Posts by LisaRose

9

What about hermaphrodites?

by neat blue dog in

a recent post about transgender people made me think.

i think its obvious that transgenders and homosexuals are easily banned in jwdom because the people in question were clearly born with their respective sex organs.. however.

what about intersex people aka hermaphrodites?

There is also a condition where a person is genetically male, but appears female at birth, due a genetic defect that caused the genitalia not to develop. If not caught by the doctor the child is assumed to be female, however often the child does not feel like a female, especially as they get older, and will never develop into a woman. What would they expect the person to do?

In another famous case from many years ago, the penis of a boy was inadvertently lost due to a medical error. They mistakenly thought the best thing to do was to raise him as a girl. Unfortunately the child never adapted to being a girl, because not having a penis does not actually make you a woman, the child's identity was male no matter how much therapy and counseling he received. Gender identity ids far more nuanced the the existence of a penis or not.

It's a problem for a religion that sees things as black and white, because nature isn't always so black and white.

114

Evidence for a Young Earth

by Perry in

for additional information:.

LisaRose

51

Help needed: transgender people and other unclear topics

by TeaBiscuit in

first of all, i am not quite sure whether this is the right place to ask my questions.

if this is not really appropriate, please tell me in advance, but i really did not know who to turn to, so i thought why not ask the internet... now, i know many of you are apostates and i'm not really looking for "leave it all behind you" answers, but really for experiences, thoughts and ideas... as well as maybe some verses if you can think of any.. anyway, first things first.

since this is very anonymous and i'd like to keep it that way, i will not give you my name, but still, i think some background info might be helpful.

LisaRose

It was my understanding that any individual who was not living as the sex they were assigned at birth would have to change back before they could be baptized. I am assuming that to change your sex would be considered a disfellowshipping offense. I doubt many people would do that just to get baptized, but you never know.

Personally I think it should be left up to the individual, gender identity disorder is now recognized as a legitimate problem by the medical community. It is not something people choose to do on a whim, or because they are confused or have mental issues. There are various things that happen in the development of a baby that causes gender identity to form, sometimes things go wrong and the child is born with a gender identity that just doesn't match their outside genitalia.

The medical community treats this as a medical condition, and letting the person choose to live as the sex they feel they are seems to work. It's no small undertaking, but it can be done. Treating it as a moral issue, as the Watchtower does, is like blaming a diabetic for taking insulin. They are causing needless suffering to JWs who are born transgender. Imagine losing your family and friends because you have a medical condition and choose to get it resolved, it seems cruel.

19

disfellowshipped wife, husband still a jw

by thereishope in

i'm new here and haven't introduced myself yet, but have been lurking for the past couple of weeks and learned so much!

quick first question: if i get disfellowshipped for researching info on websites other than jw.org (the official website), how can i expect to be treated by my husband still in the truth?

ie what will he be told by the elders about how to treat me?

LisaRose

Welcome to the forum. As others have said, it's not a disfellowshipping offense to look at websites like this. You could get into trouble for talking to other JWs about what you find, so be careful what you say.

I know it must be extremely difficult to be in your situation, so I feel for you. Your experience of being ignored once you stopped going to meetings is pretty common. I sometimes wonder if people are struggling with their own faith and don't feel strong enough to help out anyone else, I think a lot of people are having doubts and barely hanging in there. I can see where it might feel hurtful, as if you don't matter, but try not to take it personally. It would also be hard if people were bugging you about not going to the meetings, so there's that. Try to develop friends outside the organization, not just in the internet but in real life, this will help you transition to life outside of the JWs. In the meantime we are here, please feel free to send me a private message if you want to vent or chat.

Lisa🌹

52

What's your favourite feel good movie ?

by jhine in

maybe it's time for a less serious thread .

i have just finished watching dirty dancing ( again ) .

what is your feel good movie , the one that makes you smile and cry happy tears ?

LisaRose

Amelie

Bread and Tulips - Italian, about a wife and mother who is treated badly and taken for granted by her husband and children.

Inside Out - This is animated movie, I had to talk my husband into watching it, but he agreed it was was great

Bend it like Beckham

The Devil Wears Prada

Groundhog Day

Mr. Holland's Opus

Little Miss Sunshine

46

Many are leaving their enforced, inbred and inherited religions, and surprise it's not just JWs...

by UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in

jw
friends

i want to share this great article from an informative website on religion and how it is an age old play on emotions and why many are fleeing from religion, including you.

the other insightful articles on this website will help to soothe your complex worries and open your eyes to a great reality.. one love.

http://wakeup-world.com/2015/11/21/waking-up-from-religion/.

LisaRose

If it walks like a duck......

30

Do you play the lottery?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

for me, i have only purchased just one powerball ticket in my life, that was few years ago and i am thinking about buying some more in the near future.

maybe i should push my luck even more this time.

i am going to buy 10 tickets.

LisaRose

I feel the lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math. You odds are better playing the slots, or better yet, the stock market.

46

Many are leaving their enforced, inbred and inherited religions, and surprise it's not just JWs...

by UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in

jw
friends

i want to share this great article from an informative website on religion and how it is an age old play on emotions and why many are fleeing from religion, including you.

the other insightful articles on this website will help to soothe your complex worries and open your eyes to a great reality.. one love.

http://wakeup-world.com/2015/11/21/waking-up-from-religion/.

LisaRose

I suspected the Brama Kumaris because the op sounded very much like their spiel, but it seems to be another flavor of woo, to use Cofty's words.

I am always suspicious when anyone claims to have any kind of alternative to religion. There doesn't need to be an alternative to religion, other than reason and logic, and anybody who claims to have such invariably has something that might as well be a religion in the end. Just because you don't claim to represent God doesn't mean you can't use cult like techniques and any cult is destructive.

I doubt if anyone here would fall for something like this, but you never know. People who have just woken up to the reality that the JWs are not the truth are in a vulnerable situation, it can tempting to then jump into something that claims to have all the answers, but it's like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. The hard reality is that nobody has all the answers to life's perplexing problems, and anyone that claims that they do is lying to you. Reality is hard, but I prefer it to a comforting lie.

The fact that Unconditional Love got so upset with me and started calling me delusional for simply suggesting that people be careful is further proof that this is some version of a cult. Of course people in a cult will always hotly deny they are in a cult, just like we did when we were JWs, it's the nature of the beast. People who are just sharing something they found helpful do not get that emotionally invested, they would just share it and let others decide if they are interested, they wouldn't take it personally that someone simply suggested others be cautious. That sent my BS meter from warm to red hot.

The website seems fairly innocuous, but then the JW org website does as well. I'm sure if you investigated this further you would find they are using cult mind control techniques: deception, exclusivity, fear and intimidation, love bombing and relationship control and time control. If you got more into it I am 100% sure that they would tell you (after a honeymoon period of love bombing) that you must get much more heavily involved and invest time and money to get the full benefits of their very special program, the truths that only they have, the insights that only they can give you, the answers that only they have found.

53

She displayed a literature cart in front of my house: That does it for me!

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

is this something they've asked them to do?

cart displays in front of their homes?

my mom is only in her mid 60s so i'm quite sure this is not an issue of mental illness.. the only illness she's suffering from is boredom since she's refused to work for years now.

LisaRose

It sounds like you need to work on your communication with your mother. If you talk to her without losing your temper, then she cannot accuse you of losing your temper. I get that mothers are good at pushing buttons, but you cannot let her get to you like that.

Choose a time that you are not stressed or rushed and sit down and have a conversation. Prepare what you have to say and do not let her get off track with emotional issues.

You: Mom, I need to set some rules of you are to continue to live with me. You are welcome to engage in the preaching work, but not in my neighborhood.

Mom: I'm your mother, Its my right to preach, you are being mean.

You: I respect you as my mother, but you are living in my house, and those are the rules here. Do you want to continue to live here or not?

Mom: You have to let me live here, I'm you mother.

You: No I don't. Those are the rules, do you want to live by my rules or not? It's up to you, but otherwise you will have to find a new place to live.

Mom: I'm going to call the elders, you are being unreasonable.

You: I suggest you do call them. They will agree that as the head of the house I have the right to set the rules, and that they don't actually allow cart witnessing at residential homes anyway.

Mom: You would kick your own mother out?

You. As I said, it's your choice to live by the rules or not. I am not preventing you from preaching, you simply have to agree to preach elsewhere. You are the one making the problem, not me.

Mom. So you are ashamed of your religion? You are ashamed of me?

You. Of course I am not ashamed of you. But it doesn't matter what my reasons are, it's my house and my rules, do you want to live by my rules or not?

You get the idea. No matter what your mother does, keep turning the conversation back to this simple point, it's your house and your rules. If you refuse to get drawn into the drama and stick to your point there isn't a lot she can do, you hold the power because you are paying the rent. Let her storm off and slam the door or cry, don't placate her or give in. If she starts preaching again, calmly sit her down and have the whole conversation again. Eventually she will see it's not worth the effort and give in.

It may seem like a lot of effort, but if she is like this with this issue she will be like this with other issues. It's better to set the rules and stick with them now.

46

Many are leaving their enforced, inbred and inherited religions, and surprise it's not just JWs...

by UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in

jw
friends

i want to share this great article from an informative website on religion and how it is an age old play on emotions and why many are fleeing from religion, including you.

the other insightful articles on this website will help to soothe your complex worries and open your eyes to a great reality.. one love.

http://wakeup-world.com/2015/11/21/waking-up-from-religion/.

LisaRose

I didn't say it was a cult, I just said for people to be cautious, because we have had cult members attempting to come here to promote their religion. You should not mind that, if you are not here to promote a religion then it shouldn't be a problem for you at all. The fact that you got crazy and started calling me delusional makes me even more suspicious of your motives.

Can you deny categorically that you are not part of Brahma Kumaris?