LongHairGal

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Posts by LongHairGal

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  26

  Things JWs Say That Don't Mean What They Think It Means

  by NotFormer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  sometimes things don't come across the way the speaker intended.. years ago there was an ad by the whitegoods company fisher and paykel.

  they showed them going to great lengths to get customer feedback on what was important to them.

  one customer said that she wanted it to be easy to get her appliances serviced when they broke down.

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  LongHairGal

  NOT FORMER & DING:

  I remember hearing that expression ‘your brain being washed clean’ from a JW who I was once friendly with decades ago.

  The Witness religion is so full of quips, witty sayings, urban legends and fallacies that make the rounds! They’re so proud of themselves. In the latter part of my still being in (late ‘90s or 2000) I heard a saying that seems to have made the rounds and I first heard an elder say it:.. “Some of us are going to get to the new system the underground way.” ..Obviously referring to JWs passing away.

  I was angry when I heard it but didn’t say anything. It seemed it was a ‘hint’ at an upcoming changing of yet another belief!!.. The only way I can think of for the widespread use of these sayings being used from coast to coast is that they must be repeated by traveling COs (maybe deliberately) in talks.. Is a witty saying like this supposed to cushion the blow for all the older JWs waiting patiently for the new system?? I doubt it.
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  33

  Jehovah's Witnesses and Tattoos

  by NotFormer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was wondering about the jw attitude towards getting tattoos.. redditors suggest that the only jws who have them would have got them before they were baptised.. jw.org gives a meally-mouthed "true christians wouldn't" response.. but no-one (that i've seen so far) answers the question i'm actually asking: is getting a tattoo after being baptised a disfellowshipping offence?.

  if not disfellowshipable, how would a typical jw congregation treat someone who got a tattoo after baptism?

  would they really treat it like it is a conscience issue?.

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  LongHairGal

  NOT FORMER:

  Yes, I walked away (‘Faded’) but I didn’t call attention to myself. Besides, JWs don’t usually chase after anybody (especially women) unless they were considered a material ‘asset’.. In other words, you had to be somebody who did favors for the Users and/or gave people thing$.👎

  EASY PROMPT:

  Even though I’m Out, I don’t doubt what you say. It has probably come down to people looking for prominence in the religion. So, they will ‘overlook’ some things, such as somebody’s tattoo(s), as long as people fawn over them.
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  33

  Jehovah's Witnesses and Tattoos

  by NotFormer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was wondering about the jw attitude towards getting tattoos.. redditors suggest that the only jws who have them would have got them before they were baptised.. jw.org gives a meally-mouthed "true christians wouldn't" response.. but no-one (that i've seen so far) answers the question i'm actually asking: is getting a tattoo after being baptised a disfellowshipping offence?.

  if not disfellowshipable, how would a typical jw congregation treat someone who got a tattoo after baptism?

  would they really treat it like it is a conscience issue?.

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  LongHairGal

  NOT FORMER:

  I got one in the very later years of being in the religion. It was small and not in a noticeable area.

  DESTIN:
  

  No, she is not wrong.

  It all depends on who you are (man or woman), where you are located, what the body of elders is like, what the tattoo is and where it is on your body.

  Also, if you have a big mouth about the whole thing that factors into it.. I got a tiny tattoo in the time prior to my ‘Fade’. But, I was older and didn’t go around talking about it like a moron. If anybody had said anything, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It would have only hastened my departure from the religion.
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  58

  Cult or High Control Group?

  by MillennialDawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i see this phrase a lot: "the indication of a cult is what happens when you leave.

  " i'm not sure where that originated, but it is a faulty categorization.

  "cult" is almost always used in a derogatory way.

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  LongHairGal

  VIDIOT:

  Yes, the realization that something was wrong with the JW religion came slowly and was cumulative.

  What tipped the scales (for me anyway) was the 1995 Generation teaching. I remember sitting in the hall during the study and it hit me:.. they were playing everybody and I knew my time in the Witness religion was Over.. Yes, the thought came to me just like that.

  There was no emotion in me. I just knew what I had to do. I planned my ‘Fade’. Now, I was not raised a Witness so maybe it was easier for me. Luckily, I had no family there. As for everybody else there who knows? JWs make all kinds of excuses inside their heads. Some end up medicated because of cognitive dissonance. They can have it.
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  28

  Do we blame the Governing Body too much?

  by no-zombie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'd like to start this post with a part from the movie 'v for vendetta'.

  here in a dystopian state, the main character named v, explains why things have gone so bad ....

  those who do not want us to speak.

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  LongHairGal

  JOEY JOJO:

  You are absolutely right about the JW organization acting like a totalitarian government!

  When I read the book ‘Crisis of Conscience’ by Ray Franz, I was struck by all the similarities to what I read about what happened in Cuba. In the JWs they had secret witnesses snitching on people and the accused who were interrogated were never told by who, etc. In totalitarian governments we saw the same thing happen.

  MAGNUM:

  I agree with you and blame the rank & file Witnesses as well. When I was a young working woman, it was these older hypocrites (collecting pensions, no less) who criticized me and made sure I was hardly invited anywhere! I’m just thankful I never listened to them.
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  34

  Hailstones?

  by NotFormer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i was interested in things jw two decades or so ago, i never came across these mentions of hailstones.

  it crops up so often now that it's almost a meme!

  when did it become a thing in jw speak, and what does it refer to?.

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  LongHairGal

  Yes, I have seen several threads on this upcoming hard-hitting ‘Hailstone’ message on Reddit.

  So, the Witness religion is now at this point, eh? I guess it means that I should go running back to the religion in fear, right?🤮 (sarcasm). I would be a real masochist if I did that.. All my mental healing and peace would be undone. I would have to have my head examined.

  Most of us are Out because of abusive treatment of one kind or another.
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  58

  Cult or High Control Group?

  by MillennialDawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i see this phrase a lot: "the indication of a cult is what happens when you leave.

  " i'm not sure where that originated, but it is a faulty categorization.

  "cult" is almost always used in a derogatory way.

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  LongHairGal

  BETH SARIM:

  Yes, that is my point exactly about the JW religion.

  We can never know, nor would we want to, just how bad it could be. We only know what we have seen. And it isn’t good.
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  58

  Cult or High Control Group?

  by MillennialDawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i see this phrase a lot: "the indication of a cult is what happens when you leave.

  " i'm not sure where that originated, but it is a faulty categorization.

  "cult" is almost always used in a derogatory way.

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  LongHairGal

  NO-ZOMBIE:

  No, I don’t doubt you at all and I know something about the history of that region of the world. More than you might think. I’m a bit of a history buff myself.

  Also, I had a relative who worked in Iran and know somebody else who was in Saudi Arabia for a while! They had some horror stories to tell. So, I certainly do appreciate the structure of Arabic theocratic governments!

  I see you are big-picturing it with your comparisons.

  I know the WTBS is not the center of the world and that worse things happened in the past. We all know the history of the world and religion is bad with the Inquisition and other atrocities throughout history up until the present time. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything about the atrocities and lack of human rights (especially for women) in the places you mentioned.. Obviously, they don’t care what the rest of the world thinks about them.

  But, as far as religions go now (that are operating inside of other relatively free countries). I still think JWs is high control group with potential to be a lot worse if it had the upper hand - which I’m glad it does not. You can feel free to disagree.
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  58

  Cult or High Control Group?

  by MillennialDawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i see this phrase a lot: "the indication of a cult is what happens when you leave.

  " i'm not sure where that originated, but it is a faulty categorization.

  "cult" is almost always used in a derogatory way.

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  LongHairGal

  NO-ZOMBIE:

  Yes, I do. As I said in my previous post answering your post: ..If the Witness religion was geographically isolated and its OWN sovereign country the potential is definitely there for this to happen!…Iran is its own country. This is what you are ignoring.

  JWs are bullying enough now (operating inside of relatively free countries) with their shunning routine, the stand against beards and issues about women’s dress, etc..

  Again, JWs are only kept in check (for the most part) because they are NOT a sovereign country but are subject to the laws of the countries they live in (thank God)!!

  Otherwise they would very quickly degenerate and resemble these other oppressive countries you mentioned.
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  58

  Cult or High Control Group?

  by MillennialDawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i see this phrase a lot: "the indication of a cult is what happens when you leave.

  " i'm not sure where that originated, but it is a faulty categorization.

  "cult" is almost always used in a derogatory way.

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  LongHairGal

  NO-ZOMBIE:

  Good points! But I wouldn’t think of comparing the Witness religion to totalitarian regimes or countries that are religious theocracies.

  So, as far as I’m concerned, they should not be in the equation here as to whether the JWs are a cult or not.

  I am referring to the JW religion operating mostly in relatively free Western countries (even though I am aware they are in some non-Western countries as well.). The complaints against it are in comparison to how people fare in it as opposed to other religions. Just one example: people in other religions not discouraged from higher education.

  The things you mentioned like the torture rack and beatings, etc. wouldn’t even be tolerated in Western countries (although I have no doubt that some extremist mentalities might like to do these things!).. As it is, it’s bad enough we all know that child molestation exists. Also, the JW religion is relatively young as compared to other religions. Given time who knows how bad they could get?

  In my opinion, the JWs are a high-control group with some cult-like traits. They have the potential to be worse. What stops them? They are not geographically isolated and cannot carry out the horrors that other groups have!.. That’s why the people in Jonestown sealed their doom as soon as they left the continental US and followed what’s-his-name into the jungle with his guards!👎