sd-7

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Posts by sd-7

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  52

  Update on Candace Conti's Case

  by mind blown in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  just ran upon this info:.

  candace conti beats the watchtower society!submitted by teeny on august 27, 2012 - 9:22 pm .

  http://www.jehovahswitnessblog.com/jw-lawsuits/candace-conti-beats-the-watchtower-society/?fb_action_ids=348543075229733&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=246965925417366.

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  sd-7

  Hmm. It just occurred to me that I've not read the transcripts. Man! This is pretty heavy! And I'm just on the defense's opening statement....

  --sd-7
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  27

  Many ex-JWs have never read Combating Cult Mind Control

  by Londo111 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the general public knows far too little about cults and mind control...and this is reflective of many ex-jws as well.

  when i meet up with former jws, either in person or on the phone, im surprised that the majority have never read combating cult mind control.

  of course, i am sure many former jws do not want to read yet another publication.

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  sd-7

  Are you serious, Londo? I thought this was like amongst the Top 3 in the Ex-JW Essential Reading List (I just made that up, of course, but I like the sound of it). First thing I started doing more of as I started to wake up was READ, READ, READ. It's a shame that most ex-JWs you've spoken to haven't read that spectacular book. It was life-changing for me.

  I'm still reading 'Freedom of Mind' right now, gradually. I do think 'Combatting' was helpful in not mentioning JWs--at least it worked for me at the time. The format of it is also unique in that I feel like it does a better job of giving you the basics of what cults do early on, whereas the other books tend to put the parts about getting family members out of a cult much more to the forefront. Personally, I would recommend reading 'Combatting Cult Mind Control' first, if possible, then reading the other books.

  One of the particular recurring problems--one I noticed in 'Freedom of Mind' last time I was reading--was that he writes that JWs must use the term "Jehovah" and aren't allowed to say "God". There's some truth in that statement, that is, if you never use the term "Jehovah", you will probably face accusations of apostasy. But JWs do use the term "God" frequently, but they use the name "Jehovah" like they have a trademark on it (okay, well, it is part of their brand name). Even so, I think 'Freedom of Mind' is still more detailed so far in JW issues than any of Hassan's books I've read before. So that's pretty cool.

  Any ex-JW who hasn't read 'Combatting Cult Mind Control' needs to read it. Especially those who are freshly out of the cult. Trust me, it's worth it.

  --sd-7
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  26

  Yours Truly Samuel Herd

  by wasblind in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  awake july 2013 is a message that sam herd truly believes, it states :.

  " proponents of social unrest would claim ( emphasis mine ) that protest have accomplished the following ".

  " provide relief for the poor.

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  sd-7

  I can remember reading a WT article from the '50s that justified having segregation at JW meetings. The reasoning was that if they desegregated the meetings, the government would ban their meetings altogether. So, false dichotomy, it's either we segregate, or we don't have meetings. And as we know, the organization's meetings are more important than even doing what is morally right. So much for "We must obey God as ruler rather than men". Guess that only applies in some cases, and not all...

  --sd-7
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  12

  Questions Young People Ask Answers That Work(WT Book) Written By Out Of Touch With Reality Old Men Who Don't have A Clue

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  that is about the gist of what this book is.

  it is chuck full of bad advice to young people because it is written under the direction of old men who are surrounded by yesmen and ass kissers, who have a delusional relationship with an imagined deity causing them to have all kinds of phobias which are transfered onto those who read this publication uncritically.

  phobias about the world being under an evil satanic control, masturbation, school sports, worldy friends, cell phones, internet information, etc.... guilt, shame, and death threats all rolled into one book to bend the young mind into submission to the corporation's interest (free labor).. just what a teenagers needs(sic) a book written by delusional old men who don't give a shit about them and want to take control over their lives for the finacial benefit of the corporation they are ceos of.

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  sd-7

  Yeah, it gave me more than a decade's worth of depression, starting around when I was 12 years old. I was terrified of girls, sex, and everyone who wasn't a JW. I hated myself and my body for having natural desires that I was incapable of fully repressing.

  But I read that book nearly everyday--the chapters on self-lovin' were like...burned into my memory. The great message there was: don't worry, what you feel is normal. But then it's totally wrong and you're going to go get someone pregnant if you keep thinking about [that thing you're not supposed to think about]. Just remember these Bible verses, pioneer, and tell a creepy old man or two about how often you clean the pipes.

  All in all, the teenage years were as close to madness as I have come, all thanks to that lovely book. So thank you, Young People Ask book. And by 'thank', I mean 'f---'.

  --sd-7
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  62

  So, Whats the real reason JWs are no concessions open at the DC and are discouraged from supporting nearby vendors?

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so ever since they discontinues the food service at the assemblies and dcs, jws have been "lovingly encouraged" to pack a light lunch to eat.

  the secretary at the hall that i am held hostage in said during the service meeting that even a sub would be too heavy to eat, and that a light salad was the best option.

  what do you fine people think is the real reason why, in the absence of food service, jws are told to not leave the building at lunch?

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  sd-7

  Also less money spent on concessions = more money placed into contribution boxes.

  Really? Fascinating. Money wins, then.

  --sd-7
• 
  62

  So, Whats the real reason JWs are no concessions open at the DC and are discouraged from supporting nearby vendors?

  by BU2B in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so ever since they discontinues the food service at the assemblies and dcs, jws have been "lovingly encouraged" to pack a light lunch to eat.

  the secretary at the hall that i am held hostage in said during the service meeting that even a sub would be too heavy to eat, and that a light salad was the best option.

  what do you fine people think is the real reason why, in the absence of food service, jws are told to not leave the building at lunch?

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  sd-7

  There are only a few reasons the Watchtower gives orders: (1) control, (2) money, and (3) to avoid/minimize some form of legal liability.

  Since there's no legal issue at stake, it's narrowed down to either control, or money. Arenas and stadiums are usually downtown, where events of some kind give those vendors money anyway. JWs buying lunch from takes money from the grocery stores that are farther out, near the hotels. A lot of money, when you put it all together. That's a stab in the dark. [edited] Also to be considered is that if JWs go to nearby vendors, the argument is, why not just keep the vendors that are INSIDE the arena and have them operate same as if it was a sporting event? If stadium staff sees JWs going to the vendors, that would become an issue--and I presume that could make renting the stadium more costly? It would also mean more non-JWs on site who aren't there for the convention. Knowing that all non-JWs are sadistic, child killing heroin addicts, that could be a concern, too. I don't know.

  Control? Could be. Perhaps it makes it easier to monitor JWs (as a whole) when they don't venture away from the convention site. That way, no leaving early, wandering back to the hotel for a nap or immorality, and more room for 'wholesome association' (a way for the group pressures to take root even more firmly).

  My money's on control, personally.

  --sd-7
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  19

  why i left the witnesses..

  by new hope and happiness in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have recently been thinking about this as it was a big life changing decision.

  only now do i realize it wasnt about doctrine.. the reason was because i wasnt happy and didnt respect the elders and the congregation was made up of unhappy people.. i was always being lectured for being happy.

  when i had a study that came to the meeting i thought thats a good thing, and i was happy.

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  sd-7

  I, too, found that I was unhappy, but my belief was that I had to stay in the organization, since it was the true religion, whether I was happy or not. The alternative was a fate worse than death. A time came when I finally decided to question my assumption that it was the true religion. Facts had to be the deciding factor, not merely my displeasure with the way things were said or done in my personal experience.

  It stuck in my head that the Society was repeatedly warning people not to talk to apostates, so I figured there had to be some reason they were so afraid of us doing that. So I started with the deadliest of apostates, Google. By the time I was done researching on my own, I was pretty convinced something was wrong. Learning about how cults work (via Steve Hassan's excellent book 'Combatting Cult Mind Control') and reading the brilliant books of the late Raymond Franz ('Crisis of Conscience' and 'In Search of Christian Freedom') pretty much convinced me it was time to get out.

  Unhappiness is a starting point for leaving, at least for some. I needed facts to be sure about what my decision should be. If I hadn't found anything solid, I would still be a JW right now. Unhappiness may actually be enough for you, though, as it is for many people. Whatever the case, I'd still recommend at least reading Steve Hassan's books, just for reference purposes.

  Glad you're out. Thanks for sharing. And enjoy the excesses in booze and women, at least until you become a pig farmer....[rimshot]

  --sd-7
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  28

  Reports from JW's regarding the summer convention

  by Lynnie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so, we're in the final countdown with the convention just over a month away.

  i've talked to a few folks that have already attended it on the east coast and west coast and keep hearing that its the most up-building program they've ever been to.

  seems the message is clear that we need to stop being so hard on ourselves and take time to appreciate the efforts we have put in and know that we are deeply loved.

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  sd-7

  Seems the message is clear that we need to stop being so hard on ourselves and take time to appreciate the efforts we have put in and KNOW that we are deeply loved

  I'm sorry, are you sure these people were actually at a convention? Of Jehovah's Witnesses? Okay. I guess they didn't hear all of it, because none of the assembly or convention programs ever, EVER tells people to stop being so hard on themselves. If they do, I must've been distracted by the 50 interviews with people who are pioneering in spite of debilitating illness, unemployment, and etc. Which always gave me the message that, if they can do it, you're not doing even half of what you're supposed to do.

  Also, you are deeply loved so far as you obey. I'm sure that was understood by all in attendance.

  Funny thing is, I didn't always feel it was the 'best convention yet'. For me it was more like 'this was the best convention since 2003' or something like that. I mean, without a really, really cool new book, or an epic drama with hilarious stuff in it, it just couldn't be that good. And realizing that our being ordered not to go across the street to buy food from local vendors may have helped ruin those businesses didn't make me feel particularly good, either.

  Counting down, though. Just a month away now...

  --sd-7
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  287

  What about your vow to Jehovah?

  by a watcher in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  did you get baptized without being dedicated?.

  why did you allow men to come between you and jehovah?.

  why were you serving jehovah at all?

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  sd-7

  Did you get baptized without being dedicated?

  No. I was totally dedicated. As with any relationship, it became clear to me over time that the premises upon which I was led to make that dedication were false premises. So I reevaluated them, and made a decision that I could not in good conscience continue to dedicate myself to the God that the Watchtower promotes.

  Why did you allow men to come between you and Jehovah?

  It wasn't up to me. Those men were already there in the first place, insisting that I had no choice but to accept them as coming between me and Jehovah, or else I could have no relationship with him at all. Note what the July 15, 2012 Watchtower, page 20, paragraph 2 says: "It is vital that we recognize the faithful slave. Our spiritual health and our relationship with God depend on this channel.--Matt. 4:4; John 17:3." The God of the Bible would regard this statement as blasphemy. It is faith in Jesus Christ that enables a person to have a relationship with God, according to the Bible, not the recognition of a faithful slave. This is clear, documented proof--easily substantiated by further, similar quotes--that these men provided the above false premises upon which I based my dedication. Jehovah saw everything they and their predecessors have done for more than a century, and not only did he not correct them, he allowed them to fall into even greater errors as time went on. It is obvious that if such a God exists, he would not allow his true teachers to print statements like the above. And on the other hand, true teachers of God would never allow themselves to print statements like the above.

  Why were you serving Jehovah at all? Out of love, or for other reasons?

  Out of love. Certainly not for a date, as none was given to me. Of course I wanted to please my mother, but I sincerely believed such service was the right thing to do. I believed we were bringing hope and morality to the world, and that if everyone shared our beliefs, we could end the suffering of mankind and finally build a better world. For me personally, I believed it would protect me from the dangers of sin and guide me into a close relationship with God.

  "Whenever you vow a vow to God, do not hesitate to pay it...What you vow, pay. Better it is that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay." (Ecc 5:4,5)

  How does one make a vow to someone who does not in turn communicate in acceptance of that vow? It was clearly a one-sided relationship. Me doing the talking, the reading, the working, the struggling, and the hoping, and him doing something unknown and unknowable. And being mighty quiet in the process. If he wants to have a relationship, like any good parent, he should communicate through something a little clearer than a 2,000+-year-old book consisting of history and letters written to people who are not me. Someone with that much power and allegedly with that much love, can surely do better than that.

  --sd-7
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  18

  New WT teaches Faithful slave appointed over belongings is a FUTURE event, do they know what this means regarding themselves now?

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this doctrine change is very interesting.

  the july 2013 study watchtower pages 8 para 17 and 18 makes these statements....... .

  """"we understood that the arriving mentioned.

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  sd-7

  "It doesn't matter who we are. What matters is our plan."

  --sd-7