step 2 .
we believed that something outside jw's could restore us to our sanity.. the path after leaving is no man's land filled with high's and lows.
some go the path of religiosity, some atheism, others a hedonistic path or some version of the three.
Step 2
We believed that something outside JW's could restore us to our sanity.
The path after leaving is no man's land filled with high's and lows. Some go the path of religiosity, some atheism, others a hedonistic path or some version of the three. Regardless of the chosen path, the guiding force is what is "truth".
I wrote this years past and it's still relevant
http://www.jwfiles.com/wt_professional_look_at_jws/ten_step.htm
step 1. we admitted we were powerless under a tyrannical man made mindset to which we surrendered our power and self determination.
our self honesty and need to rescue our sanity led us to fade, walk away, or disfellowship our slave masters.
jehovah's witnesses are nothing more than a business enterprise set up by, c.t.
@ Jehalapeno I sent you a pm.
@ Vanderhoven no worries I've given blanket approval to use my content to anyone who wishes
@ Lost in the fog thanks
myself being a born in and completely out for more than 30 years i see more of the damage of what this religious cult causes people .. part of myself leaving had to do with the psychological harm it was causing people back in the 1970's, one guy my age at the time hung himself out anxiety and depression.. the numerous suicides that have occurred in numbers is shocking to say the least.. then there is the many families breaking up.. marriages breaking apart because one member decides to leave the jws.. the deaths of members or their children from refusing a blood transfusion.. this hit me personally when my mother refused a bt when she was ill in the hospital and died.. over the years and observing all of these things reminds me how glad and fortunate i left when i did but i do find it responsible to others to expose this religious cult to what can happen to people who get involved with it and that's what i've been doing on this forum and elsewhere.
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I was not born, I was recruited by a high school friend. I left 25 years ago due to the hypocrisy and emotional and psychological damage I saw they were doing. I've written some articles over the years that have been translated into other languages.
To date I've detowered 25 people directly and indirectly. JW's are nothing more than a business enterprise created by social outcasts. I've studied the early founders and primitive religious because I'm a research nerd. Russell and company built their base of social misfit followers based on trafficking fear. Primitive religions kept people hostage because being part of the religion was an insurance to survive. If you did not totally accept the shaman or oracle who spoke directly with the gods, you and your family were on your own to fend for yourself. The middle managers or bishops were created as the religion grew and these were now the greedy power brokers.
At present the theology of JW's is nothing of what Russell sold to his followers. As one by one of Russell's theories were proved to be false another was replaced by the new leadership. As long as people fear the future, there will be a place for JW's and all who recruit with the message of an antidote for fear.
JW's are followers of followers who victimize and control people's lives and their resources. When one leaves, one gains the clarity to know that no one kept them enslaved without one's consent.
VE
step 1. we admitted we were powerless under a tyrannical man made mindset to which we surrendered our power and self determination.
our self honesty and need to rescue our sanity led us to fade, walk away, or disfellowship our slave masters.
jehovah's witnesses are nothing more than a business enterprise set up by, c.t.
Step 1. We admitted we were powerless under a tyrannical man made mindset to which we surrendered our power and self determination. Our self honesty and need to rescue our sanity led us to fade, walk away, or disfellowship our slave masters.
Jehovah's Witnesses are nothing more than a business enterprise set up by, C.T. Russell, a self proclaimed evangelizer who had God selected to advertise his divine plan. He and his small group of religious zealots created followers of followers who would blindly enslave others to this mindset.
I wrote this article circa 1995 and it is still relevant as it was then.
http://www.jwfiles.com/wt_professional_look_at_jws/threat_social.htm
i'm one of earliest adopters of the internet in discovering the real history of the watchtower.
back then it was the wild wild west with newsgroups being the primary sources of information.
then came watchtower observer, freeminds, and all the other sites that followed jwd was one of the later sites.
JeffT I had one family I personally detowered who donated CofC to every library in the city. Maybe by luck you just happen to live in that city. I still keep in touch with them and I'm sure they would be thrilled their seed bore fruits
i'm one of earliest adopters of the internet in discovering the real history of the watchtower.
back then it was the wild wild west with newsgroups being the primary sources of information.
then came watchtower observer, freeminds, and all the other sites that followed jwd was one of the later sites.
LV101 Alan F was a rock star in also providing quality content. I just remembered Penton his book Apocalypse Delayed is a must read.
i'm one of earliest adopters of the internet in discovering the real history of the watchtower.
back then it was the wild wild west with newsgroups being the primary sources of information.
then came watchtower observer, freeminds, and all the other sites that followed jwd was one of the later sites.
Nathan you are correct, I did not remember William Schnell's book title correctly. I agree with your opinion of his book it was poorly written and just a bitter rant. He did however, provide a first hand look at Rutherford. My take on him is that he was the equivalent of Roger Stone and Roy Cohen in one.
Jehalapeno you are a young whipper snapper lol. I took you door to door when you were like 4 or 5. Your dad is a good man but just a follower of followers. I heard your father in law passed away from a friend who is still in. I'm glad to hear your wife is out with you. It makes the journey easier. I'm glad I could help when you needed guidance.
Scully did you always go by that name on Philia? I had forgotten the name of that group. Ross introduced me to it from AOL apostate groups. I lurked in Jesus Wit because I was not into theological debates. I wanted historical facts like the crazy Vikings were coming out with and Ray's expose on the 75 fiasco.
Good to hear from you old timers like me :)
in a book i read a while back by the sociologist randall collins he says truly powerful people don't get angry because they get what they want in other ways, and he shows a picture of two runners where the one who's losing looks at the girl that passes her rather than ahead at the finish line, guess she doesn't wanna win the race after all.
i want to apply these to the governing body and their actions, the pattern of their actions, in printing all the hateful rhetoric against people like us and why l'm pretty sure, pretty damn confident in fact, it's all downhill from here... thanks to them and them alone.. the moment you let somebody get in your head and let them stay there they beat you, they win, they establish power, we got in their heads, they know we present a threat to them, we won't shut up, we're more brazen than we used to be, we're in the news, we're on tv, we're online we're at conventions we're in the kingdom halls, hell we're just about everywhere.
yeah, we don't have this completely down yet, sometimes we come on too strong or do something stupid, and i'm pointing the finger at myself here too, but for the most part we know how to fight this battle: we drag them into the light when they wanna hide in the dark like jackals lurking in the woods sneaking up on weak and wounded deer.
Before becoming a JW, I was a fan of Herbert W. Armstrong (Worldwide Church of God). By my criteria this group is also a cult built around Herbert. After his passing his son Ted took over then he was excommunicated but the faithful or power hungry leadership rebranded and restructured. The JW's will survive in some form or fashion or splinter off as the followers of Russell did after the power struggle with Rutherford.
All one has to do is study primitive religions to understand the human need to explain the future. In ancient times drinking the religious Koolaid of the shamans, was a form of insurance to have the protection of the tribe. They were the anointed negotiators with the myriads of gods.
i'm one of earliest adopters of the internet in discovering the real history of the watchtower.
back then it was the wild wild west with newsgroups being the primary sources of information.
then came watchtower observer, freeminds, and all the other sites that followed jwd was one of the later sites.
Rolrod today's ex JW forums make the early newsgroups a sanitized kingdom hall roflmao. I also started on AOL forums and transitioned to all the groups that followed. I forget the name of the one that preceded H2O. That group was like Woodstock and fight club, with everyone coming in from all over the world with their own gripes. I even got into the fights and just like the movie Fight Club, it was spiritually liberating. Whatever that means lol
i'm one of earliest adopters of the internet in discovering the real history of the watchtower.
back then it was the wild wild west with newsgroups being the primary sources of information.
then came watchtower observer, freeminds, and all the other sites that followed jwd was one of the later sites.
Bethelliesalot, when I first read I was a Watchtower slave, I had a hard time with his bitterness. However, I got enough to know also that these were predatory power hungry self appointed spiritual savants. In Visions of Glory, I totally could relate to the crazy making that the author went through and the massive fraud going on. Then came Ray's books to put the final nails in the Watchtower coffin.
Snugllebunny, the detowering process is filled with acts of rebellion. I had a conversation recently with a former elder who said his exwife now spends her life smoking pot and staying drunk on weekends with her new husband. Some are so broken that they end up destroying their lives. Sad.
Room 215 I also recall Ron Fry and the poster Maximus who posted some great content.
After my posting yesterday, I remembered Praotes who would go on these long rants of JW apologetic topics. Last I heard he left the JW's and married one of the posters on that newsgroup.
