At 22, I was a babe in the woods. High School had been a complete disaster for me, I almost didn't graduate even though I had more than enough intelligence to make it through the local public education system. After HS, I went from job to job, living with mom and using my employment income to buy marijuana. I didn't like smoking pot, but a bag of pot guaranteed that people would be willing to hang out with me, at least for a while. At 22, I was a very depressed and directionless soul, desperate for a surrogate mother to take over my life and give me a sense of purpose I didn't have. I hated everything and everybody, my outlook was completely nihilist, and when JW's came along with their "Join us, God's gonna kill everybody except us and we're gonna live forever" message, I, being the emotionally stunted, self-centered, desperate mess that I was, took to it like a dog takes to barking. I took the plunge within 10 months of my first JW contact. And now you know, the REST of the story!
DanTheMan
JoinedPosts by DanTheMan
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16
Why did you join JW's?
by happysunshine inwhy did you join jw's?
i was raised a witness, so i had no choice till i could live on my own.
but why would you actually choose such a thing!
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I'm back ... now READ THIS
by Simon inwe've just got back from out holidays after travelling with 2 young kids for 24+ hours and logged on to see the same old people complaining about the same old things with the same worn out arguments.. the topics seem to be along the lines of:posters should be allowed to say anything they want.we want absolute free speech and seem to be under the mistaken illusion that the usa has it.there is mass moderation happening on this forum and censorship is rife.
... and so on.. all of these claims are utter crap as far as i am concerned.. now, i am not going to put up with people trying to stir things up and interfere with the majority of posters who want to use this forum properly and see me and moderation as the main topic of conversation.. keep harping on and you will be deleted.
harsh?
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DanTheMan
So sorry that an obnoxious few who think nothing of peeing on the carpet in Simon's house in the name of "free speech" are forcing you to take these actions.
But, this will all blow over here in a week or two. Remember when the board lit up with Ted Jaracz posts? A JWD board fad that came and went, the current free speech thing will flame out the same way. It has gotten very tired, very quickly.
That said, some posters who I formerly respected really embarrassed me with their posts on this subject!!
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Is there anything that could make you go back?
by sleepy inis there anything that could make you go back?.
what do you think, is there any change of belief or change of circumstance that could make you return to the jw fold?.
i cant see anything that could make me go back,but i was thinking mabye some of you religious types would go back if they changed some doctrinal things,or if they stopped banning blood.. how about if a family member was dying and hoped to see you in paradise would you go back for a while just to make them feel happy?
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DanTheMan
If one day I decided that authoritarianism and mindless, collective fanaticism are good things, yeah sure I'd go back...
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7
Flood in Europe
by GermanXJW ini don't know if you are aware of the flood that is currently devastating big parts of europe.
tschech republic, austria and the east of germany are hit hard by the water.
the record levels of more than a century have been exceeded - and it has not yet ended.
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DanTheMan
I'm glad the JW's in the area are helping out.
Too bad that the only thing Brooklyn sees in all this is an opportunity to put a self-congratulatory article in an upcoming mag.
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Thought Reform Exists
by Dogpatch insome exchange occurs but communication generally one-sided.
takes authoritarian stance to persuade masses.
6. singer, m.t.
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DanTheMan
Interesting, thanks for posting this Randy. I wish that all persons had the critical thinking skills and solid sense of self and reality necessary to be resistant to cults like JW's.
many cultists leave their groups if they spend a substantial amount of time away from the group or have an opportunity to discuss their doubts with in intimate
Ahhh...it was so nice, earlier this year, even before I started doing my WT investigation, to be able to open up to my non-JW sister and brother-in-law about the misgivings I was having about the WT. That was such a huge step for me in getting out, seeing the incredible look on their faces when I was describing to them how totalistic the WT cult is.
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41
1975---- DID IT REALLY BOTHER YOU?
by minimus inon the net you see many talk about 1975 and how it affected so many.
obviously, some left the organization when nothing happened in 1975. were you personally affected by 1975?
has the fixing of dates been a major reason for your disappointment with the witnesses?
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DanTheMan
Man Gary B, that post rocked! DEADLY!
A social club, for sure. A very bizarre social club, at that. A few true believers give it all credibility in the social clubbers minds.
corrected spelling error, to preserve my credibility
Edited by - dantheman on 16 August 2002 21:25:30
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When Nazis Rule
by metatron insomeone once wrote.
that despite all of their fanatical strength and initial success.
the nazis were doomed from the beginning.
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DanTheMan
Will the world ever be rid of the scourge of collective fanaticism? Whether it's Nazis, Watchtower, Taliban, militias, the doctrines differ, the mentality - identical.
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Want A Bus Ride to Borg Headquarters?
by Francois ini'm thinking that if enough people are interested, we could arrange for a nice big air-conditioned scenicruiser (with bathroom and wetbar) from, say, cincinnati to brooklyn.
i'd be willing to drive from atlanta to cincinnati to catch up with the bus, and then have great apostafellowship all the way to ny and back.. what about it?.
post your reply here and if it looks like we've got enough for a busload, i'll arrange the arrangements.. -francois
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DanTheMan
I'd be interested. I live in Columbus, not too far from 'nati.
Can we find a bus driver who'd be willing to crash through the front entrance of 25 Columbia?
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24
Keep following our stupid rules - God requires it
by dmouse inoctober 1st 2002 watchtower.
page 16 para 20. strong faith, in turn, fortifies us to obey jehovah, even when his requirements seem to go contrary to human reasoning.. .
para 22how important, therefore, that we have an obedient attitude toward that 'slave'!.
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DanTheMan
Page 16 para 20
Strong faith, in turn, fortifies us to obey Jehovah, even when his requirements seem to go contrary to human reasoning.
How did they word the question for this paragraph?
(WT corn-ductor) "The question for paragraph 20 asks, what can help us to keep accepting this quasi-religious nonsense...er...I mean, what can help us to obey Jehovah, even when we blah blah blah..."
I may just sneak into a KH somewhere just to hear this WT study. Good for some laughs. What week is this the study article for?
Edited by - dantheman on 15 August 2002 22:1:16
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Bad Association Seeded Useful Habits
by Beans ini wouldn`t say i went out of my way to associate with, at the time people who were considered wordly but in life there is no avoiding having friends at school or work in dub life.
but once you start going to parties getting a beer here and there as a youth you start to see the light man.. the watchtower sees this as the evil thing but i guess that is why they pump all that association crap in the heads of the youth.
i say if you have a brain you will see that it is good association!.
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DanTheMan
1999 WT CD-Rom
Hits on John 14:6 (way, truth, life) - 287
Hits on 1 Cor 15:33 - 461
Hmmm...which scripture would be of more importance to an organization claiming to be the only practicers of true Christianity?
I guess that's why they call it "indoctrination".
The cognitive dissonance that comes from getting along much better with your family and workmates than with the dolts at the KH was just another thing that made my 10 years very miserable.