i enjoyed this essay by psychologist valerie tarico.
the born again experience.
i prayed harder and just then i felt like everything i was saying was being sucked into a vacuum.
The spiritual experience that I had was so powerful and undeniable that I made my claim as one of the anointed for some 15 years...I no longer believe it's unique to JWs and although I have left the org, the experience and its residue have never left me.
Loz x
im sure the question has been brought up before on this board and i imagine that for many of us the answer is patent.
however, i recently saw a documentary on pbs regarding the mormons and it stated categorically that the church of jesus christ of latter day saints is not a cult.
given that it has its own set of strangeness and history of revision as has the wtbts, could it also (the jw) be considered a main stream, although minor religion?.
Excellent debate thread - much appreciated.
Loz x
i really needed to find a place to write this as i don't believe i can talk with anyone else about my account, perhaps it is similar to a lot of yours.. last night for whatever reason i said i would go online and look up information on jws.
i have been raised as a jw all my life and baptized the last few years.
i looked at www.freeminds.org and www.sixscreensofthewatchtower.com and couldn't believe how easily the whole of my lifes teachings were refuted.. i can't stop my brain from running, bs just in regards to theology alone (1914, paradise earth, celebrations etc.
I wish you well Gutted...good advice here and some really wonderful people....I'm still trying to heal too and thankfully I still have my faith in God which has truly helped.
Loz x
We just have a vocabulary like men but ours means different things...I keep trying to explaing this to my new hubby...lol...
Eg 'I wont be a minute' = I'll be around half an hour 'Give me 2 secs' = I need ten more minutes 'I wont be long' = I could be hours but dont moan
'Do I look ok in this dress?' = I know I'm short and chubby but you need to tell me I'm tall and skinny
'This spend was such a bargain' = Dont have a nag at me for buying more shoes
Its easy once you get the hang of it ...see?
Loz x
another special assembly day experience .... this is one that gets me.
one of the talks went on about patience, stick with it, almost there, don't give up on jehovah, he's not slow respecting his promise, his patience saves lives ... etc.
it's not jehovah that i gave up on.
I agree Wannabe they are bringing such reproach on God's name...
Loz x
y'all are nothing like the people with whom i work, nor like those with whom i attended meetings at the kingdom hall.. what gives???.
lol.. sylvia.
I think you are a really great bunch of folks here...sometimes a little wacky but its growing on me lol...
As for me lots of brains...NO common sense....
And I never fitted into the KH cliques either...I used to call em 'the beautiful people'....
Loz x
i remember when i first started questioning the wts/jws.
there were so many scandals and teachings and history to explore and research.
i needed to learn everything i could about every little inconsistency, every mistake, every scandal in order to convince myself that i was on the correct path to freedom from this false religion.
Wow I remember that Watchtower distinctly...and then the Live forever book....'You can live forever on a paradise earth!' We would have the unique experience of never having to die.....I remember using this book with studies...before the 'knowledge' book...
I dont really understand how they're getting away with all this....
Loz x
i guess i should tell my story.
i'm a born in.
both parents are jw, they did the pioneer serve where the need is great thing.
Thats a sad story ...big hugs to you..illustrates more casualties from following the org's advice....how sad for your mum to have to deal with all that too..are you all still witnesses?
Loz x
does anyone happen to know what the jws have to say about this?.
i know apologists usually have a convoluted answer for everything but i just can't think how they could possibly defend this.
so, each 'day' of creation is 7000 years long, adam was created on the 6th 'day', god rested on the 7th 'day', adam then dies at an age of something like 930 years!!.
I got to thinking about this some years back when the thought was that we were 'waiting' for the gap between Adam's age and Eve's age...anyway...a bit of a tangent sorry but...
We can presume from the Genesis account that Adam was a man when Eve was created...and Eve must have been a full grown woman for God to have blessed them to multiply etc....which means that they couldn't have been in the garden very long together afterwards at all because...as 'perfect' man and woman they would have conceived children more or less immediately wouldnt they? ...however...they were thrown out before she conceived Cain...otherwise he would have inherited the perfection....
Loz x
i guess you would have to be kind of old school to have met the guy.
i've only met a current gb member before he joined.
he seemed nice.
Thank you Blondie ...I've sent a short email to express my thanks for his wonderful book which has affected me so deeply but at the same time has provided great comfort. I really just wanted to do that.
Loz x
