Reopened Mind

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Posts by Reopened Mind

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  20

  Do most people become Jehovah's Witnesses out of fear they might be destroyed at Armageddon ?

  by Finkelstein in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a practical question concerning human psychology .

  it very well be that it was the jws who were.

  responsible for first approaching this posing question to people to incite their interest and concern.. i can confidently say it was for my 20 something year old mother back in the early 50's.. unfortunately people who did so, weren't completely discerning the probable commercial .

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  Reopened Mind

  Armageddon became less and less real especially after 1975.

  Reopened Mind
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  60

  What attracted you to the Watchtower?

  by Christ Alone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what attracted you to the watchtower?

  were you raised in it?

  if not, what caused you to convert?

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  Reopened Mind

  Christ Alone,

  I am a convert. I first began studying with the Witnesses when I was 14 with two girls I met in school. Probably the first thing that attracted me was the promise of living on a paradise earth forever. I knew there was no burning hellfire and I didn't want to go to heaven. I loved animals and liked the idea of being at peace with all of them. The time period was the mid sixties. The Vietnam War was in the headlines. The Witness' neutral stand on all things political appealed greatly to me. Also there was no collection plate passed, just a contribution box at the back of the hall. I liked the fact that none of their ministers were paid but served voluntarily. I had a belief in God but couldn't wrap my mind around him being part of a Trinity, and him having a name made sense.

  Did I do research? Yes, I can honestly say that I did. Before I was ready to commit I wanted to know the history of the organization. The only book available at the time was "Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose". I naively thought that if I wanted to know about Jehovah's Witnesses I needed to go to the source which would be their own books. So I read many other of their publications. I would also ask different Witnesses the same question just to see if I got the same answer. I usually did. I did look for books about JWs in the library but found none.

  I had an interest in science which changes as new facts are found. Faultily applying this to religion, I reasoned that because the Witnesses changed their beliefs over the course of their history that they were open to new ideas. So when I saw some things that didn't make sense I became sleepily content to wait for "new light".

  After a few Bible studies indoctrination sessions I was ready to believe that Armageddon was due in 1975. And by this time I greatly feared being destroyed.

  Thirty three years later researching on the internet started my journey out.

  Reopened Mind
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  27

  Update on Mrs Obvious and myself

  by Captain Obvious in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  well it's been about 8 months since my final wake up.

  as some may remember for my intro thread, i panicked and was way too aggressive at first with telling my wife all about this scam we're a part of.

  she freaked, thinking satan had me for sure.

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  Reopened Mind

  Captain Obvious,

  Sounds like you have a very good relationship with your wife. Your attitude and high morals will go a long way in helping your wife see that you are not a "crazed apostate". LOL You are so so lucky to have a wife who says she loves you no matter what. That should make it much easier to talk to her.

  My husband and I both began to wake up at the same time but were afraid to tell each other. For me I was beginning to see the fallacy of the blood issue and he was having doubts about there being a global flood. Being the researcher of the family I offered to look up information on the flood. Pardon the pun but this opened the floodgates to our conversation. It also made it easier to start looking into other subjects as well.

  Since you say you are the researcher in your family, I suggest you listen to what concerns your wife and then offer to look up information on the subject. BE PATIENT!!

  It was 4 1/2 years from the time I started having serious doubts until my husband and I walked out of the organization for good. My husband had been in the organization for all of his 55 years by the time we left.

  Captain Obvious, you are doing just fine. I am looking forward to reading your success story.

  Reopened Mind
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  17

  long time study

  by happy-n-alive in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so i am 20 now and i had my first study when i was 14. no jehovahs witness relatives and i am currently in my second book with one more chapter to go.

  the reason it took so long is because it started out very sporadic andd short.

  anyways, a friend and i were talking and i said i dont think i want to get baptise anytime soon and she said they may want to 'see a return on their investment' -_- so my question is if any witnesses ever got pushy with you about taking the next step after you have studied with them a long time.

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  Reopened Mind

  happy-n-alive,

  I, too, had my first study when I was 14, then I was baptized at 20. Two years ago my husband (a born-in JW) and I walked away from the organization. I had been in for 38 years and my husband for a lifetime. I will confirm that when I studied The Truth That Leads to Everlasting Life they were pushing everyone to get baptized after only 6 months of study because Armageddon was coming in 1975.To answer your original question, yes, I was being "strongly encouraged" by the Witnesses to get baptized.

  Please, dear happy-n-alive, do your research outside of Watchtower publications to get the other side of the story. Neither the internet nor other books were available to me when I was a teenager studying with two girls I met at school. At the time I felt that to learn about Jehovah's Witnesses the best place to learn about them was from their own books and people. Nothing could be further from the truth!! You don't even need to buy any books if you don't want to as there are many sources of information right here on the internet such as this forum. Two other excellent websites are www.jwfacts.com and www.freeminds.org. And of course a search of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower, and related topics on google will turn up many resources.

  One thing you need to be aware of is that if you ever decide to leave the organization after being baptized there are consequences to doing so. It doesn't matter if you are disfellowshipped, disassociated, or simply walk away, no one who is a good Jehovah's Witness will be allowed to have any contact with you whatsoever. O, and by that time you will be urged to have cut off all contact with anyone who is not a Witness. If you don't believe me just read some of the stories on this board.

  I would encourage you to research how to recognize a cult. Steve Hassan's BITE method is a simple way to test if a group is engaged in manipulative cult behavior. BITE stands for:

  Behavior control

  Information control

  Thought control

  Emotional control

  Jehovah's Witnesses control BEHAVIOR by regulating clothing and hairstyles; demanding meeting attendance and field service; innumerable unspoken rules and regulations; constant insistance to remain loyal.

  Jehovah's Witnesses control INFORMATION by discouraging non Watchtower sources of information; insisting on no contact with former members; using non Watchtower quotes out of context (check their references for yourself); extensive use of Watchtower publications.

  Jehovah's Witnesses control THOUGHT by use of their "pure language", that is, words which function to stop thoughts such as "worldly"," new system of things", "Christendom", etc.

  Jehovah's Witnesses control EMOTION by excessive use of guilt; excessive use of fear, fear of thinking independently, fear of the outside world, fear of enemies, fear of losing one's salvation, fear of leaving the group or being shunned by the group, fear of disapproval; irrational fears of questioning the governing body.

  So, please think long and hard about being baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. It is up to you to make a rational, informed decision. You will find members of this board very helpful in this regard.

  Reopened Mind
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  9

  More Pedophile Litigation - MSNBC

  by NeverKnew in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  msnbc: boy scouts release secret child abuse files - the pain and anguish of thousands.

  contained within this article:.

  "media organizations had sued for the release of the files, part of a 2010 case in which a portland, ore., jury decided that the scouts were negligent in allowing a former assistant scoutmaster to associate with the organization's youth after he admitted molesting 17 boys.".

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  Reopened Mind

  Make them squirm RubaDub. Perhaps you will touch a nerve or even better someone's conscience to expose the pedophile problem.

  Reopened Mind
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  29

  I didn't take your advice and this is the result...

  by MsGrowingGirl20 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recently i told you all that i wanted to e-mail two friends some of the things i was struggling with in an effort to help them wake up or at least for them to understand me...97% of you all told me that it was a bad idea.

  i still decided to do it.

  so i e-mailed her sincerely asking questions on five points---1) health care flip flops 2) false prophecies 3) mediatorship of jesus 4) un 5)1918.. she replied about 8 hours after.

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  Reopened Mind

  MsGrowingGirl20,

  My husband was in the organization for 55 years (born-in) and I was in for 38 years (convert). When we were dyed-in -the wool dubs we too would have given the party line answers to such challenges, while harboring our private doubts. Do take leavingwt's advice and read "Combatting Cult Mind Control". It is a MUST READ. It will help you understand a person leaves a cult only when ready. My husband left when we were in our mid fifties with children and grandchildren still in the cult. Thankfully now they are out or exiting.

  Be patient, my friend; there is no Armageddon to worry about. So, relax, make friends on the outside, and start living your own life.

  Reopened Mind
• 
  339

  Patterson on the line: Watchtower claims that paying cash bond would cause “immediate irreparable harm and hardship”

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  a new article for those who are interested.... http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/patterson-on-the-line-watchtower-claims-that-paying-cash-bond-would-cause-immediate-irreparable-harm-and-hardship.

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  cedars.

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  Reopened Mind

  Cedars,

  Great article!

  My husband who visited the Patterson complex in Feb 2009 said he is not surprised they are offering the Patterson property. He was told by a Bethelite who worked there that the buildings had major water damage due to improperly preparing the property for drainage. He was told that it would be a major project that would require millions of dollars to correct because it encompasses the entire complex. Now whether that has been corrected by now I do not know. But if it hasn't the Society is trying to unload a "white elephant". The picture of the Patterson Complex doesn't show it but the buildings were all built on the side of a hill so you see the flow of water could be (and is) a HUGE problem.

  It would be prudent to have a thorough inspection of the property by an independent firm before allowing Patterson to be part of the settlement.

  Reopened Mind
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  52

  Have you ever worked with someone famous or relatives of any celebrity?

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have!

  i worked with hank aaron's daughter for 18 months.

  she was a sweet lady.

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  Reopened Mind

  My husband and I are big Star Trek fans. Back in the late 70's we went to a Star Trek convention which had to be held along with a comic book convention to draw an audience. We met and spent a lovely afternoon with George Takei (Sulu) as most were there for the comic books. He told us that the original cast was to be featured in an upcoming movie. Much later in 1999 we stayed at the Star Trek Hilton in Las Vegas. We met Armin Shimmerman (Quark on Deep Space Nine). Needless to say our time with him was much shorter as we waited in a long line just to see him.

  Reopened Mind
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  60

  In Jehovah's Witnesses- Elders Have Rights- other JW's Don't- 10/15 WT

  by flipper in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the 10/15 watchtower study edition on pg.

  12 is the article " what kind of spirit do you show ?

  " right away this article starts drawing the line of demarcation in the sand between who has the right to make decisions within jehovah's witnesses and who does not have the right to do so.

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  Reopened Mind

  Flipper,

  It is so easy for us to see the malarky of this article now that we are out. Yet when we were in this washed over us like a tidal wave.

  bennyk and OODAD were spot on when they showed the doctor-patient relationship is nothing like the elder-publisher relationship. For one thing doctors have had years of training in their field; most elders don't have more than a high school education (I've known a few with less). When I read your thread to my husband TotallyADD, who had been an elder for 25 years, his reaction was, "Another illustration that doesn't apply!" As an aside, my husband has told me that one of the elder's schools he attended was totally about how to use the Concordance to find information in the publications, and another school spent most of their time on the variations of Porneia. Yes, they're really qualified to give counsel! I know TotallyADD felt badly many times that he wasn't able to help those who came to him. In his later years as an elder he began advising some to seek help through AA or psychological counseling.

  Not "jeopardizing the peace of the congregation" is more important to the GB than honestly letting them know what is happening in their midst.

  Yes, only the elders have the "right" to make judgments that affect our lives.

  Only the elders have the "right" to know if a pedophile is in the congregation.

  Only the elders have the "right" to break up families by disfellowshipping.

  Only the elders have the "right" to talk to disfellowshipped ones.

  Only the elders have the "right" to decide what is appropriate apparel in their congregation. (This varies from congregation to congregation.)

  Truly this SCREAMS MIND CONTROL!!!

  I am so thankful we are no longer a part of the cult.

  Reopened Mind
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  38

  Long time Lurker, ready to join in...

  by Blackbird Singing in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi all, i'm a long time lurker, ready to join in and add my two cents worth now and then!

  i was in the religion for 25 years, out now for 8, along with my husband, daughter, and son!

  i would have to say pretty much the whole time i was in i didnt want to be, pretty much "dreaded" all aspects of it, meetings, service, assemblies, and talks, i hated talks, man o man would i be grouchy the whole week i had a scheduled talk.. we didnt have much family in, but lots of friends and many jw employees, pretty much lost all that, down to just one jw employee left(thats a good thing).

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  Reopened Mind

  Blackbird Singing,

  Happy to have you on board. Very glad your whole family is out! I agree with Phizzy, get your son some professional help, you, too, if you can.

  Reopened Mind