done4good

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Posts by done4good

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  22

  my 2 cents

  by SloppyMcFloppy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  all religion is flawed because its led by man.

  jw is not bad religon if it changed some of its doctrines and thoughts.

  if it didnt "shun" members and "worldly people.

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  done4good

  What JWdaughter said.

  d4g
  
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  34

  Do most ex JW's go politically left?

  by Lightgrowsbrighter in

  1. social
  2. current

  i've found it interesting that- imho- most of the politically vocal ex-jw's at this website seem to lean left.

  i'm personally pretty centered- right on some issues, left on others, but overall have a pretty cynical view of all political/religious leaders.

  i find it somewhat ironic that people who leave such a dogmatic group like the witnesses become so politically dogmatic.

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  done4good

  kaik - So, my experience on JWN is that people have not only right-wing view, but they are extremely defensive when they get challenged or even when you slightly disagreed with them. To them, everyone else is wrong and only their political stance was right.

  Emotional responses are typically the product of ignorance.

  d4g
  
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  16

  Born to Be Conned - The New York Times

  by paul from cleveland in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  born to be conned - new york times.

  when people want to believe what they want to believe, david sullivan, a professional cult infiltrator, told the commonwealth club of california, a public affairs forum, in july 2010, they are very hard to dissuade.

  and the reason it happens (and often happens to the most intelligent people) is that human nature is wired toward creating meaning out of meaninglessness..

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  done4good

  People have a strong innate desire to make sense of the world. Which is why they choose to believe something that on the surface provides them the answer to this immensely complex field of subject matter. People are often committed to the KISS principle and believe a simple answer is best, even when it does not answer everything upon closer examination, or simply fails. This the first point as to why people choose to believe nonsense.

  The second point the article brings out is that of self-preservation. No one likes to admit they have been duped, especially when it means giving up point #1.This is when cognitive dissonance hits, and they run away from its painful effects.
  

  I have experienced this firsthand when dealing with intelligent JWs. Lack of intelligence is not the problem. These points sum up the issue well.

  This article should be moved to the "best of" section, if it still exists.
  

  d4g
  
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  16

  Born to Be Conned - The New York Times

  by paul from cleveland in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  born to be conned - new york times.

  when people want to believe what they want to believe, david sullivan, a professional cult infiltrator, told the commonwealth club of california, a public affairs forum, in july 2010, they are very hard to dissuade.

  and the reason it happens (and often happens to the most intelligent people) is that human nature is wired toward creating meaning out of meaninglessness..

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  done4good

  Good article, typical of NYT. Pegs human nature precisely.

  d4g
  
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  55

  "High" education

  by Esmeralda001 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  did any of you guys disregard the wt recommendations and pursue a career.

  if you answer "yes": was your journey easy?

  are you happy with the end result?

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  done4good

  "High" education? Well that is a different subject entirely, I think...;-)

  As for higher education? Yes, I went to uni despite the org.'s message not to, (pre-1992, before they "softened" their view).

  No, it was not always easy. Not so much because of JW lack of support, however. I had two dear JW friends that gave me support to go. I am forever grateful for that. Most of the difficulty was actually my own apprehension about going to begin with, ironically.

  Yes it has been beneficial, beyond my dreams, almost 25 years later. I also recently completed an advanced degree in my field.

  d4g
  
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  34

  Do most ex JW's go politically left?

  by Lightgrowsbrighter in

  1. social
  2. current

  i've found it interesting that- imho- most of the politically vocal ex-jw's at this website seem to lean left.

  i'm personally pretty centered- right on some issues, left on others, but overall have a pretty cynical view of all political/religious leaders.

  i find it somewhat ironic that people who leave such a dogmatic group like the witnesses become so politically dogmatic.

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  done4good

  Most of us are just cynical, and naturally distrust anything that traces an authoritarian path, and backs it with a propaganda machine.The WT and the (current), Republican party in the USA are both. Perhaps in other countries, (given a very different context), the left might be equally as authoritarian and propagandist, (Russia might be a good example). In a different time, (pre-Nixon), the Republicans in the USA were actually more socially liberal than the Democrats of the era.
  

  The very term "liberal media" is a straw man invented by the conservative controlled media to set the center farther to the right. Apart from the NYT, MSNBC and scant few other sources, little media in the main is "liberal".

  d4g
  
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  16

  Even Now, You Haunt Me...

  by Garrett in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  even after leaving the organization, it still lurks in the background like a shadow.. as some of you know, i met a wonderful girl a while ago (which i'm going to need your help with).

  she is a catholic and i am open and very respectful of her beliefs.

  however, i know there will be a time where i will have to tell her that i once was a witness... and to be honest, i'm quite scared of that.. i don't want things to be ruined between us because of a disgusting cult that i was in.

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  done4good

  If she is even a little normal, she will not care at all about your past affiliation. If she does, you are better off without her.

  d4g
  
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  88

  Legalized marijuana. It's coming to canada and I want to try it.

  by hoser in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as a good jw i never smoked a joint or nibbled on some brownies.

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  done4good

  Well said, Tal.

  d4g
  
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  21

  WTBTS Submissions to Royal Commission on abuse: The response document in FULL

  by JWchange in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  it is not obvious if someone has already put the responses and excuses to the findings of the royal commission, by watchtower on this forum somewhere, sorry if it is already posted.

  click on the link below, and scroll down to 'submissions' near bottom of page and you can download the full document.

  if this link doesn't work.

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  done4good

  Vidiot - All this obfuscation on the Org's part simply reinforces what I already suspect...

  ...that if they implemented the recommended measures and reforms needed to fix the problem, the repurcussions would be worse (from their POV) then if they refused.

  
  

  ^^^^This.

  
  

  They cannot make the necessary reforms without seriously affecting their system negatively, from their perspective. I have stated more than once on this forum that any change to how they handle judicial matters is a slippery slope, (for them), and will lead to the entire process falling apart. If that happens, a key control mechanism is removed, and that will have repercussions they cannot live with.

  
  

  d4g
  
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  21

  How do you overcome SHUNNING after leaving the organization and move on?

  by suavojr in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it amazes me how many of you have left it all behind, including family, brothers and sisters, friends and a full network of people.

  i for one cannot find the courage to breakaway, and this causes me great anxiety and stress.

  it eats me alive to think that if i open my mouth everyone i know will simply turn their back on me.

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  done4good

  Simon-One true friend is of far more value than all the fake friends and relatives you have ever known.

  Very true. When I left 10 years ago, losing relatives and fake friends meant very little. Almost all JWs I knew fell into this fake friend category.

  I did lose a good JW friend though much more recently, (2 years ago), and that pain never goes away.

  Living a lie is NOT an option though.

  d4g