Posts by Cadellin

44

New here...

by hereiam! in

jw
friends

sorry if this starts off as a kind of a downer.. i am 29, and my husband and i have stopped going to meetings since last october.

we live in mexico and used to attend the english.

long story short, after realizing how many much we've been lied to we stopped going to our meetings, moved out of the territory, switched to spanish, and after a month of attending just vanished.

Welcome, hereiam! Wow, you don't do things by half-measures, do you? I understand your quandry, since my family too is ultra-strong "truth-wise" and the urge to please them or at least, not lose them through shunning, is extremely difficult. Your situation is made even more of a struggle by the fact that you're pregnant (congrats on that--exciting!) and that's a time when, more than anything, you want your mom, sisters, etc. It sounds like you've got a good husband, who's also had his eyes opened, and that's a bonus.

My suggestion is to get good medical assistance. There are various anti-depressants that are safe for pregnant women (I know this first hand) and you probably should talk to your doctor about getting a prescription. I say that because losing your faith is a catastrophic emotional experience and some of us have needed both therapy and meds to get us over the hump. There's no shame in that--you've been traumatized through no fault of your own. As well, being preggers, your hormones are doing the samba and likely exacerbating the depression. You don't want to run the risk of adding to the trauma by incurring post-partum depression on top of everything else (I had ppd following my first pregnancy and it's no fun). So, speak to your doctor or other medical professional (you might want to track down a good psychologist) and see what can be done

You are among friends who care, who've been through what you're going through. Please keep us up to date as things progress...

122

Stayed up all night, see it is a cult now.

by gutted in

i really needed to find a place to write this as i don't believe i can talk with anyone else about my account, perhaps it is similar to a lot of yours.. last night for whatever reason i said i would go online and look up information on jws.

i have been raised as a jw all my life and baptized the last few years.

i looked at www.freeminds.org and www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and couldn't believe how easily the whole of my lifes teachings were refuted.. i can't stop my brain from running, bs just in regards to theology alone (1914, paradise earth, celebrations etc.

Cadellin

I might add one more "must read" to the list and that is Richard Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible

My, my, this mermaid had no idea her words would be cause such a rumpus! Convert anyone to atheism? Hadn't the least thought in that direction. Since our newbie Gutted has embarked on a voyage of discovery across uncharted waters, this mermaid was only offering up possibilities for additional exploration. For the thinking person, freeing onself from the intellectual blinders of the WTS is rather like being a kid raised on brussel sprouts who suddenly finds himself locked in the candy shop. There is this sudden jolt when you realize that you are free to make up your own mind...and read read read!!!

122

Stayed up all night, see it is a cult now.

by gutted in

i really needed to find a place to write this as i don't believe i can talk with anyone else about my account, perhaps it is similar to a lot of yours.. last night for whatever reason i said i would go online and look up information on jws.

i have been raised as a jw all my life and baptized the last few years.

i looked at www.freeminds.org and www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and couldn't believe how easily the whole of my lifes teachings were refuted.. i can't stop my brain from running, bs just in regards to theology alone (1914, paradise earth, celebrations etc.

Cadellin

Gutted: A Big Welcome to You!

You've already been given a ton of great advice. I might add one more "must read" to the list and that is Richard Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible? You will quickly discover that the WTS's biblical scholarship is about on par with their scientific... You have some great things going for you already--you're young and have your whole life in front of you and it sounds like your mom isn't going to shun you. That's huge, believe me.

But, still, be prepared for the fact that a certain amount of pain and shock is unavoidable. You will get through it. We've all walked through the fire (some of us still are) but it DOES get easier and easier...In the meantime, there are so many great posts here to read and shoulders to cry on, if need be.

61

2010 - Year of the Governing Body?

by lepermessiah in

jw
friends

let me explain by what i am getting at without sounding like captain obvious!

i am actually excited about this since i think this could help assist a ton of people out of this organization!!.

i believe that the governing body is stepping up efforts to emphasize their unconditional rulership - every wt study article seems to make reference to their authority.

Cadellin

I think JWoods is absolutely correct: Watch for the GB to suspend publishing the numbers of partakers. It's classic "theocratic strategy" to solidify/maintain power: Simply stop silent on anything that might be construed as negative or failing to conform with supposed prophecy. I suspect that they'll still take the count, but let the R&F know the real numbers? Nope.

This is what happened with the US KM a year or two ago, when they stopped publishing the full monthly report. Why? B/c, among other things, the pioneers average monthly hours were continually sinking, evidencing that pioneers as a group were floundering badly. Also the number of BS per publisher never moved, never so much as budged, as did the average BS per pio. Weird, huh? When there's all this growth? It's all about information control, people. If the WT doesn't print it, it doesn't exist.

41

Violent TV will lead us to slaughter each other at the Big A!!--July 15th, 2010 WT

by sd-7 in

july 15th, 2010 wt, page 4, paragraph 9:.

in fact, it could well be that the numerous forms of violent entertainment popular today are conditioning the minds of many for the time when each man's hand "will actually come up against the hand of his companion.

" (zech.

Cadellin

However, those individuals should keep in mind that by making such remarks, they are actually questioning Jehovah and his Son, not just the faithful slave class.'

This makes me furious--and at the same time, is so blatantly a control tactic that I don't know how anyone could miss it. Really???? We're questioning Jehovah and his Son???? So they're the ones who predicted 1975?? And they're the ones who predicted the literal generation of 1914 and then changed their minds in 1995??? And then changed their minds again a few years later?? And again last year???

This is such a great example of how the society demands the authority and power of being spirit-directed or representing God and yet avoids any of the culpability or responsibility. If you question them, why, you're actually questioning God. But if they're wrong, well, it wasn't God that was wrong, it was just over eager imperfect humans who never claimed to be inspired.

They're covered either way...

41

Violent TV will lead us to slaughter each other at the Big A!!--July 15th, 2010 WT

by sd-7 in

july 15th, 2010 wt, page 4, paragraph 9:.

in fact, it could well be that the numerous forms of violent entertainment popular today are conditioning the minds of many for the time when each man's hand "will actually come up against the hand of his companion.

" (zech.

Cadellin

Dmouse, do they offer any evidence or explanation?

30

Jw's must be having a hay-day!

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

all the earthquakes, mudslides, and now volcanic ash in the sky of europe grounding air-travel.. the end is nigh!.

jeff.

Cadellin

My husband brought this up in response to my reading him a report from the NY Times about how maternal deaths have dramatically declined in the last 30 years due to better nutrition, more education for women, more health care providers, etc. (My rationale: If wars, famine, pestilence, etc. are worse now than ever before, how come the rate of women dying in childbirth or from related causes has declined in half, even as the total population has nearly doubled?). Check it out here.

He pointed out how there have been all these earthquakes in the last few months. "But wait," I said. "If Jesus' prophecy about the last days is true and the last days started in 1914, then we should see heightened earthquake activity consistently since that time, not just popping up 95 years later. So even if the last few months are an anomaly (and there's no evidence that they are), it still wouldn't fulfill the prophecy." Smart, huh?

IMHO, the prolonging of the "time of the end" to nearly a century is creating a huge problem for sustaining the idea that "times are worse now than ever before" simply because the impact of the traditional "proofs" like the Spanish Flu, WWI and WWII are becoming increasing diluted as they retreat into the past. Witnesses like to point to environmental devestation as proof, which is a growth problem, but the bald fact is that Jesus said nada about that and the only scrip they can use is Rev. 11:18 which only tangentally can be made to refer to it, and, in fact, if you have them follow the marginal reference, actually refers to ruining the earth with violence.

9

1st Post-DF'd Encounter with JW in Ministry

by sd-7 in

i was waiting for the bus this morning (which didn't come until i decided to drive, then it showed up, naturally, after i already got on the road) when a jw approached the two people next to me, offering a tract.

she showed them psalm 83:18 first--same old, same old.

but hey, at least i admire her courage in sharing the scriptures with people, even if that particular scripture is, apparently, more important than any message from the christ that could possibly be shared with people.

Cadellin

It's pretty amazing, isn't it? I think you handled the situation just fine; yanking her chain probably wouldn't have made any difference and often just ends up being interpreted as "that's an evil apostate for you," thus reinforcing the indoctrination.

Examining own's beliefs without fear or restriction is at once exhilarating and terribly frightening. It's also really lonely; that's what I'm finding anyway (thank goodness for this place). We've set out on a journey that no one we know is willing to embark on. It's a process that leads to a kind of freedom, but the bonds don't come off without scarring. Still, it does get better, with time.

26

Memorial Attendance: "What's Going On?"

by sweet pea in

jw
friends

spoke to my dad today who attended the beckenham (london/kent) congregation's memorial - he said that for the first time the attendance was seriously down - 203 as opposed to last year's 250 and that penge (congregation that shares the hall) had a similar experience.

it's called the internet dad.. can we have a roll call of numbers from those that attended please?

(or if it's been covered already, a link?).

Cadellin

I'm willing to bets that the WT refrains from publishing the number of partakers this year...Any takers?

33

I finally did it

by doublelife in

jw
friends

i told my mom that i'm not going back to the meetings.

i wasn't planning on telling her that but i've been going through some hard times with my husband and just got fed up with her hounding me.

so she asked if i'll still consider going back to the meetings and i just flat out told her no and that it wasn't up for discussion.

Cadellin

Doublelife: Hang tough. Sometimes the easy fade can suddenly get harder (which was what happened to me) but I think you've already gone through a lot of the pain and can see your way through to clarity.

Sounds like your making great decisions. Hooray for you!