Posts by hybridous

26

My Anointed Grandma’s Wavering Faith?

by My Name is of No Consequence in

some quick background information: my dad (her firstborn son) died unexpectedly this past october.

his death has really hit our family hard.

personally, i have not totally come to terms with this.

hybridous

Sorry to hear of your loss. Grief is worse, IMO, when we have no time to prepare for it.

My dad also died rather 'suddenly', and while I am glad he did not spend much time suffering, it was difficult to come to terms with.

When it comes to the old folks, I have more-or-less written them off.

It seems to me that old folks have on some level realized what's truly important and because of their limited time left, are willing to cut through all the nonsense.

I have seen this at work, but equally, this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost#Loss_aversion_and_the_sunk_cost_fallacy

I am working toward abandoning any expectations of JW family, young and old. I perceive there is a kindness to letting someone's delusions persist toward the end of their life, especially when they have built an entire life around them.

I would merely let grandma set the pace of things, and follow along. Any decisions she makes are hers alone. Enjoy her company while she's there for you. If things get 'real', it might be a time for poignant questions...

17

Can we support Russian government's ban?

by intropist in

jw
friends

글쓴이: 류비 / 시간: 목, 03/30/2017 - 14:48. .

hi, i want to leave my personal opinion on the matter of russian government's banning on the activity of jehovah's witnesses in their territory.

i think it's more or less important because bearing a certain opinion is related with the quality of life.

hybridous

As much as I have come to loathe this awful cult, I cannot applaud heavy-handed government sanctions against it.

I don't want it to be seen as any kind of 'forbidden fruit', because in my experiences, people will crawl over broken glass on their hands and knees to have that which is denied them. Given the amount of victims the JW cult has created, I think it's a grievous tactical error to afford it a narrative where it gets to assume the role of victim.

Shine a bright light on it and let the roaches scatter. Make this 'religion' a matter of open inquiry and let the chips fall...

38

Anthony Morris - The Higher Education Broadcast

by pale.emperor in

last night i had jw broadcasting on in the background while i was working, i like to keep up to date with their crap.

which is strange because when i actually was a jw i hated reading or watching their material.. anyway, on the streaming section, anthony morris comes on screen telling me that higher education is bad and "the better the university, the greater the danger".

i never would have believed it if i hadn't seen him say it myself.

hybridous

Infuriating...but I hope a greater good is served by appearing bizarre and directly articulating goofy beliefs and therefore alienating reasonable people who might investigate the religion.

I thought that this might be one line they don't hold, but it's almost like they know they're full of crap...

Stuff like this makes me really wonder just how deceived these deceivers are, If you were truly deceived, wouldn't you welcome full scrutiny by educated people?

51

Why are Republican's so consistantly dishonest?

by Coded Logic in

it hasn't gone unnoticed that the republicans who are saying, "we need to get to the bottom of the obama wiretapping" and "let's investigate this" - are the same people, when it comes to trump's russian ties, who are saying, "we shouldn't look at this at all - it's just a bunch of lies and hype.".

no evidence whatsoever for claims about obama need a congressional investigation.

but mountains of evidence about trump with more coming out everyday can be swept under the rug.

hybridous

Quote: 'They are all politicians and the electorate fail to punish them for their dishonesty - that is the reason.'

Maybe Simon intended this as a throwaway comment, but I found it prescient.

Consider the Trump phenomenon: as I watched the Republican primary elections, it was impossible to not see that the party itself regarded D. Trump as more threatening than a Hillary Clinton presidency. The party treated him accordingly, and I perceive that this provoked the ire of disaffected Republicans.

So much so, that, it seemed that part of Trumps ascendency seemed little more than a general attempt to 'punish' the Republican party brand, without much regard beyond that simple expression of express disapproval.

5

Need your honest opinion

by poopie in

jw
friends

this is the scenario there's a guy who is df and being shunned big time.

we'll he needs a place to stay since he can't stay with his family you know the shunning thing well another jw in good standing says he can stay with him .the df guy is delighted but a little problem the elders are going to find out the df guy car parked at jw house.

no one in the area knows he's df because it's 90 miles from the cong he was df in so i told him he's takeing a risk but he says i'm going to show love to this person no matter what..

hybridous

Since we're talking about getting around elders, I have to ask...is outright LYING an option?

If confronted, could the JW-in-good-standing just say that arrangements were contracted before the guest's DF status was known?

I am heartened when a JW defies the rules and shows love no matter what.

52

My families shunning has gone to a whole new level

by pale.emperor in

8 months df'd.

loving a life of freedom.

however, my family are all shunning me.

hybridous

Hi, PE -

I have been following your story. What you're going through is brutal, and I'm glad you have people to share it with, who can identify with some of what you're experiencing...

There's some really good advice in this thread. I was really struck by what Scratchme said...

'It will get real for her when she realizes that you are no longer trying.'

I found this to be the case in my own life situation. The 'shunning' thing became a contest of endurance and will.

And even if you win, the 'victories' seem pyrrhic in nature, when considering what the costs are in terms of time and suffering.

Keep the lines of communication w/ your brother. As has been mentioned, his willingness to break the rules and speak to you is promising.

If you abide your mothers wishes and stop sending her pictures, she will miss receiving them. Whether-or-not she admits it to herself or any else is immaterial.

The only way I found to turn this crap into something positive, is that it steeled my resolve to provide my children with a WT-Free childhood. This poison ends here.

There is a case to be made that what is really best for your daughter, is total separation (or at least as long as WT 'rules' are applied in all their rigidity). Your mom is seeking a comfortable detante of sorts: where she gets to apply the shunning rule but still have access to her granddaughter. You must, at all costs, deny her any comfort - IMO.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Keep us posted.

19

Share Your Favorite Shakespeare

by compound complex in

jw
friends

give me my romeo; and, when he shall die,take him and cut him out in little stars,and he will make the face of heaven so finethat all the world will be in love with nightand pay no worship to the garish sun.. -- romeo and juliet 3 ii.

hybridous

If love be rough with you, be rough with love.

Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down.—

Give me a case to put my visage in!

A visor for a visor.—What care I

What curious eye doth cote deformities?

Here are the beetle brows shall blush for me.

Mercutio was always my favorite. I have forever wished that Romeo stayed out of the fight and let Mercutio finish Tybalt off right then & there, but of course, that scenario preempts the tragic finish.

13

Active JWs celebrating birthdays

by neat blue dog in

i remember hearing parents say they're going out to eat for their child's birthday some years ago, and recently i see a lot of active jws wishing each other as well as worldly people on facebook a happy birthday, including emoticons related to partying.

is this a judicial offence, or have you seen anything similar?.

hybridous

To the OPs point, I haven't seen the 'Happy Birthday' messages on Facebook, but I have heard credible stories of small groups of JW friends having a 'get-together' or going out to dinner for someone's 'NOT-Birthday'...

If they're willing to toe that line (and in some cases deliberately step over it), it tells me that they know the prohibition is bunk. It's all about maintaining appearances. Small steps, but still positive ones.

60

Are they either leaving or going full on 'cult mode'? No quarter.

by punkofnice in

it might just be me imagining things.. i hear things from my jw spies.. from all that's being said, it seems to me that the rank and file(tm), are either waking up to the scam and fading/leaving.

they are going full on 'cult mode' and acting like 'spiritual police'.. is it just me and my imagination?

have others noticed this?.

hybridous

One has to wonder, then, what does WT leadership see for itself, if this is the general strategy taken...

This course of action is pretty much a backhanded admission that the days of growing the org are over. Can't march forward. Time to circle the wagons and hold on to what we've got.

Time is not on their side, and they know it. If they were sincerely deluded, wouldn't they be rolling the dice and betting the house that YHVH was going to make it all right? Is the hand of Jehovah short?

These are the actions of people who know better than to expect divine intervention on their behalf. These are the actions of people who don't believe their own bull****.

I hope lurkers read this and realize that the JW ORG doesn't even believe what they're selling...so why should you?

36

How long can this cult remain with only kids becoming members?

by Crazyguy in

it's become clear that very few from outside the religion are joining anymore.

if only the kids of the people that are already in are the one replacing the members as they die off and 50% let's say of the kids leave then how long can they realistically last before the downturn becomes obvious?.

hybridous

Quote: 'The increased details on what is involved in shunning disfellowshipped persons suggests that the rank and file are still not fully getting what is required of them.'

Hi Steve, when you say 'not fully getting', do you mean innocent oversight in not understanding official policy/doctrine, or perhaps in an intentional, passive-aggressive rebellious kind of way?

I ask because sometimes I can see certain lines and boundaries being tested within the family, that would've never been dared in previous years. Who knows, maybe the summer assemblies will reign them in, again...