a sudden urgent need to see this article, but i don't have the cd here at work.
can someone post this article, or pm it to me?.
dave
Excellent editorial, Dave! Thanks for those insightful comments. People like you and Blondie doing this sort of thing really helps wake the brain up, which is essential considering how laced with tranquilizers the Society's "healthful words" are
LOL @ BizzyBee
~Merry
i was born and raised a jw.... right now i know i am still going through the deprogramming, but in the pit of my stomach i so want to believe in something.
i don't know if it is because i always have had a regular "schedule" with god, but to leave and not believe anymore to me is very lonely.
where do you start?
I really appreciate your posts EC! I'm glad you're here. So many things spring to mind in response to what you have to say. Most of all--welcome. Go easy on yourself. You will find your way.
As someone who was raised a 4th gen JW, left, was happily "pagan" for a number of years, and only (re-?)discovered Christianity recently, I know how it is to feel a bit fragile, curious, impatient, puzzled, overwhelmed, free, and insecure all at once.
I don't know what your path holds for you but I can only imagine it will be extremely challenging, deeply rewarding, and, ultimately, quite wonderful.
For myself, I am finding great benefit in slowly reading the Gospel of John, a little bit every day, meditating on it, journaling my thoughts and questions, praying about it (I can't help but talk to Jesus directly much of the time since becoming very personally aware of him), then quietly opening my mind and heart to the presence of God within me and around me.
Oh, that's another good read--Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Laurence. You can download it free at e-sword along with Strong's Concordance and the KJV Bible.
My daughter and I are both enjoying the Gospel of John DVD I found at the video store (she wants to watch a little bit of it every night before bed). And I love the Tao te Ching. But enough about me
Best wishes.
~Merry
the bible speaks of 2 slaves.
there's the faithful and discreet slave, and the evil slave.
although the bible only mentions the terms "faithful and discreet slave" twice and "evil slave" twice, the wtbts still likes to put their spin on it, and turn it into 2 classes, the same as the sheep and the goats.
Now I'm confused.
Reading that scripture in Matthew, it looks to me like there is only ONE slave set over the household and that ONE slave might prove to be EITHER faithful and discrete OR evil. That's all she (or he) wrote! If you're going to insist the slave is a class, (and by you I mean them) you can't go divvying up the slave into individuals and form two new slave classes out of them.
There's only one head slave there, and if it's a class of people and that class is the GB of the WTBTS, they are either faithful OR they're evil. I'm voting for evil.
~Merry
.
it has been well documented that some extreme cults have be able to isolate their memebers and then have them kill themselves because of their beliefs.. the dubs has always looked at these cults as being mislead by the devil and the dubs would never do anything as drastic a mass suicide.. however as a child i remember thinking that at the begining of the great tribulation, the fds might tell us to run, or congragate somewhere isolated and we would actually leave with on the clothes on our back, and anyone not heeding this warning would be killed at the battle of "armefogotten".. if the fds could get the dubs to leave their home and familes, bascially their lives behind, isn't it just a small stretch to think that a desicion to end ones earthly life could be the next request?.
also remember that particularily the jim jones event, some members had to be physically forced to drink the kool - aid while others freely drank.. does anyone else think that because of the power that the wbts has over it memebers, if they decided to do something drastic, many of the members would just blindly comply?
Although startling to hear articulated so clearly, I, too, find what Skyman says believable. For one thing, I grew up with him in and around the same congregations.
For another, I came up with the same logical conclusions AuldSoul did (re people dying/being killed before Armageddon getting another chance while those who died during the big A would not, mentioned on another thread) when I was a JW kid, and it gave me nightmares.
Knowing the people who make up your world as you grow up would rather see you dead than a nonJW is not very comforting.
~Merry
mark k. tjernell, sep 8, 1946 to feb 15,2002.. obituary .
mark tjernell, author of the story "day one", and owner of his own business, died from electrocution in pierce county, washington, on february 15, 2002. .
tyernell's theocratic fiction "day one", at one time widely distributed on the internet, dealt with one person's experiences during the first few days after armageddon.
Just when I thought I couldn't feel any more ill (having been reading what Scholar had to say)...wow. And I used to think like that too
Fortunately this came along to wrap things up and save the day:
"Welcome to Paradise, my child" he said as he gently took my hand. Confused, I said "But I thought paradise was back on Earth with the Witnesses." "No," explained St. Peter, "That was Hell."
Thanks for sharing those. Really. Thanks.
~Merry
good morning to everyone,.
it's been a while since i have last posted, but i do want some opinions or advice if possible.i have long ago faded from the whole jw concept but keep being "officially" part of this bogus group for obvious purposes....i am fully aware of what is going on for the past 3 or so years and have fully cleaned my system of thinking and functioning from all these years of indoctrination and brain washing...my problem is my mother...she is literally obsessed with the whole jw organization idealogy...when i first opened my eyes i tried to reason with her but clearly i saw that i will get absolutely nowhere...for me it was a blessing that i left europe and came to the united states to pursue a masters degree and am still in the us....it just kills my heart seeing her lose all the simple beauties of life, by being attached to an organization that has foundations constructed by fundamentalist,conservative,and the list can go on and on freaks.... here i am enjoying my freedom,meeting beautiful people from any given color,race,background but on the other side i am seing a very close to me person getting psychotic and paranoid because her sons (thank god my brother is in the same boat with me) are getting "spiritually" "weak".... i am absolutely comfortable with the idea of playing theatre in order to keep my circle unbothered...as a matter of fact it gets really fun sometimes!!
!on the other hand, what would everyone who reads this post recommend?do you get accustomed with the idea that your family will just continue in this lie?having tried all the methods posted either in this forum or from other sites i have gotten absolutely nowhere.... the thing that really pisses me of though is that a good majority of jw's are just living their lives and not getting stressed anymore by the classical issues of armagedon,spreading the news,avoiding "satan's traps,etc etc...i think at this point the whole group is just a social get together with a few hard core members that are getting more and more fu%^&* up seeing that i)the end isn't coming ii)most of their "brothers" have been disillusioned.... is anyone in the same situation with me?do you have family members that are still part of the "hardcore" group within the group?have you found any kind of approach that at least makes them think a little?some feedback would be highly accepted.... at this point i want to publicly thank randy for opening my eyes...although i went through many websites before getting into freeminds,your info randy was the one that made my whole jw world just crumble down within days....i owe a lot to "apostates" helping me make serious decisions in my life lately.... being tired of dealing with religion my whole teenage and early adult years i decided to focus the past few years and many other things that i haven't done...now that i "cleaned" my system i feel the urge to participate in religious issues and if possible help other people realize what i have.... all enjoy your week and i am looking forward to reading your posts.
Hi there!
Is anyone in the same situation with me?Do you have family members that are still part of the "hardcore" group within the group?Have you found any kind of approach that at least makes them think a little?
Yes. Yes. (Happy as pigs in sh!te.) And not exactly. Whenever something makes my nearest and dearest think, she gets uncomfortable and has to do/think/say something that will restore her comfort.
An article someone else here recommended which I found very interesting on that topic is here: http://www.csiop.org/si/2000-11/beliefs.html Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way of handling the whole thing. Trying to be honest yet restrained so as not to push her over the edge of not talking to me again.
Look forward to hearing more on this, as always.
~Merry
in another thread you posted the following:the whole child abuse issue is simple apostates in their desperation trying to make something out of nothing for they delight in creating controversies and making mischief.
i was one of those victims.
it isn't a "delight".
And here we see, ladies and gentleman, a chilling example of the dangers of living in the "spiritual paradise" illusion manufactured by the Watch Tower Society and maintained at all costs by its sadly deluded loyal members, repeating to themselves ad nauseum: "all is well, nothing is wrong, our lies are truth, their truths are lies, God belongs to us, they belong to the devil..."
I am well and truly sickened
(((Lady Lee, Skyman, OutoftheOrg, Tex, Cruz...)))
Hill
~Merry (of the almost forgot what it was like class)
thanks for the unpleasant reminder, Scholar
in another thread you posted the following:the whole child abuse issue is simple apostates in their desperation trying to make something out of nothing for they delight in creating controversies and making mischief.
i was one of those victims.
it isn't a "delight".
SCHOLAR: The whole child abuse issue has been corrupted and distorted by vengeful and dispirited people who have no love of goodness, truth or the sacred. If they were really sincere they should ask the question: what have they done for victims and do they really care about their spirituality long term?.
Distorted and corrupted by who, I ask you? By the elder you seemed to be disparagingly referring to earlier? who is helping do this:
Protecting Children Through Education
LAMBS TO PROTECT KIDS NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN
Locate Sex Offenders in Your Area
Locate Publicly Accused Catholic Priests
Locate Towns Where Alleged Sex Offenders Were Reported to silentlambs
Assisting Survivors with Healing
____________________________
As a result of speaking out on abuse many have been punished for trying to warn others in the congregation as well as endeavoring to find closure by talking about what happened to them or their family. Victims and advocates have been silenced by sanctions within the congregation that range from being marked as bad association to outright disfellowshipping for trying to protect children.
At silentlambs we realize that it takes great courage to speak out on abuse. Instead of punishing those that do we are creating a "hall of fame" for those that are so brave. We call it the silentlambs "courage" award. We honor those as champions for children and put them forth as an example of the right way abuse should be addressed.
What has the WTBTS done for the victims in their midst? What are they doing to protect potential future victims? Preaching the kingdom solution? That's only part of Christianity. Where's the love NOW???--the real, practical, useful, everyday, protecting, nurturing love? Where's the conscience? When it was said that love covers a multitude of sins that didn't mean to love yourself and cover over your own wrong-doings (personal or organizational)!
~Merry (trying not to retch as you defend the indefensible)
