Posts by DanTheMan

5

New Title For Revelation Book

by hooberus in

jw
friends

the watchtower's revelation commentary "revelation: it's grand climax at hand!

" is so amazingly self centered, as they apply nearly everything in the book of revelation to themselves, that perhaps they should give the book a new name.

here's my suggestion:.

Who believes in a firey hell?

by rekless in

jw
friends

is hell the grave.

is it dante' pit.. or is it.

hell is truth seen too late.

No, I'll never believe that bull. What I came to realize over the years, however, is that the WT uses "death at Armageddon" the same way fundies use "eternal torment in hell" - the end result? Manipulated people serving out of fear instead of love.

I went to a Baptist church last week at the invitation of one of my supervisors at work. In some ways, I enjoyed the service. The preacher was sincere enough. They sang a song called "Victory in Jesus" that I was liking some. But, the preacher mentioned hell (and though he didn't speak of it as a place of eternal conscious torment, I was in a Baptist church, I knew what he meant) - So guess what? I'm never going back. I'm not done searching though. I plan on visiting another church in my area this Sunday.

23

Disassociation?

by Sunflower1982 in

jw
friends

hi people!

i was wondering if you all could take a moment to give me some advice.... since leaving my congregation and regaining clarity, i have been contemplating disassociating myself.

i know it seems like a silly thing to fret about, but i think disassociation might give me the closure ive been looking for.

DanTheMan

I just disassociated myself about 3 weeks ago, I'm still not sure that it was the right thing to do. Not in the sense that I think the borg is right, or that JW-ism is the right religion, I am way beyond that.
When I da'd, I played by their rules. I disfellowshipped myself. I'm kind of regretting that. I did have some good friends in the org that I have no association with now. But at the same time, the org was and is making them crazy, which just depressed the hell out of me when I was in. And I couldn't keep living a lie (i.e. having them think that I was just "weak" or "inactive" when the truth is I think the whole bloody thing is a crock of shit that uses guilt and fear to keep people in submission).
Everybody is different and has different reasons for what they do. I just wanted to share my story. I know when I da'd it probably shocked the hell out of a lot of people. I emailed a bunch of 'em a link to www.escapefromwatchtower.com, they didn't appreciate it much.

2

Cal Lehman

by DanTheMan in

jw
friends

i found an ex-jw website that stated that this person was an elder for 35 years and has an ex-jw support group in columbus ohio.

well, the link to his homepage brought nothing up, and the phone # listed is disconnected.

does anybody know cal personally, has he gone back to the borg?

DanTheMan

I found an ex-jw website that stated that this person was an elder for 35 years and has an ex-jw support group in Columbus Ohio. Well, the link to his homepage brought nothing up, and the phone # listed is disconnected. Does anybody know Cal personally, has he gone back to the borg?

11

I'm 55 pages into C of C

by DanTheMan in

jw
friends

amazed, dumbfounded, flabbergasted are adjectives that only begin to describe my emotions as i learn about the inner workings of the borg during ray's time.

the flip-flops on oral sex (as if it was any of their business to begin with), are simply...i can't even say it - unbelievable.

the sheer cold arrogance of it all.

DanTheMan

Amazed, dumbfounded, flabbergasted are adjectives that only begin to describe my emotions as I learn about the inner workings of the borg during Ray's time. The flip-flops on oral sex (as if it was any of their business to begin with), are simply...I can't even say it - unbelievable. The sheer cold arrogance of it all. Or how wives couldn't scripturally divorce their husbands if they engaged in bestiality or homosexuality, since that wasn't true adultery (WHA?) Thank GOD I'm not still a part of the insanity, thinking that I'm the problem.

15

Telling a JW that you are anti-watchtower.

by jerome in

the time has finally come.

i am getting dangerously close to a situation where i will have to reveal to my gf's mother and siblings that not only do i not share their beliefs but the probility of them converting me to their religion is next to none.

relaying this information could cause one hell of alot of problems with the situation as it satnds.. in my country which is mainly christian the the jws eventhough not accepted are permitted to continue with their faith.

DanTheMan

Billygoat, thanks for your post. Two things that always bothered me as a dub -

1. Most non-JW's I met knew next to nothing about them. This bothered me because JW's feel that all persons alive are accountable for their response or non-response to the JW message.

2. The WT religion is so complex and convoluted, I could barely understand it myself, let alone try to explain it to someone. I guess I was one of those "mental-permafrost" JW's, the deeper things of the WT religion are just weird and unappealing.

31

WTS says you are free to do what we tell you

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

the may 15 issue of the watchtower contains a discussion of the question: would it be advisable for a true christian to attend a funeral or a wedding in a church?.

the tone of the wts view is set in the very first line our taking part in any form of false religion is displeasing to jehovah and must be avoided.

nonetheless the last line of the article states whatever the situation, the christian should make sure that the decision will not interfere with his preserving a good conscience before god and men.. so apparently it's a personal decision for the jw as to whether he/she will attend a funeral in a church or not.

DanTheMan

When you're in the borg for so long, you fail to see how brain-dead and dependent you become. This article is such a classic example on how JW's are trained to use discernment - not their own discernment, but the discernment of the supposed annointed class. The WT's insistence that they follow the first century model of Christianity is a fallacy. Did Christ's first century disciples have a central governing body that gave them counsel on virtually every aspect of their lives? It is so sad that the dubs & the Society have formed such a co-dependent relationship.

At the last meeting I went to (Public Talk & WT Study) the talk dealt with education. Among the other fine counsel points given, the brother proceeded to expound on how much math a Christian should take in school. Yes. It's true. It was surreal.

20

JWs and Blood Transfusions

by MavMan in

jw
friends

these are some excellent links for those that are investigating the pros and cons of blood transfusions.

the bloodless medicine & surgery institute .

the nj institute for the advancement of bloodless medicine and surgery .

DanTheMan

My feeling about the blood issue is that most J-dubs just accept it as part of the package and hope that it never becomes an issue for them (and it usually doesn't, the vast majority of people never get a transfusion in their life). The blood issue was one of the things that helped me see how the WT is a classic case of out-of-control religious authority/arrogance. Oh, how I bet they wish they had never come up with that one. Just one of the myriad of ways that the WT "shuts up the kingdom of heaven before men", to paraphrase a scripture whose location I am too lazy to look up right now.

20

When Will District Conventions Be Abolished?

by AvailableLight in

jw
friends

the thread on cutting back the number of weekly meetings to two got me thinking:.

do you think the jw organization will continue to hold district conventions for very long?.

i wonder, how many people *really* feel upbuilt after attending a dc?

DanTheMan

There was a comment in a WT article or the KM not too long ago that said that the primary purpose of the DC's is to give a witness to the community. That was an embarrasing statement, if you ask me. If anything, I think they showed the community how bizarre the whole thing is. I was such a horny perv when I was a dub, I spent the whole day staring at boobs and trying to get a glimpse down the sisters dresses. MUM, loved your post - hilarious!

10

35yrs old going on 15 !

by LyinEyes in

jw
friends

my husband and i have been out of the jw for about 10 months now, not d/a or d/f yet.

they just havent caught us on some things they could get us for !

but that is all fluff, we dont beleive a thing they teach anymore.

DanTheMan

The title of your post says it all. I am only recently da'd, and it is exciting and scary to contemplate post-borg life. I'm trying to take a day-at-a-time approach. I am not bitter about my experience, and I certainly don't want to define myself for the rest of my life as a cult survivor. I was so f**king vulnerable at 22 years old that if I hadn't stumbled upon the JW's, I probably would've gotten into Scientology or Mormonism or Moonies - one of 'em would've found me. One thing I didn't do much of whilst I was a JW was read (except WT literature, of course). Right now I'm reading the complete Sherlock Holmes, I am quite enjoying it! So many books, so little time. BTW, one website I visited (can't remember which one) said that the typical recover period for ex-dubs is 1-5 years. Another day, another rambling post on JW.com!