Tweety, are you still going to meetings or otherwise identifying yourself as a JW? If not, just don't tell anyone about the class and you should be fine (if they follow their own rules that is). They are not supposed to DF people who haven't associated or identified themselves as JW for a long time. Just don't tell anyone about the class so your family doesn't think you're demonic and cut off contact.
Posts by rebel8
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36Can you be disfellowshipped for taking a yoga class?
by TweetieBird ini was just wondering since i've started taking a yoga class.
not that i would mind being df'd but not ready to lose the family.
i lost my wt library cd so i don't have access to the society's stand on yoga.
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18
What do they do at a Sunday morning service at a Jehovah's Witness Service?
by omerp ini was thinking of dropping in some sunday morning but is that allowed or do you have to be invited?
will i have to listen to somebody put down other denominations, etc....?
what's the format?
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23
Important
by Shawn insome of you are familiar with my story so i wont get into it again.
i just talked to my friend's mother and she has agreed to read papers on jws and think about her position with her daughter.
she has agreed not to say anything to her about it and if she feels i am right in my opinion than she will listen to me about alking to her.
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rebel8
Personal stories: http://www.network54.com/Forum/217065
General JW info: www.jwinfo.50megs.com
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Help me out with some feedback: How to build trust with jw cult identity
by Check_Your_Premises inplease give me any input, comments, typos, criticisms, whatever.
all input is welcome.. .
building trust and rapport with the jehovah?s witness cult identity .
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rebel8
CYP, well done! You offer a very unique point of view and I believe your special insights will be helpful to many.
One suggestion is to begin with a section defining what you mean by cult identity and why it?s essential to recognize it. I think I know what you?re getting at, but I?m not sure.
You mentioned help with presentations if female. I?ve been out a long time, so correct me if I?m wrong?don?t women still do presentations? If so, a husband could still help a wife w/presentations.
Another important thing I noticed is that this article is applicable to those who are in the building trust phase but may be less applicable to those in the planting seeds of doubt phase. You are basically advocating complimentary behavior toward JWs to gain trust. However, if someone who already has trust but wants to encourage their JW loved one to begin questioning the religion, such complimentary behavior would be counterproductive. For that person, an opposite behavior of engaging in small challenges to the religion is the best strategy. Your strategy is definitely valid for your situation; perhaps you may want to preface the article by defining when the strategy is appropriate.
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davinci code!
by cyborgVision ini'm just watching da vinci code programme on history channel.
... wondering what you guys make of it all.
does it make any sense or is it wt-like publisher's stunt....
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rebel8
Are you referring to the program called something like, "Debunking DaVinci"?
I watched that and had a good laugh. An entire program devoted to debunking a fictional book that lists in its introduction what parts are true and what are not. Stupid. I think I'll make a program entitled, "Debunking Bugs Bunny".
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weird reasoning...
by zaphod ina cousin of mine was married to a brother at seventeen for two years.
they both pioneered and were, evidently, a happy spiritual couple.. my cousin realised that she had made a huge mistake marrying this brother, as they both were hormonally charged teenagers who had followed paul's advice to get married if they could not go without sex.
she just did not love him any more and she felt trapped by the jw stance on divorce.. this was her escape plan:.
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rebel8
This is mentioned in the elder's handbook. They are supposed to be cautious of people trying to work this scheme.
A question I'd love to ask your cousin: Why not just tell the elders you cheated instead of actually carrying it out? Your sin of lying to the elders would have been lesser than cheating on your husband.
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BREAKING NEWS
by the_classicist inthe 14 year old jw girl from vernon, bc, has just lost her court case in the bc supreme court in vancouver to not have blood transfutions.
more info.
to come.
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rebel8
Wow, rebel8. You could write a book!
Actually, thanks for the suggestion, I'm considering it! I wonder how many people realize how bad it really is. I lived in constant fear of having a fatal bleed w/o any medical care at all and/or having a transfusion and being DFd/forever regarded as "damaged goods" because of it.
Thank you everyone for all the hugs and nice comments!
That poor girl. I hope she gets her head on straight and the courage to leave the cult.
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BREAKING NEWS
by the_classicist inthe 14 year old jw girl from vernon, bc, has just lost her court case in the bc supreme court in vancouver to not have blood transfutions.
more info.
to come.
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rebel8
Well I hope the Watchtower will now recommend a good counselling session to make the girl feel better when she does have to have blood. She must be traumatised at the thought. Stupid religion!
My heart goes out to that child.
As a JW child with a serious/chronic medical condition, I was often in the position of needing a transfusion. Of course, my JW mother struck upon an idea that doesn't seem to occur to many (that I know of)--just don't take your kid to the doctor/hospital at all! Then they won't know about the medical issue and will have no opportunity to force treatment. I almost died many times. (Don't let me get started about my mother's refusal to let me take birth control pills when I was a kid and hemmorhaging so bad I'd often faint, have dangerous anemia, etc.) The stories I could tell!
I was counseled by the Elders to be prepared in case an emergency happened while I was at school. I was instructed to show the blood card, memorize the "stance" explanation and claim it was my own belief, to physically fight those trying to force a transfusion and later pull out the IV needle at my 1st opportunity. I was required to physically resist just like one must resist a rape--to show you did everything you could to avoid it. I was also told by the oh-so-nice Elders that, if I did get blood, it would be because I didn't pray hard enough or was engaged in some "wrongdoing" that would cause J to forsake me.
Wait! It gets better! They told me I would be, at a minimum, be privately reproved and lose privileges and probably no "brother" would ever want to marry me because I would be like a rape victim (their words)--"damaged goods"!!
@#$%^& CULT!
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"I can't stop thinking about Jehovah's Witnesses!"
by logansrun ini've heard this said by a few ex-witnesses in my three years away from the organization, and have sometimes said it myself.
sometimes it is said in the context of, "i'd like to move on, but i just can't stop thinking about them.
could it not be that one of the reasons ex-jws "can't stop thinking about" the organization -- and their past involvement with it -- is that they daily log onto this site, read about the society and talk about them?
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rebel8
Is there really much objective discussion of the organization and the psychology of leaving it? Or is there a group-think mentality in which anything and everything about the JWs is horrible?
Maybe no to the 1st question, but my answer to the 2nd is "sometimes", or even better "only among some members".
There are plenty of posts I've seen that are just anti-JW for no good reason, and then I've seen many responses indicating we shouldn't be saying negative things unless there's some facts to back it up.
Another possibile explanation of what you believe is groupthink may instead be people venting their valid anger--angry expressions are often characterized by overstatement, exaggeration, etc., which subside when the anger does.
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Girl Scout cookies
by Shawn insorry if this is an old topic.
is it true they can't buy girl scout cookies?
if so what is the theocratic wisdom behind that?
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rebel8
I was taught as a child that buying those cookies weren't allowed because Girl Scouts promote patriotism and religious tolerance. (I had been a Brownie and we used to make flag posters.) That was so many years ago though--I don't know if they've changed their rules.