SweetBabyCheezits

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Posts by SweetBabyCheezits

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  33

  How to prepare for a JC defense

  by brotherdan in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  many of you have heard this recording, but i wanted to post it again for some of you (bottleofwater) that will possibily be in jc's soon.

  rick townsend does an excellent job (imo) of attempting to defend his position to the elders.

  in nearly every category his arguments are stronger.. it is a bit frustrating to listen to because of the elders lack of reasoning ability, but rick is amazing.

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  That post made my day. I felt like I was invited to the wedding and reception!

  For the record, misery, I waited an hour before I drank your White Russian at the reception.
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  33

  How to prepare for a JC defense

  by brotherdan in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  many of you have heard this recording, but i wanted to post it again for some of you (bottleofwater) that will possibily be in jc's soon.

  rick townsend does an excellent job (imo) of attempting to defend his position to the elders.

  in nearly every category his arguments are stronger.. it is a bit frustrating to listen to because of the elders lack of reasoning ability, but rick is amazing.

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  Ask yourself, how many appeals have you heard of that went successful?

  Depends on how you define success.

  I think mine was pretty successful. We had multiple goals in proceeding with a JC hearing and all were reached. Being DF'd was expected.

  One goal was to delay any kind of DFing until after a specific date, for personal reasons. I also had witnesses who knew our circumstances and were ready to testify (and one who did) that I refused to disclose my personal beliefs. Those witnesses are now fully aware that we were DF'd based on THOUGHTCRIME alone and that might very well make an impression on them. Who knows?

  You guys are correct in that it is highly improbable that any of those elders will see the light. But please don't be too quick to assume there's no other logical reason or strategy for allowing yourself to be DF'd. Attending a JC isn't pleasant and isn't for everyone but - in some cases - might draw other JWs' attention to the demand for cult-like conformity.
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  30

  First official shunning was AWESOME

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we went to target this weekend to look at halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart).

  my daughter and i were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that i refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  we made eye contact and i gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.. my daughter pipes up and says, "hey, daddy, isn't that [edit]??

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  However, you REFUSED to tell him what kinds of thoughts you were having.....which, if it were me, I'd think "damn, there must be something pretty important he's not telling me". I believe you have planted a seed.

  On that note, be careful what you post on here. I don't think you've said anything too bad about him. But maybe write as though you're hoping he will find your writing. Just a thought.

  These are both excellent points, Snap.

  I was thinking about that first point the other day and how (hypothetically) if we expose every flaw of the WT to a loved one while they're in defense mode, it could prevent them from ever seeing the truth since they will prejudge all of those refutations as twisted apostate reasoning. But if we leave some stones unturned and they flip those without our help, the impact would likely be far greater. (I think.)

  Will def keep the latter point in mind from now on. Thx!
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  30

  First official shunning was AWESOME

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we went to target this weekend to look at halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart).

  my daughter and i were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that i refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  we made eye contact and i gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.. my daughter pipes up and says, "hey, daddy, isn't that [edit]??

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  WasBlind: My eyes just light up when I go through the holloween section

  I didn't think I'd be into it but I'm like a kid in a candy store now. I think I'm looking forward to xmas most though. As a dub, that was my favorite time of year already. Great time to be off work and get together with family. And I wasn't one of those who sneered at Christmas music. Cheerful xmas tunes beat the hell outta some of those foreboding Kingdom Melodies.

  We were in a store the other day and saw xmas displays set up... it made me all tingly inside. It's gonna be so weird to set up a tree in our living room, besides the fact that it sounds like something a drunk guy would do. (Gaffigan!)
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  30

  First official shunning was AWESOME

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we went to target this weekend to look at halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart).

  my daughter and i were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that i refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  we made eye contact and i gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.. my daughter pipes up and says, "hey, daddy, isn't that [edit]??

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  ML, I sent you a PM with my email info. Thanks!
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  30

  First official shunning was AWESOME

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we went to target this weekend to look at halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart).

  my daughter and i were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that i refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  we made eye contact and i gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.. my daughter pipes up and says, "hey, daddy, isn't that [edit]??

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  What costume did your daughter pick out?

  Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me, Hemp! This is what she picked (though we're having her wear white stockings with it since she's 8):

  And here's what my boy picked:

  
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  30

  First official shunning was AWESOME

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we went to target this weekend to look at halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart).

  my daughter and i were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that i refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  we made eye contact and i gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.. my daughter pipes up and says, "hey, daddy, isn't that [edit]??

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  ValiantBoy.... I DEFINITELY see your point. Wish I would've thought about that this weekend and before I posted. You've forced me to acknowledge a hypocrisy in myself, which I hate seeing, but I have to admit it. I used to shun DF'd JWs - good friends - just like that guy shunned us.

  Having said, there are some details I'd like to mention.. (ie, a bit of rationalization to soften my guilt? :-D)

  First, I really don't cut myself any slack there either: I see the old JW version of me as a self-righteous ass. Ignorant, yes, but I truly regret the way I treated old friends who were DF'd. I was a douche, plain and simple. If I could go back in time and smack myself upside the head, I'd do it. And if any of those exJWs I ever shunned thought I was a pious jerk, well, I'd have to agree.

  Second, this is still pretty fresh for me and, again, our first time being outright shunned in public. This guy knew exactly why we were DF'd: committing "thoughtcrime" and a heartfelt search for truth. He watched me refuse to share my views when I had the opportunity to defend my inactivity in front of JW friends.

  Third, if I ever see my elder brother in public and he turns his nose up and walks the other way, it'll hurt, yeah... but he's already toeing the JW line with as much devotion as he can muster and showing some kind of integrity, even if it's wrong. At least he's being consistent in action and word. But for another guy to break as many "rules" as he can but then not even NOD to an ex-JW friend headed their direction....that's just rich. An acknowledgement of our existence with a return nod would hardly top the list of things he should be concerned about the elders knowing.

  Now having defensively rationalized my negative judgment against this fellow, I should say that if he ever recognizes the baloney coming out of the WT and bails, I'll feel like a jerk yet again for talking on here. Deep down, I still think he's a good fellow. To me, it's the symptoms of this control group that really irk me and, unfortunately, I've directed too much of that at one person. Thanks for helping me see that.
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  30

  First official shunning was AWESOME

  by SweetBabyCheezits in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we went to target this weekend to look at halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart).

  my daughter and i were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that i refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  we made eye contact and i gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.. my daughter pipes up and says, "hey, daddy, isn't that [edit]??

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  We went to Target this weekend to look at Halloween costumes for the kiddos (and maybe me - i'm still a kid at heart). My daughter and I were walking down a main aisle when an ex-friend - the very one who testified that I refused to discuss my doubts - came out of a side aisle and almost turned our direction.

  We made eye contact and I gave him a nod as we continued to walk toward him.... but he stopped like he'd run into a brick wall, then turned and started walking with his back to us so that we didn't cross paths.

  My daughter pipes up and says, "Hey, Daddy, isn't that [EDIT]??"

  "Yes it is, dear."

  "Aren't you going to say something to him?"

  "Well remember the elders decided that me and Mommy should be disfellowshipped since we don't believe like they believe. That means our old friends decided they can't be our friends anymore, either."

  I said this with a little extra volume so he could hear me.

  We've been explaining all of this to our daughter for the last 8 weeks but she was picturing how specific family members would treat us and had yet to visualize how that would work with old friends. She was a little disappointed but quickly forgot when we reached the Halloween section and I told her to pick out her costume.

  A little background info: He's a good guy, aside from his religious delusion. He's a single twenty-something and acts like a college kid, binge drinking, among other things, minus the sex and weed (and I'm giving him the BoaD on that last part). If there's a loophole or it's not exactly a DFing offense, he's probably doing it. But please understand I'm not judging him for doing this stuff.... I'm judging him for shunning me when he's aware of his own "JW-sins" plus the BS that took place in that JC hearing.

  Later that eve, after a couple of drinks, I sent him a text: "Good job being loyal to god today!"

  Again, I am (we are) still learning how to not give a shit what the uninformed sheeples think but it's coming to us easier than I expected. My wife is now all for Halloween after being unsure just a few weeks ago. I think she recognizes that people are judging us regardless of whether we celebrate holidays or not. Might as well let the kids have fun.

  Anyway, one week down and we are making a relatively smooth transition into our new life.
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  26

  From Richard Dawkins' Preface to "The God Delusion"

  by AK - Jeff in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://www.infoamerica.org/documentos_pdf/dawkins10.pdf.

  the word delusion in my title has disquieted some psychiatrists who regard it as a technical term, not to be bandied about.

  three of them wrote to me to propose a special technical term for religious delusion: relusion.. .

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  I often wonder if those who have left the JW's - after realizing they had a delusion about the organization, have thought about applying that experience to the belief of god?

  AK-Jeff and OnTheWayOut are two examples of ex-JW's that thought about applying their experience (concerning their delusions about the organization) to the belief in God.

  Same for me. My wife, too.

  What I don't understand is why some born-ins stop short of doing that. It seems to be a very natural step to say, "Well, I bought into this organization because of a presupposition I accepted as a child and I've been wrong all this time.... How can I be so sure the same is not true of the Bible?"

  As for those who accept only the good things about the Bible, rejecting the negative, it reminds me of my mother who says she "only looks at the GOOD aspects of the organization." Come to think of it, she may have been the one to led me to question the Bible by her blind devotion.
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  75

  I'm coming out

  by MsDucky in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just found out that i have breast cancer on thursday (see topic http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/medical/190249/1/i-was-in-the-hospital ).

  my sister has breast cancer too.

  she has had it longer than me.

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  SweetBabyCheezits

  I hate to hear that. My MIL was diagnosed earlier this year with stage 4 colon cancer. She's fought it well thus far and it seems to be in a bit of remission. Best wishes for a full recovery!