Posts by Gopher

16

new to board

by Pablo Picasso in

hello, this is my first post to this board.

i'm a married 24 year old male, i've been married for 2 1/2 years.

my wife and i are in the process of trying to get out of the wts, presently we live on the east coast of the us, but are planning to move to the west coast in 6 months.

Gopher

Hey "Glad I am out",

Welcome to our happy little community! Now, I'm telling on you!! (Just kidding.)

You are so right. The JW teachings have turned its members into a collection of self-appointed private investigators, snoops and accusers. After all, weren't we told not only to avoid "bad associates" outside the organization, but also to watch out for "bad associates" on the inside? There was not enough emphasis on real love amongst each other, only lip service. So when there is a void of love, distrust and even hate can rush in. This happens too often.

Good for you, you're away from all that. Welcome to liberty. Please post again later, tell more about how you're "living life happily".... It would be great to hear.

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

9

Disfellowshiping and shunning

by Liquidizer in

jw
friends

the problem is not the disfellowshipping itself but the shunning most of us don't accept.

i'm not so much against the disfellowshipping but shunning because it doesn't help anybody to repent some possible gross sin.

the situation is still more worse if you disagree with one or more of the wts teachings.

Gopher

Ozzie,

I blame the organization for the harm shunning does. The elders are merely "unpaid assistants" that carry out this 'enforced shunning' policy because they have to! Or else they could find themselves in "hot water"!!

Drachcir/Richard,

They think of it as "tough love". And when I was "in", I bought that company line too. But as you say, it is too harsh for the vast majority of cases. It really becomes "hatred" rather than "love". Anyone who might normally (under non-shunning conditions) accept some shepherding help instead is kicked to the curb, and asked to go through hoops for several months, even years, dragging themselves to meetings where they treated as invisible. This has nothing to do with "love" and everything to do with punishment, revenge, and humiliation.

I will never again be a member of any group that treats fellow humans with such crude manners.

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

16

new to board

by Pablo Picasso in

hello, this is my first post to this board.

i'm a married 24 year old male, i've been married for 2 1/2 years.

my wife and i are in the process of trying to get out of the wts, presently we live on the east coast of the us, but are planning to move to the west coast in 6 months.

Gopher

Pablo,

Welcome to the board! This is a good place to "air out" your feelings. You'll find support for whatever you're going through, both here and in the chat room. You may have noticed, people here are generally unafraid to share their feelings!

Probably good that you're fading away as you are. If you dropped out right now, they'd come looking for you. Out on the west coast, they don't know you so you won't be bothered. Then you can build an array of friends who like you for what you are, not for how "spiritual" they or their friends judge you to be!

Stick around for a while, enjoy it.

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

115

Ritsfield Victory!

by silentlambs in

hello everyone,.

i am bill's wife.he just called me from washington and told me to let you all know that erica won her case today!.

that sick child molesting bastard is in jail now as we speak.. his sentencing is set for september 24th i think.. one down many more to go.. thanks to all who have supported this cause.. sheila

Gopher

Tweetiebird,

The web site for Bill's candles is http://www.triplescent.com.

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

46

10 Nutty Beliefs!

by Tina in

jw
friends

dr albert ellis has identified 10 irrational beliefs that can influence us and contribute to over reacting in specific situations.. knowing them is the first step in taking back your personal power and not becoming a casuality of such irrational thought.these screwy beliefs tend to make us 'awfulize,think in terms of 'they should,i should' and dysfunctional rationalizations.. 1. worrying too much about what other people think of you.

excessive worrying creates a strong fear of rejection.. these folks will ignore the self to please others or will display this insecurity by attacking others in order to stay distant and detached.. 2. i must not fail at important tasks,and if i do it's terrible and i can't stand it.. 3.people and things should always turn out the way i want them to-and if they don't it's awful,terrible and horrible,and i can't stand it.. 4.if any of the first 3 bad events happens(if im not liked or respected,if i fail,or if things don't turn out as i'd like-then i'll always blame someone for it!

they acted wrongly,as they should not have done,and they are rotten people for acting in that terrible way!.

Gopher

PL2,

You say many are hoping to 'get even with the Watchtower' over the issue of molestation.

Maybe some are, but you know it needs to be exposed for what it is. The secrecy with which the WT Society operates in this regard gives them too much power over innocent victims. So for this observer (at least), it's not about getting even with the Society, but bringing about the possibility of justice and fairness and an even chance for those who are or could be victims of the inconsistent application of rules --- do you tell the authorities, do you not? This type of inconsistency and confusion works in favor of the offenders.

A clear and consistent policy would even the playing field, and make the JW organization a lot less comfortable for possible future offenders.

[Edited for grammar]

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

15

How many of you should be working instead of this

by bboyneko in

jw
friends

c'mon, 'fess up.

shouldn't you be workin'?

Gopher

Bboy,

Yes. I am sneaking in here for a few minutes. It's just a habit!! (The "bad" associations out here have given me a strong craving to read the board, even here at work.)

You caught me! (Quick, hit alt-tab to bring up a "work" screen.)

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

6

Watchtower in Review. HYPOCRITES

by biblexaminer in

i have not made a watchtower in review for a while, and certainly not yet, here on jw.com.

hypocrites.. it only gets better, as paragraph 3, under the subheading "belief versus truth" begins with the statement "of course, it does not take deliberate lies to develop mistaken beliefs", but as the watchtower knows all to well, it helps.

"well, it is true that religious leaders who claim to follow the bible have produced many confusing and conflicting ideas.

Gopher

BX,

Bravo! That was insightful, and even though detailed it was NOT BORING!

Thanks from someone whose subscription ran out a while back, now I can see a bit of what I'm missing. It's more than enough.

The whole article (full of finger-pointing) shows thinking people that the Watchtower ammunition can also be pointed at itself. Like my mom told me, every time you point a finger at someone, you have 3 fingers pointing back at you.

Thanks for the expose!

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

46

10 Nutty Beliefs!

by Tina in

jw
friends

dr albert ellis has identified 10 irrational beliefs that can influence us and contribute to over reacting in specific situations.. knowing them is the first step in taking back your personal power and not becoming a casuality of such irrational thought.these screwy beliefs tend to make us 'awfulize,think in terms of 'they should,i should' and dysfunctional rationalizations.. 1. worrying too much about what other people think of you.

excessive worrying creates a strong fear of rejection.. these folks will ignore the self to please others or will display this insecurity by attacking others in order to stay distant and detached.. 2. i must not fail at important tasks,and if i do it's terrible and i can't stand it.. 3.people and things should always turn out the way i want them to-and if they don't it's awful,terrible and horrible,and i can't stand it.. 4.if any of the first 3 bad events happens(if im not liked or respected,if i fail,or if things don't turn out as i'd like-then i'll always blame someone for it!

they acted wrongly,as they should not have done,and they are rotten people for acting in that terrible way!.

Gopher

Tina,

Thanks for this post. It identifies "rocks below the water" which could cause us to fail.

It is so easy to fall into these, blaming others & circumstances for our failure to move ahead in life, to meet situations head-on and to pursue worthwhile things to their successful conclusion. It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves, when in reality the challenges we face and the feelings we must struggle with are really quite the same (in principle) as others must deal with, only the specifics are different.

If you have any other good quotes from Dr. Ellis, it'd be great to see them!

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

34

Anointed Christians throughout 2,000 years

by ozziepost in

this is the view as found in the latest magazine:.

"for almost 2,000 years, that peace has been enjoyed by faithful anointed members of the body of christ.

" (the watchtower september 1, 2001, page 14, paragraph 3).

Gopher

Joelbear,

Your point is well taken. It further illustrates the improbability that literally only 144,000 Christians could have been chosen between the years of 33 and 1935!! This is not something that is discussed very much by the JW's or their leaders, and no wonder! It takes a great leap of faith to believe it.

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)

5

APOSTATE THIS....APOSTATE THAT........

by JUSTAMOM in

jw
friends

hello to all today:.

sick of that title???.

ever notice how often the term 'apostate' is used now in the wt articles.

Gopher

Hi Kim,

Yes it is sickening how the WT Society smears those former members who dare to differ with it, in all its Pharisaical self-righteousness! Yes, we must all be immoral, sex-obsessed, anarchistic haters of Christ & his people, because we dare to differ! [8>]

How they use name-calling to rally their troops! They throw out the term "apostate" any time they want to cast aspersions and/or frighten their troops into submission.

But it is truly as you say, you really can get in touch with Christ BETTER (if you so choose) once you leave behind this meddling, judgmental, self-appointed "mediator" of an organization.

Thanks for the post, it puts things in proper perspective!!

GopherWhy shouldn't truth be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make sense.
Mark Twain (1835-1910)