Posts by humbled

14

A Writer's Graveyard

by compound complex in

jw
friends

immersed in dickens and hawthorne, i cannot easily shake off the dusty antiquity of a bygone era.

however, its scant reality inhabits, not the present, but my sad hearkening back to the shadows of long ago.. hot blood pulses anew within fingers i thought stilled forever in a writer's graveyard of unwritten verse.

it is a reluctant awakening to a life much sadder than that endured by storybook friends who cannot see me, know me.. permit me, therefore, to reenter that precious twilight betwixt my present and the past, the faraway there of dearly departed poets.

humbled

That image you posted, if it were of myself, reflects the effort it took to let thoughts flow directly, without religious ox-bows that warped around forbidden impulses or perceptions.The floods of feelings l had were ever hitting snags piled up by regulations, the finger waggles of old holy men.

The muse avoids us when we post “no trespassing”signs to ward off our genuine feelings.

To create poetry —even fiction—as long as we are not lying to ourselves as we write.

Strong fiction tells truth.

l am fighting for truth now that l have left religion behind.

32

This Article Won't Change Your Mind - Great Read

by cofty in

this article won’t change your mind - the facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs.

brilliant article in the atlantic by julie beck discussing the phenomena of cognitive dissonance and how it affects religious and political beliefs.

it includes some interesting thoughts on how social media has magnified the problem.. spoiler - she is not optimistic about the possibility of successfully reasoning with members of religious cults.. the article also has a link to the 45 minute audio version.. link....

humbled

facts are important but it's our emotions that will sway us. —sparrowdown

https://youtu.be/qWS2NVX6VP0

This is all can think of with the mindset we had to cult- ivate.

56

Spiritual "Protection" - a Menace on Psychological Development

by Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho in

not quite a week ago, @lost in the fog created a thread entitled: do you have this illness?.

https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5187824140681216/do-you-have-this-illness.

in my year of being on this forum, i have browsed many a disillusioned thread of ex-jehovah’s witnesses expressing similar symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder when detailing their awakening - my own story included.

humbled

Wondered where you were, wake me. I get it... having to “den up” my oldest girl says. Sometimes it isn’t a full-on depression but a conserving of one’s strength and healing that we need quiet.

l am only guessing. But l am glad you checked in. Take care.

36

Anybody here still believe in the bible?

by Mel Morris in

jw
friends

i'm a current bible student of jw's looking to chat with someone about biblical doctrine.

i'm not interested in talking with an apostate or a fader, i'm just a person looking for answers and wondered if there are any neutral voices in this forum who have good insights into the bible.

i currently talk with a couple of jw's on a personal level from my congregation and they are knowledgeable to a certain extent, but i dare not ask them certain questions because, as you know, the congregation has a culture of fear that impacts trust and openness, especially concerning biblical doctrine or the societies teachings.

humbled

Ttings aren't that cut and dry, i'm actually called "The Borean" in my congregation because I dabble a bit in ancient Hebrew, and I own a strong's concordance and various extra-biblical/historical resources.

You say you aren’t wise enough to make it on your own without religion? Our discovery is that it is less desirable to follow blind men than to fall down on our own.

l reposted your comments. You clearly did not respond to mine. You may not care to. But my own earnest concern for truth and honesty took me away from religion which ultimately is pleased to see followers seem to read scripture as long as they do not think “independently “.

So you effectively are to follow men but do not try to follow Jesus.

9

Why Punk of Nice as a name?

by punkofnice in

jw
friends

there.

my secret is out..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dmkui8tphg.

humbled

Nice, Punky. Makes sense to me.

7

What you reckon? (I'm talking in my normal accent)

by punkofnice in

there was this really lovely old geezer in a congregation i was in here in the uk.. he was an old bloke and very frit of giving talks and that.

when he was on the platform he'd be bleedin' scared...like an elephant near a bloody mouse.. so, 'ere's my question, right?

blimey.

humbled

It’s hard to say for him, punky. He may Be was glad. He is the only one could say—if he would say truly.

I knew a young fellow who fainted when he gave one of his first talks. Those who saw it said his sentences begin to slide around and he lost color and went down like a cut tree. They did the Watchtower study so he could recover. Then he finished the talk.

He is still in.

36

Anybody here still believe in the bible?

by Mel Morris in

jw
friends

i'm a current bible student of jw's looking to chat with someone about biblical doctrine.

i'm not interested in talking with an apostate or a fader, i'm just a person looking for answers and wondered if there are any neutral voices in this forum who have good insights into the bible.

i currently talk with a couple of jw's on a personal level from my congregation and they are knowledgeable to a certain extent, but i dare not ask them certain questions because, as you know, the congregation has a culture of fear that impacts trust and openness, especially concerning biblical doctrine or the societies teachings.

humbled

You will be faced with either believing the Bible or else believing the Governing Body.

The culture of fear you face is because “Perfect love casts out fear” and the WT is all about conditional love. The fear you see is that any time someone remarks “ this isn’t what the Bible says” the elders will mark you as a trouble maker instead of a serious Christian.

For instance if you were to point this out:

The policy for the Anointed ones was changed in recent times. The Revelation 14 verses that identify these individuals says they follow the Lamb wherever He goes. But they are obliged to follow the Governing Body wherever IT goes. Isn’t this a contradiction?

Conflict. You will find many such problems in the doctrine of this religion.

You will have no freedom of worship in the WT religion. This is aside from what l personally believe at this moment.

Ask your questions now if you plan to join. You will not be free to question later without paying the price many of us paid: disfellowshipped and shunned.

But we are free to believe or not- honestly.

32

This Article Won't Change Your Mind - Great Read

by cofty in

this article won’t change your mind - the facts on why facts alone can’t fight false beliefs.

brilliant article in the atlantic by julie beck discussing the phenomena of cognitive dissonance and how it affects religious and political beliefs.

it includes some interesting thoughts on how social media has magnified the problem.. spoiler - she is not optimistic about the possibility of successfully reasoning with members of religious cults.. the article also has a link to the 45 minute audio version.. link....

humbled

groups are usually better at coming up with the correct answers to reasoning tasks than individuals are.
Of course, the wisdom of groups is probably diminished if everyone in a group already agrees with each other.
“One real advantage of group reasoning is that you get critical feedback,” McIntyre says. “If you’re in a silo, you don’t get critical feedback, you just get applause.”

This can happen in religion or in any community—If there is a group leader who dominates. As was said“If you’re in a silo, you don’t get critical feedback, you just get applause.”

Great article.

43

Be Couragous! - (Like The Governing Body?)

by pale.emperor in

i was watching lloyd evans rebuttal to the saturday program of the be courageous convention.

lloyd pointed out something that had occurred to me as well:.

all this talk and examples of courage, whether it be standing up in class defending intelligent design, putting up with being imprisoned, not running away from bullies, always having a reply to someone who tries to ridicule your faith... the young ones are encourages - nay, commanded - to stand their ground and be courageous.

humbled

Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[a] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.—John 15:20

Lead by example

11

A Walk in the Moonlight

by compound complex in

jw
friends

a walk in the moonlight will do me good.

i shall understand inner turmoil in a new light, that proffered by the softly suffused illumination della bella luna.

the black shadow of the walking dead, cast upon a meandering path by the gracious moon, will be my companion.. treading my way slowly, reverentially, to the frosty view above that patiently awaits me, i stop dead at land's end.

humbled

https://youtu.be/LlvUepMa31o

The moon is a lovely companion even if she doesn’t speak, hey, Coco?

And a tree house is another world. That a great thing to do for your kids, Perry.