Dagney

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Posts by Dagney

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  70

  The Reasons for Cart Witnessing

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  whatever we think of it, you have to admit that it's quite "genius".. the door to door ministry as done in western developed countries where the jw quirky religion has probably reached their saturation level was a complete and utter waste of time in terms of the effort expended to recruit people.. at the same time, it was rarely something that anyone enjoyed which led to people being labelled as inactive, being pressured to doing more and maybe ultimately deciding jwism wasn't for them and leaving.. there was also the issue that many jws are actually pretty bad at knowing and articulating their beliefs so were pretty incapable of getting any meaningful message across.. they solved all this with the cart witnessing.

  the real point isn't to recruit, it's to make life easier for jws.

  now they can stand and chat with their friend, have a coffee, not talk to anyone or make eye contact and still act as a walking billboard for jw.org.

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  Dagney

  Oh it's brilliant.

  And they sell it as a privilege to be able to use a cart. The org can keep the "preaching" hours up for the stats, adherents can finally be excited about the "ministry" (not) again...win win all around!

  It's pretty swell.
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  15

  First time here - My Story (Spousal Abuse)

  by Centaurus A in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi everyone, this is my first time here and only in the last 2 weeks have my eyes been opened.

  still trying to take in all this new info.

  anyways here is my very condensed story:.

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  Dagney

  Welcome Welcome Centaurus! Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so happy for you and your kids in your new life. There will be challenges, but the freedom to live on your own terms and give your kids options to live and be who they should be is worth it.

  Cheers! 🥂❤️
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  42

  Hello Everyone, Another JW Has Left!

  by SuperGirl in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just want to introduce myself and let you know that this site is working and is a big help to lots of jws with doubts.

  i've been lurking for about a year, the first couple of times i was frightened and literally shaking visiting an apostate site but it's the only place i can come to for sanity.

  the religion has become a nut house.

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  Dagney

  Welcome Welcome SuperGirl! Thank you for sharing your story. Glad you were able to "see the light" quickly.

  And Welcome to you and your son and ex, to the rest of your life with freedom of thought. The price is rather dear, but so rewarding.
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  24

  Did You Feel That You Were Being Controlled WHILE You Were A Witness?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i never fully realized it until i was just about out.

  i adopted the attitude that “if mother says so, mother knows best!”.

  it took me a long time to conclude they were actually a cult.

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  Dagney

  I had to think for a minute about this question. I don't think I felt controlled while I was in, but I clearly was. I was duped to think I had "free will," which I clearly did not.

  Cult mentality. sigh
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  36

  Faders Needing a Great One Liner

  by Solzhenitsyn in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so our family fade is well under way.

  we changed congregations as regular attenders and left in good standing with those giving hugs and kisses simply knowing we "needed a change".

  we moved to a neighboring congregation that is out of our original region knowing we would see no one and the two boe's wouldn't really have immediate dealings.

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  Dagney

  What has worked for me is to have some responses ready at the quick. In the beginning I wanted to protect my relationship with my elderly JW mother at any cost. I didn't want any judicial action that would cause her more grief than she already felt.

  That is no longer an issue. When someone asks "are you still in XXX?" I say, I'm not attending meetings at the moment." They usually change the subject, or tell me about a relative that did the same thing.

  I respond as positive and happy as I can at the moment and redirect the conversation to be about them, their work/family/car...anything. That always works.

  When they tell me they just got back from RC/SAD whatever, I always say "that's GREAT! How's your wife/kids/car whatever."

  And if a former friend dug a little deeper, I've said this:

  "I have no issues with elders or anybody. I do have issues with the corporation. And it's between me and Jehovah and I have taken it to him in prayer." This stopped any further discussion. They are not stupid.
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  23

  2018 Service Year Report

  by Rattigan350 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  is there any word on what the results are for the 2018 service year report?.

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  Dagney

  My "elder" brother keeps a spreadsheet on the statistics for all the years. Years ago he talked about the missing information for some of the years.

  I wonder if he will wonder about the current info he will be filling in. Or will cognitive dissonance kick in....
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  22

  What do the Angels do?

  by LovingLifeNow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so what exactly have they been doing now , with the exception of intervening thousands of years ago, what exactly do they do in heaven?

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  Dagney

  They help people win football games and Oscars.
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  13

  Apostasy Movie - Available on Amazon Prime Video (plus Review)

  by Simon in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in case anyone is looking for a way to watch it, it's on amazon prime video.. (apologies if it's already been mentioned).

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  Dagney

  Thanks for posting this Simon - I didn't know it was available on Amazon.

  I finally watched it last night. Sigh. You feel for everybody. The mother is trying to do the right thing "she thinks" as a single parent, and keeping them isolated. The kids, well, both scarred from the JW smothering upbringing.

  Just recently, locally here there was a tragedy with a young JW. Just awful. I was invited by the mother to attend the HUGE memorial, Bethel speaker flew out...yeah. I keep wondering if they have any thoughts "outside the JW box." Where was jah, angels...is there any cognitive dissonance...hello...anybody there....

  Anyway, well done movie.

  PS. The movie with Emma Thompson called "The Children's Act" regarding the blood issue is also free on Amazon.
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  33

  Should Voters Be Made To Prove They Are Eligible To Vote?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i believe that just because someone shows up at the voting booth, it doesn’t automatically qualify them to be legitimate voters.

  i think it’s not unreasonable to provide proof that you are qualified..

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  Dagney

  In my state you can't just show up to vote. You have to register, and the state records what district you are in, and your name is on a book you have to sign before you get a ballot if you don't use the official mail in ballot.
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  34

  For those who are athest, or non-christian, how did you come to this decision?

  by Tameria2001 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm not asking this question to cause an argument or accuse, but i am honestly just wondering?

  for those of you who are now atheist or non-christian, how did you come to this decision?

  i hadn't given this much thought until about a year ago.

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  Dagney

  I was a faithful believer like most here, EXCEPT, there were all those niggles over the years of things that just didn't make sense.

  Extreme cruelty of the Old Testament. It sucked to be a Canaanite. They didn't deserve to live in their own land; it should be Jehovah's! Some people die for touching the ark, others murder and commit adultery and receive far less sentences. Billions of people have died because Adam couldn't stand up to his wife? "Life is precious to Jehovah," he knows how many hairs are on everybody's head. Really?

  I was a firm believer when I left, started doing some light research, which explained so many thing I wondered about, namely the inconsistencies in the Bible. The inspired word began to look less so to me. If it wasn't "God's Word" but man's, what's the deal with god? I grew distant from god, and it made no difference in my life one single bit.

  My life has been fine, no horrible tragedies like so many suffer. Is god looking out for me and not others? I never thought so. Maybe it would be nice to have a sky daddy watching over you and helping you make that touchdown or get that job...but it doesn't answer for horrible atrocities man brings on himself. If there is a god, he is doing a terrible job.

  Live well, be your brother's keeper, take care of things...that is as divine as we need.