Take a Myers-Briggs test and then seek out people who have a similar personality profile.
Also check out meetup.com and find structured social activities with people who have similar interests. It's easier to socialize with structure.
Posts by rebel8
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5Socially awkward
by tamagotchi ingrowing up a jw has made me some what socially awkward.
i would often push people away due to my weird traits.
this was made worse by surrounding myself with certain people within the congregation who didn't have my best interest at heart, who now i know where trying to bring me down, this has invoked in me trust issues with people i meet.
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rebel8
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21
Effect of reading here.
by New day insaomebody mentioned in a recent thread here i think that the more they read here the more they feel angry at the wt.
personally, as an ex-elder (only resigned a few months ago) i feel that it is more like suddenly being on the outside looking in at a whole group of people playing parts.
the zealous pioneers answering all the time.
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rebel8
One of the main reasons I left is because I was being forced into a role that was not natural or healthy for me. Here I am my natural self, 25 years post-borg.
Behaviors and beliefs take time to change, and that's if you're actively trying to change them. Here you see people in different phases of healing and change.
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47
I'm Ready... Thank you
by Garrett inhey guys,.
so, something amazing happened recently.
i recently met with an old and very good friend of mine.
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rebel8
It is a fact that disassociation is a religious ritual of jws. It is a fact that you voluntarily participated in it.
This statement of fact requires no authority--it is simply a fact we all know is true, including you.
Your reasons for doing so do not change the fact that it is a religious ritual you participated in. If you are enthusiastic about it, great--why not embrace it for what it truly is then?
Who do you think appears to be more under WTS control, someone honest enough to state their view publicly, or someone who pretends to still be JW who does not believe any of it?
I am not sure if you mean this the way I am taking it, but that sounds like a false dichotomy: Either you DA or you are pretending to be a jw.
Because it is totally possible to "state a view publicly" without DAing, those who choose to DA must have a different purpose. Whatever that is, it's their own choice to make and affects me in no way whatsoever.
DAing was your chosen path. Surely you can respect that others can make their own choices too.
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I'm Ready... Thank you
by Garrett inhey guys,.
so, something amazing happened recently.
i recently met with an old and very good friend of mine.
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rebel8
I would be interested in getting clarification on what is meant by this.
I never bought into the "it is playing by their rules argument". Most who say this are really pretty much faking it
Faking what?
it is equally as judgmental to claim "playing by their rules"
Why do you view this as judgmental? DA is their religious ritual; voluntarily participating in it is playing by their rules. This is just a statement of fact, not judgment.
when they don't know your personal reasons for DA). I did gain great peace of mind from it
I can't imagine many personal reasons. Is my list missing anything?
- Expressing your feelings/beliefs to your former cultmates by use of a cult ritual (their rules).
- Seeking a sense of closure by forcing the cult grant it to you (their rules).
- Any variation on #2--getting some sort of catharsis by participating in the cult ritual of DA (their rules).
- Utilizing a cult ritual (their rules) to cut off contact from your former cultmates.
- Seeking punishment (their rules).
Anyone who wants to play by their rules is free to do so. That's the beauty of the freedom you now have.
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22
Need Help Designing a JW Barbie Doll
by worldlygirl inwhen i saw englishman's post about a theme for his "barbie", i thought he meant barbie doll.
duh!!
anyway, i was thinking what a jw barbie would look like.
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rebel8
I practically wet my pants reading this thread.
Why is it getting revived? Are those real dolls someone made?
Pencil skirts are not very jw. How about a full, ankle-length Little House on the Prarie skirt with tiny flowers? A blouse buttoned to a normal spot and then an extra button done for jehoopla (that used to be a saying: "Stop where you think you should, then do one extra for Jehovah").
Barbie will wear a full slip and thick pantyhose. Dull colors. No makeup.
She will have a full length, padded winter coat, long johns under her skirt, socks under warm, practical boots.
She will have a McDonald's hot cocoa in her hand to keep her warm for a winter's day in fs.
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22
How do you respond to JW family?
by Laika infor those who have left and are still in contact with jw family, how do you usually respond when they bring up jw stuff, i.e.
start talking about the nearness of armageddon or things like that.. i usually say nothing and just let it pass but i'm considering changing tact to something more confrontational, less because i want to change their mind and more because i find it tiresome.
thoughts?
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rebel8
I have a zero tolerance policy.
I set the ground rules clearly--there will be no incidental witnessing, no "aren't times getting so bad", etc. without me responding in kind.
And then I consistently keep my promise. I keep a few zingers memorized to blurt out when needed--really scandalous stuff about the borg.
It's magic--no more conversations about religion, and if there's a slip, I get to vent immediately.
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My wife is frightened about the end/ What to say without sounding Apostate?
by suavojr inmy wife called me at work saying she is scared after reading today's daily text.
i don't read it anymore, therefore i went online and found this.. tuesday, march 3 .
those days will be cut short.matt.
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rebel8
I have been verbally, financially and physically abused horribly by jws. There are some I'd like to replace their real yearbooks with one that had texts like in the OP, culminating in an abrupt stop before year's end. Like the Mayan calendar. And let them stew on that. -
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What would you do with an abuse settlement?
by StarTrekAngel inwhat would you do if you were conti or lopez and had a large award?
sure, the options and the tastes are many but consider this.... i don't know if this has already been covered or mentioned but i think there would be no better investment of that money than to put into a non-profit.
on dedicated to seek out and bring forward more cases.
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rebel8
I hope the victims would spend some of it on themselves to ease some of the pain they've gone through. Therapy, fun, more free time, meditation courses, freedom from worrying about money.
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According to Oct.1st 2012 WT Directions- Past Child Molesters CAN Be Appointed Elders
by flipper inconsidering the fact that the wt society refuses to release in courts any of it's written directions to elders through confidential letters to elder bodies- i thought i'd do the courts and wt society a "favor " by posting excerpts from this oct 1st.
2012 letter from the wt society to all bodies of elders.
these instructions are very exposing of the negligence of wt authorities in how they view the seriousness of felony child abuse.
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rebel8
Sociopaths (pedos) don't change. Period.
They know how to charm, deceive and manipulate. They are never rehabilitated. They cannot become nice people. They never repent because they do not ever see themselves as being wrong.
IIRC the only treatment ever known to even affect them at all only reduces violent behavior.
This cult allows the worst types of known criminals to be appointed as clergy, while refusing women the same privilege because of their gender. Brilliant.
omg.
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How to get my kids out
by SaneAgain ini've been disfellowshipped for about 5 years and extremely happy to be out.
my ex wife is still a regular meeting attender and takes our two young kids with her (8 and 6 years old).
i recently saw some of the caleb and sophia videos on the jw.org website and was completely appalled, i remember what i was taught as a kid growing up in the organization but this seems so much worse and now that i'm out i can plainly see the mind control.
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rebel8
1. Focus on critical thinking skills.
Here's some books that sound good. I've never had a chance to read them.
If they start talking about the teachings, couch them as things "some people believe" and that beliefs are choices. Ask them if they know what other people believe and discuss. How would we know which god is real, jehoopla or Thor? They are equally as plausible and have the same amount of evidence.
Maybe you could have informal little conversations ready to use when you have an opportunity. For example, there is ample evidence no global flood ever took place, there was no such thing as the water canopy, etc. (Probably one of the jw teachings most easy to disprove.) Discuss all the flood myths that predate the bible.
2. Show them how to be a good person outside the borg. Take them to volunteering events, etc.
3. Show them you can have good, wholesome fun outside the borg.
4. Read the bible together. Read a very small snippet and let them discuss it openly. The bible is a totally evil book and has a lot of mistakes a creator wouldn't say about his creation (bats are birds, Earth is a circle). Stimulate and permit open examination of these things. Gawd sent His Super Special People into battle several times knowing they'd all die. Why would he bother wiping out the population with a flood himself and later not be in the mood for swimming, so he needs people to engage in combat for him? Why did he say to dash babies against rocks?