Robert7

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Posts by Robert7

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  122

  Are You Having A Tough Time Making Ends Meet?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  do you believe we're in a recession?

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  Robert7

  I view a lot of the financial problems (credit cards, mortgage crisis, debt, etc) very similarly to the enticing of the JWs. Marketing companies are trying to lure you into spending money, getting a zero-down mortgage, credit card, etc. You believe it because it makes sense and there are many others doing it. This has nothing to do with intelligence, rather getting wrapped in it all. If you apply some critical thinking, like what happens in 3 years when my interest rate goes up a few points, you realize that it's a lure and nothing else. For me personally, I applied this same critical thinking to finances, which kept me out of trouble, as I did to the JWs. So personally I can't complain. I'm making more money than ever, and have zero debt.
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  27

  Newbies - Tell Us Your Stories Getting out of the Witnesses

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello newbies and others.

  it is really exciting to see so many joining on board here looking for support !

  perhaps some of us who have been there done that can give you some tips to make life a bit easier exiting the mind control cult, jehovah's witnesses .

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  Robert7

  Thank you. It is so hard because in a normal situation I would just DA and move on with my life. But because of family, it is always in my face, and I have to constantly see the crap and be reminded of it all. This leads to a situation where part of me wants to believe the story (being sucked back in) but I have to regularly remind myself that it's all fake. It's quite a lot of work both mentally and time-wise.
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  45

  apostates at assemblys

  by looloo in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i was told not to even look at them when i studied, but i did not buy the satan stuff about them and said well what have the watchtower got to worry about if they have the truth and no skeletons in the closet ?

  i was quite tempted to speak to them and felt rude and judgemental , what did you used to think about them when you were dubs in the trufff ?

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  Robert7

  I always felt like protesters make little impact because they appear to be the exact representation of an apostate, which is this fanatic satan-controlled person spreading lies. Any protester stands out and is easy to ignore. Apostates will make much more progress in one-to-one conversations and using the internet.

  For example, although there are many great apostate sites on the web, the 6 screens site looks exactly like a site that looks apostate and would immediately turn most active witnesses away.

  Basically, need to be more subtle.
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  39

  What 1st made you come to JWD??

  by karter in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  id been out for a few years my wife brought a computer when she was at the meeting one nite i typed in jws here i am today still learning.

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  i guess we will look at sites we know something about.

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  Robert7

  Found it on a Google search for some JW topic, found a thread on JWD discussing it, and have been on ever since.
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  27

  Newbies - Tell Us Your Stories Getting out of the Witnesses

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hello newbies and others.

  it is really exciting to see so many joining on board here looking for support !

  perhaps some of us who have been there done that can give you some tips to make life a bit easier exiting the mind control cult, jehovah's witnesses .

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  Robert7

  For me, although I had always believed it's "the truth", I never really drank the Kool-Aid. For example, I never believed in the no-college mentality. My philosophy (for me and the kids) was 1) You are just a man and you do NOT tell me what to do, and 2) I am going to work 40 hours a week no matter what, and I may as well make more money with an education than struggle with a low-pay job.

  I feel like Winston in 1984, where I went along with it all, but something inside felt it was not right. I started disliking the organization internally I was rebelling. So slowly, without consciously doing so, I started fading years ago. I stopped commenting at meetings since I felt it degrading to my intelligence to just repeat a line that was just read in the paragraph. It just seemed supid. I went out in service once a month just to keep active. Never prepared, prayed little, etc. The difference is that 1984 ended with Winston being brainwashed and saying sincerely "I love Big Brother". Won't happen to me.

  So after years of unconsciously fading, all of a sudden, last December, my "Bu!!$hit alarm", or my "Bu!!$hit circuit breaker" went off. It wasn't any one thing that did it, it just all added up and I just couldn't take it, it was all wrong. Some examples of things that I had a hard time with that set off my alarm:

  • Biggest problem: You must have full faith in The Society, even though they are imperfect and can (and have) made mistakes. You must treat and believe them as perfect even though they are not. I later learned that this is Cognitive Dissodence, or doublethink.
  • So much emphasis on "Watchtower", "the society", "the organization", and "the faithful slave", seemed like more than the Bible, Jesus, or God.
  • So much emphasis on meeting attendance, meetings about meetings, meetings about controlling your life, like dress, family, entertainment, etc. It felt like the pharasees.
  • All the stories around 1914 and 1919 and how the organization met Bible prophesy seemed like BS.
  • Service was a complete waste of time. Turned off my the over-emphasis of service in Witness life.
  • Meetings never felt like 'Worship to God'. Just boring adminisrative crap at a third grade level. I actually never felt that I ever 'worshipped God' as a Witness.
  • Constant comments in the literature about Witnesses being hated and persecuted, but always referring to WWII as examples. (thinking what have you done for me lately) Fact is, Witnesses aren't persecuted any worse than any other faith. And if they are, it's because they instigate it with stupid beliefs.

  Fact is, before the alarm going off, I never really visited apostate sites. This was all that I derived with my own thoughts. That being said, after the alarm going off, I started doing a lot of research, and quickly joined JWD where I posted my first post "I think I am an Atheist". All my research proved exactly how I felt. And ironically, contrary to what you hear on stage, these 'apostate' sites are not full of lies. They are plainly stating facts, and quote actual WT magazines that I was able to verify on my CDROM. Fact is, I have found very few actual lies on apostate sites. So I was coming to the conclusion that I was right. I bought COC and Search for Christian Freedom, and this even moreso convinced me.

  In December, I told my wife exactly how I feel, what I am reading, and that I don't want to go to meetings, or do anything in the faith. I only will go Sundays to support the family. She initially was defensive for the society, and this has put a huge strain on our marriage, but a few weeks later she completely has turned around (read COC too) and she mostly agrees with me, but still goes to meetings due to friends and 'where else do you go'. Fortunately our marriage is great again.

  So as of now, I pretty much lost any belief that the Bible is God's word. If there is a God, I believe that he has absolutely no impact on our day to day life. I feel that all religion is man-made, used for control, and there is no perfect religion, and I don't want to be a part of any of it.

  It's not over. The Elders know I have doubts, and actually they are really being nice and supportive. My goal is to keep fading, and ensure I feed them enough crap so that I don't get DF'd. I am not spreading my thoughts directly to anyone I know, since this will be a very quick trip to a JC and DF.

  Ironically (to the view of the JWs), now that I've "turned apostate", I'm actually very happy. I have this huge weight lifted off me, and I can live life to its full. I have more time, and I am very comfortable with my decision. I am obsessed with this all though. I read JWD and do research every day, and I think it will be quite a while before I can really let it go, with family and friends still Witnesses. I look at it as part of my therapy, to help let go.
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  19

  Is there spyware on the Societys CD?

  by isnrblog in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  any thoughts?.

  it would be easy to do, but if found out could be very embarrasing!!.

  has anyone looked into this?

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  Robert7

  I highly doubt it. With Internet Security software, plus Windows Firewall, if an application like the WT-CDROM were trying to send any info back to the Society, you would get promted to allow the connection. I have never seen any prompts. I guess theoretically some spyware could find some loophole to send data without prompts, but I don't give the WTS that much credit.
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  17

  Idolatry Within Jehovah's Witnesses

  by WTWizard in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  ok, so you have heard that the witlesses are against idolatry.

  but, they do actually worship a group of men called the filthful and disgraceful slavebugger class.

  notice how many times they have been wrong, reversed position (often multiple times), and have even been responsible for people's death.

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  Robert7

  This 'worship' of the FDS and WTS was one of the first items that bothered my conscience and made me see 'the truth'. I felt like they talk about the FDS and WTS as much as Jehovah and Jesus. I thought the FDS was a humble 'channel' and really should be transparent. They are absolutely asking for exclusive devotion.
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  23

  Annointed not inspired - do they say that in there own publications?

  by cognac in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  but they say that they have god's holy spirit... whats the difference?

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  Robert7

  This was the first item of Cognitive Dissodence that got me thinking... They are not (and admit not to be) inspired, they have the ability to (and admit that they can and do) make errors due to being imperfect men, but you must believe them 100% without question. Sounds like BS to me...
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  6

  Donations instead of charges for WT & Awake. Is it worldwide?

  by digderidoo in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i left the wtbts the change occured where no longer the magazines were being charged for, i think it was about 30p for the pair, but instead it was left for a 'voluntary' contribution.. i have heard from an x jw, who was the congregation accountant at the time that this change wasn't worldwide.

  it was only changed because contributions weren't taxable in certain countries.

  at the time we were told it changed because we didn't want to be classed as 'book selllers'.. is this the case?

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  Robert7

  We were still paying for our personal literature that we received at the hall

  Do you mean that you were given a specific amount that you had to pay to receive the literature? In our hall (and I presume all of the US) all literature is 'free' and we just give whatever anonymously as a donation to the world wide work. I haven't donated donated in years :)
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  283

  News from Mother ship

  by jefferywhat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  1. bethel in ny suspect high level apostate, cant identify it but know its there.

  2. major organizational changes about to start rolling out, one is changes to the "service committee" and titles, po to be done away with, thats all i know for now.

  was told that if you are the sort of person that cant handle changes, you wont stay in the org for long.

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  Robert7

  Sorry because I know it's been covered... but I am aware of the new generation chage, but what is the "new 144,000 understand" change?