Posts by LisaRose

23

WARNING: SEXUAL PREDATOR ON THE LOOSE IN NEW MEXICO!

by Penelope1 in

im mad as hell!

how many times is another child molester going to get away with murder before the watchtower bible & tract society decides to do something about it?!.

a close friend who left the org.

LisaRose

Sadly this is a very common scenario among Jehovah's Witnesses. The Watchtower seems to have zero concern for abuse victims or for protecting the public by reporting these creeps to the police.

There is not a lot you can do. If you know the names of his latest victims you can contact the police and let them investigate. If his victims won't testify it's very difficult for them to do anything. If he has ever been arrested he will be a registered sex offender, in which case you can warn people who live near him or who go to his Kingdom hall. The elders will not say anything, but you can be sure they keep their own children away from him.

33

I'm 16 and I might be pregnant In a JW household

by NYsweet16 in

okay, i don't even know where to start.

i'm 16, i live in a strict jw household and i know if i am pregnant (which is a big possibility) ..i know i'm doomed to a life of misery.

not because of my baby but because of my family and the isolation and judgement from the congregation.

LisaRose

1) call a suicide hotline right now. You are worth saving, you can have a great life, you just have to believe and hang on.

2) Contact a battered woman's shelter. What your parents are doing is abuse. They can help you with getting a counselor and tell you what your options are.

3)Talk to your counselor. You can terminate the pregnancy, or chose to go ahead with it, if you are in fact pregnant.

4) If you chose to keep the baby, the counselor can help you break it to your parents and or find a place for you if your parents react badly.

You are not alone. This happens all the time, it's nothing to end your life over. My daughter was suicidal at your age too, but she got through it and now has a fantastic job and is happily married. You can have all this too.

20

Im feeling depressed

by BlackWolf in

well its been a while since i've posted on here but i guess i just need someone to talk to.

i've recently turned 16 and i guess life is just starting to hit me like a ton of bricks.

i'm still not sure what i want to do with my life.

LisaRose

I am so sorry you feel that way. I think you need to talk to your parents. If not about not wanting to be a JW then about the other things. Also, seeing a counselor would really help you to sort through things. You are at a tough age, a lot of kids go through this, mine included, but they got better and now have good lives and you could too.

Don't give up on art school, it's possible even if you don't have a complete education yet. There are free classes on line you can take. Write down your goals and then figure out one or two small things to get started on. I know it's hard when you are so depressed, but try to find the energy to at least tackle one small step toward your goals, it will help you feel better and more in control of your situation.

But it's really, really important to find a caring adult to talk to. You parents might be a little upset at first, but they will get over it, and they would want to know that you are suffering. If you can't talk to them, then find another, non JW, person to talk to. Grandparent, aunt, neighbor. There are probably teen hotlines for depression if you look around. The important thing is to take that first step. You are important, your feelings are important, insist on getting whatever help you need to get through this.

It may seem hopeless right now, but it is not. You will get through this and will have an amazing life.

15

My Husband Lies

by disillusioned 2 in

my husband went to the assembly at the weekend.

a few people asked about me, why didn't i go anymore?

he lied and told them "i don't know"!

LisaRose

I vote for the " he doesn't want to have to bother to explain" theory. A man not speaking to his wife for four days is abusive. Just saying.

579

Won't get fooled again ...Moon Landing.

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

so i was fooled by the witnesses.

what can i learn from that?

not to accept things at face value but to seek out opinion and different view points.. hence my question " do you believe man landed on the moon?.

LisaRose

It's not surprising to me that many ex JWs believe in conspiracy theories. You could argue that the Watchtower itself is a conspiracy theory. The Watchtower teaches that Satan and other religions are trying to con you, that only they have "the truth". Studies show that people who believe in one conspiracy theory are more likely to believe in another, even when the two contradict each other.

Some who leave the Jehovah's Witnesses simply jump to a different conspiracy theory, others learn critical thinking.

From the scientific American:

Since a number of studies have shown that belief in conspiracy theories is associated with feelings of powerlessness, uncertainty and a general lack of agency and control, a likely purpose of this bias is to help people “make sense of the world” by providing simple explanations for complex societal events — restoring a sense of control and predictability. A good example is that of climate change: while the most recent international scientific assessment report (receiving input from over 2500 independent scientists from more than a 100 countries) concluded with 90 percent certainty that human-induced global warming is occurring, the severe consequences and implications of climate change are often too distressing and overwhelming for people to deal with, both cognitively as well as emotionally. Resorting to easier explanations that simply discount global warming as a hoax is then of course much more comforting and convenient psychologically. Yet, as Al Gore famously pointed out, unfortunately, the truth is not always convenient

This is why conspiracy theorists don't look at or believe information that debunks their theory, they are invested in believing it. It's also why they resort to name calling and anger, your belief that they are wrong is threatening to them. No proof would ever be enough.

Finally, also from Scientific American

In terestingly, belief in conspiracy theories has recently been linked to the rejection of science. In a paper published in Psychological Science, Stephen Lewandowsky and colleagues investigated the relation between acceptance of science and conspiricist thinking patterns.

13

To those of us now FREE....

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

on another thread i commented " the most wonderful thing for me about having left the organisation is giving an education to my child, encouraging him to be dedicated and committed to the person he himself wants to be".

for me that is the best thing about being free from the organisations control.. what has been your best realisation having left the organisation?.

the rebel..

LisaRose

For me, the best thing about leaving was the freedom from guilt. I always had problems doing what you were supposed to, the boring meetings and field service, so I was always either doing something I hated or not doing it and feeling guilty.

It's so great to live my life on my own terms. I have been lucky ( I can say lucky now!) to be able to marry my soul mate, something I couldn't do as a JW, and follow my passions with my own little antiques business. My free time is my own, I can watch whatever movie I feel like, celebrate the holidays, and sleep in on Saturday. Life is good.

30

Hello!

by BeautifulMind in

jw
friends

i've been enjoying all of the discussions here for a good while now.

i found this site as i was researching things about this religion i've been in (finally after nagging curiosity and questions) but i wanted to figure things out more before coming on here and posting.

i'm glad to see that im not alone or crazy!

LisaRose

Welcome Beautiful Mind! I hope you have smooth and easy transition out of the Borg. Freedom is a wonderful thing, especially the freedom to look at the facts and accept what they tell you. I am happy two little ones won't be damaged by the Watchtower but can grow up free and happy.

Lisa Rose

22

How to spot: a single JW sister

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

i remember this time of year when jw's desend en mass on one area.

a fun game to play is "spot the..." whatever jw walking stereotype you choose.. so i thought i would play it with you guys, starting with how to spot a single jw sister.. i say, she will be dressed up to the nines, probably over dressed in fact, have hair immaculately coffied, make up plastered on, towering heels and be smiling at every brother in site.

all they need is a sign saying "pioneer, virgin, available for marriage!".

LisaRose

There were also the good looking young JW men, who strut around full of themselves, knowing they can get any young woman they want, because there are more women than men. But of course they only want hot girls, because they know they can get them. They are being primed to be elders, already they think they are important.

This religion sets up men and women to fail. Young women get desperate and settle, leading to an unhappy marriage, young men are told they will be the "husbandly head" and are better than the "weaker vessel", so they don't learn how to be an equal parter, leading to an unhappy marriage. With sex outside of marriage taboo, the pressure is on to quickly find a marriage mate, leading to rushed decisions and poor choices for them both.

579

Won't get fooled again ...Moon Landing.

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

so i was fooled by the witnesses.

what can i learn from that?

not to accept things at face value but to seek out opinion and different view points.. hence my question " do you believe man landed on the moon?.

LisaRose

You can take some people out of the cult, but you can't take the cult out of some people.

I am going to make a guess that runForever doesn't believe in climate change either.

35

We're All Going To Die

by Garrett in

jw
friends

life has been busy, but i am now on 2 weeks vacation which allowed me some thinking room.

and here's what's been on my mind.. we're all going to die.

no matter what we do, our fate is sealed.

LisaRose

As Ghandi said, you must be the change you wish to see in the world.

That is enough for me.