My mom joined when I was a child. We lived in a rural area with no close neighbors. She stayed home to take care of four young children with no adult company all day. Back then most families only had one car, so when my Dad was at work she was very isolated. Then two very nice Witness ladies came to visit and offered to study the Bible with her for free. Who would turn that down? She hasn't gone in years and pretty much doesn't believe it anymore, but unfortunately, my siblings are all still in, now along with their families.
Mrs. Fiorini
JoinedPosts by Mrs. Fiorini
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45
What Makes a Person Vulnerable to Join a Cult ? By Steve Hassan
by flipper inmost of us often wonder with amazement how we ever got caught up in the jehovah's witnesses mind control after having been out for awhile.
and we still wonder how some of our relatives stay trapped inside it.
well, steve hassans book " releasing the bonds " explains briefly in chapter 4 how it can happen.
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A CLEAR definition of "higher education"
by easyreader1970 inyesterday 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.
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Mrs. Fiorini
I wonder if that brother was giving his personal opinion on the subject. It seems to me that the society is down on any type of higher education, not just four years or more at a university. When I was in, even vocational schools and community colleges were discouraged. It's possible the elder assigned to give this talk has reservations about it, so he's trying to spin it this way.
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Speaking of depression ...
by easyreader1970 ini 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.
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Mrs. Fiorini
Have you tried to reach out to your family to see what they really feel about the WT or if they might be open to leaving? Many have helped their families leave the organization. You might be able to find good advice on how to do this in Steven Hassan's books and others. He says everyone who is trapped in a cult has at least a subconscious desire to get out. It may take some time and planning to accomplish, but with that goal it could go a long way toward making it more palatable at meetings, etc.
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Mrs. Fiorini
2112, New Light and Shawn, You have had to face up to the dark side of life, haven't you? I don't think there is anything I can say in this post that can adequately address your situations. But I would strongly encourage you to see a counselor. They are in a position to help you sort through the various circumstances of your lives and can show you a hopeful path to follow. I have greatly benefited myself from counseling and highly recommend it. Best wishes to you all.
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A really annoying text
by strawberry cake inthis is a really irritating text that i received from an old jw acquaintance.. .
i would like to tell you that the latest book we received 'keep yourselves in god's love', says that jw have to strictly avoid someone disfellowshipped.
the same applies to someone who left organization.
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Mrs. Fiorini
How sad that they feel they have to take the position. When I hear stories like this I'm just so glad I an no longer part of that sick religion. They do not understand the meaning of Christian love.
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2009 Circuit Assembly Program - Devil's crafty acts in "education"
by truthseeker infor your viewing pleasure:.
2008 2009 keep conquering the evil with the good circuit assembly of jehovahs witnesses.
saturday .
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Mrs. Fiorini
Several posters mentioned that colleges are not the only place where you will find immorality, drugs and alcohol and I agree completely. I think the real issue with drugs, sex, etc. is age. Most college students are in their late teens and early 20's and are experimenting with different things, learning to be adults and making their own choices. Wherever you find large groups of young people you will find the same thing. When I was in my teens and 20's and worked in restaurants there was plenty of it. Parents aren't protecting their kids from it by keeping them from college. Their kids are going to be exposed to it anyway. The WT uses this as an excuse to scare parents and their children from going to college for there own manipulative purposes.
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The FDS smokes crack. What?
by easyreader1970 ini was at the circuit assembly today.. during the last talk the district overseer said the following:.
satan is trying to destroy god's people by any means necessary.
remember the catastrophic massacre events in rwanda and burundi in 1994?
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Mrs. Fiorini
In the Watchtower view of the world, everything that happens is somehow about them. If they were an individual, a psychological diagnosis of some sort would have to be in order.
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I'm going to vote this year, why does it scare me so?
by halcyon insince i've left, i've: .
graduated from college .
gotten a body piercing .
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Mrs. Fiorini
Steve Hassan talks in his books about phobias cults put in their members' minds about various different issues. Maybe there's one lurking there somewhere for you. My feeling is that we are doing our duty as citizens when we vote. Some countries (Australia, I believe) even make it compulsory. Perhaps you would agree that democracy, despite it's flaws, is the best form of government out there right now. It certainly beats dictatorships. Democracies can only work with an active citizenry that votes. As far as your responsibility for making the best choice, the fact that you take your vote seriously is a good indicator of how you'll vote. It means that you will stay informed and carefully weigh your choice based on factual information. No country can ask more of its voters than that. If you don't vote, are you any more or less responsible for who was elected? For instance, if you have never voted before, you didn't vote for either Al Gore or John Kerry in the last two presidential elections. Does that mean you are any more or less responsible for the way George W. Bush ran the country? Even if you had voted for Bush, are you somehow responsible for decisions he made that no one could have predicted? In my opinion, not voting is a vote, because a certain responsibility rests with the citizens whether they exercise it or not. By the way, I've been voting for years and have yet to be called for jury duty.
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Possible reason for book study change?
by Damocles inin my experience, you can't go too far wrong in ascribing gb actions as responses to three stimuli: precedent, money, law.
if two are involved, like the tax implications of selling literature, the ws move swiftly and decisively irrespective of precedent.
the book study change makes little sense.
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Mrs. Fiorini
This is an interesting question, especially in light of the fact that the new arrangement will be considerably shortened in time, and now be called a 'Bible' study, instead of the 'book' study. I don't think they have a lot of new material to put out there. It seems like it's been the same old recycled crap for some time now. The society says their reason is to save the brothers and sisters gas money, but few of us on this board believe that.
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What is Destructive Mind Control ? Points from "Releasing the Bonds "
by flipper inin getting out of the jehovah's witnesses cult - are we all aware of what was totally involved in the mind control they used ?
in steve hassan's " releasing the bonds " he gets into some variables of mind control in detail.
i thought you would enjoy a few of these main points.
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Mrs. Fiorini
I think one of the best things we can do is encourage public discourse on the subject. The more people can become familiar with the issue, the techniques these groups use, etc., the more difficult it will be for groups like the WT to find successful converts, or to keep the ones they have. I e-mailed my local newspaper asking them to do a feature article on the subject, but so far they haven't done anything.