Posts by leavingwt

47

Do JW's reveal all their doctrines to those they study the Bible with?

by BonaFide in

yes, the fairly new bible teach book contains some info in the appendix, but do witnesses include that in the study?.

Do JW's reveal all their doctrines to those they study the Bible with?

by BonaFide in

yes, the fairly new bible teach book contains some info in the appendix, but do witnesses include that in the study?.

Please allow me to be even clearer. JWs do not tell their Bible studies the following: "If you should discover that we are lying to you, that's too bad. You have to force yourself to believe those lies, and continue living a lie, otherwise, we'll kick you out and cut you off from all of your 'real' friends and family."

47

Do JW's reveal all their doctrines to those they study the Bible with?

by BonaFide in

yes, the fairly new bible teach book contains some info in the appendix, but do witnesses include that in the study?.

leavingwt

The "ugly" realities are not stressed in the beginning. Only when the mind control is in full effect are the ugly things discussed, and even then they are not dealt with in a realistic manner, in my opinion.

When speaking of the disfellowshipping process, many would frame the debate as follows, when talking to studies: "Well, sure people who are unrepentant and willfully turn their backs on Jehovah are put out of the congregation. Don't worry about that, because you love Jehovah. It's not something you should worry about."

It should be stated like this, even before they are under the mind control: "You are joining a club with many rules. The rules can be changed at any moment. If for ANY reason you decide not to follow the rules, or should you discover that the rules are, in fact, WRONG, it doesn't matter. You must follow the rules. If you don't follow the ever-changing rules, we will kick you out, and take away any and all friendships you have within the club."

30

The cover art for my new JW memoir!

by klydia in

jw
friends

hey all, .

my memoir about growing up as a jehovah's witness is being released by touchstone in march '09 and wanted to share the news with the ex-jw community.

it's called "i'm perfect, you're doomed - tales from a jehovah's witness upbringing.

leavingwt

Love the cover! Cannot wait to read the book. Keep us posted.

-Donny

12

How to not get disfellowshipped even though you do not believe anymore

by BonaFide in

this has been working for me well in talking with family and friends about "the truth.".

1. before you bring up a topic, talk about how we are allowed to ask questions, and we are encouraged to do so.

i have tried saying, "one thing i like about the organization is that it encourages us to use our minds, and we don't get into trouble for asking questions, the organization loves questions like the ancient bereans did.. 2. always phrase things in the form of a question.

leavingwt

I applaud you for not giving up on your friends and family. I have not given up, either.

25

bad experiences with C.O.s?

by startingovernow in

jw
friends

i am still trying to recover from an experience that i had with a c.o.

reading other discussions has helped me to start getting other bad experiences into a better perspective and since the experience with the c.o.

was really the final straw i was hoping that reading that i am not alone would help me in moving on.

leavingwt

"Cults shoot their wounded." It's that simple. I'm sorry you were treated in this manner.

18

I realize I am taking up space and your time but I appreciate it

by BonaFide in

jw
friends

i understand i jump around too much in my comments.

my add gets worse when i get nervous.

plus i know there are topics that could be more academic.

leavingwt

If you have not already done so, I would recommend reading Steve Hassan's books. The first one is called Combatting Cult Mind Control, and the second one is called Releasing the Bonds.

These books will help you to see that you were a victim of mind control. They will help you to begin separating myth from reality.

16

What is

by John Doe in

jw
friends

the best movie of all time in g, pg-13, and r?.

leavingwt

G - Gone with the Wind

PG - Vertigo

PG-13 - Dances with Wolves

R - The Godfather

37

conference call Saturday August 2 RUMBLINGS AT GILEAD!

by kool aid man06 in

a reliable source has informed us that the registrar of gilead was removed....laid off.

is the watchtower school of gilead, where they train their missionaries, in the process of downsizing or perhaps dismantling.

now that math.

leavingwt

Rick:

Would it be possible for you to make the recording available in MP3 format? This would allow us to download them, and fast forward, etc.

Thank You,

Donny

42

Where was the joy they kept taling about

by heybaby in

ok, so i have been thinking about my time as a jw (i'm fading out - read my other posts for background info).

you know how you always hear how the ministry will bring so much joy and contentment, yadda yadda yadda?

i always hated service...always!!

leavingwt

I auxiliary pioneered in South Mississippi during the month of July, way back in 1993. It almost killed me. I decided Bethel was the career for me! Pioneering was for the birds!

I got to Bethel, only to discover that many of my peers were peeved that I didn't pioneer before being accepted to Bethel.

I would always tell them: "I couldn't hack pioneering, so I came to Bethel!"

Some would reply: "I didn't know you could do that?"

Timing is everything when it comes to being accepted to Bethel. Granted, your local elders have to give you a sterling report, but if Bethel really needs free labor badly, they will accept non-pioneers. I went straight into the Bindery and lost 15 pounds during the first two months, sweating for the Lord.

About that joy...I think many Witnesses experience a measure of joy, from time to time. For me, I had feelings of joy when I believed I was "doing enough" in the Lord's service. Of course, it's almost impossible to always feel you're doing enough, when you're in a cult, so it cannot be sustained by most.