Posts by ElderBarry

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

As for the Mormons - I saw a documentary a few years ago that illustrated their beliefs and I had nightmares and cold sweats for months! True story.

Let people leave the JWs and find their own way - for some it is atheism, for some politics (or anti-politics), crocheting, lifting weights, whittling tiny figures out of wood - but, it is highly presumptuous to try to lead the way to another demented, controlling, asinine evil cult.

Oh dont bee so silly bizy bee! You didnt have cold sweats and nightmares. Mormonism is no kookier than any other religion. I had a minor in Religion so I know a teensy bit about 'em. As for the second statment, right arm! Farm out! Outta state! Gravy! I agree. It is sooooo GOOD when ANYONE who was a GB victim RECLAIMS whom they are and what they were ante-WTS.

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

In your profile you mention that you recognize that religions supply a mythological framework. Seeing that the definition of mythologic is something “based on or told of in traditional stories lacking factual basis or historical validity” (see answers.com), I happen to agree with you. Which is why I’m surprised at your reaction to my post. Since God is a central piece of your mythological framework, why would you get upset when I say he is imaginary?

(My outburst was about your judgemental meaness. I dont care that you're an atheist. Sheesh. You were MEAN! I was trying to be nice and upbeat and helpful BOO HOO! *pfffftttttttttttttttttt* There, I blew my nose on yourt shirt and feel MUCH better! )

(Nope, I judge "righteous judgement" rather than externals such as you indulge in! *GAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!* There, I hacked up a loogie on your face. I feel MUCH better! Okasy Mouseman, pointy made and taken. However, in my own defense my judgementalness was only apparent, growing from too hasty a wording)

(How fun is that? I like the social life I have as a Mormon! They do funstuff! We have dances and parties and beach parties and we play sports and have big movie get-togethers and all kinds of stuff. I'm a social criiter Mouse-man. Not a hermit or a loner. So I go along with the myths. Besides, there are a number of people who feel exactly as I do: The LDS Church is a great church to belong to! *BLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHH* There I just threw up on you! I feel so much better now! )

(Aw, now THAT was genuinely sweet. Okay, I wont blow my nose on you n stuff. )

(You know, "Dont trumpet your good deeds as the Pharisees do.")

("Love to eat them mousies, mousies what I love to eat, bit they little heads off, nibble on they little feet!" Look, Brain, all of you are takinf this WAAAY to seriously. You're very intense, like the fundies. Anyone who is fervently commited to an "ism" is waaaay too intense. I dunno for shur if theres a God. I could very well be fullofit. So, I try to have fun and help people but MY GAWD this has been so INTENSE! )

(Sure. See? Kiss. I like Mousies, especially brainy mousies! Canb we be friends and have fun and stuff?)

(Mister Mousie! Would you really rather I blew smoke your way and said "I love you"? No you wouldnt. I'm being honest. I do have agape for you, which is compasson or wanting the best for you. Do you love me Brain? Do you? If you sday "no!" it will )

(I don't believe in 'em Ringo Bingo Bongo Boo, I can read so why can't YOU? )

(Yeah yeah yeah. You tell me I'm proscribing your behavior and then you proscribe mine. I don't CARE about "appearing Christian." That sounds sooooo fake and fundy and religious. I do care about my fellow former Jay Dubs, thats why I'm here!)

(Thaz okay Mouse-man. I made it REAL obvious in my profile and posts that I'm not a "Christian" at heart, so why would I put myself on that leash? especially since people like you are only WAY TOO HAPPY to tell me whats expected of me if I DO put on that leash? I'm not really a "true believer" at all. I have a personal experience of what I choose to call "God", just as you have a personal non-experience. I can DIG yo atheism man. It's a lot mo honest than some weirdo fundy stuff, you know? I'l bet that beneath that mousy exterior beats a heart of....lead. Jeez, lighten up. Cant you read between the lines here? Heck, just read the lines!)

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

Hi BizzyBee! Did you bother to read beyond the initial post? No? SUPERFICIAL AND NONE-TOO-BRIGHT: Are you?

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

Parekeet:

The WTS stole my freedom to think for myself. When I regained that freedom, I did some thinking and reclaimed what makes the most sense to me -- atheism.

(Good for you Parakeet! You think I have a problem with this? I don't. YOU apparently have a problem with ME or ANYONE who accepts the reality of God and doesn't cowtow to you atheists)

My decision was not a knee-jerk reaction against the JWs, nor was it infused with bitterness. I left the JWs almost 30 years ago. While I do have a visceral dislike of the JWs (any person capable of reasoning does), the bitterness faded away long ago.

(See, this is what gets me. Where did I say "Hey peeps! Parakeet is a knee-jerk atheist!" I haven't been out for thirty years "parakeet." My bitterness was rather more recent. YOU WERE bitter at one time, though you no longer are. So, why assume I was speaking to you? I have never even read any of ytoutr posts! There are THOUSANDS of people who post here! Methinks thou dost protest too much. Plus, I'm an outspoke THEIST and you want me to shut up and cowtow. Uh uh. Sorry. Nopesters)

Please don't assume all atheists become so because of the JWs. Atheists have good and valid reasons for their position.

(Please don't assume I assumed that all atheists become so because of the JWs or any other cult, okay? Because I didnt. You merely ASSUMED I did)

And I really wish religious people would lay off the "god/jesus loves you" bit when what you mean is "I know in my deepest heart of hearts that there is a god and you should believe in him, you godless moron." Maybe you don't mean it that way, but that's the way it comes across. I'd rather you just slap my face -- it would be more honest.

(I really wish all you atheist would lay off the "no God/Jesus is dead" too. You know, parakeet, not only are you all the things you accuse me of being..such as assumptive...you also can't read very well. NEITHER OF US KNOWS FOR SURE IF THERE REALLY IS A GOD OR NOT! Why don't you read my posts with understanding? I don't even define God as a Being! I leave that up to the experience of each person. Had you read my above post with understanding you would have realzied that, "parakeet." I get sick of strident, overnearing atheists who want to pummel theists into submission and silence. You know, people like you. Far from ass-uming you are a moron, I automatically assume---though I'm not always right---that an atheist is someone with a higher than average IQ and education. Someone such as myself. Why would I slap your face? I don't want to, and I sure don't see where you get that from my posts! YOU however apparenbtly want to slap MY face or you wouldnt have come up with such off-the-wall nastiness and accused ME of whats in YOUR mind "parakeet." If you had any objectivity at all you'd see how very Gollum-like you're being, right down to paranoically projecting all sorts of stuff onto me that you've experienced from fundiots. Sheesh. Iy sure would be nice if you Gollums---who are way past your Gollumishness---could actually read my posts with a little less emotion and projecting)

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

jgnat, why strain out a gnat and swallow a camel? focus on the good stuff in my post. sheesh. did you just speed read until you found something to nitpick about? EEEEE BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

20

"The end is nigh"

by PopeOfEruke in

just got a message from a relative attending the dc.

this seems to be the big announcement from the convention:

the end is nigh!

ElderBarry

We stick our butts right in yo' face!
THE END IS NIGH! THE END IS NIGH!
-Jojoba Witless

42

What is the "Unforgivable Sin?"

by mkr32208 in

i know the pat answer is "grieving the holy spirit" but how does one do that?

i asked some elders who were attempting to meet with me but they seemed unsure... .

publicly!

ElderBarry

I dont believe in any such thing. But instead of asking everyone else, how about just reading the Bible verses involved? Jesus performed miracles and the Pharisees imputed the miracles to Satan. Jesus then told them all sins would be forgiven except BLASPHEMING the Holy Spirit. Pretty straight-forward to me. Yet I have read all sorts of nutty theories by people who have obviously done that very thing, so they're spooked and have to come up with some wild theory as to what the unforgiveable sin is, rather than simply taking the text as it is.

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

Daystar, you're so off the wall. I'm not being preachy, but even if I was thats my right, just as its your right to be obnoxious and over bearing. If I want to tell an atheist that God is love and God loves them, I'll do exactly that. Just as the atheist will insist there is no God. More power to them! As to being self-righteous, you're imputing fundamentalist stuff to me, and I'm not fundamentalist. I don't believe, really believe, ANY religion. I have said over and over they're all mythology. The only Reality is the experience of God's love. I'm not going to repost everything for you Daystar, so click on my post history (its short) and get to know me, NOT THE IDEA OF ME YOU'VE INVENTED IN YOUR HEAD FROM EVERY FUNDY YOU'VE HAD TO CONTEND WITH! Daystar, the most AUTHENTIC thing about me here is the very thing you have convinced yourself is FAKE! I'm talking about my Spiritual Relativism. The only "truth" is to find that inner LOVE and JOY and FREEDOM. I found it in returning, through MUCH therapy, to where I was pre-WTS. I love the LDS people. I enjoy it. Is it for everyone? OF COURSE NOT!

WHATEVER it is people that the GB stole from you, inside, I want you to RECLAIM it! I want you to LET GO of Precious that the GB INFLICTED on you...YES THEY INFLICTED IT ON ALL OF US, ME TOO..I want to see ALL of us FREE AGAIN INSIDE. I offered the LOTR analogy as a way to see the problem that was extremely helpful to me in letting go and having a VICTORY over the Brooklyn Bastards.

jgnat, I've been reading lots of old posts here and the atheists and anti-God contingent are WAAAAAY beyond "preachy!" They're STRIDENT and DOMINEERING! So, pardon me if I don't don't cowtow.
HAVE ANY OF YOU THOUGHT HOW THE GB LOVE TO COME HERE AND READ YOUR POSTS AND LAUGH AT HOW THEYVE WRECKED YOUR LIVES? AT HOW THEY STILL CONTROL YOUR LIFE? AT HOW THEY'VE LIMITED YOUR LIFE?

I'd give all the toes on my feet to see 10 of you set free of the GB. I'm not your enemy.

Kudra, THANK YOU!! Whatever it was Kudra they took from you and destroyed, take it back and rebuild it.

Hi Warlock! I'm glad, really and truly glad, you enjoyed the analogy.

Megadude, the LDS Church is my chosen Path. There are more of us relativistic Mormons than you'd be comfortable knowing about right in your own ward. If you read, wih understanding, my profile and posts, then I don't understand your sudden reaction. I chose the LDS Church because of the love I experience. Maybe if I was in a more fundie type ward it would be different, but I'm not.

I still hold forth the Gollum analogy. It's spot-on for any former cultist whose life was wrecked and whose inner being was betrayed and raped.

Yours NOT in the grasp of the GB,
Lisa

39

I NEED ADVICE ON WHAT TO RECOMMEND

by ElderBarry in

hi.

one of the girls i work with, wenda, is studying with the dubs!

ElderBarry

Hi Scout, In read that book! Iwas excellent! I read it when I was first deprogramming myself, before I started to see a therapist. I think though she needs someting more JW specific.

Dobbie! Okay, I think COC it is! You're the third or fourth person to recommend it. I read it too, but for some reason I don't remember it well.

Hi Stealth. Your icon is cute and funny. Well, you know, I've seen that book for sale, I think. I appreciate the offer, but I think the author would prolly not like it to be shared that way. He might not care, but I don't know that. Do unto others and all that. Thank you for the offer!

Slimboyfat. Yeah Walt Martin was exposed as a fraud when he finally died! He had no legitimate degrees and even cited his high school as a source of one of his degrees! I didn't like his stuff. Obnoxious. Very strident and triumphal. His disciples, the Passantinos, are much the same, although Gretchen is a widow now, which is very sad. So far the weight of consensus is with COC. I think Wenda might well go for it, especially since it's from a former GB beebee.

FE203girl, yeah but I can't think of any other way besides an actual confrontationw ith whomever she is studying with. What she is getting out of this is a false sense of comfort and hope in these crazy times with a nut in the white house bringing us closer and closer to nuclear war! All this end of the world junk is a "prophecy" that is coming true because people BELIEVE it and so unconsciously they act in ways that will bring it about. Spooky and crazy.

Moonmanchu. Another recommend for COC! Okay, COC it is! Thanks! By firt book do you mean you're the author? Raymond Franz? I sos, how very lovely and exceptional to "meet" you! Thanks for your first book. It seems to be the consensus.

Hi Lisa Vegas! I checked out the link and this looks like a winner too. I will probably end up buying this one for myself and if COC doesn't work on Wenda maybe Cocoon will. You know, the only name I meet mnore than Lisa is Kathy.

Thanks everyone! Lisa.

50

THE GOLLUM SYNDROME; Do YOU Suffer From it?

by ElderBarry in

when i left the rub a dub dubs, i was bitter, angry, disillusioned, and fearful of stepping out in faith again.

i didnt want to get burned.

i could have stayed that way.

ElderBarry

This isnt a plea for the LDS Church, but a plea for everyone to let go of "precious" and find their way back to God, to Love, whatever Path that winds up being. Thats all. Whether they want to call "God" the Tao or some other word. I thought I was really clear this isn't about the LDS Church, but about the hurt that we cherish after the JW experience, our "precious."

Hi JW Daughter and Crumpet. Thanks for understanding. Neither of you seems in the least Gollumish. Sheesh that reads stupid. Gollumish. Sounds like maybe its Sumerian. I hoped people would just read the post and start to think and maybe open up a bit more to God, however they conceive God. I thought, fo a while, there must not be a God since the JWs are so terrible.

Kid-A, get a grip on reality! I'd chase you down and kiss you if I was there. I don't post to advertise the LDS Church and if you had been wearing your thinking cap (my dad used to say that to me, yes I HATED it) as you read my posts you'd know that. I've stated over and over I don't literally believe the LDS Church. What my posts have been about it to try to encourage people to let go of the bitterness, fear, anger, and disillusionment and let God back in. Just as I posted before, I don't care if you call God the Tao, the Universe, Brahman, Nirvana, or Popsicle, just let that LOVE back in and let it give you hope and meaning again. I am the last one to conform, K-A. Again, if you had been wearing your thinking cap when you read my posts you'd klnow that I think Mormonism, and all religion, is mythology. How is that conformity? God loves you Kid-A. I can tell you that once you find your Spiritual Home it will seem all the more glorious for having been Trapped In The Tower.

jgnat, of course someone can criticize the LDS Church. I've already come across a number of such posts searching this site. So what? Criticize away. I'll be there like ug on ugly if it's not accurate. I simply don't care for diversionary tactics. They're silly and dishonest. I thought the mouse guy was being diversionary.

Full of doubt now, good for you! Your icon feels very free too. Why the LDS Church? I dont know if you've read my profile or any of my other posts. I chose the LDS Church because I was looking for one thing and one thing only: God's love. I don't care about doctrines. I care about fruit. I'm not a solitary person but very social. So I chose a group that was very alive, took good care of each other, took good care of those not part of the group, a group that showed love in their actions not just words. I tried pentecostals and baptists and methodist and lutherans and catholic and a bunch of others. I found my home in the LDS Church.

Scully, my feelings were hurt and I got a little emotional. I'm over it. Are you? God loves you Scully, because God IS love. The love you feel for your children, your siblings, your extended family, your friends, your neighbors, co-workers, your country, thats God. God is love. No that "God is a loving Being." John didn't say that. He said "God is love." Ther ground of being is Love. Now that takes faith, faith in ones own subjective experience of love.

FUNKYDEREK! YES THEY ALL SUCK! Even the LDS Church for a LOT of people! That's why everyone should find their own path to and in God. To divine Love. I have a sneaking suspicion you already have by the playful spirit of your post! I feel that same freedom, but I know that a LOT of people woulnt feel it in any organized religion.

Yours in LIFE,
Lisa