rebel8

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Posts by rebel8

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  21

  Sheep who mate in front of stripey trees will produce stripey offspring

  by purrpurr in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  genesis 30:37 leaving aside the whole "joseph cheats laham out of his flock" issue.

  one passage of scripture that i've missed until now is 30:37 where it says how joseph got all the sheep to be stripey etc ( btw have you ever seen a stripey sheep?

  cos i certainly haven't!).

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  rebel8

  Awesome find! It's more evidence the bible is not inspired of a creator or knowledgeable god.
  
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  40

  New Geoffrey Jackson statement on Royal Commission's webpage!!!!!!!!!!!!

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check his signature... it looks kind of childish/feminine (at least in my part of the world)... is this a grown man's signature for you?.

  http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/downloadfile.ashx?guid=9d0ca1dc-1bd6-41c4-9cfc-b1d616d1cc65&type=exhibit&filename=stat.0670.001.0001&fileextension=pdf.

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  rebel8

  Is it possible he has a low literacy level?

  Again, apologies--this is not the main purpose of the thread. It just has me curious.

  If that's it, it might be pertinent. He leads a multi-billion dollar international publishing corporation.
  
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  79

  Death is not something to be feared!

  by iconoclastic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  science can explain how of things, but it cannot explain why of certain things (for example, why did life arise from non-life and evolved from simpler creatures to more complex life forms only to die and disappear?

  ) so are the conflicted religions whose chief concern is in safeguarding each ones separate identity..

  next option is to look for pearls among the stonesusing power of our own reason.

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  rebel8

  Why is only Carl Sagan singled out?
  

  Because Carl Sagan was misquoted in the OP. In fact, his statement in this thread was misconstrued in exactly the same way the wts misconstrued his statements in their litteratrash. He clearly was saying there is no afterlife and the cherry picked sentence quoted here, out of context, implied he was stating the opposite.

  Why does no one touch Abraham Linclon, Shakespeare, Will Durant?

  Of that list, I'm most familiar with Sagan's works, so I knew right off the bat that the OP claim that Sagan believed in an afterlife was incorrect. Were the others you listed misquoted as well?
  
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  42

  Royal Commission National Redress Scheme. Average of $65,000 per victim, not including psychological fees and admin costs.

  by Lemonp in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  the royal commission published it's redress report today.

  it is a 668 page document, but it is very interesting.

  all the recommendations they make are in harmony with what all other institutions will accept.

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  rebel8

  I hope the victims get money and counseling.

  I hope the borganization is penalized in a way that punishes and reforms them.

  We can remember it as the day Caesar kept Jehovah's Organization clean(TM).
  
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  79

  Death is not something to be feared!

  by iconoclastic in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  science can explain how of things, but it cannot explain why of certain things (for example, why did life arise from non-life and evolved from simpler creatures to more complex life forms only to die and disappear?

  ) so are the conflicted religions whose chief concern is in safeguarding each ones separate identity..

  next option is to look for pearls among the stonesusing power of our own reason.

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  rebel8

  So nobody's going to call out the OP for the misleading quote of Sagan? Ok, I will.

  OP said: I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue.

  Sagan said: I would love to believe that when I die I will live again, that some thinking, feeling, remembering part of me will continue. But much as I want to believe that, and despite the ancient and worldwide cultural traditions that assert an afterlife, I know of nothing to suggest that it is more than wishful thinking. The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there's little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides. "In the Valley of the Shadow", Parade, 10 March 1996
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  30

  JW Elder Lawsuit Update: AAWA Fliers are Illegal and Uncle claims he is "Going to Kill us in Court"!

  by ReligionOfHatred in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi, my uncle made the first move by taking my mom, dad, grandma and grandpa(all in good jws in standing and non have put out anti-jw fliers or speech), that's who he is taking to court.

  i have left the organization but than again, i was only a unbaptized publisher.

  my grandma (whom i love so dearly was shocked to learn "i am not going to marry a pioneer and i don't want anything to do with any pro-jw females, i feel this religion is one of the most hateful religions mankind has seen).

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  rebel8

  I can't follow the whole story but sometimes it's best to separate yourself entirely from toxic people. Just live your life on your own and don't deal with them at all, in any way.

  It really does sound like a soap opera. If you're familiar with the scene I posted from Seinfeld, that is exactly my feeling when I start to read this thread. Overwhelmed and wanting to escape. It's just too much to process. If that's how complete strangers feel while just listening to part of the story, perhaps that is a sign to step out of the drama to take care of yourself. :)

  Here is something to envision when you cut the ties.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojydNb3Lrrs
  
  
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  20

  I need some advice

  by SpunkedTeen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i dont think ill be able to leave the organization,you see i have no close friends in or outside the jws and my entire family is part of the cult,if i leave my mom and the rest of my family will be heartbroken and i dont want to be the reason they are hurt.

  im not particularly close to any of my family members but i still care for them.

  i could really use some advice because i have no one else to turn too..

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  rebel8

  The reasons you're saying you'll stay in are techniques high control groups use to...keep people in.

  Here is some info from a site run by ex-Scientologists.
  

  
  The individual is prepared for thought reform through increasing rewards and punishments, efforts are made to establish considerable control over a person's social environment, time, and sources of social support. Social isolation is promoted. Contact with family and friends is abridged, as is contact with persons who do not share group-approved attitudes. Economic and other dependence on the group is fostered. (In the forerunner to coercive persuasion, brainwashing, this was rather easy to achieve through simple imprisonment.)
  
  Disconfirming information and nonsupporting opinions are prohibited in group communication. Rules exist about permissible topics to discuss with outsiders. Communication is highly controlled. An "in-group" language is usually constructed.
  
  Frequent and intense attempts are made to cause a person to re-evaluate the most central aspects of his or her experience of self and prior conduct in negative ways. Efforts are designed to destabilize and undermine the subject's basic consciousness, reality awareness, world view, emotional control, and defense mechanisms as well as getting them to reinterpret their life's history, and adopt a new version of causality.
  
  Intense and frequent attempts are made to undermine a person's confidence in himself and his judgment, creating a sense of powerlessness.
  
  Nonphysical punishments are used such as intense humiliation, loss of privilege, social isolation, social status changes, intense guilt, anxiety, manipulation and other techniques for creating strong aversive emotional arousals, etc.
  
  Certain secular psychological threats [force] are used or are present: That failure to adopt the approved attitude, belief, or consequent behavior will lead to severe punishment or dire consequence, (e.g. physical or mental illness, the reappearance of a prior physical illness, drug dependence, economic collapse, social failure, divorce, disintegration, failure to find a mate, etc.).

  Robert Jay Lifton's Eight Point Model of Thought Reform

  1. ENVIRONMENT CONTROL. Limitation of many/all forms of communication with those outside the group. Books, magazines, letters and visits with friends and family are taboo. "Come out and be separate!"
  
  2. MYSTICAL MANIPULATION. The potential convert to the group becomes convinced of the higher purpose and special calling of the
  group through a profound encounter / experience, for example, through an alleged miracle or prophetic word of those in the group.
  
  3. DEMAND FOR PURITY. An explicit goal of the group is to bring about some kind of change, whether it be on a global, social, or
  personal level. "Perfection is possible if one stays with the group and is committed."
  
  4. CULT OF CONFESSION. The unhealthy practice of self disclosure to members in the group. Often in the context of a public gathering in the group, admitting past sins and imperfections, even doubts about the group and critical thoughts about the integrity of the leaders.
  
  5. SACRED SCIENCE. The group's perspective is absolutely true and completely adequate to explain EVERYTHING. The doctrine is not subject to amendments or question. ABSOLUTE conformity to the doctrine is required.
  
  6. LOADED LANGUAGE. A new vocabulary emerges within the context of the group. Group members "think" within the very abstract
  and narrow parameters of the group's doctrine. The terminology sufficiently stops members from thinking critically by reinforcing a "black and white" mentality. Loaded terms and clichés prejudice thinking.
  
  7. DOCTRINE OVER PERSON. Pre-group experience and group experience are narrowly and decisively interpreted through the absolute doctrine, even when experience contradicts the doctrine.
  
  8. DISPENSING OF EXISTENCE. Salvation is possible only in the group. Those who leave the group are doomed.
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  30

  JW Elder Lawsuit Update: AAWA Fliers are Illegal and Uncle claims he is "Going to Kill us in Court"!

  by ReligionOfHatred in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi, my uncle made the first move by taking my mom, dad, grandma and grandpa(all in good jws in standing and non have put out anti-jw fliers or speech), that's who he is taking to court.

  i have left the organization but than again, i was only a unbaptized publisher.

  my grandma (whom i love so dearly was shocked to learn "i am not going to marry a pioneer and i don't want anything to do with any pro-jw females, i feel this religion is one of the most hateful religions mankind has seen).

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  rebel8

  In all seriousness, I am sorry for what you're going through. It sounds like a crappy situation.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5j4DIellR4
  
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  128

  Participate In The EX-JW Personality Test!

  by C0ntr013r in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  first of all; i must admit that i'm not a huge fan of putting people in boxes like this, it is not an exact science.

  but i still think the data can be quite interesting and i intend to collect it and share it in a structured way with you guys.

  so without future ado here are the details.. link to test: .

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  rebel8

  I WAS an introvert JW, now I'm an extrovert exJW. I've learned that im a natural leader in my circles and I love to have a voice.

  Introversion does not mean shy or quiet in the Myers-Briggs test...not sure if that's what you meant.
  
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  40

  New Geoffrey Jackson statement on Royal Commission's webpage!!!!!!!!!!!!

  by Viva la Vida in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  check his signature... it looks kind of childish/feminine (at least in my part of the world)... is this a grown man's signature for you?.

  http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/downloadfile.ashx?guid=9d0ca1dc-1bd6-41c4-9cfc-b1d616d1cc65&type=exhibit&filename=stat.0670.001.0001&fileextension=pdf.

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  rebel8

  I have to admit, when I saw the comment about his signature in the OP, my first thought was, "That's kind of petty."

  Then I looked at the signature, and I'll be damned, that is quite the odd signature for an adult male. It is really round and loopy like a young girl who is learning to write. One could easily imagine doodlings on the face of a spiral notebook in that script, with hearts and, "Mrs. Justin Bieber".

  Seriously an odd signature. I apologize for my stupid immediate thought.

  The signature doesn't matter of course. Just remarkably odd.