@ Longhairgal it’s voluntary sacrifice to a theology created by societal outcasts. I’m glad to know you never gave up your common sense.
Victor
JoinedPosts by Victor
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6
EX JW 12 Steps: Step 1
by Victor instep 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.
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What happens to bethel members who get sick?
by JimmyYoung inso i am sure if you are at bethel and have the flu you just get time or what ever to recover, but what about serious sickness.
say you get cancer or some possible terminal illness?
what happens?.
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Victor
You are sent home at your family's expense or put out on the street. You are no longer useful and are considered a net loss.
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Exiting the JW's and its aftermath
by Victor inas human beings we are capable of experiencing around 750 emotions.
parents use fear, guilt and shame to control their children to behave and do as they wish.
the jw's are masters at using the same 3 emotions to keep their members in check.
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Victor
@Jehalapeno thanks
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Exiting the JW's and its aftermath
by Victor inas human beings we are capable of experiencing around 750 emotions.
parents use fear, guilt and shame to control their children to behave and do as they wish.
the jw's are masters at using the same 3 emotions to keep their members in check.
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Victor
Guilt
As human beings we are capable of experiencing around 750 emotions. Parents use fear, guilt and shame to control their children to behave and do as they wish. The JW's are masters at using the same 3 emotions to keep their members in check. This is so pervasive that some return after exiting due to emotional turmoil.
Guilt is a useful emotion to avoid making the same mistake however, guilt serves no purpose in reliving the past and second guessing ourselves about the decisions we made. What one needs to do is accept that when we were faced with the choice point, at that moment we did the best we could. 2020 hindsight always gives us different options we could have chosen but, we lack the power of foresight. Self compassion is needed for our younger selves.
Leaving JW's means cutting off family, business, and friendship ties. This will lead to future painful and awkward situations when one has to have contact with these during transactional situations.
The human brain has a negative bias that has helped us survive. It is this mechanism at play when we suffer from such cutting off of family ties. For one negative conclusion four positive are needed to balance the emotional scales. For example: loyal JW's cannot attend a celebration of a milestone for ex JW's or their children, invite others who will be happy to join in and be happy for the special occasion. Remind oneself that mental and emotional freedom has a price; focus on the new life and the freedom and happiness outside of JW's. Imagine a future filled with happiness rather than pain. Feel proud of breaking the cycle of mind control and manipulation that leads nowhere but indentured servitude.
Focusing only on what could have been is a form of self punishment. Refuse to accept self torture as the currency for exiting.
In one research study, participants where asked what advise one would give to a younger self. The overwhelming answer was have self compassion. Don't wait till you are old give it to yourself everyday.
VE
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King David's Three Choices
by Jehalapeno ineditor's note: found this on reddit...thought the meat of the post would be a good post for discussion here as well.. consider the three choices god forced upon david for taking a census.
these three choices were forced on king david, not for murdering people, not for raping women, not for lying, stealing, or any crime we can think of in our modern world that is repugnant, but simply for taking a census or in other words, counting people.. for counting people, jehovah forced a decision on david that involved the lives of thousands upon thousands of innocent people.. the choices all dealt with the “way” jehovah would kill thousands of unsuspecting loyal worshipers.. 1 chronicles 21.
“these are the choices the lord has given you.
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Victor
Jehalapeno remember the context. You had to create a book filled with fear to keep the minions from straying or thinking for themselves. All primitive religions had this in common, scare the s....t out of anyone not obeying what the leaders said was truth. No different than Alice in Wonderland lol.
VE
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Ex JW of 30 years , still messed up from it
by Doubledecker inhi , this is my first post .. i left jws 30 years ago as 18 year old unbaptised youth and after the initial fallout from leaving pretty much put the whole thing in a box and buried it .. however , i am now starting to realise how much the doomsday messages and the ‘them and us’ doctrines that’s fed to you from birth has remained in my core beliefs.. how have others managed to reprogram themselves ?.
thanks for reading , have a good day .
dd.
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Victor
Get some professional help. The cost is an investment in yourself and future happiness
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Can't deny my JW's past
by StephaneLaliberte intoday was a beautiful day and so, decided to drive by my old town with my wife.
at some point, she asked me to stop talking about jws to which i said: i'm talking about were i lived, what i did and who i knew.
its just that all of it was jws!
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Victor
The reason for the associations to the past is imprints. The word imprint comes from Dr. Konrad Lorez in his work with ducklings. A duck is imprinted to believe that the first things it sees upon hatching is it's mother. So the stronger the emotional association to the past the stronger the recall. Time can weaken these recalls and if they are reprogrammed or reconditioned what is recalled is the new association. The research on brain plasticity offers much hope for overcomeing the strong pain of being a JW.
VE
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EX JW 12 Steps: Step 2
by Victor instep 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.
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Victor
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
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EX JW 12 Steps: Step 1
by Victor instep 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.
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Victor
@ 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
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How do you feel about the JWS religion after being out more than 10, 20, 30 years ?
by Finkelstein inmyself 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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Victor
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