My grandson is SDA (long story). There are some similarities and some differences. I think they are more mainstream, not anti education, not as strict about things. It doesn't appear to have hurt him any, he went on missions to built churches in Mexico, went to SDA school all twelve years, he turned out a good kid. He wants to be a minister, but the SDA college was way too expensive, so he joined the air force to get tuition expenses. His long term goal is to have his own non denominational church, which tells me he isn't hung up on the SDA as being the only path, which makes me happy.
LisaRose
JoinedPosts by LisaRose
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JW to SDA anyone do it ?
by Introvert 2 ina couple friends pointed me to some info on the sabbath and i just plain like it, being the workaholic i am it's a lifesaver for me and gives me the motivation to be more balanced about my business and work schedule.
so from there i looked into the adventists and found a hall near my place and went last week.
i honestly enjoyed myself and the meeting time is not disruptive and the people were great and pretty laid back.
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Need someone to talk to
by Anonymous17 inhi i've been a jw my whole life and i'm 17 now.
i've never had a mine of my own and recently i started thinking more open minded and i know the being a jw isn't for me.
i feel like i've been in a bubble my whole life.
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LisaRose
A lot depends on your circumstances. Are your parents really strict JWs? Are they loving parents, but just misguided by the religion?
Are you still in school? If you are a senior in high school, start making plans to go to college. Contact a guidance counselor and see what it will take to get an education. Most of us didn't go because of being JWs, it's something you really need to do if you want a good job.
You may have to wait until you are older before you can leave the religion. Start preparing now for when you can be your own person. Obey your parents but earn as much as you can about the religion, so that you know what to say if your parents don't understand why you do not want to be a JW. Make sure it's for the right reasons, not just that you want to do things they don't allow, but because you don't believe it. It's important to be clear on that. If you just want to party, then your parents will not be OK with that and it will make it harder.
Once you are a legal adult you can tell your parents that you are not going to be a JW. They may be upset, but there is little they can do if you are resolute. It's your life after all, they chose their religion, you didn't.
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Misleading The Australian Royal Commission
by mtwtf inhas the australian rc been given misleading assurances that jws will fully comply with laws demanding that child sex offenses be reported to the police?
it appears that way when we look at the background to these assurances.
several jws testified to the rc, that they would have reported all child molestation cases to the police had they had been required to do so by law.
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LisaRose
They have consistently given instructions that in any such case the local elders are to call headquarters FIRST. You maythink this is so that the elders can be instructed to call local police when it is required, but in practice this does not seem to be the case. I suspect that the local elders are instructed to inform the police only when it is likely the matter will come to their attention of the anyway. Because otherwise, why are elders not instructed to call the authorities first, in those jurisdictions where it is required?
In any event, why aren't the authorities contacted in every case of child molestation, as that would be the right thing to do to protect the congregation and the public?
Total fail on theWatchtower's part.
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I believe that the greater percentage of JWs-You Will Not Be Able to Help, no Matter What Facts You Show Them.
by John Aquila inso i ran into this brother whom ive known for a while and the conversation led into me being invited to come back to the kingdom hall.
we talked for about an hour during which time i explained to him 607 being the wrong date and a lot of other stuff including the child abuse cases in australia.
but what i wanted to relate was the last few minutes of our conversation.
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LisaRose
They are choosing a comforting lie over the truth. The Watchtower has conditioned them to think that way so it's not surprising.
"Where shall we go?" How about wherever you want?
"It's chaos out there in the wicked world." Yes, there are problems in the world, why not work to fix those problems?
"The Watchtower takes care of us and makes us feel safe." Right, except that its an illusion and that feeling of safety comes at the cost of your freedom and integrity.
What can you do when people display that level of stupidity? It's their life.
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FAVORITE DRINK....
by brandnew inme personally.....i think....if it was meant to be mixed ...it would come in the bottle that way.. that said...bacardi gold.
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LisaRose
Uncle Val's Gin and Tonic -
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Angus Stewart calls the JW religion a captive organization
by oppostate inif 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.
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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
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New Inactive One Saying Hello to all
by Lostwun inlostwun 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.
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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.
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Won't get fooled again ...Moon Landing.
by The Rebel inso 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?.
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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.
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Won't get fooled again ...Moon Landing.
by The Rebel inso 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?.
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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.
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Im feeling depressed
by BlackWolf inwell 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.
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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