Posts by IsaacJ22

6

Blaming Jehovah and/or The Other Sheep For Mistakes

by Vanderhoven7 in

does anyone have any wt documentation attributing error to jehovah to keep his anointed humble etc.

or wt material that holds the r&f responsible for getting it wrong?

vander.

IsaacJ22

Funny you should raise this particular point.

When the Society started printing articles stating that it was actually the fault of the mistreated for feeling mistreated, and that those who found fault with the organization's decisions were actually to blame for looking for faults, I began to realize that the sense of hubris I was getting might go beyond the elders at our local congregations.

It was an incredibly arrogant, prideful, and just plain stupid way to think. It rattled me because I couldn't cherry pick my way around it. Especially since the elders at our congregation put so much emphasis on them! Then more articles appeared, and the elders kept eating them up and regurgitating them during their own talks. All while thumping their chests and demanding their dose of double honor no less.

Finally, I began to question the original assumption that had kept me coming back for more when I was so miserable. The assumption that the WTS was the one true religion.

In a way, I guess it worked out. :-)

33

If JWs Come To Your Door How Will You React?

by minimus in

jw
friends

would you engage them in conversation?

would you be home but hiding?

would you let them have it?

IsaacJ22

If they don't know, I'll be reasonably polite if they don't push their luck too hard. Once they cross the line, I'll assert my right not to let them drone on and on. If they cry foul--"But it's our faith! You have to let us do our job!"--then I get ticked.

If they already know me, I'll go right to "let it go" mode and tell them I don't want to talk to them.

Of course, I admit that their are times when I don't feel like doing any of these things. Then it's hard to say what'll happen. :-)

19

Atheist think their so damn intelligent. God revealed himself in the old testament, the hebrews still didnt believe.

by Joliette in

jw
friends

my jw's mom said this to me in convo/argument two weeks...she said that atheist have no grounds for their thinking, and they basically talk out of their asses.

she also said that the government has rules that everyone follows and thats the same ways applies to god's true servants, and that we simple have rules, no if and's and but's.. she also said that jehovah can change science, and that god is one in control of the science..

IsaacJ22

Joliette, I can't help but wonder if your mother knows much about atheists. Especially since the WTS doesn't pass on much in the way of real information about us. Even if you told her about it--I'm guessing you're an atheist yourself?--would she even hear it? I doubt she'd really listen or absorb very much of it.

Of course, if she wants to tell you all about her beliefs, I'm sure you're supposed to listen devotedly or else? I have a legion of in-laws who can be the same way.

I'd be fascinated to see her prove that the laws she thinks came from God actually did, instead of just the WTS or even just the minds of the Bible's human authors. But that's just me being silly. Her 2 places to start: prove the Bible is truly God's unaltered Word and that the GB was really appointed by Jesus to rule his Earthly org. Only then can she assert her beliefs to be true about anyone elses.

Anyway, best of luck my friend. I may have JW in-laws, but at least my parents aren't JWs. That ain't fun for none of us, I think.

6

Do they still require that GB members be of the anointed?

by IsaacJ22 in

i was wondering if i'm remembering a change correctly, especially since it happened long after i stopped attending meetings.. i seem to remember that the society began to change its position on the anointed holding top level posts within the org because they were running out of anointed ones.

apparently, anointed members were being used with higher level positions, like running committees and all that, but the society announced somewhere that they would start using other people in some of those positions too.

does that ring a bell with anyone?.

IsaacJ22

Thanks a lot for your help, Blondie.

6

Do they still require that GB members be of the anointed?

by IsaacJ22 in

i was wondering if i'm remembering a change correctly, especially since it happened long after i stopped attending meetings.. i seem to remember that the society began to change its position on the anointed holding top level posts within the org because they were running out of anointed ones.

apparently, anointed members were being used with higher level positions, like running committees and all that, but the society announced somewhere that they would start using other people in some of those positions too.

does that ring a bell with anyone?.

IsaacJ22

Hi everyone. I was wondering if I'm remembering a change correctly, especially since it happened long after I stopped attending meetings.

I seem to remember that the Society began to change its position on the anointed holding top level posts within the org because they were running out of anointed ones. Apparently, anointed members were being used with higher level positions, like running committees and all that, but the Society announced somewhere that they would start using other people in some of those positions too. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

I wasn't sure how high that change went. Does anyone remember where this information/article came out, or what the details were? I'm having trouble finding it.

Thanks for your time and help.

160

Your best one sentence JW comeback contest

by moshe in

jw
friends

i am looking for your best jw comeback- the kind that makes a jw's jaw drop.

ok, even two pithy sentences will do.. here's one i have used before on jws,.

moshe: " do you know what an oxymoron is?

IsaacJ22

One time, my wife's aunt shoved a WT in my face. One of those ones with the multi-cultural Witnesses wandering through an edenic forest on it, you know? Anyway, she points to a spot on the mag and says: "Would you like to be here?"

I said, "No, I'm allergic to bugs and I sun burn too easily. BTW, why are all these people on an Easter Egg hunt in a WT magazine?"

10

I've been sad all my life since my parents got into the JW's

by Star tiger in

these evil manipulative b*****s have ruined any normal life i could have had, are there any other people that have shared the same experience, my wife does not understand as she has had nothing to do with this evil cult, i welcome your comments!!

thankfully my wife puts up with me but she will never understand!!!.

star tiger.

IsaacJ22

Star Tiger, I don't know your story per se. But I'd suggest removing whatever power these people still have over you that allows them to make you feel this way.

If that power comes from lingering influences of the WTS, then one thing you might do is learn more about why they're wrong and what's screwed up about it. At least then, in your mind, you can see that there's no reason to take anything the Society says--including its opinions about "people like you"--seriously. Once you realize that, you also see that these JWs in your life are judging you based on those same teachings. Only these are teachings have no basis in reality. So that part of their power over you will be removed.

If part of that power comes from other avenues, like parents and family who see you as a disappointment, try to realize that they're manipulating you. And they're doing it because they are, on some level, kinda screwed up.

If you break it down, eventually, you come to a new understanding of these people. They're attempts start to bounce off of you, and when that happens, you'll see the surprise in their eyes. Even the disappointment. "Oh, I thought I was going to get a charge out of judging you today. You're no fun!"

It can get gradually easier. Once you're on the other side of it all, you'll be a better person for it. First, try to understand all the reasons these experiences are still bothering you and work from there.

8

Is there anyway you can Hypnotize your way out of this S**t!!!

by Star tiger in

hi all, .

with any of the new mind manipulative technologies can any of us forget the terrible experiences of the jehovahs witnesses, and live a normal life and so as to speak carry on as if these horrible times did not exist.. .

star tiger.

IsaacJ22

Supposedly, some smart guy has, in fact, discovered that you can erase your memories. I seriously doubt he can target specific ones. Even if he could, what's to stop you from signing up the first time a JW comes to your door? Without those experiences, you might fall for it all over again. Or join another, similar group, only to relearn the same lessons.

If it's just the past that's bothering you, I prefer to look at it as an education. I'm the person I am, in part, because of them. Take that part away and I wouldn't be me. I'd be closer to the same naive dope I used to be before I joined.

If it's more the present--such as JWs hounding you and judging you, or even just bad feelings--then you're probably better off learning to process that stuff in a healthy way, which means learning to move forward. Some of us have done better at that than others. Maybe the better examples can help you.

57

Has anyone left still believing it was the truth?

by FollowedMyHeart in

it seems that most xjws have left because at one point in their jw life something happened that made them start to think something wasn't right with the religion.

when i left, i still believed the jws had "the truth".

i was dying inside, trapped and unhappy (another poster's words, but describes exactly how i felt).

IsaacJ22

Actually, I was in a similar place when I stopped going to meetings. I was very miserable and very alone. I had been judged at every turn and found inadequate. It wasn't just the local elders--the Society's literature had started printing the same stuff I disagreed with.

This is when I finally realized that the source of my misery was the WTS itself--or at least the slice of it that I know at my KH. I left, still thinking that the Society had (more or less) "the truth." But I was unable to take the Society's attitude and policies any longer. I still believed in their teachings, but I wasn't so sure about them anymore. I needed some time to clear my head, and even prayed that Jehovah help me figure out what to do. I continued avoiding holidays and even forms of entertainment that the Society said we should avoid for quite some time. All the while, I thought I might come back if the Society because less haughty in my view.

Several years passed before these chains began to break. The Witnesses actually pushed me out even faster by harassing me about it instead of leaving me alone to think. The heart of the problem was--is it me, or is it them?

As my doubts in the Society strengthened, so did my doubts about their teachings. I began exploring other viewpoints just as vigorously as I had checked into the Society's, which I found lacking. Then everything fell away, one piece at a time, until I lost all interest in finding another religion altogether.

I'm an atheist now. And much happier.

6

Jun 2011 Awake

by Yan Bibiyan in

new rag's out on here in a handy full-color pdf format.. on pg.29 i find this gem:.

only 8% [of canadian brides-to-be].

think that abstaining from sex before.

IsaacJ22

Sex drive is basic biology at work. We're simply made with a powerful drive to git it on. :-)

Most of us will succumb to this drive if given half a chance, especially when we're in our teens. Which makes it an easy tool for groups like the WTS to hold over us. Where else can a JW go for absolution but their local elders? How else does a religious teenager get forgiveness? In effect, they NEED the Society to forgive them to clear their conscience.

Many groups have been using this one for thousands of years.