fresh prince of ohio

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Posts by fresh prince of ohio

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  21

  Oh I thought JWs were just a "normal" religion

  by fresh prince of ohio in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have found that, since leaving jws, that few "wordly" people seem interested in hearing my escape story (although some certainly have shown great interest).

  when i've mentioned that i used to be a jw and that i left, the reaction i've gotten on more than one occasion is a "oh i thought they were just a normal religion", and not only that, it's like they just weren't at all even open to the idea that jws could be a really strange and cultish group.

  on these occasions, i felt a little lost for words trying to explain to people just how crazy jwism is, because there's so much crazy to tell about, where do you even start?.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  Julia, to say that "men aren't allowed to have facial hair" - to me, that's a tough one, because it really doesn't quite convey the controlling dynamic that exists between the GB and the rank-and-file JWs. You CAN grow facial hair as a JW. But you'll be considered "weak". And you and I know what it's like to feel like you're a "weak" JW - you're doomed be found unfaithful and thus you will DIE at armageddon! Brothers and sisters, we're so CLOSE to the END! The neverending, do everything we say, because we speak for god, and the big one is going to hit ANY DAY. The fear and guilt!
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  21

  Oh I thought JWs were just a "normal" religion

  by fresh prince of ohio in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have found that, since leaving jws, that few "wordly" people seem interested in hearing my escape story (although some certainly have shown great interest).

  when i've mentioned that i used to be a jw and that i left, the reaction i've gotten on more than one occasion is a "oh i thought they were just a normal religion", and not only that, it's like they just weren't at all even open to the idea that jws could be a really strange and cultish group.

  on these occasions, i felt a little lost for words trying to explain to people just how crazy jwism is, because there's so much crazy to tell about, where do you even start?.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  I have found that, since leaving JWs, that few "wordly" people seem interested in hearing my escape story (although some certainly have shown great interest). When I've mentioned that I used to be a JW and that I left, the reaction I've gotten on more than one occasion is a "oh i thought they were just a normal religion", and not only that, it's like they just weren't at all even open to the idea that JWs could be a really strange and cultish group. On these occasions, I felt a little lost for words trying to explain to people just how crazy JWism is, because there's so much crazy to tell about, where do you even start?

  So how do you give people who have little or no direct experience with JWism a short but strong anti-witness that drives it home how kool-aid nutso it is?
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  7

  Gaslighting Your Brain, Watchtower Style.

  by Narcissistic Supply in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  gaslightingfrom wikipedia, the free encyclopediagaslighting is a form of mental abuse in which false information is presented with the intent of making a victim doubt his or her own memory, perception andsanity.

  [1] instances may range simply from the denial by an abuser that previous abusive incidents ever occurred, up to the staging of bizarre events by the abuser with the intention of disorienting the victim.. the term "gaslighting" comes from the play gas light and its film adaptations.

  the term is now also used in clinical and research literature.[2][3].

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  fresh prince of ohio

  A perfect example is when they received noo-lite on alternative service in 1996.

  The previous teaching, which was in place for 60 years, resulted in many JWs going to prison or even dying. In the noo-lite article, none of this was acknowledged. In fact, the previous teaching was not even acknowledged. It was just put in terms like 'some christians in times past have felt that it would be objectionable to accept alternative service in lieu of military service'.

  The noo-lite article, and an article from 1998 on the same subject, were both such a surreal mind-f*ck to the JWs who had followed the dictates of the society. The 1998 article was especially sickening.
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  18

  Do JW still hold to their 1984 Doomsday deadline?

  by bytheirworks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did jw's predict the world would end in 1984?.

  the september 21, 1984 issue of chrisitanity today on pages 66-67, ran an article entitled: "do jehovah's witnesses still hold to their 1984 doomsday deadline?".

  that's as far as my search has gotten me and it isn't on chrisitanity today's web-site.. can anyone find this article for me?.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  1984 was never one of the BIG ONEs. It was certainly hinted at via the Generations teaching, as in, 70 years being a "generation" from 1914 (there's a whole lot more to all this). But that same teaching had been used to keep the end imminent in the minds of JWs for decades.

  Because 80 years was the furthest limit that the "old light" Generations teaching could be stretched, it officially ran out of runway on 1/1/1995, and so in that same year (July) they changed the teaching, and in typical watchtower fashion all but completely denied that they had ever taught it the previous way.

  I believe that the Generations teaching has undergone further revisions since. I don't know what the current teaching is.
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  64

  What was YOUR wake-up call before you left the JW´s organization?

  by Mr Fool in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  what was your wake-up call(s) before you left the jw s organization?

  .

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  fresh prince of ohio

  2001 DC Convention 'korah' drama. While others clapped, I felt nothing but disgust.
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  68

  More fear and paranoia WT-style! (11/15/13 WT)

  by LostGeneration in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i usually dismiss the "drinking the kool aid" scenarios that are posted from time to time, but the latest wt has another bit of fearmongering.

  the quote from page 20, para 17. elders who are reading this article can draw some useful conclusions from the account we have just considered: (1) the most practical step that we can take to prepare for the coming attack of the assyrian is that of strengthening our faith in god and helping our brothers to do the same.

  (2) when the assyrian attacks, the elders must be absolutely convinced that jehovah will deliver us.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  Apparently....

  ...the event that constitutes the prophesied 'attack of the assyrian' is...whatever the GB says it is.

  And JWs response to this is to be...? Unquestioning obedience to whatever the GB tells them to do. If the instructions seem too weird, too WTF?, well then, you're just thinking like an imperfect human. You don't want to make that mistake do you?

  So, in many ways, the same old shit as always, but somehow extra kool-aidy. A LOT extra kool-aidy. These guys are up to something. Methinks that at the highest levels of the WTS, folks know EXACTLY what the 'attack of the assyrian' is, and what the unsound-from-a-human-standpoint instructions will be.

  Bizarre!
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  23

  I'm not going back...finally

  by lostinthought in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been several years since my awakening.

  since then i have stopped pioneering, stopped doing temp work at bethel, stopped field service (at the most, i went out a few hours a month for the last couple of months), my meeting attendance has been around 50 percent or so.

  i have decided not to go back.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  best bet to limit elder harrassment is to change congos, if it's possible for you to pull it off.
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  29

  800-why-1914 helpline, Marilyn Zweifel

  by coffee_black in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  for many years, since the mid 80s, marilyn zweifel manned the help-line.

  several months ago, the help-line stopped due to marilyn's serious health issues.

  marilyn was hospitalized a few weeks ago.. she has serious health issues and has suffered from 2 serious falls... she is now in a nursing home.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  I too called the hotline, many years ago. Great lady.
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  12

  Divided By A Common Language

  by Quendi in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng /> </o:officedocumentsettings> </xml><![endif].

  [if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-us</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:enableopentypekerning /> <w:dontflipmirrorindents /> <w:overridetablestylehps /> </w:compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="&#45;-" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!

  [endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* style definitions */ table.msonormaltable {mso-style-name:"table normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif].

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  fresh prince of ohio

  I used the generic fictional name "Joe Shmoe" today in conversation with an Indian co-worker (I work in IT). Context was that I was describing a hypothetical situation.

  She was like wuttttt?? LOL

  Julia, I've lived in the US all of my life and I've never heard anybody refer to a coffee refill as a "warmup".
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  23

  breaking up is hard to do

  by fresh prince of ohio in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  background: i joined the jws when i was 21, left about 11 years ago.. up until recently, i had never been in a relationship that went longer than a few months.

  and that was just one.. i've been with my current for the past 3.5 years.

  she's, just, okay.. i've never felt like, oh, i love her so much.

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  fresh prince of ohio

  Well, I did it. I finally broke up with her.

  I feel so bad for her. I'm sure she's wrecked by it. It's so hard to walk away from someone who loves YOU so much. And maybe I'm a fool for doing so.