Posts by Crisis of Conscience

83

If you felt/feel that you had/have good, close "friends" in the org, how did/does it feel to just give them up?

by Crisis of Conscience in

jw
friends

this is my biggest dilema.

although mentally i really feel i could walk away from the org right now, i still have genuine love for the people i have come to know over the years.

i love people!.

Crisis of Conscience

exwhyzee I used to be suspisious of former Witnesses telling stories like this, thinking there had to be more to it than they are telling. It all changes when it happens to you.

I'm definitely sorry to hear what you have gone through.

And I totally agree with you regarding the comment above. Opening my eyes to what is really going on in this religion has really caused me to be sympathetic with especially those that have been or are disfellowshipped, instead of a judgemental prick. They are not wicked or have the desire to be gross sinners just because the society says so!!

I have been making an effort to reach out to some of them now, as a true friend, as long as I receive word that they are discouraged with or disappointed in the org. Otherwise, despite being disfellowshipped, they may still have their blinders on.

But I wish you and your family the best.

CoC

83

If you felt/feel that you had/have good, close "friends" in the org, how did/does it feel to just give them up?

by Crisis of Conscience in

jw
friends

this is my biggest dilema.

although mentally i really feel i could walk away from the org right now, i still have genuine love for the people i have come to know over the years.

i love people!.

Crisis of Conscience

Billy the X - You're hilarious! LOL

Aphrael, thank you for sharing your feelings.

And really, thank you everybody for your contributions. It's very comforting.

Honestly, I'm not really afraid of not being able to make friends in the "world." In fact, because of Facebook I have been able to reach out to many from my past.

I guess the difficult part is that it takes years to build up memories. And I have many good ones that I have had with these conditional friends. I know personal things about them. I have seen many of them go through difficult situations. I've experienced many funny moments. I feel I cherish those moments. And I have a love for them no matter what. I'm not conditional. That I know.

But I refuse to fall back into the WT hole. That is my future goal.

CoC

10

It's amazing how many things in the publications and even talks are opinion but made to appear as fact.

by Crisis of Conscience in

at the convention recently, i can remember different reasons being given as to why the end is near.

pick whatever one suits you best but basically it goes, 'because this and that has happened, the end is ever closer.'.

well here are some of my ridiculous opinions stated as fact, just to prove a point.. if you put pepperoni on pizza, there is no way a person will reject it.

Crisis of Conscience

LostGenerationThe continuous reinforcement and application of these opinions as fact is why this outfit is successful. Without any real perspective, its almost impossible for active JWs to see it any other way.

Excellent point! I find it so annoying at the moment (but try not to show it) when I'm talking with my wife. She feels I have valid questions but continues to defend these opinions! She's not connecting the dots. ARGH!!

But I'm trying to be patient.

CoC

83

If you felt/feel that you had/have good, close "friends" in the org, how did/does it feel to just give them up?

by Crisis of Conscience in

jw
friends

this is my biggest dilema.

although mentally i really feel i could walk away from the org right now, i still have genuine love for the people i have come to know over the years.

i love people!.

Crisis of Conscience

Nice to see this thread responded to again. I CONSTANTLY think about this. I know a lot of people in my circuit and even district. The conditional thing crosses my mind also.

But the thing is that I get along with pretty much anybody. That's why I love people. And I have known many of these people, JW's, since I was a kid.

It is a battle, a real battle, a mental battle.

After the convention, I found myself asking, do I really want to lose all these people? The honest answer, I'm not ready for it right now. I guess I have to keep putting up an act because my heart is definitely not a JW anymore. Hang in there everyone, even new guys here like scottmedeiros (Welcome!!).

CoC

10

It's amazing how many things in the publications and even talks are opinion but made to appear as fact.

by Crisis of Conscience in

at the convention recently, i can remember different reasons being given as to why the end is near.

pick whatever one suits you best but basically it goes, 'because this and that has happened, the end is ever closer.'.

well here are some of my ridiculous opinions stated as fact, just to prove a point.. if you put pepperoni on pizza, there is no way a person will reject it.

Crisis of Conscience

At the convention recently, I can remember different reasons being given as to why the end is near. Pick whatever one suits you best but basically it goes, 'because this and that has happened, the end is ever closer.'

Well here are some of my ridiculous opinions stated as fact, just to prove a point.

If you put pepperoni on pizza, there is no way a person will reject it. If you run across a very busy highway as fast as you can, you will never get hit by a car. Do you believe any of them, even if I offered proof? Maybe some will, maybe some won't (despite being ridiculous).

No matter what evidence I bring forward to try to support these opinions, they can't be proved 100% true and therefore always remain opinions.

Likewise, all these predictions that were/are made by the WTBTS and have been put into print have in reality proven to be opinions. And the fact that they have had to be changed so many times says a lot too. If they would have been fulfilled when stated without a change, they would be fact!!

No wonder my faith is so shaky nowadays! The Watchtower foundation is crumbling around me quickly.

CoC

62

Your favorite JW'isms...."Brother leave it in Jehovah's hands" Post yours.

by UnConfused in

bring back the memories.

Crisis of Conscience

exwhyzee What are the 3 H's...haven't heard that one before?

From what I remember, they stood for hungry, humble, honest. If even just one was missing, the potential witness was doomed.

As far as the -isms, the "just wait on Jehovah" really stands out. But I won't say it's my favorite.

Here's one I've heard A LOT lately. "It's not Jehovah's work/spiritual activity that makes us tired. It's the world."

Ah, I disagree. Working secularly fulltime didn't cause me to feel burnt out. It was the "spiritual activity" that I was involved in. That in turn caused me to open up my eyes and ask myself, "What the h**l am I doing, and why?"

But the faithful JW's would severly disagree with me. Gotta friggin' love it!

CoC

21

Christopher Nolan's Latest Film: Inception

by leavingwt in

spoiler warning: this thread may contain spoilers.

please avoid if you haven't seen the film.

i really enjoyed 'inception' at the theater this past weekend.

Crisis of Conscience

Saw it at an IMAX screen. My opinion?.......................................LOVED IT!!

And a great cliffhanger of an ending!

But you definitely, as was already said, need to watch it more than once for the full effect.

CoC

36

"Where else would we go?" - A common JW cliche'.

by Crisis of Conscience in

how many times have you heard that before, whether in or out?

in the past, i truly believed that.

if i were to leave the "truth", where else would i go?.

Crisis of Conscience

WOW!! Thanks for the comments everybody. Sorry I couldn't respond quicker but I didn't have access to my "secret posting" station. LOL

I acknowledge people's comments about the real question in the past being "to whom?". But in the JW world, it is definitely more of a location thing.

It just seems so hopeless that people feel this way. The part that strikes me the most is to make one believe that happiness does not exist outside of the confines of the org. Or should I say "true" happiness.

The comments about how an abuser will use the same type of reasoning were right on point. I made a mental point of that. Too bad people still won't open their eyes.

CoC

36

"Where else would we go?" - A common JW cliche'.

by Crisis of Conscience in

how many times have you heard that before, whether in or out?

in the past, i truly believed that.

if i were to leave the "truth", where else would i go?.

Crisis of Conscience

How many times have you heard that before, whether in or out? In the past, I truly believed that. If I were to leave the "truth", where else would I go?

Funny thing is, while it is not an easy move, as many here would admit, I can see past that now. And my place of employment has helped me in realizing it.

I currently work for a highly respected employer. (Sorry can't give it away right now) While I do enjoy my job, things are by no means perfect.

Am I to think that anyone that has had thoughts of leaving or has left already can never find another job, or even have any happiness at that? Sure one can reason, "But where will you find a job that gives you this and that? And oh! don't forget this. It's not perfect, but it's a job!"

Isn't what is important the pursuit of happiness? Or is being blind to the fact that there exists other jobs out there in which one can feel more satisfied or happy more important, just because that is the opinion that someone ina high position offered? Does life just fail you when you leave a reputable and/or lucrative job? Or do you continually fake your hapiness after such a decision?

That is just one example. I'm sure other things can be used to illustrate the question. But why is it any different with this religion? Are you serious? There is no where else to go? NO WHERE? WHAT?! No one outside is truly happy?

I used to reason that way. Now I see it's total BS.

I'm sure the trolls will bite at this one. Ignore the ignorant. But I encourage others to respond to how they can relate. Thanks in advance!

CoC

34

A rough estimate of how many are still in for family or loved ones?

by dgp in

i'm sure it's impossible to know for sure but, in people's opinions, what would be a rough estimate of how many people are still in because of fear of losing loved ones?.

Crisis of Conscience

As for Alice in Wonderbra, I would love to post one of the talks that I have given recently. But, it's hard for an inactive person like yourself to know what's going on in the org or even if I'm telling the truth unless they are at the meeting.

There is some encouragement for ya, BIZ-NATCH!!