Posts by ABibleStudent

37

Photography and HDR

by ILoveTTATT in

as i have mentioned before, i love photography, and specially a technique called hdr.

hdr stands for high dynamic range, and it means the ratio of the "lightness" of the lightest spot in the picture to the darkest.. .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/high-dynamic-range_imaging.

ABibleStudent

Hi ILoveTTATT, I like the lake. Where is it and what is its name?

I know enough about photography to always use a flash in sunlight to remove shadows on people's faces. I also use the automatic red-eye removal feature.

I do like photos in black and white with a large f-stop and either the fore-ground or back-ground is out of focus and some filters are used.

How do you display your photos? Do you print and mount them, or display them on revolving display screen?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

27

Black sheep of the family-my life as an ExJW

by bsand20 in

jw
friends

i was a 3rd generation jw, half the congregation i attended was made up of my entire mom's side of the family, 2 of the 3 elders were my grandpa and uncle.

my first memory of the organization was when they announced my mom's name in the meeting saying she had been reinstated....it was 1988 and i was 6 years old....i didn't understand it then, but when i asked my mom why was she crying and why did they say her name in the meeting, she said "it's because i've been good!".

so she went back and after a period of time assisting constantly, she was reinstated.

ABibleStudent

Welcome bsand20, I'm sorry that JWs have treated you so poorly, so that they can reach a false promise of Paridise by the WTBTS. The best way to overcome the WTBTS's indoctrination of JWs is to live a successful and happy life free from coersion by the WTBTS.

Instead of being angry, love your children and give them the childhood that you regret not having. Learn how to communicate better with your JW relatives by either reading books by cult exit counselors, like 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") and/or visiting websites like www.freedomofmind.com and watching FREE videos. I feel that you might learn a lot from watching Steve Hassan's video Strategic Interactive Approach explained 2003 (1:23:23).

Some things that you can do that will not raise a JW's cult persona are to:

Send your Mom postcards/emails with lots of pictures of you and your family on fun vacations,
Create a/update your FB page and include lots of pictures of you and your family having a lot of fun at birthday parties, christmas, on vacation, and enjoying life.
Invite them to do fun activities with you where they will meet non-JWs, who they may share common interests.

Have you thought about sending your mother a short note about how you love her unconditionally but you resent her pressuring you to be baptised at 13. You were not mature enough to make such a commitment. Now she feels that she must shun you for being baptised a JW to make you return to the WTBTS. You will never return to the WTBTS, so your Mom does not have to shun you so that you will return. You love her enough not talk about the WTBTS with her so that she can share happy moments with your family and be a loving grandma to your children.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

17

A proposal... What do y'all think?

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

i love this site, i really do.

it has helped thousands upon thousands of people to sort things out, and see ttatt.

i would like to propose something to help with the healing process and help people become ex-exjw's, if possible.

ABibleStudent

Congratulations about your parents not shunning you ILoveTTATT!! You lucked out big time.

Now go to the gym, go out and meet more active, positive, professional people, and enjoy your life. Being successful and enjoying life is probably the best way to dispel WTBTS induced phobias in your parents.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

17

A proposal... What do y'all think?

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

i love this site, i really do.

it has helped thousands upon thousands of people to sort things out, and see ttatt.

i would like to propose something to help with the healing process and help people become ex-exjw's, if possible.

ABibleStudent

Hi ILoveTTATT, Have you read/written threads in the Social forum and its subforms?

It is a good thing to go out and talk with and play with real friends and enjoy life instead of visiting JWN. It will be a great day for exJWs (and people adversely affected by the WTBTS) to no longer feel a desire to visit JWN.

I hope that you are enjoying your life, even though the WTBTS has "unduly influenced" your JW family and friends to shun you.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

7

Is honesty the best policy?

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

i ask because many a time being honest and telling the truth, even with tact is not met well - in my experience.. in the last couple of days i went for an interview with a company and when asked what my current package was i was honest and told the truth.

they came back with the exact same offer - i then asked if we could negotiate considering my experience blah blah blah - they didn't both to respond and after three emails and asking for some sort of curtesy reply, i got a very offish response.

a collegue i work with went for the same interview, lied about what she earns and they offered her a higher salary and were happy to negotiate even higher.

ABibleStudent

There is honesty and then there is total disclosure. IMHO it is dishonest to hide facts from or lie about facts to someone when there are adverse conseguences to a person.

As far as a job interview, you can tell a prospective employer what your exact salary is or you can say that your total compensation is more, which it usually is. For instance if your salary is $37.51/hr, you could tell a prospective employer that your salary is about $40/hr or that your total compsensation is more than $40/hr which it is when including employer paid social security tax and any other compensation such as paid vacations. Another thing that you could tell a prospective employer is what salary you want, like I'm want a minimum salary of $40/hr. Is it lying not to answer the question which was asked?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

27

My son has made his decision

by CaptainSchmideo in

jw
friends

this is the followup to this thread:.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/276119/1/well-its-march-and-the-college-answers-are-coming-in#.uyjdu_ldv2e.

the financial aid offer came in.. the first year of attending is actually cheaper than what we were going to pay at the state university after their scholarship offer.. i mean, really cheaper.. we would be fools to turn it down.. they are even flying him in for the preview week.. .

ABibleStudent

Congradulations to your son CaptainSchmideo!! I hope that he is able to find a balance between studying and enjoying the social life at MIT and in the Boston area.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

26

What if I am a disfellowshipped public school teacher?

by bsand20 in

jw
friends

could a parent put in a complaint to the school district and request that their child be transferred out of my classroom because i am exjw?

if they give me the jw school brochure (do they still do that?

sorry its been 16years since i've been out) can i just tell them i'm familiar with their teachings or should i just pretend i'm new to their teachings?....i'm a freshman in college so i have still a long ways before this situation is presented, however i"m trying to get prepared for it.

ABibleStudent

Welcome bsand20, DITTO what other posters wrote about love the children and show them empathy and compassion. You do not have to identify that you are an exJW to JWs. Just tell JW parents you understand and will comply with their requests.

Possibly the greatest gift that you can give to all students is to teach them to critically think for themselves by being a little skeptical of what people claim and encourage them to do independent research and show them how.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

94

Avoid Going back to the JW's - Educate Yourself about Mind Control

by flipper in

jw
friends

i've talked with some good friends on the board about this before and we seem to be in agreement : one reason ( among many ) that some disfellowshipped jw's go back and return to the wt organization is because they are full of uneeded guilt or uneeded fear because they haven't educated themselves about how the wt society uses mind control tactics to deceive them into thinking they have " nowhere else to go " .

i understand that some dfed ones may go back to the organization for family and friends- however- it's an exrecise in futility because once you learn the truth about the truth you cannot undo what you heard.

so some may just go back and live a fake jw life to appease family- but just think of how that can damage a person's emotional and mental health playing the fake jw game the rest of their lives !

ABibleStudent

Hi flipper, I'm glad that you're back. Long time, no read your posts.

Educationing oneself about BITE control techniques is very important. Some governments and religious organizations use some type of BITE control techniques to unduly influence people. I would rather be knowledgeable about BITE control so that I can make more informed choices.

As far as JWs returning to the WTBTS, it must be a very difficult choice. Even knowing about BITE control techniques does not help individuals to overcome the WTBTS induced phobias. It takes a lot of awareness, determination, and emotional support to be totally free of the WTBTS's BITE control. It all comes down to whether a person wants to be free or trapped.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

87

Over 7yrs as a JW and I just found out I'm not supposed to buy Girl Scout Cookies?

by Maat13 in

i'm still in the matrix(the truth), but 'morpheus' and his team are valiantly working on a way to get me out.

in the meantime, everyday i am discovering so much about being a jw i never knew, like don't buy girl scout cookies, that i keep asking myself "what have i got myself into".. maat.

really lame for a first post, but i figure i should start some where.

ABibleStudent

smiddy - Is Maat13 in fact Robert ABible Student ?

Hi Smiddy, No, I'm not masquerading as Maat13. Why would I want to? I thought of changing my avatar awhile ago, but decided against it.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

87

Over 7yrs as a JW and I just found out I'm not supposed to buy Girl Scout Cookies?

by Maat13 in

i'm still in the matrix(the truth), but 'morpheus' and his team are valiantly working on a way to get me out.

in the meantime, everyday i am discovering so much about being a jw i never knew, like don't buy girl scout cookies, that i keep asking myself "what have i got myself into".. maat.

really lame for a first post, but i figure i should start some where.

ABibleStudent

Hi Maat13, On a piece of paper, draw a "T" and on the left-side write all the good things that the WTBTS has done that you are personally aware of. I don't mean what you have seen on stage at a meeting or assembly unless you have done independent research to verify what is presented on the stage is true. On the right-side write what you feel the WTBTS has done that you are personally aware of that has harmed people. I will predict that there will be more examples of the WTBTS doing harm than good.

How do you feel JWs benefit from the WTBTS's stance on JWs not attending college to qualify for a better paying career?

How do you feel JWs benefit from the WTBTS requiring that KH's be unecessarily remodeled a KH or moving a congregation to another location and selling the old KH, and then the WTBTS pressures JWs to donate money to remodel or build a new KH?

How do you feel JWs benefit from the WTBTS requiring that JWs go out in FS when most people are not home or may adversely affect a JW's ability to work a 40-hr job? How about the WTBTS's stance on JWs attending 2 nights of meetings/week that might adversely affect a JW's ability to work a 40-hr job?

How do you feel JWs benefit from the WTBTS requiring that JWs do not accept whole blood transfusions or changing its blood doctrine over the last 60-years?

How do you feel JWs benefit from the WTBTS requiring that JWs shun JWs who DA themselves like Raymond Franz?

How do you feel JWs benefit from the WTBTS requiring that JWs not associate with non-JWs unless they are conducting indoctrination sessions (i.e., Bible Studies) with non-JWs.

How do you feel JWs benefit from loaning money to the WTBTS and then the WTBTS telling those JWs that it was not a loan but a donation?

How do you feel JWs benefit from being told to do more or give more to the WTBTS even if it reduces a JW's enjoyment?

How do you feel JWs benefit from having a cult persona and authentic persona, instead of a unified and authentic personality?

Keep on doing independent research of the WTBTS, and in less than 1 year you feelings about the WTBTS will change.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert