Posts by Reopened Mind

96

April 15th WT - WT Society says " Obeying Us is Same as Obeying God "

by flipper in

jw
friends

this is a non-study article in the witness only version of the april 15th titled " do you discern the evidence of god's guidance ?

" essentially in this article the alleged " faithful slave " is telling witnesses that to be approved to survive armageddon- they will have to recognize the " faithful & discreet slave's " authority in their lives.. notice these direct quotes from pg.

4 , " jesus christ is the assigned leader of the congregation.

Reopened Mind

"Do You Discern the Evidence of God's Guidance?" WHAT EVIDENCE? Even a cursory reading of their history taken from their own writings shows that God cannot possibly be the guiding force behind the Watchtower. The evidence shows a changing date for the destruction of the world. (If they spoke for God they would know if and when). The evidence shows a changing of their blood policy. (Surely God would have given them the correct understanding from the beginning since lives are involved.) They had a hard time deciding if God and Jesus were the superior authorities or the governments were the superior authorities. The term "generation" has morphed into a definition that is not recognizable by the writer of any dictionary.

I was in the WT for more than 38 years and have personally witnessed all of the above changes. It is truly amazing how we all swallowed the "new light" explanation.

MIND CONTROL IS A VERY VERY POWERFUL TOOL! We should not underestimate it.

OUTLAW your cartoon is so accurate.

Reopened Mind

8

A Better Attitude And World View

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

i've changed a lot in the last year or so.

maybe some for the good,and some not so good.

but,looking back, i didn't like myself as a witness.. it turns me off when i hear about the judgmental comments an older pioneer sister made.

Reopened Mind

EmptyInside: I can totally relate to what you have said. I have come to hate the term "worldly" since it is very divisive and judgemental. Now I simply refer to the person as an individual or say nonJW if there is a need to distinguish. At the same time I avoid emotional labels to Witnnesses who are still in the Organization. I know that they, like I once was, are completely mind controlled.

Looking way back even before I became one of Jehovah's Witnesses I remember my grandmother referring to Communists disparagingly because they were "Godless Atheists". I told her that they were people just like us who loved their families and wanted what was best for them. Being a super fundamentalist she just couldn't hear it. I can see now that I became just like her in many ways when I was a JW. As an aside she did tell me that JWs were the false prophet.

I could never accept that God was going to destroy the majority of people because they didn't respond or didn't even hear the message we carried. How could they make a life and death decision when they hadn't had a chance to gain the knowledge they needed? Where was the love? Where was the justice? Where was the wisdom? Why didn't he use his power to save people rather than destroy them?

I am also learning to have more empathy.

It is important to remember the past to learn from it but not dwelling on it so much that we can't move forward.

Reopened Mind, another work in progress

21

To our fading and in-suffering friends, status report please

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

if you're still in for the sake of others, how's it going?

what specific plan are you working on to get your loved ones out so you can leave, too?

how is that plan progressing?

Reopened Mind

My husband and I are in the processing of fading. We bought a home and a business in another state and will be completely out when we move in the spring. We have been going to that area for the last three years and have made some nonJW friends there. We will have to let them know of our JW past but will save that for when we get there permanently.

While still here I have reconnected with my cousin and her husband. They know we were Witnesses and have changed our beliefs. They were especially surprised at the severity of JW shunning practices for what their church wouldn't even bat an eye at. We have been celebrating Christmas and birthdays with them.

My husband stepped down as an elder at the end of last year. He had words with the CoBOE a few weeks back and hasn't been back to the hall since. I have only been to a meeting twice in the last three years. He laments that no one has visited or called to see how we are but personally I am glad we are being left alone.

I have many JW friends here with whom I am friends on facebook. There are also JWs who I have friended from other areas. I haven't decided how I am going to handle that when we make a clean break. Any advice on how to handle that would be appreciated.

Our oldest son is out. However our youngest son lives near his fanatical JW in-laws with his wife and two small children. He wants to leave but for now he is trapped. It is for their sakes that we are being extra cautious.

Reopened Mind

80

What Doctrines or JW Views Did You Not Find Too Believable?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the thought that a loving creator would violently destroy anyone not belonging to the jehovah's witness religion including billions of babies seemed just not right.. the fact that you could recieve some "acceptable" blood components but could not donate those same lifesaving yourself seemed strange.

you could recieve a blood fraction but you couldn't give it.. any others you can think of?

?.

Reopened Mind

Never could accept that qualifications for positions were limited strictly to males. It seemed counterproductive to me to exclude more than 50% of the congregation just because they were sisters. When I asked I was told it was because women were more emotional than men. I saw many men, both MS and elders, who were emotional but this did not disqualify them. I was a better reader than any brother I knew yet because I was not the right gender I could not publicly read the Watchtower or read at the book study. When I learned that Barbara Anderson had written many of the articles, I thought, "How hypocritical!" A sister could write an article (teaching) but could not read it in public (simply being a messanger). Now that I know what really went on amongst elders, I am relieved that I didn't qualify. It was a good old boys club and the good old boys didn't want to give up any of their power to us lowly women.

Reopened Mind

55

Longtime lurker - first post

by applehippie in

jw
friends

been listening for quite a while to the many conversations found here on this forum.

i'm a good listener as my friends will tell you.. i am a born in jw, inactive for at least 2 years now.

i originally joined this forum to find out what my husband was "up to".

Reopened Mind

Hello Applehippie and welcome to the forum. Did I see correctly that you registered in Jan. '06 and just now made your first post? I found this site and others in Jan '07 after reading an article in our local paper on JWs and blood. I thought I was a longtime lurker before I signed up last year.

Though not a born-in like yourself I too thought the kingdom hall and being a good witness was a protection. In pioneer school we were told that married sisters had three layers of protection---our husband, Jesus, and Jehovah. Now I see this "protection" is like the fox guarding the hen house. I personally did not experience physical abuse from my husband. However because of his ADD, PTSD, and frequent bouts of depression he was very moody and prone to making rash decisions. He eventually sought help and we now have an enviable marriage. On the 23rd of this month we will be celebrating our 37th anniversary. I cannot imagine life without him and am glad we made it through the tough times. He is the poster on this board known as TotallyADD. Like Flipper I too am curious who your husband is on this board.

Reopened Mind

40

Here's one more free mind...

by Pika_Chu in

jw
friends

hey, here's one more free mind.

i've been researching and reading posts here and finally decided to join.

i have to say i'm grateful for this site.

Reopened Mind

Great to have you here Pika_Chu. I too would like to hear your story when you're ready.

By the way how did you choose Pika_Chu and could give us some insight on what it means?

Reopened Mind

36

Networking with Jehovahs Witnesses or people who are bible studieing

by flowerpower123 in

jw
friends

i am a 32 old woman live in the netherlands.

like to make friends all over the world...brothers and sisters.

always nice when you come to holland , or when i come to your country.

Reopened Mind

Hello Flowerpower123 and

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Please stick around. You will really learn a lot but you need to keep an open mind.

You might also like to check out www.jwfacts.com.

Reopened Mind

179

Were you 'alive in '75' and how was that year for you?

by punkofnice in

i was a junior borgite in 1975. i remeber looking at the calendar at work in october and thinking: 'armageddon isn't here yet.....and it doesn't feel like it will be here anytime soon either!'.

i was surprised that jehovah hadn't obeyed the superior command to bring the big 'a' as instructed to him by fred franz.

how dare god disobey the jw leader!!!!!.

Reopened Mind

Flipper

TOTALLY ADD- I find it interesting that your sons in law ( I imagine they are what ? 25 to 40 yrs.of age possibly ? ) can say that 1975 " was not as

big a deal as it was made out to be " . Incredible. Well- they just have been told different by current WT society publications or leaders

My husband TotallyADD did not mean sons-in-law. He meant our daughter-in-law's parents. They are our age, mid fifties, so were definitely alive in '75. Sorry for the misunderstanding but this is what ADD does to one. ADD stands for Attention Deficit Syndrome.

Reopened Mind

179

Were you 'alive in '75' and how was that year for you?

by punkofnice in

i was a junior borgite in 1975. i remeber looking at the calendar at work in october and thinking: 'armageddon isn't here yet.....and it doesn't feel like it will be here anytime soon either!'.

i was surprised that jehovah hadn't obeyed the superior command to bring the big 'a' as instructed to him by fred franz.

how dare god disobey the jw leader!!!!!.

Reopened Mind

I was a new convert, baptised in '73, married in '74, working hard at anything I could find. Unemployment in our area was close to 25%. My husband was in

the building trades in FL. I remember he and I went to his parents in earlyh 1976 and asked why the GB was wrong. His dad got so angry at us for even

asking or doubting them. We just caved on so he would calm down. As time went on we had 2 children, raised them and now have grandchildren.

Its only been in the last 4 years we finally woke up.

Reopened Mind, wife of TotallyADD

73

My Labrador died can anyone please help me. I can't stand the pain.

by Witness 007 in

my wife recovered from depression just 14 months ago and things have been going well.....so much so that i started a buisness for her and we are two weeks into it.

my labby was ill vomiting abit of discomfort, i thought great, you ate something bad again!

the vet gave him a shot and sent us home.

Reopened Mind

Witness 007 I too want to express to you my deepest sympathies for the loss of your beloved lab.

Although I have also lost many pets over the years I cannot begin to tell you I know how you feel

because we all deal with grief differently. Yes time will heal as others have said but the pain will

always be there somewhere. The new pup is not a replacement for the dog you lost, but perhaps

the distraction will help.

You said your wife got over depression 14 months ago. Did she have professional counseling?

Sounds like she and you would benefit from counseling. We are here to support you but

cannot take the place of a licensed therapist.

Reopened Mind