does shunning accomplish its objectives:.
make the person repent?.
deter others from committing similar offenses in the future?.
Shunning for me just made me angrier.
But shunning is very effective in keeping a fair percentage in the fold on high control groups. Many tow the line in fear of the rejection by loved ones.
If I had stopped to consider the oncoming loss, it may have taken me years to leave, if ever.
in the long winter nights you need some good tv shows to watch while you wait for the eternity between seasons of game of thrones.. we've watched marco polo (pretty good) and have just started watching orange is the new black which is not at all what i imagined (didn't know it was funny!).
house of cards is on the list too as we've heard good things about that.. anyone have any others that are worth seeing?.
The Honorable Woman.
The Assets
Angharad, I think you might enjoy "Happy Valley" and "The Bletchley Circle" both excellent BBC productions.
in the long winter nights you need some good tv shows to watch while you wait for the eternity between seasons of game of thrones.. we've watched marco polo (pretty good) and have just started watching orange is the new black which is not at all what i imagined (didn't know it was funny!).
house of cards is on the list too as we've heard good things about that.. anyone have any others that are worth seeing?.
A little rough, but "Sons of Anarchy." Loved it.
Would recommend "Justified," but just found out Netflix dropped it but it is on Amazon Prime.
BBC "Luther."
"Homeland."
the new forum originally had a little country flag next to each post showing the country that the post was made from based on the geoip encoding (the country the ip address is from).
before i switched over to the new site someone made an issue about it violating their privacy and i didn't want to complicate and confuse the switchover with policy debate at the same time as technical issues so removed the flags even though i disagreed.. someone has already requested it as a feature and i think it should be added back so i thought it's now time to open the discussion and get everyone's opinions.
first, the reason i think it should be shown:.
As the site creator I see Simon has reasons for wanting to show the flag.
Do they outweigh the chance of preventing a newbie poster from joining and the seeking help or counsel they might need as they are trying to navigate their feelings as they start to question the authority of the WBTS?
I was so paranoid to join this site. You think your relatives ("elder" brother here), or former friends are going to go on the biggest DB in the exJW world to find you. In a discussion a few years ago my brother brought up things specific from the internet, so I know he was snooping around the exJW world. I played dumb about them and reacted like they didn't matter to me.
Now with years under my belt I have shared where I live and am not so sensitive to being discovered. But to me, anything that would prevent a newbie from seeking the assistance they so dearly need when in the middle of a JW family or mate issue is not worth it.
The anonymity may be perception or delusion I guess to those in the tech world. I don't know what a
VPN or other anonymizer.
is. So I guess I shouldn't be allowed to post because I'm so dumb. Maybe the focus of the DB is different from the early years. That happens.
I think it should be optional in the profile to be able to choose what you want revealed in one's posts. .02.
first of all, some apologies - i had planned to spend the last couple of days getting everyone signed in to the new site and sorting account issues out but i wasn't getting over the flu as i thought, i got worse.
i've probably had 4 hours sleep in the last few days.
anything that requires too much thinking isn't going to happen right now.
well, the switchover happened - there were a couple of things i had to fix which meant the posting was disabled for longer than i planned but it's now enabled and some people have already posted.. if you have any questions about the new format or suggestions on how to improve it, please post them here.. if you are having trouble signing in or posting then you'll need to email me instead.. many thanks to everyone for their patience during the changeover !.
Testing.
:)
Edited to add: Thank you Simon for providing this place. There are not enough words to describe what has given many of us, but here are a few:
Thank you again.
anyone from that hall?.
we attended a memorial for a long time friend there this past weekend.
it was my first time in a kingdom hall since memorial 2008. as per usual, the people were lovely but the message had gaps and left me feeling somewhat blank and cold.
Sorry for your loss exwhyzee.
I love that area, and had friends that went to that hall. I knew an elder who did restoration work on museum art, Da Vinci type art. Very nice "brother" and wife. He did an excellent funeral talk for a mutual friend. Can't remember his name...can't remember anybody's name...
I've wondered the same thing myself as you have said:
sometimes wonder if it would be better to go back and not take it all so seriously and just reap the benefits of being around people who are trying their best to be decent and good.
It only happens after an enjoyable social time with old friends. I feel very conflicted afterward and miss them, even though I know it's not a true friendship. Then I get angry at them for not leaving like I did. Then I feel a bit sad...ugh.
It would be hard for me at this point to justify the waste of time it all takes all for nothing, a lies. Annnnddd wow...the wording in the literature drives me bananas. But still after all these years of being out...it still serves a punch in the gut.
i would like your thoughts, please..
My mother passed in 12/09. It was a dreadful, dreadful talk. My brother was the PO/COBE in her hall which made for a bit of a tricky time. My sister and I are exJW's, as well as a few nieces who all went to the infomercial...err I mean memorial service. We all loved this woman inspite of the hideous ceremony. My brother learned a few lessons through the ordeal and is a better person because of it.
I think everyone has to sort out what would be right for them.
as we all know, the internet is a real game-changer in allowing us to know the truth about the watch tower and its history.
i always had doubts and it was the internet that presented me with the ever-growing number of individuals who were going through a similar struggle.. i give the internet a 9 in my awakening.
what about you?.
When I left in 2001, the internet had nothing to do with my moment of clarity at a Sunday WT study, after which I decided I didn't belong and never went back. So it was a 0 for me.
However, after leaving, I stumbled around the internet and read so many stories of people that felt just like I did which reaffirmed my decision was the right one for me.
A newly exited friend of mine did their investigation on the internet, and as was mentioned earlier, got an online copy of COC. I believe what they found on the internet confirmed years of doubt. So I think in this case it would be a 10.
I believe there has to be at least a question, or a niggle of something is wrong in order to even dare research on the internet.
the tim burton film is ready for release.. www.thewrap.com/big-eyes-premiere-finds-audience-howling-at-christoph-waltz-and-amy-adams-dueling-artists/.
.
.
Her paintings hung in the Honolulu Bethel, in the KH if I remember. I have photos of them but the are buried in albums. I don't even know if that Bethel home exists anymore.
