Posts by blacksheep

8

The Incessant Drumbeat

by Room 215 in

my wife just got back from her meeting, left the latest kingdom ministry on the table for me to look at; alas it's another neurotic, unremitting helping of guilt-slathering and ``do more, do more, and then more.

'' reonounce all personal comforts and ambitions to the vital task of alerting your fellow humans to the ``fact" that unbeknownst to men, jesus stealthily assumed rightful rulership of the earth almost 90 years ago and will intervene here any time now.

and the 04/01/03 watchtower?

blacksheep

Wow, Wanna Exit, I'm glad you were deprogrammed. It really takes a big person to admit it. I wish my mom would do the same thing, but she seems to be way too invested. All these years my unbelieving dad would take humorous stabs at the JW's. I think it was his way of also getting his children to question it (my dh pointed that out to me). I am sure it did help plant some seeds so that I was more confident that the whole thing was a sham. What your dh did is more constructive, probably.

Funny, I just read an interesting article on another board. I got confirmation about my earlier observation of the JW lit's sleep-inducing, strange texts that now turn me off. He's a linguist and he made the same observation about reading their texts...

So it's not just me..

41

Did You Really Understand What You Were Getting Into When You Got Baptized?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the majority of people who become jehovah's witnesses, really have no idea what they've gotten themselves into.

did you truly understand those baptismal vows that you made?

blacksheep

I STILL don't understand what I got myself into at the ripe old age of 13. One dunk in a wading pool seems to mean so much to the JW's.

Personally, I think it's a joke: it now means *nothing* to me, but it sure does to them I'm sure. I'm sure my mom/family wishes I never took that major life step since they have to now shun me. My dad, whose NEVER been a witness still blames me for getting baptised, as though that changed everything for HIM.

Now although I'm not exactly clear on what it means, what I think it seems to me is this:

1. That by NOT fully supporting the JWs in every way possible you have sold yourself to the devil

2. That a "decision" you made under heavy peer and WTS pressure was really basically agreeing to NOT make any real decisions without the WTS

3. That there apparently is no LEGITIMATE way out of the deal

4. That you are far, far worse off for having taken the plunge than not (it's best to be a "sinner" and NOT have been baptised than to be a decent person who simply has come to realized the flaws of the orgs doctrine and overall beliefs.)

So, no I don't really think I know what I was getting myself into. As an adult and having been away from all that crap for so many years, there is NO WAY I would have agreed to taking the dunk. As I really didn't have th option of NOT appearing to be a JW until at least I left the house, in retrospect I should have just put a smile on my face and pretend that I was "working toward it," but NEVER, EVER follow through with it.

8

The Incessant Drumbeat

by Room 215 in

my wife just got back from her meeting, left the latest kingdom ministry on the table for me to look at; alas it's another neurotic, unremitting helping of guilt-slathering and ``do more, do more, and then more.

'' reonounce all personal comforts and ambitions to the vital task of alerting your fellow humans to the ``fact" that unbeknownst to men, jesus stealthily assumed rightful rulership of the earth almost 90 years ago and will intervene here any time now.

and the 04/01/03 watchtower?

blacksheep

Jesus took up general management 90 years ago? I'd say he doesn't seem to be a self-starter: what's he been doing all those years??

Seriously, it must be hard to have those WTS pubs under your nose (conveniently placed of course). Years ago whenever I went over to my mom's house, I'd pick up one and read it just for the laugh. Honestly, I found I couldn't read it: I don't know if it was the sleep-inducing rhythm of the words, the quirky sentence construction, or just the non-sensicle nature of language which took scriptures and events out of context and guide readers into a clearly NON-logical conclusions, but I just cannot stomach them, even for a laugh. They weren't worth the waste of my time.

Guess I've been out too long!

5

Bible Study?

by ClassAvenger in

what does a "bible study" from the jws teach?

i've been offered one, is it a good idea to accept?

they tell me that they will just show me what they believe and why the believe that, that's it.

blacksheep

I agree with Buster's description. However, I'd suggest slowing way down with the questions, and don't make them too hard for the people/person who's studying with you. They are instructed that if they become too confused by your questions/comments, that you're likely being influenced by demons (if not an actual apostate), and they will cut short the indoctrination session. If you really want to continue the indoctrination, you're better off appearing a bit slow.

13

Convention Symposium: Dangers of The Internet

by SYN in

here is a brief outline i have prepared for the brothers (not brotherettes) who will be handling the symposium at our international conventions entitled "dangers of the internet : do not be misled by those naughty, naughty apostates":.

part one - getting to know the enemy's territory.

ever since alan turing developed his theory of the computational engine, things have been looking dark for all witnesses of jehover on the electronic information frontier.

blacksheep

Translation of the fringe JW: The internet is a "conscience" matter.

31

Six million people mislead?

by ikhandi in

i have done a little research since joining this board and honestly believe that jehovahs witnesses fit in the cult category.

however what i don't understand if this is not the so called true religion as most of you have expressed how do you figure six million were mislead into believing it is the only true religion?

i mean this is not like the heaven's gate cult or the infamous jonestown cult who had very little followers in comparison with jehovahs witnesses.

blacksheep

Let's see. How did Hitler come to power and mislead so many people into thinking they were the master race and murdering millions of Jews?

Sheer numbers have nothing to do with it.

13

A question for those of you who were raised in the cult

by siegswife in

jw
friends

when i was a jw, i often found myself wishing that i would have been a jw from birth.

that way i would've avoided many of the mistakes i'd made in my teenage years.

now, after reading so many of your stories i've realized that many of you didn't really believe it when you were young.

blacksheep

Well, I confess that I have a hard time understanding why anyone would CHOOSE to become a JW. I also felt as a child/teen that I indeed DID live a double life. I always wanted to be accepted and be "normal," but that just didn't/couldn't happen with being a JW. I think I just accepted it as fate; life was just a matter of things you HAD to do, like go to 5 boring meetings a week, go door to door, go to assemblies...

As hard as it is for me to see someone CHOOSING to do all that, I do think that most people who become JW's have a void of some sort in their lives. I would think they are not happy, and might see the JW's, who claim to know all life's answers, would be appealing, at least at first to people who are at a confusing point in their lives. Plus, knowing all the deception and facades JW's employ to try to make the "brotherhood" attractive to outsiders, I can see where some might see it as the answer. But, for a LOT of people, I think that fades. I know of a lot of people who "left the world," became temporarily zealous, and then "like a dog returning to it's own vomit" (ha ha), went back into the "world."

99

How many years left to Armageddon

by JH in

with all the emphasis put on armageddon in the org.

can we throw away all the signs that jesus gave, just because we quit being a jw?.

does armageddon scare you as much as when you were a jw?

blacksheep

People have been preaching about the end of the world since the beginning of time. The JW's are just another religious group that slaps together a few scriptures to predict Armageddon in part as a means of controlling peoples actions. Scriptural "signs" including wars, reports of wars, earthquakes, famine, pestilence. Let's see "wars." Yeah, that's a new one on the world scene. Earthquakes: maybe more reports of earthquakes because we have all these incredible sensors, famine: OMG, that's been around forever, and pestilence? Recall the black plague anyone?

The "signs" will ALWAYS be here in one form or another.

17

gossiping about a pedophile GRRRRRRR

by Brandy5 in

a publisher can get disfellowshipped for gossiping about a pedophile.

a pedophile molested his own child but showed the elders that he was repentant and still lived with his family.

this child had told your child about her dad molesting her.

blacksheep

That was weird, somehow my post got erased.

I agree with those who suggested you contact CPS. Get it out of the JW warped rules arena and into the legal arena.

17

gossiping about a pedophile GRRRRRRR

by Brandy5 in

a publisher can get disfellowshipped for gossiping about a pedophile.

a pedophile molested his own child but showed the elders that he was repentant and still lived with his family.

this child had told your child about her dad molesting her.