Wow, welcome. You managed to marry someone who was also fading? As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "Lucky!" But still, transitioning out can be tough, so...wish you the best with that.
Posts by sd-7
-
45Hello
by LoriJis ini'm new but it's nice to be among people who feel the same i do.
i am a beginning fader.
i was raised in the "truth" and am/was very popular elder's daughter and social life of the congregations.
-
-
-
8
what's your take on this?
by stillin inwhy is the weekly "book study" now called the weekly .
bible study?
" in terms of sheer word count, there is a lot more "book" studied than "bible.
-
-
sd-7
But clearly, changing the name of the 'book study' to the 'Bible study', while changing nothing about how the meeting takes place save how long it is, is pointless. You're still studying the book--most of the time is devoted to understanding the Bible AS IT RELATES TO WHAT THE BOOK SAYS. It's a scatter-shot approach to scripture that provides plenty of individual verses to devote to memory, but not a deep understanding of the verses in their context.
Moreover, the statements made in whatever book is being studied are regarded as absolute truth, as if the book itself WAS the Bible rather than merely an attempt at explaining it as it relates to a particular theme under consideration. That's where the line blurs between Bible and book. Even if you saw something in your Bible that clearly shows the book is wrong, you go with what the book says or else. The questions are in one direction--towards you. Any questions you have must be put aside until the lesson has been fully discussed, by which time you will hopefully have forgotten them 'if all goes according to plan'.
So, there you have it. That's my take.
-
8
what's your take on this?
by stillin inwhy is the weekly "book study" now called the weekly .
bible study?
" in terms of sheer word count, there is a lot more "book" studied than "bible.
-
-
sd-7
well, keeping up with the weekly school reading could be considered "Bible study." The chapters in the "All Scripture" book, considered when we (they) move into another Bible book, are informative and could be said to actually focus on the Bible,
Well, that's true, to an extent. But much of the Bible highlights/All Scripture stuff is a bird's-eye view kind of approach. There isn't a serious verse-by-verse consideration that actually occurs at the meetings, even though Bible reading is encouraged. There is plenty of useful historical data in the All Scripture book, though. That may be about as close to studying the Bible itself as it comes at the meetings. But the majority of the time is spent in other books, not the Bible, in the long run. And WT reasonings are placed on every verse considered anyway, so it becomes a moot point, doesn't it?
-
9
HA! the BORG!
by stillin inok, i'm a little slow.
i watched star trek but i just hadn't put it together in my head why some here refer to "the organization" as the borg.
i wasn't sure whether it was just me being discontented or whether the public speakers at kingdom halls were really getting less and less worthy of presenting themselves in front of an audience.. the idea was supposed to be that "mature ones" could overlook a colorless delivery and glean all of the spiritual truths that are being presented.
-
-
sd-7
In the First Contact movie, Picard said a line that stuck with me as appropriate:
"It wasn't enough that you assimilate me. I had to give myself freely to the Borg."
That's ultimately what the Borg, whoever they are, really want.
-
52
Will you sink or swim with Jehovah's Organization? June 15, 2010 study article
by truthseeker inhence, many people feel.
of the psalmist?
there they will feel.
-
-
sd-7
Telling people not to swim in the deep water--if that isn't an indication that they want to keep you as dependent children, I don't know what is. Perhaps the Kingdom Hall is the antitypical "inner tube" that keeps you safe in the shallow waters of Jehovah's organization...
We might add that the Bible warned of those IN the congregation who were like sharks, though it didn't use that exact terminology--more like rocks hidden underwater. It isn't safe to encourage being naive amongst people you mostly don't know, yet might invite into your cars, your homes, to spend time with your children, and the like. Ah, never mind. Nobody's listenin'...
-
18
Cadellin Gets Confronted by Parents
by Cadellin inwell, i knew it was only a matter of time before my parents confronted me on my "loss of spirituality" (their term).
i love them dearly and would rather cut off an arm than hurt them, so i was hoping (naively) that my so far successful fade might escape their notice.
we live about an hour apart so my lack of theocratic activity would go unnoticed.
-
-
sd-7
Faders should realize that sharing doubts with family and friends will get them DF'd quicker than almost anything else. Or at least informally shunned by true believers. Any Jehovah's Witness relationship you think you have is conditional, and you just violated the conditions.
Besty has spoken one of the besty-est truths I've heard about this issue. I can personally attest to that reality. At least your parents were more reasonable than my family was with me. Still, this is a situation that has played itself out thousands of times, apparently, and caused so much pain for so many good people.
There are no honorable ways out if you've got family still in. Once you learn what's really going on, awareness of that, in my experience, seems to come automatically. Short of developing a serious multiple personality disorder, there's no way to just go along with it all.
The thing that irks me with the "wait on Jehovah" concept--and my mom mocked my use of the word "concept" as if what we teach is not a concept. Does anyone have a vocabulary they don't learn from Watchtower articles?? Anyway, thing is, Jehovah doesn't have anything to do with false doctrine. He never authorized it. He was not involved in any of it, never has been, and he wouldn't put his spirit upon people who proclaimed falsehoods in his name--it's incompatible with his nature. So why would he step in and fix the problem? "Let those who are filthy be filthy still," as Revelation says. He can't be involved because so much of the false doctrine has been replaced by things that later 'turned out to be' false, too. Because they were falsehoods from the start.
People who proclaim falsehood and accuse everyone who doesn't accept it of siding with Satan cannot have Jehovah's backing. If it doesn't work other religions, it can't work for JWs.
But this is the territory you end up in once you violate the 'don't listen to apostates' rule. I suppose we probably all knew that when we started down this road. But that doesn't make it any easier.
It's always heartbreaking to read stories so much like one's own. I'm sorry this is happening to you. Take one moment at a time. If you need to talk, PM me anytime.
-
-
-
sd-7
Wow--had no idea this was so long. Sorry, dude...
-
30
"We're not here to convince you this is the truth."
by sd-7 inthose were the words of an elder during my judicial committee.
it's weird that they suddenly came to me, weeks later.
i can't help recalling the disappointment i felt when i heard that.
-
-
sd-7
sd_7, if you were my friend you would get a jolly good spanking for what you have done.............
............but you would still be my friend.
Not sure I understand why you would give me a spanking, and...as a fellow adult, obviously I have to ask for an explanation. I can think of a few reasons, like finding out I'm in a cult and subsequently marrying into it. That would be #1. But let me not get into that again...
-
31
Celebrity JWs and exJWs
by Lady Lee inthere is quite a list many i have never heard of.
i've done this before but this adds a lot of names - a lot.
gregg alexander - the new radicals' lead singer; raised by mother papa dee allen of the 70s-80s rock group war.
-
-
sd-7
Selena was raised in? THE Selena??? Get out!
-
37
2010 "Remain Close to Jehovah" Talks
by garlic81 ininformation taken from the june 2010 awake.
my guesses for releases this year will be an update creation book and a book on jeremiah.
two books were released as recently as 2008 so i don't think this would be out of the question.. friday.
-
-
sd-7
That's A+ material, donuthole! We need to get a group together one day and just create our own cult. There's a lot of money to be made!
Hilarious!!!! So dead-on accurate.