Posts by Ticker

11

The effects of exiting a cult

by Sirona in

i consider jehovahs witnesses to be a cult, or at least a high control group (cult-like).. i recognise within myself some side effects of having been a jw.

here is an interesting article dealing with cults (it does list some extreme cult tactics).

i'm going to quote just part of the article regarding the effects on someone who has left a cult.

Great topic! I believe one of the most crucial parts of recovery from a cult and most effective is the mental healing and understanding of what happened and is happening. Its one thing to be physically free but a whole other to be mentally free. Its articles like theses that help show suffering victims or ones seeking to help someone break free from a totallitarion authority structure, that they are not alone and the symptons they are feeling is a very normal part of the healing process. Without psychological insight and understanding as to what happened, what caused vulnerability to this group, why do I feel as I do, and what can I do to heal and move on, the exit process would be much harder and much more unsucessful.

Ticker

92

Will reading CoC automatically make me want to leave WTS?

by ljwtiamb in

since i am still active (somewhat).

i have not read the book and you know what the org says about it.

will crisis of conscience surely send me into a tailspin?

Ticker

I know exactly what you mean phrophecor. I too for along time thought the same, as if believing in some mystical legend that the GB behind a curtain somewhere communicated directly with God. I used to believe every answere was directly handed down from God in some supernatural way. We were all fooled, just like another wizard of Oz that really is only a bunch of old men deriving policies to meet their own ends. Without this book the decision making processes and insight on the GB would never be available, and the humaness of this org would remain shrouded under a cloak of mysticism.

Ticker

19

Were any of you "Self righteous" in the begining?

by new boy in

jw
friends

i know i was!------------ in my "20s" there was no one more "self righteous" then me.

i thought everyone should be pioneering since we were so close to 1975!.

i actully had a card make up to hand to people saying "have sword will travel"------on the bottom it said a a a {available after armageddon} because i tought anyone who got married before then was a slacker.. what a "jerk" i was!!!.

Ticker

I was a little bit a first due to pressure and who my associates were as I was a pioneer. It wasn't me though not the real me and I couldn't continue such an attitude, it began to disgust me and I spoke out against such egotism as being wrong. I thought the ones needing help and mercy were the weak and that we shouldn't be judging them. What purpose is their served in speaking negatively of your fellow worshipers even if they may be classed as weak or not.

Along with direct study of Christ's attitude toword others free from watchtower bias further showed and enforced the correct attitude. So quickly I began to reach out to these ones classed as weak because I did not acknowledge the supposed class distinction nor found any evidence for its justification. My congregation was very self rightious and if you didn't cut the mustard you didn't fit in, their was a huge rift between two groups. I heard many many very judgemental and self rightous comments. Very clicky and many were left out and hurt badly. I could not help but think of Jesus warning at Luke 6:42 "Or how can you tell your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,' when you yourself don't see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother's eye.:

This warning bothered my concscience. I attempted to bridge this gap and was very well liked by some because I didnt judge, we were all attempting to be christians and their should have been no scale of 1-10. On the otherhand it also made me unpopular with some. I even promoted this attitude of mercy through my talks but see where it got me now. A quick ticket out of the org., they want the opposite of what we should give much like the pharisees. The Org. wants sacrifice not mercy, and I took Jesus words to heart " I want mercy not sacrifice." Guess that scripture went over their heads. So the multitude of my two and a half decades was mostly one of kindness but thats what made me an unwanted member by many in the local authority structure of the congregation. I have even recieved lashings from a circuit overseer for going against the disfellowshippng stance.

Basically I seen the flipside of self rightousness as it was directed toword me from others. They campainged and attempted my DF(of which they are still unsucessful) over a matter of showing love and mercy to ones in need. It still stumps me to try and think why such ones would hold such an unbiblical stance in good conscience.

Ticker

92

Will reading CoC automatically make me want to leave WTS?

by ljwtiamb in

since i am still active (somewhat).

i have not read the book and you know what the org says about it.

will crisis of conscience surely send me into a tailspin?

Ticker

Thanks biker chic

No it was a very good comment Biker chic. I liked it and I think its true. No beating around the bush. Who wants to be wish washy, and their no better way of putting it then you did.

Ticker

92

Will reading CoC automatically make me want to leave WTS?

by ljwtiamb in

since i am still active (somewhat).

i have not read the book and you know what the org says about it.

will crisis of conscience surely send me into a tailspin?

Ticker

I don't see the big deal, its a 12 dollor book. Take it as you want but its only a personal reflection of time spent within an organization and a insiders view of what actually happens. Without this book the mystery would still be very present as no documented factual information would be available. This book is an expose of the critical faults that happen when human authority attempts to interject into Christ's authority, and the problems that are a result of such. I think everyone can afford the book so thats not the excuse, and I don't see the big hype in reading it. The big hype is a creation of fear stemming from post cult indoctrination to mentally block critical information. You have to break the cycle or you will forever keep spinning in the hamster wheel. Basically as biker chick said "shit or get off the pot". You cant be lukewarm, but everyone owes it to themselves to at least view the facts and then make a decision.

Ticker

11

The book that changed my view on JW

by homme perdu in

it wasnt coc.

it was reasoning with the scriptures.

does anyone else have the same experiance?

Ticker

Haha i thought you meant "reasoning from the scriptures" by the wtbts. Actually to tell the truth I did analize that book that the watchtower put out and it really helped me to see the controlling mindset and indoctrination that they use. Especially the part on where it comments that we are not to undertake reading the bible on our own and that doing so would label us as apostate. I read that and it really blew me away as to how corrupt and controlling the wtbts is. I never agreed with this view that they carry and that really showed me their reasoning from the scriptures was more of a reasoning to maintain dependance on an organization instead of God. This really burns me still, complete utter arogance and absolute ignorance on the orgs. part. How dare they try to steal Gods word from my hands, and then distort its view and hold it over my head. It was enough to get my head thinking in the early part of my exit as at the time I didnt know of all the channels of help that were out their.

Ticker

92

Will reading CoC automatically make me want to leave WTS?

by ljwtiamb in

since i am still active (somewhat).

i have not read the book and you know what the org says about it.

will crisis of conscience surely send me into a tailspin?

Ticker

Just to clarify one point, yes their are good people in the org. but they are captives of that manmade concept. Would you rather be captivated by a myth or enjoy freedom in truth. When I look at the org. I see a corporation wearing the mask of a religion. Very similar to Jesus illustration of wolves in sheeps clothing, appearing outwardly kind but inside ravenous wolves ready to devour. The choice is yours but I see no profit in keeping ties with a corrupt religious system, unless family members are involved, that can create a whole new understandable scenario. Also both books are a great read and well worth having, their not demeaning but only proclamate truth about the org.

Ticker

26

the real purpose of field service

by what_Truth? in

i've been racking this around my brain for a minute now.

you've got people puttin in an average of 10 hours a month, giving away countless publications, and still only converting one or two families every 20 years or so.

this raises an obvious question, "if the door to door ministry doesn't bring in converts why do it?

Ticker

Field service as innefective as it is has direct purposes as some stated. It brings in potential converts, starts magazine sales, It keeps you occupied, keeps you polished on JW doctrine which further bonds and enforce thier control, causes feelings of alienation from the world, promotes feelings of eltitism due to criticism at doors making them feel justified in their persecution, and it also serves to give JW's a feeling of doing a life saving work. Its all well thought out tactics polished and reworked many times over since Rutherford's campaigns.

I believe they will come up with alternate methods because of low effectiveness, and we already see them promoting their views over their website. They also offer electronic bible study sing up on their site, where you leave your name, adress, etc, and they notify a local congregation to generate contact. How long before they offer bible studies directly online via internet, books sent out as efiles after you pay for the link, or even sending in your time records over the net. Who knows what they will do, but time will cause this dinasaur to adapt and change with the times, or else they will go extinct. They will change, they have no choice but too change.

Ticker

18

3 pioneers die in crash in O.C.

by Dogpatch in

jw
friends

from the los angeles times .

orange county .

crash kills 3 after wedding .

Ticker

Yes this is very sad. Its a shame to see ones so young die before their time.

Ticker

11

Don't Want to Live Forever?!... Is Satan Right???!!!

by Doubtfully Yours in

when jws preach, they get the most people because of the hope of living forever in a paradise-like earth.. when somebody is looking to leave, what's their first objection?

"jah is going to give you eternal life.

don't you want to live forever?".

Ticker

Just Tickled Pink quoted:

You go door to door and go the Hall because the carrot is being dangled, the idea of getting your own beautiful home, paradise conditions, living forever in what looks to be Tahiti with no sickness. If there was absolutely NO carrot, would they go? I don't think so.

This is so true and one thing that always bothered me with JW theology, it seemed to be a selfish motive to serve God due to the primary reason of hoping to reap a reward of eternal life. It was hard to deny this fact as everlasting life was always pushed to the forefront in the watchtower society as the greatest benefit from serving God. I always felt our real motive for serving God should be love for him and love for fellow believers. Just the apeals made to the fleshly desire of our own salvation and longevity bothered my conscience. I do admit it is a genuine gift of grace from God but really is a side effect of our desire to serve him and should not be our primal reason.

Ticker