Posts by digderidoo

26

are 12 step programs a cult? Discuss..

by avishai in

jw
friends

what qualities would you say they share w/ other high control groups?.

digderidoo

Look at the first sentence on the Orange Papers website.... "One man's analysis of Alcoholics Anonymous.". This guy is entitled to his opinion, but it's only one man's opinion. Personally i've never heard of women being raped or abused in AA and i wouldn't imagine for a minute that anybody abused would be silenced. I have heard of some guys who are refered to as "13th steppers", basically guys who ask newcomer women out, but not abuse.

When i first came to AA i was very hesitant to attend meetings due to my JW past. I debated the AA program through and through, i left AA twice due to this line of thinking. When i left nobody contacted me to rejoin, it was left up to me, that was the big difference. AA is about attraction, rather than promotion, if you want it it's there, if you don't then don't go, it's as simple as that. I can honestly say that AA is nothing like the cult that JW's are. I can see how some groups exhibit cultish characteristics and if some believe it to be a cult i couldn't really care, it's kept me sober.

Seven years ago i was a helpless, homeless drug taking alcoholic who would steal food as any money i had went on booze. Today i'm a sober, recovering alcoholic, half way through a law degree, have a nice home, job, have joint custody of my two boys, have my daughter living with me and most of all have a peace of mind after having come to terms with all of my past issues.....and all that i put down to AA and the 12 step program.

If this Orange Papers guy and others believe it to be a cult then so be it, i don't believe it to be a cult and most of all it works for this alcoholic.

Paul

150

Most Ridiculous Thing You've Ever Been Counseled On

by MrFreeze in

i'm sure topics like this have already come up but they tend to get hilarious with the absolute absurdity that goes on in the kh.

i was once counseled for not shaving after two days.

i was also counseled by a sister for eating lucky charms cereal.

digderidoo

Playing an arcade game 1942.

Talking at night in a tent, whilst camping for a district convention....think it was about 10pm.

Going for a drink with a couple of friends on the night of the same convention on the campsite bar.

Watching the tv program V

Watching the A team

Watching Grange Hill

Only being an auxilery pioneer when i should have been a regular.

Wearing an England top at pre convention work, told it was idolatry

30

So, you blew your chance to go to college because of JWs? Don't give up!

by cabasilas in

i got the jw "bug" as a teenager.

witnesses called at our door when i was nearly 11. my parents are deaf and i was the oldest hearing child, the default interpreter for them in that era before relay services and professional interpreters.

they had no interest in jws, but it started to spark an interest in me.

digderidoo

Thanks for that Cabasillas. I can relate so much to your story, i also remember sitting with a career advisor at the age of 15 explaining how i wanted to pioneer and be a part time window cleaner. My teacher was encouraging me to stay on in school, but he knew deep down he was fighting a losing battle.

25 years later I'm now part way through a law degree, it's so fulfilling. I wish i'd have done it all those years back but sometimes that's not how life pans out, it's the future that we can control, not the past.

Paul

24

JWs in UK appealing for charity donations for beds

by edmond dantes in

jw
friends

while the watchtower leaders smugly bury their glorious leaders and eulogise about their dedication to jehovah i.e.

watchtower publishing company , their brothers and sisters of the lower order in the uk are begging for charitable donations through the jah jireh care home home site.. it seems as if some of the millions who will never die are now doing just that and are in need of urgent help because armageddon or cloud cuckoo land as it is known to the sane, refuses to show up.. maybe the past w/t presidents who have reached their sell by dates residing in the heavenly realm can speed things up a little.. if you would like to make a donation go to the jah jireh website and check out the latest news..

digderidoo

I remember an elderly sister going into one of these homes up North somewhere back inthe 80's, reckons she loved it. It was many years ago and i'm guessing it's probably the same people.

236

A Seattle Police Officer Is Caught On Tape Hitting a 17-year An African American Teenager Girl

by Scott77 in

based on this video shot from seattle, i think this 17-year african american teenage girl acted beyond normal expectation.

she is seen threatening or attempting to hit a law enforcement officer who was doing his duty.

the officer had to hit her face.

digderidoo

I'm amazed at the concept of jay walking. I've just googled it and can't believe that it's illegal to walk in or on certain roads in the US?? So the pedestrian gets criminalised?

So all this happens because two girls walked in the road? It's an alien concept to me. I would have thought that a pedestrian should just use common sense as to when they can walk in a road or not, to be told by the state where and when you can amazes me.

As for the punch, the officer did go over the top but in a split second how are you supposed to gauge a reasonable response to a girl being in your face and pushing you whilst arresting somebody for walking in the road?? Hey?? Was she really getting arrested for walking in a road??

Paul

54

Ray Franz Passed Away Today

by Amazing in

jw
friends

i just received word that ray franz passed away today at 1:37 pm eastern daylight time.

the cause of death is stated as head trauma, likely due to falling to the ground, and a stroke could have also been part of the cause or a result of the fall.

he died at emory university hospital in atlanta about 17 minutes after being taken off life support.

digderidoo

Sad news, i've only just learned this as i hardly log on here anymore.

His book changed my life, he was a great man and his life really made a difference to many people including myself. I sent him an email of thanks for his book and to my surprise got a lengthy reply, the one thing that he said that will always stick in my mind is that although he had spent a great number of years in the Jehovah's Witness religion he wasn't angry because of it, rather he liked to view all those years as making him the man he was that day (about 2 years ago), that he never viewed any of those years as wasted years. It always stuck in my mind because if i live to his age i'm not even half way through, so why spend the rest of those future years angry at my 'lost years' in the Jehovah's Witness religion? I told him to be glad in the knowledge that he has made a difference, because he certainly did to me and to someone else i know, aswell as countless others i've coresponded with over the years.

R.I.P. Ray Franz....an inspiration, somebody who really made a difference and left his mark on this world.

Paul

30

Can You Suspend Your Disbelief?

by Robdar in

jw
friends

i have been playing a game with my boyfriend (it totally blew his mind, btw) and would like to invite you to participate, but first you must suspend your disbelief.

if you choose to play, here is the game:.

go outside and look up into the sky.

digderidoo

Yes it works!.....always knew i was he centre of the universe

Paul

61

can spirituality replace religion?

by make yourself in

i was watching cnn, an d they asked this question and this one lady called in and claimed she wasn't raised in a religious household.

but she remembered when she was in elementary school that this jw girl asked her if she was spritual she said no, then the jw told her she would go to hell.

wow.

digderidoo

When you say replacing religion, you have to ask is there a hole that needs replacing. Spirituality would certainly fill that hole, but so would many other things.

I think you can be spiritual without being religious, but you can't be religious without being spiritual.

Personally i'm spiritual, but that's not now based on how many meetings i attend or how many hours i spend knocking doors. I really feel as though the society has defined the word spiritual to mean something completely different to what the actual word means.

Paul

44

Transexual starts a study...what happens next??

by digderidoo in

jw
friends

so my mother was telling me that a transexual, don't know if she's pre or post op (nobody does apparently), has started attending meetings and started a bible study.. she answers up in meetings and has been attending a few weeks.

apparently she looks very much like a woman but has a distinctive masculine voice.

i asked my mother what will happen?

digderidoo

So my mother was telling me that a transexual, don't know if she's pre or post op (nobody does apparently), has started attending meetings and started a bible study.

She answers up in meetings and has been attending a few weeks. Apparently she looks very much like a woman but has a distinctive masculine voice. I asked my mother what will happen? Will she be forced to become a man again or what? My mother says she doesn't know.

So, out of curiosity does anyone here know what will happen? Would she be allowed to be baptised if she is post op? Or would she be forced to become a man or dress as a man before being allowed on service, etc, etc? I must admit i'm quite surprised she's allowed to answer up. I guess the elders do not want to frighten her off.

Paul

41

JWS is a fraud...

by vilot in

jw
friends

wes and april started an exjw discussion board thinking simon would end this board...it attracted many new members and grew into a bit hit in the exjw world...but a funny thing happened they started to ask for funds to keep the site up and asked for donations they poured in and yet it was not enough they keep ask and the funds keep pouring in...month after month and yet it was never enough...then it dawned on the members they were just pocketing the money and holding the members hostage..."send money or the site will go down"...they kept sending and they kept pocketing the money.... .

avoid these people like the plage they will just rip you off and pocket the money....

digderidoo

Vilot,

$1,000 donations in one year and $71 a month in google ads is not alot of money.

By my reckoning that's $1852 a year, or $154.33 a month or $35.62 a week gross turnover. Take off the expense of running the site, you're not left with much. If April was going to attempt to fraud i would imagine that she could think of something more lucrative than setting up an ex jw site.

Paul