Posts by Crisis of Conscience

48

Matrix moment - what was it and when did you share it?

by MMXIV in

for those of you who had a moment like that from the matrix when you realised what you'd believed was fundamentally flawed or a lie - what caused that defining moment and how long was it before you could share your thoughts?.

mmxiv.

Crisis of Conscience

I was beginning to feel a bit annoyed with things like the ministry, but especially the carrot dangling from the elders regarding my being recommended as an elder.

At this time, when I was trying to figure out what was wrong, but just couldn't put my finger on it, I kept having elders telling me crazy reasons as to why certain brothers weren't recommended as elders/MS.

Now, I had no reason not trust what any of these men told me. That caused the light bulb to finally light up in my head. If brothers didn't qualify for the silly reasons I was told, where the hillbilly was the holy spirit in all this?! That pushed me to research the subject online.

It didn't take long after that, along with some therapy, for the walls to come down.

I'm thankful for that "moment".

CoC

10

What should I do?

by Kool Jo in

jw
friends

it was announced a few days ago that a good friend of mine from another congregation was disfellowshiped...we knew each other for a few years, really appreciated her company, had a great sense of humor...someone you could talk to and confide in.. i'm still shocked to hear that she was df, she was a pioneer up to january...i'm very familiar with her congregation as i've visited there...we often text and exchange emails quite often.. .

she's not aware that i know of her being d/f...i don't know if she still goes to her to khall and feel really bad for her because after reading some of the stories online of what being d/f can do, i wouldn't want her to go thru that?.

i'd love to contact her and tell her not to worry and perhaps relate some of the experiences from this site along with some of the info i'm finding out...but i don't know if she's going to give in to the fear of being shunned and then tell the elders that i'm an apostate?.

Crisis of Conscience

Kool Jo, I've emailed or contacted several disfellowshipped people through Facebook. I let them know that their JW status no longer matters to me and that if they need a friend, an unconditional one, I am available.

So far, it's turned out good and they have been thankful. But I haven't discussed the truth about "the truth" with all of them. That is where things can get tricky.

I say give it a shot. Why not? It seems like one of the best times to aid someone to open their eyes.

CoC

15

I will introduce myself

by Vegas Girl in

jw
friends

Crisis of Conscience

Welcome to the forum Vegas Girl!!

I hope to be able to read your story, if that's what you meant to post.

If you were attempting to post from a smart phone, the following thread could be helpful.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/forum/tech-support/206152/1/Using-JWN-on-a-smartphone

CoC

92

What's Your Status? Are You Technically Still A JW?...

by minimus in

jw
friends

are you disfellowshipped, disassociated, active, inactive???

?.

Crisis of Conscience

Inactive. I attend semi-regularly with my wife, missing as many meetings as I can.

But I'm realizing that even that has to eventually come to a stop.

When though?........ I'm schemin'! LOL

CoC

129

I was BANE...I have an apology to most of you.

by Botzwana in

jw
friends

i was bane and i think i got banned because everytime i tried to log in i couldn't.

i was defending the society as best as i could.

something has happened in the last few months.

Crisis of Conscience

That is excellent news Botz! My advice for those nagging and recurring doubts - keep getting educated! READ, READ, and READ more!

It's helped me tremendously.

I am glad things are going well for you and your wife. Pace yourself and don't jump into anything new until you are ready.

But don't stop reading!

Best regards,

CoC

19

This vid MUST go viral!

by talesin in

jw
friends

.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fzvis_uaru.

.

Crisis of Conscience

AWESOME!!

9

How does my mother manage to sound very convincing about the WTS?

by Inisc in

jw
friends

seriously, the wts quite often comes upin conversation with my mother,i get all the updates and who was asking about me etc.. and inevitably i can hold my tongue no longer, tho i'm very careful to phrase everything as a question.. so, the subject of dfing came up as someone in her cong just got the boot, and we were talking about shunning and why i don't think 'quit mixing with' means quite what the society says it does.

now, even she doesn't entirely agree with the wt on this one, but then she still defends it and goes on about keeping the cong clean etc.. and we have also talked about other things i don't agree with, un, college, spirit appointed elders, 7th king etc.. and while she doesn't always completely agree with th wt she always defends it and i find myself almost buying into it!

it's not until later that i can think more clearly and see my original point of view makes much more sense!.

Crisis of Conscience

Generally I speak to my father about my concerns with the org. Though by the WTS standards he is considered inactive, he still defends a lot of the teachings, mainly that regarding the FDS.

However, there is a way I stay focused and not get shaken by what somebody says in defense of the WTS. It is by realizing that often what is passed off as a defense is actually an excuse. We wouldn't let anybody get away with failed prophecys/explanations, etc. But there is always an excuse as to why the WTS is right despite countless mistakes. That irritates me to no end. And it shuts me down from accepting any nonsense.

Hope that helps. Stay strong and get educated.

CoC

11

Stopped Dead Again.

by truthseeker1969 in

as many of you are aware my brother who is an elder, shared with me another "shut this down moment" in a jc.

a brother who was to go before another body of elders told them that since they had contacted his former congregation they had lost their ecclesiastical privelege and that information they had is now subject to the data protection law including records etc.

when he was told he could not take notes he told the elders the same that they had to abide by the same non scriptural mandate.. apparently it was enough to shut the proceedings down until they called the "mother ship" for instructions.. they were told not to proceed with anything at this time until they got back to the elders.. my brother who hates jc totally said that more and more they are finding people quoting the law to them and the elders are backing off, not sure about the us where they can do anything they please but in the uk the dpa has really messed things up for the society.

Crisis of Conscience

This is interesting truthseeker1969. Thanks for sharing.
CoC

19

If the "truth" were a super hero, who would they be?

by usualusername in

jw
friends

i reckon it could be chameleon-man.. .

any ideas?.

.

Crisis of Conscience

LOL I like Handi-man the best! The WTS is handicapped, and despite what they believe, they have no super powers.

CoC

(And to think, even though I love him, I almost said Batman. He has no super powers either, but he is not handicapped. )

72

Why Elders leave the Organization and why their Wives stay.

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

i have talked to quite a few brothers who have served as elders and servants and left the organization.

in most cases their wives have remained in despite the husbands best efforts to persuade his wife that the organization is wrong.

even though the wife can see problems within they continue to press on in service to the society.

Crisis of Conscience

SIAM, you hit the bullseye with this one. There are aspects of the org a woman will never experience, NEVER. She can only hear and talk about it, perhaps because of what her husband relayed to her.

While that has softened my wife's stance towards my feelings, she still feels this is the truth and is struggling to do the "right thing".

Anything I've said to her about my experiences has brought her to think, and often agree, but not enough to cause her to leave "the truth".

I can only be hopeful for the future. At least my wife is pretty laid back, which has made it better for me.

Either way, thanks for a great thread.

CoC