letsslatejws comment about sisters having to wear head coverings to help with car park duty made me laugh and infuriated me at the same time. On one hand it is so silly as to be utterly ridiculous. On the other hand, their ignorant insistence on women showing submission to men in the most menial of tasks makes me sick to my stomach. My enduring fantasy is that all the 'sisters' someday wake up and unite and tell these idiotic, arrogant men where they can shove those head scarves!
WalkTall
JoinedPosts by WalkTall
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20
Reinstated Males Serving as Ass'y Attendants
by doinmypart inat the circuit assembly this weekend i noticed two guys reinstated within the last year were both serving as attendants.
i thought brothers had to be "exemplary" to do that kind of work.
have the requirements changed?
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7
Still Stuck Inside: Coping by Seeing the Cult Personality as a Child
by WalkTall inas i've mentioned on the board before, i am still inside (for now) hopefully until i can get my children to start thinking more on their own.
one way i have been coping with all the ridiculous nonsense around me is to see and treat the cult personality as the child it is.
realizing that has helped me to understand how intelligent, articulate people remain as cult members.
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WalkTall
Thank you all for your comments. Even if my family should never awaken, I hope that, through whatever contributions I can make on this board, I might be able to help save another person some of the suffering that has occured, and might yet occur, in my life because of this religion. It was the most painful moment of my life when I realized none of it was real. Finding this board helped ease the pain and confusion, understanding that I was not alone, that I was not some horrible person who was turning their back on Jehovah and some established 'truth'. And even though I am choosing to remain inside right now as I try to gently introduce to my family what I have come to discover on my own, you have all saved my sanity many times over and have made me feel as if I am truly on a journey with friends.
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Still Stuck Inside: Coping by Seeing the Cult Personality as a Child
by WalkTall inas i've mentioned on the board before, i am still inside (for now) hopefully until i can get my children to start thinking more on their own.
one way i have been coping with all the ridiculous nonsense around me is to see and treat the cult personality as the child it is.
realizing that has helped me to understand how intelligent, articulate people remain as cult members.
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WalkTall
As I've mentioned on the board before, I am still inside (for now) hopefully until I can get my children to start thinking more on their own. One way I have been coping with all the ridiculous nonsense around me is to see and treat the cult personality as the child it is. Realizing that has helped me to understand how intelligent, articulate people remain as cult members. It is the child inside them (albeit maybe a Chucky-style child sometimes) that takes control over them.
When I am around JW's I speak their language much I like I change my style of speaking with children. I use terminology they understand. Also, realizing that children live in a fantasy world. I understand that children believe in fantasy characters, like Santa Claus, and cannot tell the difference between Mr. Rogers, a real live man, and Bert and Ernie, pretend men. Isn't that the way it is with JW's? To them Adam and Eve are as real as Brad and Angelina. As with children, the cult personality cannot discern the difference between reality and the stories they've been told.
And like children, the cult personality needs to be told what to do at every step. Young children look up to and idolize their parents. They do not yet see their faults and weaknesses. The sun rises and sets on their parents. So it is with the cult personality and the organization and it's GB. Have you ever smiled at a young child and they recoil in fear? It is because they have been told by mom and dad to fear strange people, so even though you mean no harm, they cannot discern that for themselves yet, and fear the unknown. Same with JW's. The child-like cult person has been told to fear apostates, worldly people, anything not approved by it's 'parents'.
Maybe we all have this childlike part of us; after all most people believe in God; they want some fantasies to hang onto. I think the difference with JW's is that the child overtakes them, becomes the dominant part of who they are. Every now and then the adult comes out and starts warring with the child, and that is the easiest way that I understand what cognitive dissonance is.
I know this is a simplified understanding of a very complex behavioral dysfunction. But sometimes it helps me cope with being in the WT world. I look around and see 'children' with bad parents, who are truly abused.
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"Responsible" Members of the GB
by WalkTall indid anyone notice in this week's wt how many times the word responsible was used in reference to the gb?
it mentioned the 'responsible' brothers of the first century governing body.
and later on they said 'responsible' men; and 'responsible' representatives.
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WalkTall
Did anyone notice in this week's WT how many times the word responsible was used in reference to the GB? It mentioned the 'responsible' brothers of the first century governing body. And later on they said 'responsible' men; and 'responsible' representatives. What gives? Is it a backhanded reference to Ray, who I guess was irresponsible?
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Do You Think Some Witnesses Are Mentally Ill Or Mentally Impaired....
by minimus inand that's why they are in the religion?.
i recall many jws over the years who were what i'll call "weird"---and looking back at it, many witnesses are "odd" and "different"..
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WalkTall
The way I see it is that there are many, whether born in or came in later, who know something is wrong, but can't or won't accept, for whatever reason, that they are victims of a fraud, so continue on. But, I think that under the right circumstances, they would take a hike. Then there are those who take everything in the religion way too seriously. They worship this organization and the GB without doubt and would never even consider for a second that it might not be God's channel. They are the kool aid people and are also, not so coincidentally, the ones who display the most mental and emotional impairments. I have seen this scenario many times: the more unflinching devotion to the organization, the more mentally unstable the person is.
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For those still in- why do you (really) stay, and what would it take for you to leave the org?
by serenitynow! infor the so-called conscious class, those of you who know it's all a disgusting lie, what is the real reason you stay in?
i find it hard to understand how ones who know what the org truly is would continue to be an active jw.
i'm not talking about the "faders"- those with an actual plan to get out as painlessly as possible.
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WalkTall
Echoing what others here have said, it is because of my children. I don't want to lose my relationships with them. I love them so much. So, as unbearable as it is to listen to the poisonous lies at the KH and assemblies, etc., I hang in hoping that my children may awaken someday soon.
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Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 09-19-10 WT Study (HARVEST)
by blondie inours is the privilege to.
plenty to do in this harvest work?1 cor.. 15:58.. .
did russell expect there still to be harvesting today?.
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WalkTall
Para 16: in order to continue to QUALIFY for the PRIVILEGE of being a harvest worker....
The WTS is so shrewd. Call anything a privilege that people have to qualify for and it makes them want to do it, no matter how much of a dirty job it is. Everything is a privilege, from mowing the lawn to cleaning out the toilets, and these pathetic people clammer to do it because it makes them feel special, qualified, privileged; they belong to something important, and they believe they are making God happy.
It is endless mind games that the WT is playing. This is the type of article that leads me to believe they know exactly what they are doing. They do not care about helping people gain a spiritual balance in life; they just need worker drones.
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10
For those still "in" for whatever reason, how long did it take you to disconnect from the things you were taught?
by Crisis of Conscience ini'm coming up on a year of when i first "woke up" regarding the org.
i still am "in" because i am trying to weigh out my options.
my wife is still mentally "in" and i know way to many people.
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WalkTall
It has been almost 5 years since I awakened, and I am still attending meetings. I love my husband and grown children so much, and am stubbornly refusing to leave without them. I parted ways with my parents and sibling when I became a JW as a young adult and I refuse to lose two families in one lifetime because of this religion. So, I take it one day at a time. Sometimes, I get through it, no problem. Then there are some meetings when there is so much glorification of the organization and the GB, so much pressue to conform and obey, that I just want to stand up and scream at everyone "don't you see how they are manipulating you???". Those are the tough ones. Sometimes, I just get up and walk around, go outside, or go in a bathroom stall and cover my ears (since they torturously have speakers in the bathroom!).
It is odd to sit there and not be in the fantasy world everyone else in the room is in. At times, I feel like a child in first grade at Christmastime and being the only one that knows that Santa Claus isn't real. And I can't tell them. It is a weird situation to be in.
There are moments when I am so angry at myself for getting involved in this and I can't believe that I have to live my life this way. But, for now anyway, I am willing to bide my time, while taking every opportunity I can to discreetly point out to my family how controlling an organization this is becoming. They do see it, but unfortunately, the cult personality continues to take over when they start expressing a negative thought about the organization. So it's slow going, but I'm not giving up yet.
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If you want to see Episode 1 of the new XJW documentary, "Belief," here are links
by AndersonsInfo inbelief: episode 1 - sacred ground.
belief: episode 2 trailer.
the video it looks better in full-screen version so click on "box" at right bottom.
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WalkTall
Mani,
Love the video. I am currently trapped inside as I don't want to lose my grown children. It is hard mentally, physically, and emotionally, but I am surviving. I am slowly learning to find my 'pristine' place, my sacred ground. I need to connect to that to be able to keep my sanity until I can someday, hopefully, break totally free.
Since awakening, the most fascinating part of this journey for me has been realizing how much our minds and social conditioning are responsible for our involvement in religious organizations. The spiritual aspect is the fantasy world that binds together certain people who, for myriads of reasons, accept the same fantasy. I envy you your opportunity to learn and research the psychological aspects and consequences of religion on the human race. And I so appreciate your sharing your discoveries with others.
Are you familiar with Bill Maher? When I saw your documentary, it reminded me of what he has been saying for years regarding the dangers of religion. Maybe there is some way to forward your work to him so that it might be able to reach a wider audience.
Again, thank you so much for making the video.
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24
Were You Good At Field Service?
by WalkTall ini used to be in awe at the jw's who were so good at the doors.
they were conversational, informative, and knowledgeable.
i sucked.
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WalkTall
I used to be in awe at the JW's who were so good at the doors. They were conversational, informative, and knowledgeable. I sucked. And I used to get so down on myself about it. I never thought of myself as a dumb person, and could not understand why, after so many years as a JW, I still could not express myself coherently in field service. My presentations never sounded natural and I could never seem to explain myself correctly, or my mind would go completely blank if questioned on anything. Having awakened, now I think I understand why. I think my brain just could not logically compartmentalize WT information because it never really made sense to me; even when I was not consciously aware that it was a bunch of nonsense.
Anyone else have that problem?