Posts by Mary J Blige

56

Hello Everyone

by MarieK in

i hope everyone is having a good saturday.

i've visited this many times in the past month or so, joined yesterday and finally got the nerve to post!

needless to say, i'm super nervous, being new to this whole experience.

Absolutely concur with all of these sentiments. How is this for paranoid - even though I have been out for 12 years, I only just learned TTATT last week - from my parents who are still in after 44 odd years. My fear about posting? Came from my fears that this site was actually JW.org trying to ensnare JWs into apostasy and that my parents would be found out by my posts and treated unfairly. How crazy and out right delusional is that? But such is the mind manipulation and programming that we have had being born into the bOrg. A very warm welcome to you indeed from snowy NZ. Good reading for you:

Ray Franz, Crisis of conscience

Anything Steve Hassan

Then JW Broadcasting to reinforce that you have 100% made the right decision. 😲

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Ahhhh thank you Bonsai - I realise I omitted the 'E' from my original post but that one I was stumped on for ages (COBE).!!!

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Magnum, I had done some reading on that (RTO) the other day and I was along your thought train : how about desks in a portacom or flying some interpreters to WTHQ for an 'authentic' and economically sustainable experience. I didn't consider resale of the new building though, thought it was more a visual statement in attempt to convert "more" of the masses. Your sentiment makes far more sense; given the climate of needing "more money" and willingness of a voluntary and totally external labour force... those delegates wouldn't need to travel back to these lands to ever see what became of the RTO or KH so it's only the local brothers who have to be fed a line about the RTO work being completed or congregations pooling resources or other. I recall as a child failing to understand why we would build KHs if there was a risk of being destroyed at A. As an adult, I confess that I am struggling with the RTO concept. Certainly food for thought.

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Here I go again guys - SIL : I have always thought this means sister in law but the context of the post just read infers is a position in the congregation...

14

How to get JWs to listen and REALLY think about TTATT...

by C0ntr013r in

i have been trying to discuss and reason with jws about their beliefs for some time now and it usually ends in "agree to disagree".

i just don't feel like i am getting anywhere, they get their guard up super easy and will dismiss anything no matter how logical or factual.. so the other day i tried another tactic, instead of arguing for another point of view i started to agree with them.

this made them much more talkative and open, their guard went away somewhat.

Mary J Blige

My dad was telling me about cult mind control - the book by Steve Hassan helped him to understand why the defense and how to get the point across without negative reinforcement.

Dad's observations were that close long time family and friends were instantly dismissive with the apostate label but those who were academic of mind (research driven and/or had higher education) either were easy to reason with or would step through the facts to arrive at the same point: they couldn't reconcile the truth of the bible with the teachings of the WT.

Dad's experience has also been that of those who are "in" and "get it" , it is the fear of losing by leaving that keep them in rather than them being ignorant of the facts.

I think that method of questioning in a conversational manner is correct though - in terms of building rapport and trust ones defenses will be let down. If they see it or not after that point....

But dear Lord - give me patience!!

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Oh my. There's an apostate dictionary? This is so interesting. Thank you all thus far - I will no doubt continue to find and post things and I really appreciate your time in answering without making me feel like a nit wit.

All these changing terms... sounds like a substitution or disguise - creating new terms for new light or (perceived) innovation.

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Until reading these forums, I had never heard R&F either. Haha, great list, thankyou!

LDC anyone?

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

I try my best!! ;)

Apathy trollies - another gem leaned from you punkofnice - I gather they are the propaganda stands... when did they become the craze anyway? I haven't seen them here in the flesh but did see them on web....

And when did jw.org start going all techhie? Gawsh

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Thank you thank you punkofnice and TheListener. Two things on that list I had no idea of - nor Caleb and Sophia but get that now - thanks!. The meaning of a lot of these slang terms would not be clear for people who speak English as a second language too aside those disassociated for some time. (Example 'hogwash' for René Vázquez and RC I would have assumed Roman Catholic). Might not be clear cut for those lacking a warped sense of humor either!

39

Index of acronyms : help for new forumers

by Mary J Blige in

am finding a whole lot of acronyms that are really foreign to me and i now have an appreciation for what cult language sounds like to non-culters.

wondering please if you can post your definitions so i can get up to speed.

otherwise, as an indoctrinated ex-culter, i am inclined to create my own new light and swiftly it will be gospel.

Mary J Blige

Not just acronyms but slang and colloquialisms too.

GB - Governing Body, JC judicial committee ...

TTATT I guess is the truth about....

Eldub - I guess a random elder JW...

RC and RTOs and ???

When I was active there were "assemblies" - district or circuit (DAs or CAs) you had MSs and COs. Now I read COBs and HL??? The acronyms for groups / individuals and tasks/events that have changed in the last 12 years because the mechanics has changed I guess. As a near df'd person I had noone feeding me JW doctrinal changes or simple lingo changes so now there's some stuff that I am trying to understand by reading the context of the sentence rather than posting "what's an X?"