Posts by sd-7

38

Borg court: 3rd session & verdict

by sd-7 in

jw
friends

so...the third and final session was pretty straightforward.

they basically asked some more questions about the first woman, before i got back with the woman who became my wife.

then they asked what seemed like nothing more than a customer survey of "how are we doin'?

sd-7

Hey, it's okay now. I still can't believe I wrote all this stuff back then. Way too detailed, way too personal. So much unbridled rage and so little will to act behind it. But I've evolved since then. Grown stronger in mind. Left behind much of the rage (though not all, the flame burns on seemingly without end), and started building my world anew.

The memories of this time have faded into the permanent scars I carry with me. Things are better, but the fight for freedom never ends. The journey I have had, I hope, will lay a foundation of hope for future generations, that perhaps they might be more free than I am. Whatever is left of this road I'm on is being devoted to that.

--sd-7

5

'Forget You'--A song to the WT

by sd-7 in

jw
friends

yes, i know cee lo green said that other thing, but...#3, in the posting guidelines.

i had to edit it!

cue the music.... i say the.

sd-7

Yes, I know Cee Lo Green said that other thing, but...#3, in the Posting Guidelines. I had to edit it! Cue the music...

I say the
Change in your doctrine wasn't enough
So forget you
I see you
Out in field service with the woman I love
And I'm like
Forget you
And forget her too

Now I may not be an elder
But I know how to read
I know how to count
And I know how to speak
You won't be going to my public talk
Anytime soon
But that doesn't prove
That I'm worth less than you
I might have gone to a college
Because I needed food
And the Society
Doesn't give it out free
Instead of shunning me you might consider
Washing my feet
But it just cannot be
So now I have to repeat it

So the district overseer
Didn't like my talk
Well, forget you
Thanks for the pain in my feet
From that pioneer walk
With a forget you
And forget them too
And still you claim you're a prophet
But you're always wrong
So uh, forget you (hoo hoo hoo hoo!)

I could exercise my skill in
Reading comprehension
And deal with pretentious
Self-righteous interventions
And I could do JHVH's will
And even go to conventions
But I cannot pretend 'cause
The nonsense is endless
I appreciate policing of
My personal e-mails
And my personal details
But I'm keeping my entrails
You can guarantee I will not let you
Cut me again
Or gut me again, friend,
'Cause this is the end, man

So you gave me a committee
Over reading a book
And I'm like,
Forget you
And 'cause my wife turned me in
You let her off the hook
So I'm like,
Forget you
And forget her too
To both JHVH and his Witnesses
I wish all the luck
With a forget you!! (hoo hoo hoo hoo!)
With a forget you!!
With a forget you!!

--sd-7

8

jc meeting

by Princess Ashe in

this has been years ago but i was remembering one of my jc meetings, they told me to sit at the very front of the hall while they all sat in the room in the back of the hall to discuss.. and i heard 1 elder yelling from all the way accross the hall.

has anyone every had this happen?

its so crazy now looking back at it and how stupid everything was handled..

sd-7

In my case, when they had a break for the 3-man huddle, we were in the library and I was asked to go out, presumably to the main auditorium? I stayed in the lobby for awhile, and then snuck up to the door. They were very intensely arguing with each other, and the chairman shouted the others down with a surprising amount of anger. So it seems that the chairman probably didn't like me too much and the other two might've wanted to give me a fair chance. Perhaps my wit was a bit too sharp for the chairman to the point of offending his ego, I can't say for sure.

At the risk of self-promotion, I include my own retellings of my judicial committee from 2.5 years ago:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/189048/1/Borg-court-1st-session

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/189524/1/Borg-court-2nd-session

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/189607/1/Borg-court-3rd-session-verdict

Crazy, meet the new flavor, Extra-Crazy-Crispy...

--sd-7

43

Any born-ins have this attitude about converts?

by Nambo in

so there was this great gang of us, from south london, manchester and wolverhampton, went to socialise with a group in fishguard in wales.. amongst the conversations one of the single sisters stated, "i could never marry anybody who used to be in the world".. i guess a lifetime of knocking on doors had given her the impression there couldnt possibly be a convert in her midst, never mind later alone with her in her mgb.. so whats with this, did you think we had rat scabies or were possesed by demons or something?.

.

sd-7

Does anyone have a copy of this?!!!!

I remember this quite clearly--this sort of issue is still in the baptism questions today, there's even a rule written there saying that a person with a 'communicable disease' shouldn't be seen embracing or kissing people in the congregation, as it would not be 'loving'. I assume that covers STDs as well, though it'd have to be a pretty intense embrace, I suppose...I can get kissing, like if it was communicable via the lips, but embracing? A bit much. Maybe someone else will post a quote on it before I can get my book and locate it...

--sd-7

43

Any born-ins have this attitude about converts?

by Nambo in

so there was this great gang of us, from south london, manchester and wolverhampton, went to socialise with a group in fishguard in wales.. amongst the conversations one of the single sisters stated, "i could never marry anybody who used to be in the world".. i guess a lifetime of knocking on doors had given her the impression there couldnt possibly be a convert in her midst, never mind later alone with her in her mgb.. so whats with this, did you think we had rat scabies or were possesed by demons or something?.

.

sd-7

Well, I'm sure I probably thought converts might have had a bit of a 'worldly streak' to them, except those who really took to it and became zealots, but when I looked at my own thinking, I realized, hey, I had plenty of worldly thoughts myself... As long as they weren't like a vicious criminal in their past life and still tempted by it or something, they were fine by me. If they were, I might have been a little scared until I got to know them better, but otherwise, no big deal.

As for the sex issue, I think a sister with a bit of 'worldly' in her probably gave me the notion that she'd be pretty exciting in the marriage bed. Which it turns out, she was. So there'd be a certain allure there, a curiosity that probably wouldn't be the same for a born-in sister. I would think it's perfectly reasonable for both parties, as a gesture of common sense and good faith, to get tested for HIV and STDs, whether they're born-in or not. I would consider that a gesture of trust and openness if this is going to be a committed, monogamous relationship. Something to get out of the way so there's no surprises in that regard. After all, born-in doesn't always equal virgin, right? And even if it did, no harm in getting a test when you already know the results, so why be bothered by it, yes?

Anyway, that's my take on it.

--sd-7

21

Hassan's New Book " Freedom of Mind " Chapter 1 Tidbits & Points

by flipper in

jw
friends

the title of the new steve hassan book is " freedom of mind - helping loved ones leave controlling people, cults and beliefs " .

very good information even in the 1st chapter called " cult common denominators " .

just wanted to share some high points my wife and i gleaned from it !.

sd-7

I started reading this book as soon as I saw Randy Watters' sit-down with Steve Hassan. I first read 'Combatting Cult Mind Control' in 2009, and it was definitely one of the major life-changing books for me. It still took more time to break down the phobias--and it's still a work in progress--but finally understanding that no, I wasn't going crazy and yes, it is a cult, was a huge step towards getting out.

I also checked out Leon Festinger's 'When Prophecy Fails', which I highly recommend as an add-on, same as Mr. Hassan did in the aforementioned sit-down. Great breakdown of cognitive dissonance there. (Plus some interesting historical data on the Millerites, who were clearly an influence on Russell. Really opens the floodgates on how duped we all were, considering.)

One of the most critical aspects of helping others who are still inside cults is trying to be loving and objective--the hardest thing to do. From what I've read, it looks like there will be some helpful tips on that in 'Freedom of Mind' as well. I guess explaining a study done by Robert Jay Lifton to my JW family wasn't the best idea, but it was useful information to me, at least...clearly the direct approach does not work out so well.

Anyway, the book is encouraging because it can seem so depressing and hopeless when you find out you're in a cult and you have loved ones who are still on the inside. It offers a lot of hope there.

Plus, it's even available on the Kindle, for those of you who might need to keep it quiet that you're reading the book and happen to own a Kindle. "What are you reading, hon?" "Great Moments in Basketball History, sweetheart--it's very exciting!"

--sd-7

20

"Doomsday May Not Be What You Think" Actually, it's worse...

by undercover in

on jw.org they have an awake article posted entitled, doomsday - fact, fiction and fantasy.. they go on to list a few doomsday fears that some people have, namely: supervolcanoes, asteroids, climate change, disease pandemic, extinction of critical species and of course, nuclear war.. each of the preceding fears was given a paragraph or two explaining the impact of such scenerios and the devastation it could bring.. now that they've got us all worried about our bees fleeing our bee hives as the asteroid makes impact on a supervolcano, causing an eruption which warms the earth's climate thus giving rise to deadly diseases...all the while some nut in a third world country has developed a nuclear weapon.... ...they seek to reassure you: doomsday may not be what you think.

oh, well... that's good.

i was starting to worry there for a minute.... what reassurance could these prophets of god give me?.

sd-7

Mom: "Who's dying in the picture, Caleb?"

Caleb: "All the wicked people! Die, wicked ones, die!"

Mom: [laughs] "Okay, Caleb. Settle down. Can you tell me which men in this picture are still alive?"

Caleb: "Well, the man in the front of the picture still looks to be groaning in pain, and the three people running. But the second man from the right whose face we can't see...I think he may be dead. And the first from the right...he's gone, Mom. And good riddance, huh?"

Mom: "Yes, Caleb, of course! Jehovah is happy that this man is dead! Do you want to be dead like that?"

Caleb: "No!"

Mom: "Then what should you do?"

Caleb: "Obey Jehovah! 'Listen, obey, and be blessed'!"

Mom: "Yes!"

--sd-7

20

"Doomsday May Not Be What You Think" Actually, it's worse...

by undercover in

on jw.org they have an awake article posted entitled, doomsday - fact, fiction and fantasy.. they go on to list a few doomsday fears that some people have, namely: supervolcanoes, asteroids, climate change, disease pandemic, extinction of critical species and of course, nuclear war.. each of the preceding fears was given a paragraph or two explaining the impact of such scenerios and the devastation it could bring.. now that they've got us all worried about our bees fleeing our bee hives as the asteroid makes impact on a supervolcano, causing an eruption which warms the earth's climate thus giving rise to deadly diseases...all the while some nut in a third world country has developed a nuclear weapon.... ...they seek to reassure you: doomsday may not be what you think.

oh, well... that's good.

i was starting to worry there for a minute.... what reassurance could these prophets of god give me?.

sd-7

With a steep reduction in human population, far less effort will be required to rebuild and maintain any infrastructure needed. It may be that we will have to go without modern amenities for a time, but any discomfort some may experience will be far outweighed by the joy of living in a Paradise earth. We can sure that Jehovah will provide for every proper desire we have in his due time.

--sd-7

32

Do you ever just start CRYING for apparently no reason?

by Terry in

jw
friends

i spoke to a friend of mine about this not too long ago.. we are "of a certain age".. the subject came up somehow.. .

i'll be watching a tv commercial or i'll see some people in a park or a simple passing thought will suddenly induce a profound.

sense of---well, how to describe it?

sd-7

Well, I think when crying happens for no apparent reason, at least in my case it's the aftereffects of what I've heard described as a 'significant emotional event'. There are specific images or situations that can reach into those memories and trigger that sort of feeling. When you've been wounded emotionally, sometimes it's easier to start crying than it was before the wound.

But perhaps pondering the brevity of life can cause that. Especially when one is reminded of one's own mortality, as happens more and more often with the passing of time. It sucks.

--sd-7

20

"Doomsday May Not Be What You Think" Actually, it's worse...

by undercover in

on jw.org they have an awake article posted entitled, doomsday - fact, fiction and fantasy.. they go on to list a few doomsday fears that some people have, namely: supervolcanoes, asteroids, climate change, disease pandemic, extinction of critical species and of course, nuclear war.. each of the preceding fears was given a paragraph or two explaining the impact of such scenerios and the devastation it could bring.. now that they've got us all worried about our bees fleeing our bee hives as the asteroid makes impact on a supervolcano, causing an eruption which warms the earth's climate thus giving rise to deadly diseases...all the while some nut in a third world country has developed a nuclear weapon.... ...they seek to reassure you: doomsday may not be what you think.

oh, well... that's good.

i was starting to worry there for a minute.... what reassurance could these prophets of god give me?.

sd-7

Hey, don't worry. The regional prince will come through your area, determine the extent of damage, then provide a report to the Branch King in heaven. He will then dispatch angels to effect electrical repairs, or perhaps use holy spirit to move individuals with the relevant skills to do so in your area.

Also, with God's curse removed from the plant life, there will be plenty of food available to all. In the meantime, the survivors will be busy with reconstruction work and burying the bones of the wicked, as well as educating newly resurrected ones about God's Kingdom. Is that not a happy prospect?

--sd-7