as you know, my husband has physically left the witnesses.
he nevertheless clings to many of the beliefs like a protective cloak, and every once in a while i trigger a dissonant episode where my reality clashes with his.
recently he listened in on my work research, a video of a futurist describing the a potential "disruptive change" event in the next fifteen years, as our culture shifts to autonomic (driverless) vehicles.
When a JW feels cognitive dissonance, s/he probably will recite a thought-stopping platitude to reduce it. Learning how to overcome thought-stopping platitudes may help empower the authentic persona of a JW. At least it is better than agreeing with a JW or saying nothing.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
Hi Melchisedek, Americans are not prohibited from traveling to Cuba, but there are many limitations to travel to Cuba legally (i.e., not freely) (read http://gocaribbean.about.com/od/cuba/a/How-To-Travel-To-Cuba-If-You-Are-An-American.htm). Americans can also travel to a third country and then to Cuba as long as the American passport does not have a Cuban stamp on it.
Thanks for clarifying what the "iron barrier" was.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
contact me through my website at: http://watchtowerdocuments.org/contact-barbara/.
thank you,.
barbara.
Hi Barbara, Have you visited the website http://www.apostatechick.com/? I would recommend contacting Apostachick because of her video blog experience, her age, and her on camera appeal.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
Melchisedek - In Russian there are many articles and books written about JW Russian exJW ... We in Russia are trying to help JW begin to think critically and to be free from the cult of WT
Hi Melchisedek, What do Russian articles and books recommend to help JWs to critically think for themselves? How effective have those Russian articles and books been for you and other exJWs to help JWs to critically think for themselves? In the US JWs avoid reading information that criticizes the WTBTS or talking with people who criticize the WTBTS. The WTBTS's BITE control is very powerful.
Although I like Steve Hassan's methods a lot, it is very difficult to ask simple questions of JWs, to invite them to do fun non-WTBTS activities, and overcome thought-stopping platitudes, when they run away if they feel their beliefs are threatened. I have not personally been successful helping JWs/exJWs overcome the WTBTS's BITE control, because the one JW who I care about avoids talking with me. An exJW, who I know, does not believe in the Bible but does believe that the WTBTS has the "Truth". JWs who knock on my door try to just drop off WTBTS propaganda without having a conversation.
To make sure that I understand what you wrote about the "iron barrier", after the USSR collasped the Russian Federation passed laws to prevent Russians from immigrating (or traveling?) from Russia to other countries and to create barriers to freely trade outside of Russia. I do not like it when the US government prevents me from freely traveling to countries like Cuba. I would never immigrate to Cuba or most other countries, but I like to visit other countries for a vacation.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
Melchisedek - I thanks to the Internet is no longer a JW, thanks old books Watchtower - Russell, Rutherford, Knorr. A great influence on me have the book Raymond Franz, Don Cameron, Carl Olof Jonsson and others. In Russian there is a lot of truth about JW)))
Hi Melchisedek, Although reading books by Raymond Franz, Don Cameron, etc to learn more about the WTBTS's history and doctrines was very important to you, most JWs believe in the WTBTS for emotional reasons and do not critically think for themselves.
Have you read books by cult-exit couselors 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"), visited his website www.freedomofmind.com, or watched his FREE videos on his website?
Do you want to help JW family and friends to critically think for themselves so that they can live life free from the WTBTS? If you do, it may be better to ask them simple questions instead of showing them what helped you to see TTATT, encourage them to do time consuming non-WTBTS hobbies that they love, and to learn how to overcome thought-stopping platitudes that the WTBTS teaches them.
By the way, what is an "iron barrier" and why is it good? I have not read "Iron barrier" in Western media sources. I have read articles in English on Russia Today, but do not remember the phrase "iron barrier".
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
Hi Melchisedek, I appologize for asking about whether you knew about on-line language translators. Since you wrote that you are trying to learn English, I was trying to help you translate English to Russian . I was not implying that Russia is a banana republic. Russians have made many important contributions and scientific advances in medicine, space exploration, aviation, as well as literature and peace.
I admire Mikhail Gorbachev and his policies of glasnost and perestroika, because they helped end the Cold War between the US and Russia. What are your feelings about Gorbachev?
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
so wife and kids went to meeting while i stayed home because i am on a religious cleanse.
i feel really sad and lonely but i know that it is for the best.. on a side note, doe anyone here still agree with jw doctrines?
trinity being false?
Hi lambsbottom, How has the WTBTS made your life better? Slave for the WTBTS now distributing propaganda and donate your money to the building fund now. In the future you will live on paradise earth if you survive Armageddon. Sounds like a pipe dream to me as well as you won't be living and enjoying life now.
Show me 1 conditional loving JW and I will show you 10 unconditional loving non-JWs, who are having a lot more fun living life now.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
Hi Melchisedek, Как у вас дела? (How are you doing?) Your English is better than my Russian. Do you know about websites that will translate Russian to English and vice versa for free: www.freetranslation.com?
Because of the rhetoric between the White House and the Kremlin and in the news media in the USA, I am curious how Russians you know feel about Americans. I feel that most Americans like Russians, just not how the Kremlin (i.e., Putin) treats Russians and neighboring countries.
I hope that you are not being adversely affected by events in Ukraine and targeted EU/UsA sanctions towards Russia. Personally, I do not feel that sanctions will positively influence the Kremlin.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
hi guys!
is anyone sensing an increasingly sanctimonious arrogance in j-dubs recently?
im asking this as i am finding that with the two major news stories in the last few weeks (ie.
Hi jk-ton, I would ask them, "How are the current conflicts worse than WWI, WWII, the Korean Conflict, the six-day War, etc.?", "How will you feel after the Ukrainian, Gaza, and Iraq crisis get settled?", and "What would cause you to critically think for yourself instead of blindly repeating what the WTBTS feeds you?"
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
last month, my best friend of four years and boyfriend of six months came home from a jehovah's witness convention.
he'd been acting strangely the entire weekend and i knew something was wrong.
i initiated a discussion and he said, "essentially our relationship is wrong and i'm not supposed to be with you.
tiff21390 - I just would like some advice and encouragement on how to deal.
Welcome tiff21390 , I'm sorry that you are feeling hurt by your ex-boyfriend's decision to break-up. It would be best for you to move on with your life by doing fun activities with close friends and making new friends. If you are unemployed and don't love where you currently live, maybe moving back home for a short-time would help you emotionally and financially.
DITTO what breakfast of champions wrote about reading 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").
Avoid relationships with JWs and other members of dangerous cults. I felt like you about 5 years ago when my "Spiritually Strong" (non-thinking) JW (and former) friend and I fell in love with each other. It was very painful, but I dodged a bullet by her not wanting to continue our relationship with each other because of the unequal yoke argument. My former friend has two personas. An authentic persona that I fell in love with and her cult persona that caused her to feel guilty being with me. Reading Steve Hassan's books will help you to better understand what I am writing about.
Your friend's cult persona broke up with you because of his recent attendance at a WTBTS convention. The more JWs attend WTBTS events the stronger their cult persona becomes for a couple of weeks. In a couple of weeks your friend may try to contact you as his authentic persona misses you and his cult persona grows weaker. If your friend does contact you, your life will have less unnecessary drama if you ignor his calls and move on with your life. Your JW friend has too much unnecessary emotional baggage that he would need to resolve before you could ever trust him to love you more than the WTBTS.
Best of wishes for you.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
