by the fact that in under one day we have 2 new members on the board, hadit and thor.
that people are leaving that nutty religion and doing so in a rather public manner is a wonderful thing so far as i am concerned.
if you two happen to read this, hadit and thor, please know that seeing you here has made my day!.
I am so glad that I was one of the two to make your day! I’m not making too many peoples’ days right now. It’s very encouraging to have somewhere to go where people understand your trials and struggles. Anyone else lurking – please join up – nobody bites . . . not yet anyways!
Oh . . . yes, I brought some beer . . . cheers
watchtower says 607 bce.
i decided to dig into this matter myself at the public library yesterday.
i examined every book i could find that contained facts about jerusalem.
What a great idea! Thank you - that was lots of work and I'm sure a big chunk of your day.
Terry - your idea is fantastic. I've always wondered if a mass anonymous mailout would yield results. I'm sure it would open some eyes. It would certainly get people talking and who knows, maybe actually thinking too.
ive been lurking here for the past couple of months since i started researching the organization.
i dont have many people to talk to and its been a saving grace to read your posts.. i dont really know where to start so here i go.
its been a long journey getting here and it looks as if i still have a long ways to go to get somewhere healthy, stable and strong.
Thanks for the suggestions. I have read Crisis of Conscience but it was well after I had done a lot of research. An excellent book I wish I could get my family to read it. I also read Be Wise as Serpents by Fritz Springmeier - I highly recommend it. I would like to read Steven Hassan's books next. So much to read and so much to learn. They do a good job of hiding their history and the fact that when you get baptized you are baptized to serve an organization, no questions allowed and till death do us part . . . oh wait a minute . . . once we're resurrected they will be there waiting in heaven to rule over us to judge us some more! Welcome to paradise WT style.
Black Sheep - I had to laugh because that is exactly what I have felt like - I need to become a psychiatrist, a deprogrammer, a mind control expert and whatever else I may need in my tool box to help others. Subtle is not my name when it comes to something I'm convinced of and yes - I may as well have dressed in a costume and chanted incantations. I have been called apostate, a liar and told that Satan has influenced me and I need help as I'm spiritually sick. Sickened is more like it! Now I'm trying to take it easy but as you know . . . once on the radar!
My favorite piece of advice from my conditional friends: "You need to humble yourself, throw your burden on the organization, don't dispute over little words, attend all the meetings, stay busy in field service, don't worry if you don't understand something, stand firm beside the organization and wait on Jehovah"
Well . . . let me tell you I have certainly been humbled since my eyes were opened and I saw how I have been controlled and manipulated for the last 30 years. Yikes - what else don't I know?
during the great depression in the 1930's people lost their jobs, banks closed and long lines formed in the streets called "bread lines".. you had to stand in line all day to get a free loaf of bread to feed your family!.
in a cabin in the appalachian mountains there was a family of four.
two children (a boy and a girl), a mom and a dad who had lost his job.
So true and so sad! Fear keeps the brain from logic and reason. Reassurance gives a false hope. They have perfected this for their sick agenda and have ruined and continue to ruin millions of lives.
*** w69 5/15 p. 312 have you been studying for six months?
in view of the short time left in which to do their work, jehovah's witnesses do not continue to study the bible with any who fail to respond to its.
urgent message within six months.
And now we put the sunglasses on:
In view of the short time left in which to do their work, our highly refined mind controlled slaves do not continue to study the Watchtower publications with any who fail to respond to its urgent message of death and destruction within six months. The nearness of this system's end compels them to use their time in the most effective way possible. So we make them feel obligated by inciting fear of death and shunning to spend their time hounding someone else who might respond by giving of their funds freely and generously and attending indoctrination sessions at the Kingdom Hall and by speaking to others about the Bible truths as we interpret and twist them to be. Thus it may be that if you have not as yet succumbed to our mind control methods by even becoming a regular zombie at some of the congregation indoctrination meetings, the one who is studying the Watchtower publications with you may cancel that personalized indoctrination arrangement in order to give his time to someone who will yield to our control and make us more rich.
This arrangement is not meant to be harsh just fear inspiring, but the urgency of filling up our bank accounts and amassing more power demands it. There are millions of persons who need spiritual help and the Watchtower’s mind controlled servants are programmed to reach all they possibly can or they and their children will be massacred and become fertilizer - and we will have to clean up their bones after the birds have finished with them.
ive been lurking here for the past couple of months since i started researching the organization.
i dont have many people to talk to and its been a saving grace to read your posts.. i dont really know where to start so here i go.
its been a long journey getting here and it looks as if i still have a long ways to go to get somewhere healthy, stable and strong.
I’m so glad I joined! Thank you for all your kind words and for sharing your pains and successes. I have gained some insights already.
When I first realized what was going on I completely panicked and felt like I had to wake everyone up and get them out right now. I thought they would see what I saw. Smack! Shock! Fear! More panic! I have since realized that I have to sit back (VERY hard to do) and reflect and actually THINK and be smart (well, try at least!) I don’t want my family to be some pawns in a sick and sinister organization.
The question was asked (sacolton) if there would have been anything someone outside the organization could have done to speed my doubts about the Watchtower? That is a question I have been mulling over in my mind for a couple of months. Since mind control is involved the issue becomes complex. I have been making some notes and formulating some ideas. I have also been trying to remember what actually went on in my mind when people tried to show me things that were truth and I wouldn’t listen. I will type up my notes and perhaps everyone can chip in with their thoughts, ideas and experiences. I’m sure we can come up with something that can be useful. Trying to wake family up and get them out is a great motivating factor.
Hope this post made sense – it’s late and I’m tired.
Hadit
my wife and i have been lurking here for almost three years now and finally decided to join!.
we were in the borg for over twenty years.
we came in together as a couple and we left all together as a family of four.
Welcome! I am new here too and it's been a wonderful welcome so I wanted to welcome you guys as well .
I'm so happy that you were able to exit as a family. It gives me hope for mine.
I look forward to reading about your experiences and your insights!
Hadit
ive been lurking here for the past couple of months since i started researching the organization.
i dont have many people to talk to and its been a saving grace to read your posts.. i dont really know where to start so here i go.
its been a long journey getting here and it looks as if i still have a long ways to go to get somewhere healthy, stable and strong.
Wow! Thank you everyone. You all brought a smile to my face and those can be hard to come by! I have some responses to a couple of questions but I will have to get to them later. I have to do this on the sly right now so I need to have a larger chunk of time to formulate responses that make some sense. My brain sometimes loops out.
I look forward to your insights and friendships. So nice to talk to ones who understand and care about others who travel the same road.
Have a good day all,
Hadit
hi , this is a part of an email sent by my bro to a 'friend ' the ' friend ' needs some help in pulling his arguments apart .
any takers ?
:)) btw , the 'friend' is a pretend bible study , ex catholic :)).
Hello – a few more points:
Jesus died ‘once for ALL TIME’ this encompasses past, present and future. As humans we are bound by time – Jesus is not. We can only affect our present and our future – not ALL time.
As pointed out above – you either take the 144,000 as symbolic or literal – if you take it as literal you MUST take the rest as literal too: they are Israelite men from specific tribes, they are virgins, they have followed the lamb, no falsehood in their mouths. They are ALL on the EARTH prior to a tribulation that is being held back for their sakes.
Then AFTER these things is an unnumbered great crowd out of ALL nations, tribes and peoples and tongues in HEAVEN before the throne and in his temple. WT says they are only ‘before the throne’ but still in on the earth. However, if you note that one of the elders in HEAVEN questions “who are they and where do they come from” why would he ask who they are and where they came from if he was looking down on the earth? It would be a rather redundant question.
Looking at it from a symbolic point of view loses no meaning in the numbers – 144,000 is still a smaller number in contrast to a great crowd which no man was able to number. As well, nowhere does it say that the 144,000 is NOT part of that great crowd – as this great crowd encompasses ALL nations.
As it was said earlier – the bible states only ONE hope.
I hope this makes sense.
Hadit J
ive been lurking here for the past couple of months since i started researching the organization.
i dont have many people to talk to and its been a saving grace to read your posts.. i dont really know where to start so here i go.
its been a long journey getting here and it looks as if i still have a long ways to go to get somewhere healthy, stable and strong.
Hello everyone!
I’ve been lurking here for the past couple of months since I started researching the organization. I don’t have many people to talk to and it’s been a saving grace to read your posts.
I don’t really know where to start so here I go. It’s been a long journey getting here and it looks as if I still have a long ways to go to get somewhere healthy, stable and strong. I have read a lot of posts on this board and sometimes I feel like I’ve been reading my own life story. I’ve cried, laughed (I admire many peoples’ sense of humor despite the pain), been infuriated and a host of emotions I didn’t even know existed when reading what people have gone through.
I will try to keep this brief as I’m sure my story will come out in bits and pieces later. I have felt for years that something is wrong but I never allowed myself to question things too much. I come from a highly controlling environment from my childhood to the organization to my marriage. I started reading self-help books a year and a half ago and it led to an interest in psychology, neuroscience and microbiology. This led to reading about mind control. I slowly started to put things together. I started observing things around me and had many questions. Who are these men in Brooklyn that run my life? What do I know about them? Why are they all men and no women? I then gave myself permission to research this organization. Then came the shock, horror, rage, fury, sadness, guilt, blinding rage, sadness . . . so on.
My main issues: Lack of love, pedophilia, lack of respect for women, blood transfusion issue, the massacre in Malawi, the ‘eliteness’ of the governing body, twisted scriptures, Jesus is the mediator only for the 144,000, United Nations affiliation, 100% failed prophecy rate, control of every aspect of life, Johannes Greber (spiritist who’s translation of John 1:1 was used for the NWT), lack of transparency of the WT, lies told by the WT, the massive wealth amassed by the WT - I can keep going but I think you all get the gist!
Effect on family: My husband’s loyalty is to the organization, my teenage son is probably thoroughly confused buy believes it’s the truth, I finally got through to my mom. My father and friends have since reported me to the elders and they have come to my door and are on a mission. Overnight I discovered that most of my relationships have been conditional - heartbreaking. I thank my ‘worldly’ friends for their true and unconditional friendship.
I’m sorry – this has not been very brief! I’m glad I found a group of people who share a lot of the same trials. I look forward to discussions and sharing ideas.
Hadit
