Reopened Mind

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Posts by Reopened Mind

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  16

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-12-2011 WT Study (DECISIONS)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  make decisions.

  all the decisions that we make?

  why make decisions at all?.

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  Reopened Mind

  When I was pregnant with our youngest child (early 80's) my husband and I decided we didn't want any more children so we asked my doctor to perform a tubal ligation which he did during my caesarian. We had done our research in the publications and came to the conclusion that it in the final analysis it was a PERSONAL DECISION even though sterilization was generally discouraged. Many of the sisters in the congregation had also had their tubes tied so we didn't think too much about it when we make known that I too had the operation. Well one day two elders dressed in suits and carrying Bibles showed up at our door and wanted us to explain. It seems our biggest mistake was not having my tubes tied but talking about it!!

  Reopened Mind
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  10

  birthday gifts? newbie celebrator here...

  by 2pink in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  mine is next week and this will be the second i've celebrated.

  when ppl ask me what i want, i feel awkward....what is an appropriate thing to ask for?

  it's all so foreign.

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  Reopened Mind

  2pink,

  The idea of celebrating your birthday is to make YOU feel special. Giving to your favorite charity is a nice idea but it misses the point. Your friends want to do something for YOU. I asked my husband to take me to a nice restaurant. Do any of your friends have a talent for making crafts? Ask them to make you something special, something you can keep to remember them by. Remember there IS more happiness in giving than there is in receiving. Don't deny your friends their happiness.

  Reopened Mind
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  48

  Today is my brithday and I feel depressed.

  by TotallyADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  woke up next to my wonderful wife after getting up she make me a great breakfast and for dinner tonight grilled steak and a brithday cake she made.

  so why am i depressed?

  could it be my children will not call me today to wish me a happy brithday.

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  Reopened Mind

  Thanks mouthy. You tell him!

  Reopened Mind
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  48

  Today is my brithday and I feel depressed.

  by TotallyADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  woke up next to my wonderful wife after getting up she make me a great breakfast and for dinner tonight grilled steak and a brithday cake she made.

  so why am i depressed?

  could it be my children will not call me today to wish me a happy brithday.

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  Reopened Mind

  TotallyADD,

  Sorry Honey, I didn't realize you were feeling low today. You've been busy making our new house into a unique and beautiful home. I thought that made you happy. I know you feel lost as this is only the third birthday you've celebrated. Things will get better. I promise. Wink. Wink.

  Your Loving Wife,

  Reopened Mind
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  20

  Every study article is an exercise in the BITE method

  by Mickey mouse in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  10-20 years ago you would get a mix of different types of wt study articles.

  they generally fell into one of a number of categories: prophecy, bible characters, facets of the fruitages of the holy spirit, aspects of jehovah's personality, creation, the new system etc.. now it goes like this:.

  obey the faithful slave, stay of the internet, do more, obey the faithful slave, stay of the internet, do more.....rinse and repeat.. it's no wonder the dubs have all become brain dead.

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  Reopened Mind

  May I elaborate on Snowbird's comments?

  BEHAVIOR CONTROL: Go to all the meetings. Spend rest of time in field service.

  INFORMATION CONTROL: Read only WT literature. Don't listen to "worldly people".

  THOUGHT CONTROL: You must have a Bible-trained WT conscience.

  EMOTIONAL CONTROL: Fear the true God governing body. You MUST be happy because we worship the happy God.

  Reopened Mind
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  24

  Newbie here

  by aristeas in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some forums/boards have a greetings section for newbies, but i couldn't find one here, so i guess i should post here.. i was an active witness in the 70s and 80s but decided i couldn't conscientiously continue participating so i just dropped out.

  unlke many others, i don't have witness family.

  thus it was easy to just move & drop out.

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  Reopened Mind

  Welcome aristeas and drummer4scr. Many new ones are signing up here it is hard to keep up. Very Telling!! I, too, appreciate Barb Anderson's insights. You can read more from her on freeminds.org.

  Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz, a former member of the governing body, will give you a peek into the inner workings of the governing body.

  I am eagerly awaiting to hear more from both of you.

  Reopened Mind
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  43

  Astounded Newbie Here...*Waves Hello*

  by mummatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  all i can say is "wow!

  " in the 10 years i've been out i had no idea that forums like this existed.

  a tad naive-sounding for someone with a background in it, i know, but it's taken me this long just to feel comfortable enough to type 'jw' into google.

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  Reopened Mind

  Welcome mummatron and WOW! Another born-in story of abuse by parents and WT. So so sad but glad to see you have gotten out at an early age, hopefully to give you time to completely heal as well as give your children a chance at a fulfilling life. You are so blessed to have a husband who loves and supports you even thoough he cannot possibly comprehend what you have been through. I am a convert myself but my husband, TotallyADD, is a born-in like yourself. Stories like yours help me and others to understand how deeply the web of mind control reaches into someone's very being.

  Best of luck to you on your new journey.

  Reopened Mind
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  13

  Questions from the Essay "Self-Identity and Growing Up in the Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Reopened Mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the essay "self-identity and growing up in the jehovah's witnesses" by marcela sherwin was an interesting commentary on how being brought up as one of jehovah's witnesses affects one as an adult after they leave the cult.

  only a small sample of ten adult xjws participated in the survey.

  i thought it would be interesting to read the answers all of you would give to the same questions.

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  Reopened Mind

  lisaBObeesa,

  I just had a chance to go back and read your thread you referenced. Very enlightening! I especially liked the explanation of why the WT isn't interested in retaining teenagers because their natural inclination is to question everything---just the opposite of the Watchtower's herd mentality. Therefore I bumped it because I think it is a worthwhile read. I hadn't read this before because it was posted long before I began lurking.

  Reopened Mind
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  13

  Questions from the Essay "Self-Identity and Growing Up in the Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Reopened Mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the essay "self-identity and growing up in the jehovah's witnesses" by marcela sherwin was an interesting commentary on how being brought up as one of jehovah's witnesses affects one as an adult after they leave the cult.

  only a small sample of ten adult xjws participated in the survey.

  i thought it would be interesting to read the answers all of you would give to the same questions.

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  Reopened Mind

  As promised here are TotallyADD's responses to the questions:

  1. Were you allowed to make choices for yourself when you were a teenager? If so were your choices restricted to those approved by the WT? Yes and yes

  2. As a child did you fit in with the in-group at the Kingdom Hall? No

  3. Were you part of a school team, yearbook, multi-cultural club or other extracurricular activities? Yes, DCT in high school. It was likebusiness school so I could run a business when I got out of school.

  4. Have you struggled with adjusting to the social norms and values of society after departing from the WT in your adult life? No

  5. Have you struggled with making friends in your adult life? As an adult Witness I had trouble making friends, but since leaving I have notfound it difficult.

  6. Have you attended counseling after departing from the WT? I had counseling vefore leaving the WT. It cleared my mind so I could seethrough the WT.

  7. What effect has your Witness upbringing had on you, positive, negative, or a combination? Negative, without hesitation.

  Reopened Mind
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  29

  Raising Kids to be Cult Members!!!

  by lisaBObeesa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in another thread, there is a discussion about young people leaving the jws at a rate of something like 88%.

  we see the rules given to the sheep for raising their children and we shake our heads saying, dont they get it?

  what is wrong with the org that it cant see how they are treating the youth?

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  Reopened Mind

  lisaBObeesa,

  This is an excellent thread and deserves to be bumped. Thanks for putting a link to it in my thread.

  Reopened Mind