Posts by slimboyfat

i could use your help in focusing on my presentation subject.. these workshops are for former members of any cult or other high-control, authoritarian group, not just jehovah's witnesses.

last year, i spoke at one of their larger conferences in europe.

I agree that shunning and isolation are the biggest obstacles. More important than all the other things mentioned. I don’t consider critical thinking a hardship. I think I used it inside and outside JWs and always felt comfortable doing so.

I also have big problems with the idea of “authentic self”. Basically I don’t think there is any such thing. We have the ability to change due to circumstance or effort or necessity to some extent. But I don’t know that it is helpful to label this or that “authentic”. In fact if I was to pick my most “authentic” self ever, it might be me as a 14 year old boy who loved going on the ministry and was totally convinced this was the truth. That was completely authentic for me at the time. I was happy and comfortable in a way I have never been since. It would not be “authentic” for me now, because I have changed.

Anyway, I find the idea that JW life is inauthentic and the new existence outside of the religion is authentic to be problematic, in that I find it to be neither true nor helpful.

21

Direction to elders on handling rape

by purrpurr in

from the shepard the flock book.

"discernment is needed in considering claims.

of rape, taking into consideration such factors as the.

slimboyfat

The wording is ambiguous to the point of being meaningless. Is the disposition of the person to be taken into consideration in order to care for their wellbeing or in order to judge their trustworthiness? I think it might be ambiguous on purpose.

40

No new releases? How are the r&f taking this?

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

is it true that there's been no new releases at this summer's convention?

if so it will be the first convention in decades perhaps ever to not produce at least a new tract.. how are the r&f explaining this to eachother?

surely they must have noticed the absence?

slimboyfat

Sparrow, did you miss the fact that this year’s video drama looks considerably “cheaper” than last year? Plus they cancelled two whole broadcasting episodes in the winter and sent out filler bethel talks instead. Again, not because they are short of money or anything.

Watchower is cutting back so rapidly they’re even cutting back on video output even as they are moving from print to video.

I am reading a book called “Wilful Blindness” at the moment. The lengths people go to avoid seeing the obvious is amazing. In this case we have dozens of Watchtower cutbacks, plus statements (public and leaked private) saying they are short of money, plus a mountain of circumstantial evidence. Yet still some people think it’s all a mistake or deception and really Watchtower is still doing great business!

40

No new releases? How are the r&f taking this?

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

is it true that there's been no new releases at this summer's convention?

if so it will be the first convention in decades perhaps ever to not produce at least a new tract.. how are the r&f explaining this to eachother?

surely they must have noticed the absence?

slimboyfat

They released the new Jonah video, what are you talking about? There’s never been so much spiritual food released as there is now.

Plus any suggestion of Watchtower financial difficulty is clearly ludicrous.

20

Why our IQ levels are higher than our grandparents'

by frankiespeakin in

jw
friends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vpqilhw9ui.

slimboyfat

When waton said intelligent women have fewer children, I think he meant on average. That seems a reasonable inference, and is not invalidated by one intelligent woman having a number of children.

26

over 700 baptized yesterday at one convention in Africa

by dropoffyourkeylee in

there was a french language congregation this weekend in congo dr which had 44,000 in attendance and something like 730 baptized.

i'm not saying that is good or bad, just reporting the news..

slimboyfat

According to the report over 14,000 were baptised in Congo last year, so 700 at a convention isn’t surprising. Congo is practically the only country left with strong growth.

8

An experience using theocratic warfear put a smile on my face today

by joe134cd in

on my way to church today i was approached by a man asking me if i had a mobile telephone.

i had one on me but i said i didn’t, and i certainly wasn’t going to let the guy use it.

he replied by calling me ‘a lyer’ - and i guess the reality of the situation i was.

slimboyfat

Sometimes people ask inappropriate questions and shouldn’t expect straight forward answers, be they JW elders, or everyday life. That’s on them not on you.

13

Reconnecting by chance after a respectful parting.

by Ayeitsbooboo in

a bit of context on the situation that occurred 8 years ago.. i grew up with this woman.

beautiful person, not hat asthetically, just such a great human being.

we always had feeling for each other.

slimboyfat

Yes

Edit: this post should have been the second post on the thread if it arrived at the time, and was a direct answer to the opening post.

I think you have to. This was the key thing she said:

People don’t often click the way we do