Posts by LisaRose

12

Astral Projection

by Black Man in

jw
friends

so what are your thoughts on astral projection?

have a co-worker who claims to know how to induce this on himself.

is he crazy?

I agree stuff, its just a form of meditation/self hypnosis. It's just your body releasing endorphins, the feel good hormones, it's well known that meditation can do that. I have been using a guided meditation for healing, it creates a pleasant feeling, like you are floating a bit, the music and the person talking are designed to put you in a relaxed state, at one point they say to imagine your head is floating, and it does sort of feel like that. For it to work you have to be very relaxed about the experience, trust that it will work and it helps if you have experience with meditation.

People try to "dress it up" with names like astral projection, which makes it sound like there us something mysterious going on, but meditation has proven benefits, so there is some science behind it, but for most ex JWs I would recommend starting with just plain meditation, then moving on to guided meditations, self hypnosis, etc, if that interests you.

104

Farewell

by EdenOne in

"don't be dismayed by good-byes.

a farewell is necessary before you can meet again.

and meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.

LisaRose

I am sorry you feel you had to leave over the comments of a poster. In any community of people you will always find a variety of people with a variety of ideas and manners. Getting upset because someone was rude is understandable, but demanding apologies and insisting that others be banned for them is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

I used to get upset when people made personal attacks, or misconstrued my words, or disagreed with me, and of course it hurt my feelings. But I found responding defensively just started a negative back and forth that just never ended. I finally realized that It's entirely possible to just ignore comments and not respond in any way. Really, not only can you, but it's best. Often bullies are looking for that response, it's the payoff for them, so refusing to engage is the worst thing you can do to the. So what if they insulted you? Take the long view and be the better person and refuse to respond in kind, or even respond at all.

If anything I feel sorry for anyone who needs to act in that way, as it tells me they are not happy in their life. It's just words in the ether, not meaningful in my life to any way, really. In our previous life as Jehovah's Witnesses there was unity and firm rules, but that unity was at the cost of intellectual freedom and choice. I treasure the right to disagree, to say something is bunk when I think it is, to defend my view point. I would not want to be on a forum that was so heavily moderated as to eliminate all controversy. I also see that many here have made personal attacks on Viv that are worse that her original rudeness, imho. I personally feel that she bothers people so much because she is most often right, but it's easier to get upset with her rudeness that counter her logic.

But of course you can choose to go, if negative comments bother you that much it's probably best. Being an Ex JW is hard enough, you don't need to add any more stress. But I think we are a better community if we have a variety of viewpoints, so I would wish for you to stay, ignore the negativity and continue to contribute your unique opinions. In any case I wish you well and hope the decision brings you peace.

14

Disfellowshipping Sounds Wonderful to Me Now

by xjwsrock in

2 people were read out last week as disfellowshipped.

of course now the announcement is read "so and so is no longer one of jehovahs witnesses".

they read that statement twice, once for each of the names.

LisaRose

Yes, it's shocking how quickly your feelings change once you learn tatt isn't it? Instead of shame and failure, it's freedom to live your life on your own terms.

71

I Hate the Sound of the Word Jehovah

by cofty in

listening to clips of the latest manipulative video from the watchtower i realised how much i detest that word - jehovah.. sometimes i have thought it would be interesting to observe a meeting or part of a convention.

every time i heard that word i would be unable to stay in my seat.. i have a visceral reaction every time i hear it.

it stands for so much that i have contempt for.

LisaRose

I didn't at first, but now, yeah hate it, I just associate it with the religion and it just brings back bad memories. I especially hate it when they put the emphasis on the middle syllable, as in ja-HO-vah. *shudders*

20

Unbaptised son maybe asked to be in assembly ... Suggestions please!

by 4thgen in

my husband and i are divorced.

i have custody of my tween son.

i left 3 years ago on principle.

LisaRose

I don't think you can do much on the visitation weekends, but you do not have to let him go to meetings when you have him. Tell them "Thank you for your interest in my son, but I have decided it's not in his best interest to go to any Jehovah's Witness functions while he is with me." Your son is probably being influenced to ask to do those things, you can influence him also.

Whatever comes up just say you already had plans, then take your son to go do something fun at those times, work on getting him to learn critical thinking, so he can recognize the lies and deceptions that are used by the Society. Take him to a natural history museum to learn about evolution, etc.

34

Caleb and Sofia used to brainwash children

by shattered_origins in

okay, i need to vent.

as a newly awoken individual, i have yet to "come out" to my hard core jdub parents.

my plan was to lay low and use my unbelieving husband and baby as an excuse for my "inactivity", it has worked for the last few months.

LisaRose

Supervised visits only. There was a court case where some JW grandparents used their granddaughter's mom (who was never a JW) to be allowed unsupervised visits. The mom was fine with visits until they started the cult indoctrination, but they wouldn't stop so she only allowed supervised visits. Of course this went no where, the courts uphold parental rights in religious instruction unless there is something wrong with the parents.

You have your husband for an excuse so just make it clear she cannot do this and if she doesn't listen she will loose unsupervised contact. Children are impressionable, and this stuff is toxic.

44

We talk a lot about conditional friends on here

by cappytan in

jw
friends

so, when people post about being shunned by their friends, i've heard several posters say things like, "their friendship is conditional.

real friendships aren't conditional.".

i'm sorry, but that just isn't really true.. if you and i were friends, there are conditions.

LisaRose

I agree, all friendships are conditional, its just that most friendships don't disolve just because you change your religion. And when you have friends you feel especially close to it hurts, no matter how much you know they only did it because of the cult. In my mind it doesnt mean they were conditional friends, it just means your frindship wasn't as important to them as their loyalty to the organization.

15

How long till the hounders come back ?

by Clambake in

after having a baby ?

.

we just had an elder drop by and invite my wife to the kh with a 21 day old baby.. i thought it was kind of classless.

LisaRose

We have all been hounded by elders I'm sure.

Here is what I would have said ( well, in a dream world where I actually could come up with it immediately, not thirty minutes after he left.).

"Thank you so much brother clueless, your concern for my wife and I and how we are handling the demands of a newborn is deeply touching. It was so kind of you to offer to babysit while my wife and I get some much needed sleep, and I am sure we will enjoy that casserole you brought. I know you totally understand that meetings and field service are not possible right now since we are so sleep deprived and exhausted that showers have become optional. And we will take up your kind offer to come over and help clean the house next Saturday. It's so nice to be part of Jehovah's loving organization and feel the loving concern of the elders! I am sure you won't mind showing yourself out. Don't let the doorknob hit ya where the good lord split ya!"

22

"Friends" are gone

by BeautifulMind in

i have (well had) an extremely small circle of jw friends.

lots of acquaintances and associates but 2 or 3 i would consider my true friends.

that list is now 0. yup, once i told them i no longer believe in the org and haven't for a long time, and their attempts to encourage me thru jw lingo and terminologies to "rely on jehovah" and not to "stray away" failed that was pretty much it.

LisaRose

Thankfully, I have my hubby, my babies and my entire side of the family for love & support. More importantly I have my freedom to live my life. Anyway, I'm feeling a bit more comfortable on here, so thanks for taking the time to read my experience. Enjoy your Saturday!😉

You really have quite a lot, it's good that you can focus on that. I miss my old friends too, but I know that page has turned, and that even if I hadn't left the religion. those friendships would have changed and possibly ended anyway, life is full of twists and turns and people do change, friendships wax and wane. Loss is a part of life after all, the ability to focus on what you have, to accept the losses and move on, is a skill we all need to cultivate no matter what our circumstances. Good for you for choosing to focus on the silver lining, not the cloud.

49

Forgiving Loans the Watchtower Way

by cofty in

bank - thank you for maintaining your loan repayments for the past 3 years.

to show our appreciation we are forgiving the balance of your loan.

borrower - yeah!.

LisaRose

New 'Adjustment' - as revealed in our letter of October 29th 2015: "Kingdom Halls will continue to be built or renovated in proportion to whatever the brothers are able to contribute for this purpose."

Am I understanding this right? They took all available money that was being saved towards new kingdom halls or remodeling, saying they will use those funds wherever it was needed, but now they aren't going to do that, if you need a remodel you have to start saving again? Are they really being that blatant? Why would anyone contribute towards a fund for remodel when it's obvious the Watchtower will just steal the money again?

Obviously people won't contribute towards the world wide work (fancy new headquarter and governing body retirement fund) but will pony up for a nicer kingdom hall, and they think they are entitled to that money. How can anyone not see they have gone off the rails?