Posts by hybridous

19

Has Politics Changed How You View Your Entertainment?

by minimus in

jw
friends

when i watch a tv show or movie or even a ball game, i don’t want to be deluged with matters involving politics.

entertainers and sports heros should stick to doing what people pay them for.

entertain us and just do your job!.

hybridous

Both of these shows were heavy handed with propaganda for one side of the political argument. Both shows are well done, but ease up guys.

Isn't that interesting? In my case, once I detect that a political narrative has become the element driving the story, I absolutely lose interest. I no longer care about the characters, because they're not important enough to the writers - so why should I (as the viewer) maintain interest?

I can palate political argument in entertainment, as long as it remains peripheral, and doesn't cause the whole thing to lose thing to lose essential authenticity. Once I figure out I'm being preached to (preached AT?!), I'm OUT.

Remember Tom Hanks in 'Philadelphia?. Obviously a politically charged story, but I found it compelling because the character of Andrew Beckett wasn't shortchanged or dismissed to make about a movie about gay rights. It was about a man in tragic circumstances, battling illness and trying to win his justice. See the difference? That's why it works as a movie IMO. I didn't have to be preached to, to find sympathy for Andrew Beckett. The telling of the story naturally elicited it.

I suspect that if 'Philadelphia' were remade circa 2018, not even the magic and skill of Tom Hanks could render it remotely watchable.

So tired of entertainers disrespecting the audience.

Don't even let me get started on 'Star Wars'...

14

Raising children - thoughts

by CovertsadJW in

just some thoughts for today - let me know what you think.

i grew up in the jw faith / cult - .

i can’t prove i am a better person because of it , but in some ways i can prove how it has damaged me.

hybridous

Great topic! Same born-in situation, here...

The JW childhood never taught me to be and do good, for its own sake. Instead, I learned to temporarily fake the appearances of such on an as-needed basis. Usually meaning long-enough to get some adult off my back...

40

What would you say?

by Freedom rocks in

if you had 2 minutes with an old witness friend or with a family member to convince them the 'truth' is a lie and the gb isnt being directed by god what would you say to get their attention that might make them question their beliefs?.

hybridous

Hmm, I don't know. Nothing I've said has made a dent, so far...

I don't think there are magic words to get the result we want.

49

When Will Jehovah`s Witnesses Appoint A Woman As A Governing Body Member.? It`s Long Overdue !

by smiddy3 in

jw
friends

jehovah himself gives the saying "the women telling the good news are a large army" psalms 68 : 11 coupled with the fact that a good portion of women partake of the emblems and wine at the annual memorial celebration.. identifying themselves as part of the 144000 that are taken from the earth to rule with christ jesus in the heavens.. isn`t it about time they were recognized for their contributions and given the fact that gods word the bible clearly states that 144,000 of anointed are to be taken from the earth which many women are a large part of.?.

revelation ch.14 :4 could be argued that they are not lesbians { "these are the ones who do not defile themselves with women ,in fact they are virgins, etc,etc.}.

i wonder just how many men who claim to be of the anointed have not defiled themselves with women and are virgins.?.

hybridous

A woman appointed to the GB of JWs would represent a wholesale change of JW/fundie philosophy, as Morpheus says.

Given where they currently are now, a woman on the GB would only occur far, FAR down the line. I wonder if the religion could even survive if it started making changes like that...

If there was a narrative present in the religion that bodes towards the 'progressive' (I don't think there is, but let's pretend), we would see signs of it in small ways, at first.

For instance, you might see 'New Light' that allows well-regarded women in the congregation to serve as 'Deacons' or Ministerial Servants. You might see a softening of the 'teaching' role at the Kingdom Halls, whereby women would give sermons or lectures.

These would be the baby-steps down the path. I would welcome seeing them, not for their own sake, but because it would suggest that the religion is facing external pressures and internal crisis which are often the only real sources of change for this cult.

28

What was your trigger to waking up ?

by CovertsadJW in

good afternoon , .

i wanted to ask everyone here , what was your trigger to waking up ?

i have been waking up for a long time , but in looking back it’s hard for me to look at one event and say “ ah ha “ , i think mine is like a slow leak - like a crack in a damn - and then hold on , because after that it’s just a flood of information.

hybridous

I remember being about 11 or 12 years old.

Feeling privileged to go back to the 2nd. School, on a meeting night. Just to get a change of scenery. I felt as though my entire life revolved around that Kingdom Hall (it did!).

I was miserable.

I could not visualize myself in this hamster wheel for my adult life.

I was so miserable, I didn't even care if it was 'The Truth' or not. I would not spend my days doing this crap to make other people happy.

Funny how 'The Truth' consisted of a bunch of bullshit answers to life weightiest questions - that no one was allowed to scrutinize or dispute...that didn't pass the smell test for me, even at 11 years old.

No conversation. No 'give-and-take'. It was all ME giving and this 'religion' taking.

Screw that. I can't help but pity those who actually feel fulfilled by this 'religion'.

Something tells me, the true number of those are substantially less than what's advertised.

63

Sister may have had a slight heart attack, do I text her?

by Xanthippe in

jw
friends

so my cousin phoned and told me my jw sister was taken to hospital with chest pains and it may have been a slight heart attack or possibly she's starting with angina.

now as some of you know my sisters and brother have had little to do with me for 29 years.

we've met at funerals, or arranged them, but i just thought today what if she did die?

hybridous

Hmm, very tough spot. I could make a case either way...

If you still feel bound by the 'do-unto-others' moral code, then maybe you make contact. Not because of any hope of reciprocity, but just because you have identified it as the right course of action - not needing a bunch of JWs to validate that course of action for you.

On the other hand, if your relatives have spend many years providing you with empirical evidence that they do not want contact with you, then it might make sense to acknowledge that very plain evidence.

Of course, an acknowledgement of your sisters dire health problems is not necessarily a restoration of your relationship, so you need not treat it as such if you decide to text.

I struggle with this stuff a lot, so I am interested in what others have to offer regarding this.

58

Don't you think that some people are just better off within the org?

by paradiseseeker in

jw
friends

this is my first post, i will introduce myself later.

first of all, i must say that english is not my mother tongue (i'm spanish), so excuse me if i make any mistake.. do you think that some people simply can't cope with being outside the jws?

some of them are too worldlyphobic to be around non-jws, too dependent on a fixed set of rules in order to carry on with their lives, too dependent on the hope of paradise and resurrection, too unable to leave their personal comfort zone within the organization.

hybridous

Do you think that some people simply can't cope with being outside the JWs?

Unfortunately, yes.

This 'religion' requires extraordinary investment of time and effort. Consider decades upon decades, all the while, the adherent is learning to abandon their sense of skepticism and critical thinking (if they even had such to begin with).

The WT quite intentionally renders its adherents absolutely dependent on it. I have seen relatives allow themselves to be stripped of any sense of self and self-direction. My mother wouldn't even know who she was, if she wasn't a JW.

Many (most?) of these 'lifers' are simply not equipped to embark upon a single day of life, without the imaginary 'safety net' the WT religion claims to provide.

I am currently resolving myself to give up all hope for family in the cult. I cannot pry them out if they're not ready/willing to walk out under their own power.

We have the profound benefit of living in a such a time, where all information is accessible with a few keystrokes, a modicum of courage, and the sense of integrity to NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS TRUE...despite the discomfort that may follow.

The path out of this cult is known, well-worn, and (though not without difficulty) easier to tread with each passing year.

Some will never take it, because the WT religion is successful in consuming souls.

14

What Would You Yearn For From The Good Old Days?

by minimus in

jw
friends

2017 and the world is probably more advanced than ever before.

prices are high for homes, food and comfort.

wars seem to rage everywhere!.

hybridous

I don't know that there's ever been a better time to be alive...

19

Pull the Plug Already...

by megaboy in

after reading and seeing so many detailings of the dealings with people in this religion, i have to wonder how to get people who are just extremely asleep.

reasoning doesn't seem like it works, there needs to be some kind of plug pull event, like the leaders doing something so uterly stupid that it causes the immediate downfall of the entire religion.

but because i am naturally curious i want to know from people who have more experience with jw structure why they seem to have a resistance to an event like this?

hybridous

Where does the definition of "cult" goes if you insert "their choice" into the mix?

Why exactly are these 2 things mutually exclusive?

Honest question.

19

Pull the Plug Already...

by megaboy in

after reading and seeing so many detailings of the dealings with people in this religion, i have to wonder how to get people who are just extremely asleep.

reasoning doesn't seem like it works, there needs to be some kind of plug pull event, like the leaders doing something so uterly stupid that it causes the immediate downfall of the entire religion.

but because i am naturally curious i want to know from people who have more experience with jw structure why they seem to have a resistance to an event like this?

hybridous

I have a friend who I maybe have a yearly convo with from another country (in Asia) who is one and it just doesn't seem like any of these barrages of negative occurences are effecting their perception of the org. I mean I see so many bethel HQ stories where its pretty obvious there is no super natural force guiding the place, but still they chug along.

I have the same experience. Remember that if you are not a JW, your family/friends that are in are obliged to put up a front for you. As frustrating as it can be, there's no way my JW relatives can express any doubt or fatigue - come what may...

Of course, that doesn't mean that they don't silently carry the burden of doubts raised by the poor optics of WT in the news. They can't express their doubts to outsiders, and they don't DARE express them to other JWs...

They literally have nowhere to go.

I'm not particularly sure how they are still able to manage a slow death into irrelevance rather than a complete wipe out.

I think the religion demands comparatively less from its members now, as opposed to what JWs used to have to do a generation ago.

No separate book study night. Shorter assemblies. Steps taken in the direction of becoming more of a 'phone-it-in' religion. Not enough for my tastes, though.