Posts by easyreader1970

28

In Your Experience, What's The #1 Biggest News Event In The Organization?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think it was when it was announced that an elder arrangement would be practiced.. that shook the foundations of a lot of congregations..

easyreader1970

I am going to call the "modern era" any date past 1980. There are very few if any people in my current congregation who were adults in the truth prior to 1975. Our congregation has about 160 publishers and I am guessing from memory that less than ten of them were active adult Witnesses in 1975. The only familiarity that the majority of the publishers have with 1975 comes from the Proclaimers book and we all know how that publication pretty much glossed over that entire event. Members who were disillusioned and left the organization were weak and the Organization redeemed itself. So, if anything, this only showed which people were only serving Jehovah out of selfish desire and which truly loved Jehovah. Don't you love the way they twist that?

But I digress. I think the Book Study loss is the biggest announcement we have had in the "modern era". I would have said the 1986 "Peace and Security" nonsense, but I don't think most Witnesses attributed that to Bible prophecy, even though the Watchtower made sure to slap that phrase and the big dove on the cover of one of the Watchtower magazines that year. People are still in a twist about the book study change, even though they have all quietly and obediently accepted that it is gone.

Nobody noticed the blatant flip-flop at the recent circuit assembly, though. The letter that was read early this year quoted the scripture about the society not wishing to "add further burden to you" and listing gas prices as one of the problems. But at the circuit assembly they said that the book study was taken out (moved and renamed Congregation Bible Study) because Jehovah wanted families to spend more spiritual time with their families.

So which is it?

The book study was moved because of the burden of gas and other expenses?

The book study was removed because families need more quality spiritual time together?

There can only be one MAIN reason and they have given two on two separate occasions?

I believe I was the only person of the 1,600 in attendance that caught the BS.

er

16

Is crazy contagious?

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

first off, i apologize for the very unpolitically correct title to the thread.

the title that i wanted to make was this:.

will living with people who have serious and difficult to deal with psychological disorders cause someone else to experience mental problems of their own?.

easyreader1970

Well the **** has hit the fan. Or is about to.

I made an appointment this morning for our son to see a mental health doctor, this one specializes in adolescent children. I explained the entire situation to them (took about fifteen minutes) and we have an appointment for early next week. The trick now is to make it that far.

His school called. We have a long history of his school calling dating back to his kindergarten days. The problem is that once you get with older kids, teachers and schools don't have time for behavioral problems and they are not going to deal with them.

He acted up pretty badly at school today and then told the school counselors that he didn't want to go home. The reason is because we harass him about his schoolwork. What happens is this. He doesn't do it, and goes for days not doing it. Last night when questioned about where his homework was (for an entire week) he started crying, coughing, and then vomited. He says he is stressed when we ask him about his work.

If you punish him he goes to school and tells the school that what you are doing (which might be taking his games away or somethiing) is borderline abuse. So they call us and ask us what the problem is.

Anyway this creates a large amount of stress. So now, to keep him sane in school for the next few days, we are just supposed to let him slide on stuff to not stress him out to the point that he gets kicked out of school. At least until he can see a doctor.

Our problem is that even if he is high functioning autistic and in all advanced classes, the schools aren't equipped to deal with it. You can't send him to a school for "special education" kids because they are far beneath his level. That won't help him either. Some schools (none near me) have special classes and programs JUST for ASPERGERS children because they do need to be among others like themselves while still being taught the same thing as everyone else their age.

If I hear one more time that this is my fault for not showing him more Bible scriptures or strengthening his bond with Jehovah, I may really go insane. And no, I am not kidding. This is a real problem that has nothing to do with the Watchtower. 99% of the other children in his grade do not have these issues and NONE of them have been raised by JW parents. So that logic is bad. It's faulty. It's wrong.

She called me earlier so that I could have some elders come over and share some scriptures with us and maybe with him.

What?

er

16

Is crazy contagious?

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

first off, i apologize for the very unpolitically correct title to the thread.

the title that i wanted to make was this:.

will living with people who have serious and difficult to deal with psychological disorders cause someone else to experience mental problems of their own?.

easyreader1970

First off, I apologize for the very unpolitically correct title to the thread. The title that I wanted to make was this:

Will living with people who have serious and difficult to deal with psychological disorders cause someone else to experience mental problems of their own?

That wouldn't fit.

My wife is diagnosed bipolar. It has been a frightful decade plus of marriage. One of our children, we believe, has Aspergers syndrome. This hasn't been confirmed medically but he has more than 75% of the symptoms and, now that he is entering adolescence and middle school, the problems are amplified beyond what either of us can handle.

I have arranged an appointment to have him meet with a mental health professional.

Still, the stress on me is extreme because I have to deal with both of them. Sometimes I feel like I can't take it anymore. After speaking with my wife this morning on the phone (they are never good conversations anymore) I ended up throwing the cordless phone into the fireplace, where it broke into many pieces, because it is becoming more and more difficult to deal with her and my son.

To make matters worse, any time things are not going well, which is 90% of the time these days, it's "my fault" for not studying the Bible with the kids or her more and that the Bible scriptures can help everyone. This is part of the WT guilt trip. The Watchtower teaches that if you aren't going out in service or commenting at meetings that you are the spawn of Satan, unworthy of his spirit, and doomed to die in a hole. Anything that goes wrong could have been avoided if you had only "listened to Jehovah."

I feel like I am going insane myself. And not in a joking way. In a real "I might explode any moment" kind of way.

My wife tried medication but she doesn't like that it makes her uncomfortable at night so she refuses to take any more prescribed medication or to look for any other alternatives. She feels that "Bible study" is all the help that she needs. I am certain that our son will require medication because he has been worse than ever lately: self-harming behavior, "I wish I was dead" sort of stuff.

We have other children that are fine and adjusted, in spite of the fact that they are also within the WBTS mind control unit. But it's the two that have problems that are causing me great stress.

The main reason for me writing this is not to ask for help, assistance, support, or anything like that. I just need to get it off of my chest because I can't talk to anyone about my personal problems for fear of being "outed" and then you can add being shunned and demonized by my family to the list of my stressors.

er

9

Sigh. My wife the prophetess of Jehovah.

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

the new tract is the last nail in the coffin, according to my wife.

the economic problems, bank and mortgage issues, and gasoline crisis were key identifiers, according to her.

they prove that the watchtower was right when they said to keep it simple (even though they are far from the first person in human history to say this).. every meeting and assembly she attends makes her stronger with the dark side of the force because now she can "see it coming.

easyreader1970

The new tract is the last nail in the coffin, according to my wife.

The economic problems, bank and mortgage issues, and gasoline crisis were key identifiers, according to her. They PROVE that the Watchtower was right when they said to keep it SIMPLE (even though they are far from the first person in human history to say this).

Every meeting and assembly she attends makes her stronger with the dark side of the force because now she can "see it coming." She told me yesterday that we (as a family) didn't have enough of God's spirit because I haven't been studying with the children or going out in service enough (or at all).

I am deathly afraid of the kool aid.

er

Some JW's start Jehovah's killing spree early?

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,427803,00.html

easyreader1970

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,427803,00.html

14

Why do you think that some are more "controlled" by the WBTS than others?

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

i used to think that maybe it was just the people who were raised in the truth, especially from infancy.

they didn't know what life outside of the organization was so it was all they had to cling to.

but that's obviously wrong because many, many have left--happily--never to return.

easyreader1970

I used to think that maybe it was just the people who were raised in the truth, especially from infancy. They didn't know what life outside of the Organization was so it was all they had to cling to. But that's obviously wrong because many, many have left--happily--never to return.

But you have some people who worship the WBTS and who are consumed by it. No bad thing can ever be said about the organization or its members. In my house I am usually ripped to pieces by my wife if I say anything "negative" about the organization or the brothers. Doesn't matter what they did. Because they are part of God's Organization, they are free from accusation or even inspection. The Organization could write "kill your husbands or children in their sleep if they don't fully submit" and she would do it. I have no doubt of this.

These people refuse all logical thought and accept everything the Watchtower prints as one hundred percent undeniable truth. Most of them hold the Watchtower and its literature in a higher regard than the Bible itself. How else can you explain why they are so accepting of the Watchtower's ever changing doctrines even though the Bible (even the hacked JW version!) is always constant.

Are these people just weak minded? Do they lack inherent ability to make their own decisions and depend on others to rule them (sheep)? Is there some other psychological issue there that makes them more likely for total commitment than others?

er

5

How the Hell does the WT deal with ZEITGEIST.COM

by IreallydidwalkoutofaKH in

jw
friends

have you seen this movie..... it was unbeleivable................i am not very savy with the internet, but some of you are...maybe somebody could make it available on this site....but for those of you who have not watched this just type zeitgiest on google

easyreader1970

Taken at face value, Zeitgeist seems like a world changing movie.

If you take the time to do only a little bit of research yourself, you soon realize that much of the movie falls apart before you are even a fifth of the way through it, especially the religious segment.

It all sounds good and conspiratorial, especially attached to the spooky but thrilling music.

I'm not saying that it's full of lies. What I am saying is that many of the truths are not adequately supported or are not supported at all. Of course, to a JW, all that means is that it is clear evidence that Satan is behind it!

23

A CLEAR definition of "higher education"

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

yesterday i went to the saturday segment of the two day circuit assembly.

the brother giving the talk wanted to make sure that all in attendance understood clearly what the watchtower's definition of "higher education" was.

this is not verbatim, but this is as clear as i can remember it.

easyreader1970

Yesterday I went to the Saturday segment of the two day circuit assembly.

The brother giving the talk wanted to make sure that all in attendance understood clearly what the Watchtower's definition of "higher education" was. This is not verbatim, but this is as clear as I can remember it.

Higher education is going to college or university for four or more years, usually with the goal of achieving some prestigious position like doctor or lawyer.

So apparently that does not include going to a normal university for a two year degree or something similar. They mentioned the definition again later during the program. I am guessing that there has been lots of backlash from the rank-and-file, especially in today's economy. There is probably alot of disobedience too with people saying "screw that" and sending their kids to school anyway.

er

26

Speaking of depression ...

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

i didn't want to hijack the suicide topic because it was a bit more serious than what i am about to say.

not that what i am about to say is comical.

i've been dealing with major depression for the past year and a half or so.

easyreader1970

I should add that I am trying to think of it as a long term prison sentence. I wonder what prisoner's use to mentally keep the right attitude if they know they are going to be behind bars for ten, twenty, or more years? They don't all commit suicide so there is something to keep them going.

I need to find whatever keeps them calm and accepting.

er

26

Speaking of depression ...

by easyreader1970 in

jw
friends

i didn't want to hijack the suicide topic because it was a bit more serious than what i am about to say.

not that what i am about to say is comical.

i've been dealing with major depression for the past year and a half or so.

easyreader1970

I didn't want to hijack the suicide topic because it was a bit more serious than what I am about to say. Not that what I am about to say is comical.

I've been dealing with major depression for the past year and a half or so. Of course, the main suggestion for dealing with this is to see a mental health professional. For me, that's pretty much a waste of time (and money) because I know what the problem is.

It's that I can't mentally stand being one of Jehovah's Witnesses (I despise the organization) and I feel like my brain is going to explode more an more after every meeting. I ask myself if I would be less depressed if my wife and all of my immediate family left me and I was demonized by my wife to the children as a vile apostate who is going to be ripped to pieces by Jehovah. In addition to being separated from my wife and children, I'd also lose my mother and sister as well. I'd be alone in the universe.

So I choose to stay within the Organization suffering mentally while I still have my family ties.

I know that there are those here who are totally against doing things against their will. Probably my kids are the main thing holding me there. If they were grown it'd be easier, but with them still in a stage where I feel they need both parents on a daily basis, I don't want to be the person who is responsible for ending that.

I know someone who announced that they were leaving the Organization and his child is still pretty much devastated.

er