Posts by tenyearsafter

What you are experiencing is very common for JW's that leave the Watchtower organization and still have family in. It is most commonly known as cognitive dissonance, which in laymen's terms is the refusal of your loved ones to entertain contrary beliefs as the outcome is too difficult or devastating to their current belief system. Basically, current JW's have spent years buying into the ideas that the Governing Body are the only way to a relationship with God. The GB has inculcated the belief that anything contrary to what they teach is apostasy and leads to death. For someone to realize that this isn't the case is psychologically devastating! They don't want to accept that what they have been living is incorrect and the consequences of realizing that forces them to accept that they have been living a lie.

I have a number of family members still "in" the religion. I think some are so entrenched that they just refuse to open their eyes. I have others that suspect it's not "The Truth", but to leave would ruin their current lives and relationships...so they stay in without fully believing.

It is difficult to see loved ones ensnared, but love and patience can slowly help them to start to critically think if they are so inclined. Wishing you the best in your journey with your family.

TYA

31

Hi people!

by ozziepost in

jw
friends

hi guys, owyergoin?

(that’s australian for youse foreigners!

haven’t called in quite a while but just called by to say “i’m still standing and still enjoying shiraz !.

tenyearsafter

Hi Ozziepost...I remember you as well! God to see you again, and my condolences on the loss of your wife. Cheers!

24

Did you ever have an “Olaf” moment.

by Slidin Fast in

did your class mates queue up to have sex with you?

it happened to olaf according to today’s wt.

.

tenyearsafter

Isn't it interesting that the article equates having multiple out of wedlock sex partners with seeking higher education?! I guess that would settle it for me...LOL!

34

Re: Use of revised New World Translation

by pixel in

this letter will be read this week.

you read it here first!.

re: use of revised new world translation .

tenyearsafter

Earnest...from a report by NBC news:

Since their founding by Christian traveling businessmen in 1899, Gideons have distributed more than 1.6 billion Bibles to 193 countries in more than 90 languages.

15

Coercion at its worst: religious mandated shunning

by Yomama in

jw
friends

by patrick haeck any comments on article?.

tenyearsafter

Is there a link or article copy to go with this topic?

22

Interesting field service experiences

by asp59 in

any one that have a funny or unusual experience from field service?

maeby you visited favela brazil.

the hood in the usa.

tenyearsafter

FF...

Started the study with Rock going D2D...this was 50 years ago, so starting studies was not that difficult then. I can't remember exactly what appealed to him, but the Truth book was quite general in its appeal...I recall he was looking to up his spiritual game.

MJ's meeting attendance was irregular due to his schedule, but when he came, it was usually with family and he was very low key. We did see "interested ones" come to meetings to just catch a glimpse. The people in the congregation did tend to flock to him, and I always thought he was uncomfortable with that. After Thriller came out and he was "counseled", his meeting attendance dropped off. I left that congregation before he had disassociated himself.

No one answered the door at the Tate house...just left a magazine "sample" at the door. I was vacation pioneering, so had to get those placements as well as the hours!! After the murders, I was sure the police would come knocking to see why I was at the house!! (not that they would know it was me!). It was just creepy to see the news of that massacre knowing I had been there the day before.

22

Interesting field service experiences

by asp59 in

any one that have a funny or unusual experience from field service?

maeby you visited favela brazil.

the hood in the usa.

tenyearsafter

FF...if that was for me, not much to expand on. Rock didn't progress, so I stopped the study. He never was inappropriate and actually seemed to be searching for something.

Michael was very shy and if people recognized him we had to move to another street because news traveled fast..he seemed to be quite sincere in his efforts to get his "time" in. I give him props for trying...

Not much to say about the Manson massacre house. The police never followed up, so I am assuming the magazine was trashed before the murders and wasn't noticed. The murders were the talk of the congregation as it was in our territory, and the card for that set of streets was still "checked out"!

22