i have this concern about fading.
my fade is calculated and very successful as far as .
avoiding a judicial committee for apostacy.
Seems like you've done things rather successfully, congratulations on that.
One day I think it will seem very clear what to do, and the cost will be worth it to you. When you start thinking of the options a new life affords, it almost makes you giddy, even with the dear price.
Bon chance!
like most of you, i inwardly seethe at the practice of disfellowshipping and the shunning that follows.
i wish i could find a way to hold the wtb&ts legally responsible for what results from this heinous practice.
the more i read about the psychological and emotional pain that is perpetrated on those who are shunned by friends and family after having been raised a jehovah's witness, the more i am convinced that there has to be a way to sue for these damages.
The Society ignores that there is a maturational process in play and is blind to the fact that adults have the freedom to agree to the rules and beliefs of JWs when they become involved whereas children have no such freedom. An adult can decide whether to accept a Bible study, whether to start going to meetings, and whether they want to believe the full range of JW beliefs that one must agree to before baptism. A child first encounters the JW belief system as the unquestioned "truth" and cannot reflect on it from his or her own experience or knowledge base. Rather, he or she is discouraged from doing so by the so-called "mental regulating of Jehovah". It is thus inevitable that the "truth" is reassessed when the child's knowledge base expands and life experience increases. Some confirm their initial beliefs and remain as JWs but many discover that they no longer can share the JW beliefs as their own. Or a person's life experience has taught them that the organization is not the place they need to be. The maturing child is disadvantaged because they had an initial period of non-consensual involvement with the JWs, so the child would appear to be "rebelling" or "apostasizing" from their earlier footing when in reality they are in the same position (from a consensual point of view) as the worldly person who decides to discontinue a Bible study. The adult would simply continue being an ordinary worldly person, whereas the child would become something far worse -- a rebel against Jehovah. Without accommodating the natural maturation that children go through and without giving them the choice to decide for themselves whether the religion is right for them, the Society sets them all up for failure. At least the Amish understand this to some extent and give teens the opportunity to make their own decision (even experiencing the worldly lifestyle if they wish) before expecting them to commit to adult baptism.
Exactly how I feel, and much better worded!
There is no allowance for the "bloom of youth." And many times, youthful adherents without the benefit of a more balanced overview of life that comes with age, see things only in black and white. Their naivete motivates them to vigorously and courageously stand up for causes they feel are right.
I've thought also about a minimun age requirement for baptism. Hell will freeze before that happens I know. I've also thought I would use this arguement if anybody brings my baptism in for discussion. I figured I'd say, "I was twelve and had different questions and was pressured into baptism. Next!"
has anyone read this book?
while the author's writing style is pedantic and he seems to be too full of himself, he makes some very interesting points about religion.
i'm about half way through.
Just started it, only a little ways through.
So far he echos my thoughts on religion.
i think for me, it was the dysfunctional family.
things from my childhood are finally getting to me.
i've tried for so long to just push them to the back of my mind.
Hi (((((BB))))!
What a great question! It's the chicken or the egg question.
My parents were troubled. Then coming into the cult at the height of the craziness in the late 1930's...it was all over...they didn't have a chance and never looked for a chance to help themselves. sigh
I do think the cult is more damaging. Everyone has a bit of dysfunction in their family, and universally we are all trying to reconcile the crap of growing up. But the influence of a cult, parents choosing/enforcing it's structure and demands on their families, that seems to be the hardest for me to reconcile.
i think you might like this book - it's at least worth checking out, in my opinion, is doubt; a history by jennifer michael hecht.
i first heard of her on npr - worth a listen if anyone is bored i think: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/doubt/index.shtml.
this is great!
I think you might like this book - it's at least worth checking out, in my opinion, is Doubt; a History by Jennifer Michael Hecht. I first heard of her on NPR - worth a listen if anyone is bored I think: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/doubt/index.shtml
This is great! Thank you for posting it.
It's really worth a listen.
well, there you go , i got a reply,,,yes, they are jw's,,the 'only' people doing this work .
(here is their original ad on craigslist .
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/140655/1.ashx ) .
Thank you, and may your day be blessed. Gunter
Ooops, he's not up on the current understanding...it's a "no no" to invoke a blessing.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1655415,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-full-world.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20070823/wl_time/motherteresascrisisoffaith;_ylt=ahs15jbmhehjl4lq0cnwvnkdw7of.
"her secret letters show that she spent almost 50 years without sensing the presence of god in her life.
I say "WOW" too!
I don't feel so bad.
My opinion is that she saw all the suffering of these people and wondered where the heck God was. Why could he allow them to suffer like they were? She lost faith in God when she confronted reality.
That is exactly what I thought!
How much more suffering can mankind endure? How much blood must be asked back for eating that damn fruit! The reality is that makes no sense.
(I guess it doesn't help now that I am reading "God is not Great."
i don't know if already posted this video, but it's really interesting .
i had a lot of rumor regarding this speech , but never listened my self before.
the speech is in italian, but some nice guy has subtitled in english.
He is masterful at layign on the guilt trip.
"Do you NOT trust in Jehovah to take care of you? Asked by a guy who has everything paid for him by donations from R & F members who HAVE JOBS!
This is disgusting. My favorite thing to talk to my JW friends about.
back in my dub days, i used to make copies of all the old recorded talks i could get my hands on.
in the process i was surprised to come across several talks in which the "faithful slave" tried to make the case that all the scriptures talking about the "heart" were not figurative, but referred to one's literal heart--the organ itself!
as i recall, they even incorporated some pseudo-scientific quotes as "proof" that the heart could effect your thoughts and motivations.
Yep, flashing heart and brain, LA 1971.
Now that I think about it, probably was the best part of the hot summer eveing at a DC...a giant heart and brain all lit up talking to each other.
(Hey B!!!!)
i am sure danny will be posting here on this soon.. http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=35566.
There ya go.
