this presentation goes over jerry bergman's research on mental illness with jehovah's witnesses.
this includes over 8 different research projects conducted by different doctors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urbxtvuat1g.
villabolo: Interesting thought about environmental consequences.
I guess I always believed that you can't run from your problems. If your suggestion is correct, then perhaps one can. Therefore any who remain, for instance, in bad marriages, jobs, or under the rule of corrupt governments may not have an equal chance to improve their lot unless and until they sever. Wow, I'll have to think about that ...
i no it's off topic, but oh well... anyways, just went to the gym, it was ok... everyone tells me i look great for just having a baby, however, i've already lost the baby weight... i need to lose the marriage weight... ackk, it's gonna take forever...
anyone in the same boat??
?
I'm not trying ... I'm losing weight. For me, it's simple and difficult at the same time. I'll call my program Honesty.I don't lie to myself about what I put in my mouth. I don't care what is wrong in my head; what part of my body doesn't work right; my age; or how huge Grandpa was ... I can't wear what I don't consume. I have gone from 325 pounds to 240 pounds over the past few years and have never been on a "diet." In fact being on a diet for me causes constant thoughts about food which is counterproductive. Oh yes, I have studied exercise, calories, fats, and portion control and how all those factors play their role in body mass.. I know I eat for comfort and therefore I try to avoid stressful situations. I should continue to loose weight untiol my days are done if I keep an inventory of everything I consume and then adjust accordingly.
in a recent thread i started on music i couldn't help noticing how many had to throw their alleged " worldly music " out because parents, or elders told them their music brought them " under the influence of demons ", or listening to music was how " the demons got inside us ".
this superstitious belief that " satan " is to blame for each witnesses demise is really a passing of the buck of responsibility so it sidesteps real issues involved.. for example : check these familiar expressions out we all heard while we were jehovah's witnesses .. .
1. if a person was stumbled and said, " i don't want to go to meetings anymore.
I agree with your premise. While it certainly applies in the usage of Satan by the shallow, it seems to me that many people attempt to vilify individual sources rather than examining the issue in totality. Take the case of Sadam Husane. Americans demanded his head as if he was the cause of hatred toward the US. But, of course, he wasn't the real problem, only a representative of the issues. JWs are like many ... Too lazy or unwilling to study an entire matter before assigning responsbility. Unbiased examination might require action, and status quo is all many want ...
without ever have experienced a hatred for someone or something?
is hatred always bad?
can it be an inspiring or motivating force?.
To me hatred would mean that i have concluded that a person, place, or thing is evil and wicked. The problem is I have been wrong as often as I have been right in my judgements. I guess i wouldn't wish to put myself in a position where I hated due to ignorance, self-righteousness, or a lack of forgetting and moving on with what is left. So, on my case hate carries with it too much responsibility. I'll pass ... if possible.
this presentation goes over jerry bergman's research on mental illness with jehovah's witnesses.
this includes over 8 different research projects conducted by different doctors.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urbxtvuat1g.
Bergman's presentation opens a line of questioning in my mind. If medication is so helpful, it must be that depression is a chemical imbalance rather than an environmental complication. The subjects of these studies may have already had the predisposition for depression and their experience in the organization may have only served as a trigger for episodes of the disorder. Who can say with certainty that the subjects would not have experienced the same condition lacking the exposure to one particular religious structure?
my parents were already witnesses when i was born, therefore i was raised in their version of the truth.
i was baptized at the age of 11, and became a regular pioneer at the age of 13. i did that for about 5 years, and honestly they werent all bad times.
a lot of my friends then pioneered too, so we spent a lot of time goofing around out in service.
Did your wife come rom a similar background?
i would like to be able to change many but one really sticks out to the front... what would yours be?.
I wish I had a way to present myself to others as a truly nice person (which I probably am) rather than to scare others off by my abstract and unfamiliar presentation to the world ...
we all know that about 40% or more jw suffer from some form of depression.
we also know that a large % of jw drink alcohol which also cause depression.
therefore we now have some realy secewed up jw.
To me, the question is: Does the organization simply attract those who were predisposed to suffer from depression and addiction in any circumstance. That might skew the stats ...
no biggie, .
but i was looking at this youtube video of the international convention in germany.
the video is of the crowd clapping and cheering fullon seven minutes.. at the beginning though, there are people with orange vests on and they seem to be the ones.
Let us not forget ... this is Germany ... Hitler got similar types of cheers, clapping, and applause!!!
i'm starting to sense a certain desperation among jws, that they feel that the great tribulation must start soon.
i think this is due, in many cases, to their own personal situation, financial or otherwise.. if the gt doesn't come soon, and these guys really start to suffer - what then?
the watchtower's promises that "jehovah would not forsake them if they put kingdom interests first" by skipping or dropping out of college, turning down promotions, "simplifying" their lives by selling their homes and moving to the hinterlands...will all prove to be meaningless.. if the gt doesn't come soon, and "jehovah" doesn't bail them out...then what?.
With their record of urgency combined with serving dates rather than humanity, the WBTS has climbed a hill and dug their own hole for their grave. They have few back doors left to escape from. Sad ...
