i thought this was an interesting study, considering the mental block that affects jws when discussing wt flip-flops or bible contradictions.. .
http://www.michaelshermer.com/2006/07/the-political-brain/.
a recent brain-imaging study shows that our political predilections are a product of unconscious confirmation biasthe human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion ... draws all things else to support and agree with it.
James: Sorry, but nobody (and I do mean NOBODY - PhD or not) can tell what somebody is thinking from an MRI or other brain scan. We simply do not have that level of technology - it is akin to claiming that a gypsy lady can read your mind or tell your future.
Maybe when you were a young pup, that was sci-fi. Now it's reality.
i'm on page 90 right now...the info is definitely new and gives me a totally diff view as to how i used to think of faithful and discreet slave.
i was thoroughly disgusted with the way the brothers handled the oral sex and leadership problem and the insight on the scriptures book...... still have alot of questions though.
Hi, MGG, welcome to the real world and JWN! I know this is an extremely confusing time in your life but know that you are not alone and you are taking a massive step towards a free mind. Anyone who wants to control your thinking is not your friend. Please remember that. Reasoning and persuasion are necessary in life but it should be a HUGE red flag if anyone discourages doubt, questioning their authority, or independent/critical thinking.
i've noticed that alot of the comments have nothing to do with God.....Have u become bitter?
My wife and I have been out for a year and a half. I have had many moments of bitterness toward circumstances and "the system", but those moments become fewer and shorter in duration as time goes by. At the beginning, I was very upset with the unfairness of it all though.
do u all still believe in God?
I don't like to use the term God, because so many people/books would describe god in different terms and most - if not all - are self-refuting or just ridiculous. So I tend to think of the question as, "Do you accept any particular description of god as accurate?"
No, I've chosen to reserve belief for empirical evidence. And I have some little pet theories but I choose not to put faith in anything, even my own ideas regarding the mysteries of life/existence. I live by the aphorism "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."
How do u worship Him if at all?
To me, the idea of an omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent being that needs our worship (and demands it!)... is self-refuting and contradictory. By definition, something that is perfect needs nothing to be complete. Really, what kind of loving father demands his children worship him? Weird.
"The most preposterous notion that Homosapiens have ever dreamed up is that the Lord God of Creation, Shaper and Ruler of all the Universes, wants the saccharine adoration of His creatures, can be swayed by their prayers, and becomes petulant if He does not receive this flattery. Yet this absurd fantasy, without a shred of evidence to bolster it, pays all the expenses of the oldest, largest, and least productive industry in all history." -Robert Heinlein
That makes sense to me. I believe man created [descriptions of] God in his image, with all the immature flaws and selfish tendencies that men tend to have.
Do u feel at peace with God?
If there's an intelligence out there responsible for sparking life or consciousness, it isn't described properly in the Bible. I'm at peace with nature, I suppose, so long as nature doesn't try to maul me.
Are u happy?
I would say we are content and happy with our lot and direction in life. But the loss of JW family and friend relationships still hurts. That said, I agree with Seneca: "The secret to happiness is freedom. The secret to freedom is courage." Living based on something you know is a lie is not freedom.
Do u have any doubt that u made the right decision?
I'm sure I could've handled specific situations better but my wife and I have no doubt that getting out was the right thing to do for our own benefit as well as that of our children. It may take you a while to deprogram, though.
What we think & believe are in large part due to our upbringing, our conditioning. Most of us are taught at a young, naive age... not how to think but what to think. One of the best things you can do for yourself at this point is to study critical thinking skills, something that was mostly foreign to me before I got out. Here's a great site on the subject.
Best wishes on your journey! Just know that it gets better.
no need to go into details (if you want details then i'll give more) but just for the sake of brevity, i will state it succinctly.
i just want to also note, this is not even one of crazier things i've seen with these people.
i was at a meeting for field service ok...you know how they will have one guy take the group out, and he will ask questions about presentations and things like that right?
Yes they do. I'd like to hear more about NDrew smacking a pioneer. Whaddaya say, Nance? Sounds like a fun day working rural.
yup.
let's begin.. i went to the kingdom hall yesterday for the first time in awhile.
the public talk was something like "trust in jehovah" and the speaker (whom i know personally and is a tad "off") was rambling on about the persecution that we are going to face imminently.
Zoiks: Christianity, in many of its delicious flavors, comes with a built-in need for persecution in order to be validated.
Well put, my good fellow. And I say who are we to be so selfish as to deny them that validation?
yup.
let's begin.. i went to the kingdom hall yesterday for the first time in awhile.
the public talk was something like "trust in jehovah" and the speaker (whom i know personally and is a tad "off") was rambling on about the persecution that we are going to face imminently.
CBJ: Wouldn't Miss a Mr. Falcon Thread..........
As a fellow sick f*ck, I have to agree. It's like when the fair comes to town - even though you know it's gonna smell like vomit and funnel cakes and the Tilt-a-Whirl was put together by drunk carnies, you still go for the cheap thrills. Love me some Falcon threads!
MFr, you make a great point. As a JW kid, I wouldn't have been able to tell you that 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. All I knew was that the good guys wore Purple Triangles. I have a really explicit memory of reading a JW-caust experience where some were forced to clean an open sewage pit. The ground was slippery (naturally) around the edges and if a JW fell in, nobody was alllowed to help him and he would likely drown in the raw sewage.
I was pretty sure that would be my fate some day, too. You ever see those state park pit poopers? Sheer immobilizing terror.
no need to go into details (if you want details then i'll give more) but just for the sake of brevity, i will state it succinctly.
i just want to also note, this is not even one of crazier things i've seen with these people.
i was at a meeting for field service ok...you know how they will have one guy take the group out, and he will ask questions about presentations and things like that right?
Just when I thought this thread couldn't possibly fall any lower, N Drew goes and posts something like this... and totally redeems the entire thread!
no need to go into details (if you want details then i'll give more) but just for the sake of brevity, i will state it succinctly.
i just want to also note, this is not even one of crazier things i've seen with these people.
i was at a meeting for field service ok...you know how they will have one guy take the group out, and he will ask questions about presentations and things like that right?
Mr F, that footage is - as Kirk predicted - embarrassing. First of all, my appearance: Nobody will take into consideration that the lighting was just plain AWFUL on that planet. As for my speed, I'd just finished an insane Spinning class when he started that shit. I was worn the eff out. But, no, here it just looks like I'm a lumbering slow-ass with a weak bear hug and a sensitive crown. Very embarrassing.
no need to go into details (if you want details then i'll give more) but just for the sake of brevity, i will state it succinctly.
i just want to also note, this is not even one of crazier things i've seen with these people.
i was at a meeting for field service ok...you know how they will have one guy take the group out, and he will ask questions about presentations and things like that right?
Zoiks: That he is, and a damn handsome one at that.
This is true, Zoiks. But since my handsomeness is only exceeded by my humility, I should say without the velociraptor in my lap I'm damn near indistinguishable from the other Cheezitses.
That threat was pretty sweet, circling around and around and then BAM! You've been threatened!
Haha, yeah, this guy is no tease. Don't let the Star Fleet uniform and pseudonym fool ya!
James Woods: Sure looked like one to me - reference: Posting Guidelines #1
Mmmm-hmmm... and Scully is just waiting to kick somebody's ass today.
no need to go into details (if you want details then i'll give more) but just for the sake of brevity, i will state it succinctly.
i just want to also note, this is not even one of crazier things i've seen with these people.
i was at a meeting for field service ok...you know how they will have one guy take the group out, and he will ask questions about presentations and things like that right?
Mr Falcon: Seriously though, Cheezits is an raging a-hole.
MFr! Someone once told me to "be... all that you can be" so I took my a-hole-ism to the next level: raging.
no need to go into details (if you want details then i'll give more) but just for the sake of brevity, i will state it succinctly.
i just want to also note, this is not even one of crazier things i've seen with these people.
i was at a meeting for field service ok...you know how they will have one guy take the group out, and he will ask questions about presentations and things like that right?
Marking...
Finally, I've been threatened by a Star Trek character in an online forum. Wait, was that a threat?
