Posts by ABibleStudent

57

oh dear I think I messed up and pushed too hard

by Frazzled UBM in

reading all the posts on the wt study on higher education and careers really fired me up yesterday.

i have 2 undergraduate and 2 postgraduate degerees and a career as a result which allows me to provide well for my jw wife and son.

i was already unhappy because after 5 or 6 weeks of not going and appearing to be making progress she went back on sunday for the second sunday in a row and as usual was away all day.

ABibleStudent

Hi Frazzled UBM, From your description it sounds like your liife is financially secure, so why haven't you at least called/seen a professional cult-exit councilor like Steve Hassan or one of his coaches? Many members of JWN give good advice, but you could get way better advice by contacting Steve Hassan through his website www.freedomofmind.com by telling your story to him and also relieving your pent up frustrations.

As far as reducing conflict with your wife, help your wife to become involved in hobbies that are time consuming and will help her make non-jw friends who she shares common interests. What does your wife like to do? If you don't know, ask her. On meeting days make dates/appointments with your wife before and after the meetings to reduce the time that your wife is spending with JWs.

If your wife is from the Phillippines, she may be going to the KH for social reasons and not spiritual reasons. Have you searched for any filipino cultural centers/churches in your community?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

22

How to get through an Assembly?

by kaxozula in

jw
friends

me just learning the truth about the truth has just made it hard to even get through a two hour meeting at the the kingdom hall.

i get so sleepy during them and i almost cannot contain it!

the last time i went to a convention, i was still an avid believer but as you can see, that has changed.

ABibleStudent

Hi kaxozula, If you don't like listening to movies on a Smartphone or tablet at assemblies/conventions, how about creating business size cards/stickers with your favorite websites on them to leave around the convention/assembly hall?

How would a JW react to "I felt so much better after visiting www.jwfacts.com, www.freedomofmind.com, etc. so would you." or just the websites URL?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

17

Any suggestions to help?

by casio in

jw
friends

ok. its been a year since my first post.

(i wasn't joking when i said it would take a while for any replies!!).

thanks for all of the kind words of support.. .

ABibleStudent

Hi casio, If you haven't read Steve Hassan's books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control", "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves", and (his latest book) "Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs"), visit his website www.freedomofmind.com, and/or watched his videos on his website, do it quickly before you blurt out TTATT to your wife. No matter what you decide continue to post on JWN to vent your emotions so that your wife does not feel that you are an apostate, and to ask for more detailed advice.

If your wife is a "Spiritually Strong" (non-thinking) JW, your best course of action is to:

Learn about how to overcome BITE control techniques that the WTBTS uses by reading Steve Hassan's books and watch his videos like Strategic Interactive Approach explained 2003 (1:23:23),
Do fun activities where your wife will be able to meet non-JWs who she may share common interests,
Ask her simple questions in a form like is described in exJW Psychology 102--How to Ask a Question When Questions Aren't Allowed by Billy the Ex-Bethelite,
Start doing Bible study nights with her to help her understand how the Pharisees and Sadducees used BITE control techniques to victimize Jews without saying anything about the WTBTS,
Start a time consuming hobby with your wife that your wife would like that will take time away from participating in WTBTS activities.

If your wife is a "Spiritually Weak" (still thinking) JW and asks you questions that implies that she has doubts, do the aforementioned activities and help her to do her own research to convince herself that her doubts are valid. Also, make plans to fade from the WTBTS and obtain more education/training to become more financially secure.

Best of wishes helping your wife and JW family to critically think for themselves.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

48

Finally decided to introduce myself here

by cookiemaster in

hey guys !

i've stopped believing the watchtower crap a few years ago.

i achieved this on my own, despite being raised as one.

ABibleStudent

Welcome cookiemaster, Congradulations on attending college! College is a great place to make new non-JW friends and to have fun as well as to study. If JWs look down on you, be happy inside that you will not be suffering as much as they are when the Big A doesn't happen.

If you want to learn how to help your JW family and friends to critically think for themselves, please read Steve Hassan's books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control", "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves", and (his latest) "Freedom of Mind: Helping Love Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults, and Beliefs"), visiting his website www.freedomofmind.com, and watching videos on his website.

Best of wishes with continueing your college education.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

6

Interesting convo at the Barbers

by Phizzy in

jw
friends

i went to get my annual shearing done the other day, as people kept standing on my hair.

as i sat waiting for the guy in the chair to have his three or four hairs trimmed, i realised he was a young jw that i knew.. as he left the chair he had to turn around and face me, so could not ignore me, we spoke briefly and then he went.. the barber then asked if i was a jw too, as i knew the young feller.

i replied that i had been brought up as one, and a load of questions followed.

ABibleStudent

Phizzy, Spread the TTATT to non-JWs so that they aren't deceived and indoctrinated by the WTBTS.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

42

My Story

by Brother Mike in

jw
friends

my story is long, heart stopping, tragic, and puzzling.

since i posted what was said to be my last post, i received a private message which sparked my attention about the watchtower.

immediately i did research, and have found not only proof from outside sources, but the watchtower openly admitting it.

ABibleStudent

Welcome back Brother Mike, Before you contemplate anything irreversible and permanent, please see a counselor to help you make wise decisions. Life goes through cycles, sometimes life is very good and sometimes it can cause one great sorrow. Only you can shoose what to do with your life.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

37

Am I missing something here ?

by smiddy in

in ancient times , o.t.speak, god dealt with humans in a variety of ways , dreams ,visions ,prophets,and prophetesses , then apparently 2000 years ago he must have said, i`m not doing this anymore.they , my followers will just have to beleive and put faith in what has been written down up untill the 20th century of the common era.

approximately 4000 years of human history where god has communicated with humans .

if you beleive that .. their has been no communication between god , with any human , whether by dreams , visions , or prophets , for the past 2000 years.. and may i add, their has been no communication from jesus during these past 2000 years either, giving us enlightend /updates about his sayings /prophecys that he gave while on earth 2000 years ago.. please explain.. smiddy.

ABibleStudent

As the following verses state, Jesus only promised that the Holy Spirit would speak through people and not to them, and would always be with them. I guess only Jesus Christ and angels can speak to people. Of course, you are free to believe it or not.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

Matthew 1:20 - But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 3:11 - “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Matthew 4:1 - [ Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness ] Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 10:19-20 - 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Fatherspeaking through you.

Matthew 12:31-32 - 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this ageor in the age to come.

Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

John 14:15-18 - [ Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit ] 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be [a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

21

welcome new poster Jen1 on my thread 'making connections'

by losingit in

jw
friends

please welcome jen1 to the jwnforum.

she posted for the first time on my thread 'making connections.

' let's all please encourage her!!!!.

ABibleStudent

Welcome Jen1, Happy Holidays to you. What's your story?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

9

The history of Jehovah's Witnesses and Christmas

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

i intend to make a chronological history of christmas among jehovah's witnesses.

i look to make it as accurate as possible, and have it include as many wt publications references as possible.. i will post it when i am done with it... my jaw dropped to the floor various times when researching this article, so i hope you like it!.

ilttatt.

ABibleStudent

Merry Christmas! I'm sure that the shift in the WTBTS's stance on celebrating holidays was instigated by Freddie Franz.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

43

Do you look like the apostate they warned you about?

by Angus Beef in

after waking up and wanting to get out of this nightmare, the word apostate is really bothering me.

if i quitely become inactive, fade away will i just be looked at as "always weak".

i want to scream out how big a fool i was.. and now telling my poor young daughter how wrong i was to bring her up as a jw.

ABibleStudent

Angus Beef - What am I in for? Is there going to be a grief cycle like divorce, or death: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, depression, guilt, obsession, & then acceptance? I miss the meeting last night, not unusual, but I don't ever want to go back.

Hi Angus Beef, Yes, you will experience a grief cycle because of all the WTBTS fantasies that you believed in will not happen. You will also be adversely affected by WTBTS induced phobias (i.e., fearing being called an apostate), unless you actively work at discovering those phobias and overcoming them. The good news is that you can choose how to live your life by either seeing a cult exit counselor, or reading books or watching videos about exiting dangerous cults.

If you have not read Steve Hassan's books, please read his books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control", "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves", "Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs"). If you don't want to spend money, at least watch the following video to determine whether Steve Hassan's ideas can help you: Strategic Interactive Approach explained 2003 (1:23:23).

Please continue to post on JWN to vent your feelings and to ask for advice about how to help your JW family and friends to critically think for themselves. Do not tell JWs TTATT! Instead ask them simple questions. I would recommend reading exJW Psychology 102--How to Ask a Question When Questions Aren't Allowed by Billy the Ex-Bethelite about how to disguise your questions so that JW will not become suspicious.

Best of wishes helping JWs to critically think for themselves.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert