http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/09/scientology_apostate_part_iv_d.php.
All cults operate on broadly the same techniques and principles, the minor cults such as Scientology, LDS church, SAD church, JW's etc have to use tighter control techniques because their relatively small size makes them vulnerable to the loss of income from losing members.
So "vaguely familiar" for their methds is no surprise.
Larger long established cults like the RC church don't have the same worry.
Exactly FS !
I have discovered since meeting several XJW's F to F that a greater closeness and affection has been formed than I had with JW's when in !
I think it springs from two things, we are fellow survivors who struggled out of the same dire situation, and now we can all be the "real" us, the cult personality was not the real us, and the real us is SOOOooo much nicer !
XJW meetups are great !
this is a preliminary summary only.
i hope to obtain more details later.. .
all five cases are still within the criminal justice system.
Thanks Barbara, this is great news, at last the cult is being cut down to size and made to comply with what any christian organization would be doing anyway.
I am fascinated by the thought that they have identified the "true legal and religious identity of the Faithful and Discreet Slave" !
This is afirst, and is HUGE for future action.
PLEASE Barbara, tell us more on this aspect !
for those who are still in the jw/wt religion for whatever reason , and to whatever extent, i ask :.
how high would you rate your moral standards ?.
where do you stand on telling lies, upholding truth, deceiving others etc ?.
Old Hippie, I guess that is the nub. We need to be honest with ourselves about our personal ethics and values.
Where do we draw the line ? We sit silently in a Meeting that is re-inforcing false beliefs , like the WT's blood doctrine, that may result in the murder of some of those present.
How can that be ethical ?
We have already ignored our conscience,so what happens when the WT demands we do something more outrageous ?
will we have the strength then to resist ? to walk away then and risk all ?
It is a little like being a member of the National Socialist Party in Germany in the 30's, how many Jews have to suffer before we stop supporting ?
Dear M.M, born in, in 1950, left for good in 2008.
have been a member of jwr since 2008 and have not been to hall since june 2009, have celebrated 2 yrs without memorial - woohoo - that being said i have stopped by here frequently and decided yesterday to join your group.. it has been very enjoyable to read your stories as well as the other group i have been with, and so it just seemed reasonable to belong to both.. my story is no differant than all the others, the only thing is i was not born in.
that being said i also have no real issues with being an apostate (although i do believe it is used in the perjorative sense by the wt).. peace - brad.
Hi Brad ! Welcome aboard ! (this crazy ship)
Life just gets better and better as the influence of the cult fades , until we reach the point where we feel that they simply do not matter.
All the best for the rest of your free life !
this is nothing new obviously, i'm just using this as a sounding board to see if i'm looking at this thing correctly.
your thoughts are greatly appreciated.. watchtower july 15, 2011 p 15 paragraph 4 under the title "will you heed jehovah's clear warnings?".
4 to elders of the ephesus congregation, paul said: from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things.
I think Iamwhoiam has highlighted a very pertinent point re. the footnote.
The WT has a long history of introducing "New Light" and new procedure in an underhand way.
They will introduce an idea in a footnote, or a small insignificant article, the ones no one reads, and eventually it becomes doctine or recognized procedure, anyone who questions it is then made to feel small and guilty for not having "kept up with God's chariot" as some smart -ass C.O points out the article, by then 18 months old at least.
Just wait for "clarification" that any who leave the WT are Apostate by definition, i.e "Abandonment"
The WT will then not have to spell out to the R&F how to treat those of us who have faded, they will take it upon themselves, "Apostates" have already been demonized by the W.T, now they just need to make it clear that the label applies to faders.
Watch for the articles, coming soon to a study edition near you !
for those who are still in the jw/wt religion for whatever reason , and to whatever extent, i ask :.
how high would you rate your moral standards ?.
where do you stand on telling lies, upholding truth, deceiving others etc ?.
Hey Lazarus !
It seems as though you missed my remark about it not being an attack on you guys, so you question my morals.
I am not holding myself up as superior at all, just different to a degree.
And I guess that once we wake up to the reality that the WT cannot tell us what is right and wrong,because they don't know the difference between the two, and we have to get our own moral compass , then we decide how we will live, and what we will do and not do.
There are things I cannot do, its just part of me I suppose, for example, if someone gave me too much change in a shop say, I could not keep it.
Similarly, I find it impossible to go along with stuff I know to be false, so, if my favourite political party was pushing some downright lies, I would not support them (I know, difficult for me to find someone to vote for !)
Living a lie is not easy for me. But that is all irrelevant to what I am trying to discover, really I would like to know ,what would it take to get you guys who are in, to walk, despite the (Possible) consequences ?
How low do the WT have to go ?
for those who are still in the jw/wt religion for whatever reason , and to whatever extent, i ask :.
how high would you rate your moral standards ?.
where do you stand on telling lies, upholding truth, deceiving others etc ?.
Interesting replies, thanks. It is simply that for me, once I found out the WT/JW religion was a crock of s**t , I could no longer be part of it.
I knew that, as I walked away from the K.H that night when I decided, that I could lose my wife and all my JW family, but I still could not stay.
I was lucky, my wife decided to leave with me, and my JW family still talk to me, not religion though !
For those of you still in, that feeling must not happen,that feeling of disgust, or not as strongly as it was with me, I just felt I could no longer give it support in any way, even my silent presence at a meeting was still support, and it was not for me.
For those of you still going for family etc. I wish you luck, but how you stomach it I cannot understand. Being next to people who spout nonsense and lies, people who would murder their children for the sake of the blood doctrine, people who judge me as "weak" or whatever is not something I wish to endure.
for those who are still in the jw/wt religion for whatever reason , and to whatever extent, i ask :.
how high would you rate your moral standards ?.
where do you stand on telling lies, upholding truth, deceiving others etc ?.
For those who are still in the JW/WT religion for whatever reason , and to whatever extent, I ask :
How high would you rate your moral standards ?
Where do you stand on telling lies, upholding truth, deceiving others etc ?
Does the end justify the means ?
Where do you stand on associating with people who do not act in a way you approve ?
How do you feel about how the world of normal people views you ?
How do you draw the line on what you will not do at the bidding of the WT ?
What is personal integrity ?
Please do not view this topic as an attack on you personally, I am simply trying to get in to the mind and heart of those who stay in a religion they know to be false and a killer.
A bit slow and laboured, and the American pronunciations of the names Theresa and Anthony grates on me, but altogether a good video, and it explains what I kinda felt about my family and their response to my leaving the cult.
It just shows we need to re-assure our loved ones still in that we do love and accept them, just not their totally B.S religion.
