Posts by ambersun

16

They can't understand how I can be so inactive and yet such a good guy.

by Wasanelder Once in

i've been faded, inactive, for 6 years or more and the witnesses i know are astounded that i'm not in trouble.

they don't say it but its on their minds.

i do the things thier "brothers and sisters" don't do towards them.

ambersun

A sister once told me that she found it puzzling how I could be such a loving, caring person towards members of the congregation yet not be that bothered about spiritual matters. I was actually looking after that sister who was really ill while people closer to her were out banging on doors! Yet to her, I should have been out banging doors as well, so who was supposed to look after her?!!

Isn't it great when we can prove the WTS wrong when it predicts anyone leaving 'Jehovah's Organisation' are doomed to lead miserable, empty lives unless they 'open their hearts to Jehovah' and return to the safety of the flock once again. The fact that years later we are seen to still be the same happy caring people we always were as dubs just isn't supposed to happen, is it.

Hopefully just seeing us living happy fulfilled lives away from the Borg will help more concious ones to pluck up the courage and start fading (or as ex-witness says growing), themselves. Let's hope so

27

Mom in hospital, WHAT TO DO?

by Out at Last! in

jw
friends

it seems that i have quite a dilemma: i just found out that my mother is in the hospital.

she does not speak to me or my sister.

she is told by the people who publishes the books and magazines that she sells (jehovahs witnesses) that she cannot speak to us or eat a meal with us.

ambersun

Oh, what an awful dilemma. I feel so much for you . I would suggest trying to contact an elder from the congregation who knows your mother well enough to talk to her on your behalf and maybe reassure her that it is OK to have contact with you in these circumstances. After all, accepting a visit from you while she is ill in hospital is different from seeing you socially. There is so much fear attached to that religion that maybe she just needs to be reassured that Jehovah is not going to punish her for accepting a visit from you while she is in the hospital. If she still refuses there is not much you can do, but at least you have tried your best. Take care xxx

15

There is no such thing as an agnostic

by startingover in

i think judith hayes says it well:.

http://www.thehappyheretic.com/02-10.htm.

ambersun

In the end, the fact of the matter is a person isn’t faced with the necessity of only being either an atheist or an agnostic. Quite the contrary, not only can a person be both, but it is in fact common for people to be both agnostics and atheists. An agnostic atheist won’t claim to know for sure that nothing warranting the label “god” exists or that such cannot exist, but they also don’t actively believe that such an entity does indeed exist.

This makes perfect sense to me. My gut instinct tells me there is no God in the same way I don't believe in pixies, goblins, unicorns or the Loch Ness Monster but if someone asked me to prove 100% that none of them exist I couldn't do it. Neither would I be willing to stake my life on the non-existence of any of them. Therefore I must be an agnostic athiest.

28

Find refreshment in spiritual things - this weeks tower.

by Cook My Socks UK in

i just thought that i would share an observation regarding par 3 of this weeks wt study.

the paragraph says in part " jehovah's witnesses find genuine refreshment through up building christian fellowship".. .

i am wondering if any readers / posters on this forum that still do or used to attend meetings have any thoughts on this.

ambersun

I quite agree gutted. I have not been to a meeting in over 20 years but STILL get that wonderful feeling of freedom every Sunday when I wake up knowing I can spend the day exactly how I want to. No more having to get up at some unearthly hour for a Sunday to go banging on doors then dress up in WT regulation meeting clothes to go and sit in a stuffy Hall for 2 hours. What bliss, it is so REFRESHING

28

Find refreshment in spiritual things - this weeks tower.

by Cook My Socks UK in

i just thought that i would share an observation regarding par 3 of this weeks wt study.

the paragraph says in part " jehovah's witnesses find genuine refreshment through up building christian fellowship".. .

i am wondering if any readers / posters on this forum that still do or used to attend meetings have any thoughts on this.

ambersun

The paragraph says in part " Jehovah's Witnesses find genuine refreshment through up building Christian fellowship".

The reason the WT keeps repeating this 'required' reaction throughout its literature is to ensure the rank and file continue training their minds to react accordingly, like good little puppies. Thus, at the end of every meeting you will hear a chorus of dubs exclaiming "Oooooh wasn't that a LOVELY meeting! I feel sooooo refreshed!!!" or words to that effect.

Try asking most of them what the best part of the meeting was for them and I guarantee you will be met with a sea of blank expressions. If only there were visible thought bubbles above dubs' heads during meetings I would be willing to bet most of them would include images of work, recreation, concerns about family members, what to cook for tea, what's on the TV that night etc. etc. and a LOT of X rated stuff!! The rest of the dubs would have butterflies and bunnies flitting around in their cloud filled heads as their brains automatically switched to standby mode 2 minutes after the introduction. Of course there will always be the exceptions to the rule who sit there taking notes throughout as examples to all, with their halos shining brightly. The backbone of the Cult bless them!!

In my opinion the only thing that has been 'refreshed' for the majority of the dubs is their collective cognitive dissonance.

13

Reaching the Goal of Baptism ... old enough?

by wannabefree in

the watchtower november 15, 2010, young ones - what will you do with your life?.

page 14, paragraph 12.

... you should get baptized when you are fully aware of what being one of jehovah's witnesses involves and when you are sure that you are ready and willing to take on this responsibility.

ambersun

I was baptised as a naieve 15 year old who had only been studying for a few months along with the rest of my immediate family. How could this have been allowed?! I had no real idea of what I was getting into, I was carried away with the euphoria of it all and the praise and commendations coming from my parents and also my new 'family' of brothers and sisters. OK, I answered all the pre-baptism questions with genuine enthusiasm, I really wanted this to happen and so I was baptised along with my parents.

In retrospect I realise my euphoria over getting baptised was due to the delight of pleasing my parents and the safe feeling of belonging within the congregation. How many other youngsters get baptised for this reason?

I feel that children raised in the organisation would be under even more psychological and emotional pressure to become baptised to please everyone who cares about them, and also for the feeling of safety and belonging within the congregation, mistaking these feelings for a genuine desire to dedicate their lives to serving God as outlined by the WTS.

The GB must be aware this is happening but still encourages children to get baptised before they are fully mature enough to make decisions that are not in danger of being influenced by pressure from their parents or congregations. Merely asking them to answer a few pre-baptism questions to ensure they are ready for baptism is futile as a child cannot be emotionally or psycologically developed enough to know their own minds and hearts at such a tender age.

In my opinion youngsters should be encouraged to wait until they are at least 18 and gained some life experience before taking such a major step which will affect their lives forever.

36

Have You Visited JW Facts?

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

for newer members.

if you haven't already done so, please visit the site and have a look around.

here are a few of my favorite pages, there:.

ambersun

Thanks leavingwt. What a great site!

I have put it on 'favourites' so my sieve-like brain won't forget it's there next time I need to do any research.

25

My Latest to the Editor

by AK - Jeff in

dear editor:.

the letter below is somewhat longer than most you run in your newspaper, i know.

i hope you will run it however, as painting the picture of cults and their insidious control is not something that can be done in a few words.

ambersun

That is excellent Jeff! I do hope the editor prints this, it is wonderfully worded so as not to cause any offence as no specific cult is mentioned, but will hopefully warn people who are currently studying with JWs or have relatives who are doing so. Even if it helps one person to see the danger signs before getting too involved it will be worth it!

45

How brainwashed were you before you discovered the truth about the "truth"?

by asilentone in

for me, i was 100 percent brainwashed.

.

ambersun

I was 14 when my family started studying so I had already experienced life in the outside world.

It was at my first visit to a KH that I became aware of the shunning rule. I had been brought up to have good manners and it was not in my nature to ignore people so it caused me great distress to be ordered to totally ignore a teenage girl with a tiny baby sitting alone right at the back of the KH. The order came from the girl's own father for goodness sake!! I had to watch that poor girl struggling with her baby throughout the meeting and afterwards, with no help from any of the older women. It was unbearable!!

Although I did become brainwashed to a certain extent, I think my first encounter with the cruel shunning rule helped to put an invisible warning sign in my head which, along with other things, lead me to become concious to the falseness of it all a few years along the line.

It has been slightly harder for Hubby who was practically a born-in (from the age of 2). He doesn't talk about it much, but although he has also left the borg I know he still has problems overcoming the brainwashing as other born-ins have mentioned.

38

Do You Think "Religious" People Are Generally "Nicer" Than Non-Religious Ones?

by minimus in

jw
friends

there are many religious people in this world.

many that i know, are very friendly, accomodating and personable....because they're trying to act "christian".

the same applies to some observant jews that i know.

ambersun

In my experience non religious people tend to be nicer in so far as they are not inclined to judge you and don't think they are a cut above you by being closer to God. However, having said that my best friend is catholic and she is the most unjudgemental person I know who doesn't care that I'm not a catholic and I can trust her implicitly, but that is just her personality. I think she would be the same whether she was religious or not.