Posts by LisaRose

34

FAVORITE DRINK....

by brandnew in

jw
friends

me personally.....i think....if it was meant to be mixed ...it would come in the bottle that way.. that said...bacardi gold.

Angus Stewart calls the JW religion a captive organization

by oppostate in

if you watched the questioning of terrence o'brien by angus stewart at day 7 part 3 on youtube--thanks so much for uploading these videos--you'll see that mr. stewart puts quite clearly to brother o'brien that the jw 0rganization is a "captive organization".. he makes this reference regarding the practice of da/df'ing and shunning, which he mentions is the one thing that makes ex-jw's the most angry.

because insisting on shunning ex-members causes psychological trauma and separates people from their family, friends and their community of support; therefore, they are held captive by the organization if they don't want to lose those most dear to them.. i believe angus stewart is to be commended for seeing clearly what the wt/jw religion is truly like in practice, and it isn't pretty.. the term "captive organization" is usually used in finance to mean a business front, a legal veil that shields the parent company from liability and having to make big insurance payouts.

for example if the australian branch gets sued and loses, the "wt australia" corporation will pay the amount awarded by the judge to the complainant.

LisaRose

It's ridiculous to claim that it's not painful to leave, as the stated purpose of disfellowshipping is to inflict pain to force people to "come back to jehovah".

He was being disingenuous, pretending that people can leave without being disfellowshipped, when that is not always possible. Yes you can fade, but you are subject to being disfellowshipped for all of the many things JWs consider a sin that other religions do not. Living as a JW in every way except attending meetings and going in field service is not really leaving, they are still controlling you

45

New Inactive One Saying Hello to all

by Lostwun in

jw
friends

lostwun here, i joined 2 months ago but am now just finding the courage after doing more research to formally introduce myself to the board and embrace my new beginnings as an ex-jw.

i am a second-generation jw.

i grew up with parents who are well known and very respected in many circuits.

LisaRose

Welcome to the forum! Congrats on finding out the truth about the truth. The bible says the way to everlasting life is a cramped and narrow road, well I say the way out of a cult is a narrow and cramped road and few find it.

It's great that your husband respects your view, that is very hopeful. As many have said, take it slow. Imagine if he saw it first and tried to get you out, your defenses might have come up and prevented you from seeing it. The Watchtower brainwashing is so thorough, it will take time. Look for opportunities to ask a few leading questions here or there, but for right now, chill. Enjoy the freedom to think what you want and looking Kat things with new eyes.

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

R: Do you think the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was a war crime or a terrible act of war?

Finally, a serious subject for discussion!

Yes, I just read an interesting article about in the Washington Post. It challenged most of the things that have been said about it, that it shortened the war, etc. Perhaps we should have a thread about that.

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

The above link is to a primary school held in very high regard in England and it is interesting that the FRONT page of their home page highlights " class debate- did the moon landing happen" with a picture of 9 & 10 year old children in school uniform debating the issue.

I don't think it's necessarily a stupid subject to discuss you could use it as an exercise in critical thinking. Students could be assigned to each side of the issue. Halfway through the exercise, the students would switch sides and argue those points. The teacher would have to be clear that the vast majority of people who are in the relevant fields do not support the hoax theory.

For example, one thing the conspiracy theorists think proves the landing is a hoax is the fact that some videos, the flag appears to be flapping. But this was because the flag had just been placed, the inertia from when it was let go caused it to move. Also, the astronauts accidentally bent the rod a few times causing the flag to move. The process of making an argument, then being challenged by the counter argument could be a good way to teach critical thinking.

The only problem I have with your OP and other things you have stated is that you assume the the hoax theory is equally as valid a point of view as not believing the landing is a hoax. That is where you go wrong. It has been said many times here that extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence. People who are educated and work in this field do not believe the landing is a hoax, so in my mind to be convinced it is a hoax would take a considerable amount of proof. I have looked at at the evidence and it is lacking. On almost every point there is a explanation that seems valid to me.

I think people believe it because they distrust science and scientists in general. That is a huge mistake to me. What do you think those people are doing for six years or more in higher education, playing tiddely winks? They study that long because it's complicated and hard. They are taught to look at facts and evidence and think critically. Anybody can make a theory and put it on the internet, but it doesn't mean it's a valid theory. Scientific information is peer reviewed and rigorously tested and challenged, conspiracy theories are not.

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

Village Idiot, I would go to the doctors straight away but I've had many bad experiences with medications and now I'm afraid to try new ones

I get that, I had a disastrous experience with Cymbalta. But there are a lot of non pharmaceutical treatments for depression. These are some things that have helped me.

Meditation. I always recommend meditation. It's free, easy and scientifically proven to help with depression and anxiety. Set a goal to meditate every day for at least five minutes. There are a lot of ways to meditate, so try different things until you find one that works. As a start, do this quickie version anytime you start to feel anxious: close you eyes, and open your mouth slightly (this makes sure you are not clenching your jaw). Breath in slowly for a count of eight seconds (one thousand one, one thousand two....) . Hold that breath for eight seconds, then slowly breath out for eight seconds. Repeat as many times as needed. You will start to feel a tiny bit better immediately. Controlling your breathing is a way to control your emotions and your mind.

Journaling. Start a journal, sit down every day and write three pages. It doesn't matter what you write, just put down everything in your head. If you are concerned with anyone finding your journal, tear the pages up and flush them down the toilet when you are done, it is the process that is important, not the result. The process of writing your thoughts helps you tap into your inner self. Julia Cameron wrote a book called The Artists Way, in which she recommended this to help people to release their creative potential. It's like cleaning a clogged pipe, the good stuff can't get through until you get rid of the junk.

Exercise. If you aren't exercising, try talking a walk every day. Physical exercise is helpful with treating depression and anxiety, exposure to sunlight also helps.

Goal setting. Visualize your perfect life. Think about it, how it would feel, what you would be doing. Then start by setting small, attainable goals to get you to that life. They recently did a study about people that were realistic about their potential versus people that were overly optimistic about it. The unrealistic, overly optimistic people achieved more. They didn't reach what they saw as their potential, but they achieved more than the realists. So, fool yourself a little, dream big.

Banish negative thoughts. Many people with a tendency to depression have negative thought loops going on in their heads. You may think things like "I can never be happy, "I'm a failure, "life sucks", etc. Stop yourself and replace those thoughts with better ones. For example, if you make a mistake, instead of saying " I can't do anything right", say "I made a mistake, but I will learn from that and get better", "I will get through this because I am strong", " It's OK to makes mistakes, that's how you learn".

Confide in a friend. Find the most supportive person in your life and ask them to help you by just listening. If there is no one in your life who you feel comfortable with, message me, or another person here on the JWN. We are here to help. My own daughter had mental health issues as a teen, so really, nothing you could say would shock me, been there done that, got the t-shirt.

Show gratitude. Your life may be very difficult right now, but you also have some good things. Be grateful every day for the things you do have. If you are basically healthy, be thankful, many are not. Do you have friends or a beloved pet? Some people in the world have no home, or are in a war torn country, or don't have enough to eat or medical care. This is not to minimize your struggles, but sometimes gratitude turns what we have into enough.

I hope this helps, they are all lessons I learned the hard way. Take care of yourself and let us know how you are doing

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

Lisa, the linked document mentions "convicted" and "incarcerated" individuals. are you sure we can get at the arrests too?

You are correct, I should have said convicted.

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

That's too bad, but not unexpected, given what we know about how the Watchtower.

I'm just brainstorming here, but have you thought about contacting the law firms that have been representing Jehovah's Witness victims in the recent law suits? Law firms will sometimes advertise to find people who were harmed by bad drugs, maybe they can do the same for victims of JW pedophiles. They could do some specific advertising to turn up more victims in New Mexico. With their recent successes, and all the publicity of the RC in Australia, there is some momentum, they may be in a position to find justice for you and the other victims.

It's almost a given that there are more victims out there, it just burns me that these creeps can get away with it.

117

Is homosexuality ever justifiable? I say YES!!!

by TimothyT in

in the january 2012 awake, pages 28-29 there is another article about homosexuality.. .

the writers argue that genetics, the environment, and sexual abuse do not justify homosexuality.

the bible clearly states that homosexuality is wrong and is an abhorrent sin.

LisaRose

Getting married to Jack in May. We have been together for 4 and a half years now.

That's great! Congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

I guess I should thank the JW's for kicking me out. They really helped me! xxx

Yeah, its hard while it's happening, but in the end you are usually better off.

31

New video "Jehovah Has Done So Much for Me"

by NoIdeaWhatToBelieve in

hey all,.

have you seen the new video on http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/activities/living-bible-principles/adult-survivor-child-abuse-video/ ?.

isn't this too much of a coincidence?

LisaRose

When I told an elder what my dad had done to me as a child the elder looked straight at me and told me I was LYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then the whole elder body said I was mentally crazy

I am pretty sure he knew deep down that you were not lying, he must have seen something was wrong with your dad to have instinctively disliked him so much. But he probably couldn't admit that because that would mean that the organization is not the perfect spiritual paradise they say they are, and that you had been let down by Jehovah's appointed people.

To be fair, many men, especially of the older generation, are very uncomfortable with child sexual abuse, so they try to pretend it doesn't exist. It's no excuse, but JWs are not the only ones to struggle with this. They are just one of the few organizations that still pretends it's not a problem.