so, a lot of you know the situation with my kids.
my older son asks me today why i put in the divorce consent decree why he can't get baptized until he's 18. as we talked, i told him that the wt rules are that once he is 18 he can't talked to me anymore if he is baptized.
he doesn't believe me and since i don't have the wt materials or cd anymore, i need some references from the wt about how children treat df'ed parents and when they should start shunning, etc.. can anyone help me out?
Hi EntirelyPossible, Have you read "When Someone We Love Leaves Jehovah", pg 30-32 in the July 15, 2011 Watchtower? I don't think that the article applies only to parents df'ing their children.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
all of us who have any ties to the jws know that they have their own vernacular, their own slang.
sure, there are formal titles that we can't really get away from: pioneer, ministerial servant, elder, ______ overseer, governing body, the (watchtower) society, etc.
but there are plenty of other bits of parlance they use that i can do without.... for example:.
"Loves Jehovah" = blindly serves the WTBTS
"Godless" = not a JW and does not blindly serve the WTBTS
"Christian Conscience" = indoctrinated in the WTBTS doctrines
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
i retired in the middle of may.. i know many of you would love to have endless free time on your hands too.. right?.
ummm, well..... i'm use to being very active.
i use to stand on my feet eight hours a day.. at the bookstore i'd have to squat, stoop, stretch, lift, walk.. i had to sort, answer question, make change.
Congratulations Terry on finding a hobby to keep your mind busy. A mind is a terrible thing to waste in retirement.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
whenever a newbie signs on...my heart skips a beat.
i wonder if it might be my son?
my daughter?
I am always sad to hear newbies' stories, and hope that I write something that will make it easier for them to recover and live a happy and productive life.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
DesirousOfChange - In my opinion, taxing religion based businesses on a basis equal to any other business would not constitute making a"law respecting the establishment of religion". Evidently, the Supreme Court viewed California's sales tax on religious material the same way. Equal taxation, NOT exempt from it. With the dire economic situation faced in the US, politicians (let alone citizens) could easily see religion as a bastian of wealth to be tapped.
Is the WTBTS a publishing company that is trying to avoid paying taxes, or a religion? I feel the WTBTS is the former and not the latter. Also, I feel that any organization that uses mind control techniques, like what the WTBTS uses or as described in Steve Hassan's book "Combatting Cult Mind Control" should pay taxes, because of the harm that they do to citizens of a country. Since the requirements for 501(c)(3) organizations are defined by Congress, I would support any tax revision that would prohibit organizations that practice mind control from being considered as tax exempt, or better yet replace the existing personal income tax with a retail sales tax.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
i am finally on board after lurking here for quite some time.
i have been impressed and depressed by what i have seen here and hope i can add something meaningful.
a little personal history: i was born the son of the then "congregation servant" and his wife.
Welcome 30 years out and thank you for your post. Have you told your Df'ed family members about reading Steve Hassan's books (e.g., "Combatting Cult Mind Control") and Raymond Franz's books (e.g., "Crisis of of Consience") and visiting www.jwfacts.com and Steve Hassan's webiste (www.freedomofmind.com)? I wish you and your family the best in rebuilding your lives and overcoming the indoctrination of the WTBTS.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
i was wondering if some of you can give me some advice in how to get over the fact that i feel so inadequate when trying to make new friends!!
since i left the borg i have only made about 2-3 close friends... the wts ruined my social skills and i am so depressed because i am afraid of the real world... i know i am ready to move on... but i dont know how.. i feel like i dont belong in there but i dont belong out here either... i am in social limbo.. and it sucks to have no friends.. .
when i was in i hated the weekends because i was basically forced to go to service, now i hate the weekends because if the few friends i have are busy w their families or partners i am stuck all by myself... :( please give me some pointers i feel super lonely!
Hi Free!! It sounds like you are having a difficult time making new friends, because you don't know what to say to them more than you don't know where to meet them. Do you ask them questions about what they are doing? Sometimes the simplist quesitons are the best to start a conversation. Do you smile and laugh when you talk with them? Do you like to talk about popular music, movies, etc, or do you like to talk about what JW's talk about (i.e., the end of the world)? Lighten up a little bit, and be less judgemental when talking with friends. Conversations do not have to be about good versus bad. What do you love doing? I mean what do you do that you are very passionate about. It helps to share common interests with friends that you are both passionate about doing. After you get to know your friends, do you tell them about how you felt growing up a JW? I hope that this helps you.
Also, you might want to read Steve Hassan's books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control") to learn to overcome phobias from your JW experience. Do you still feel that you cannot trust "Worldly" people, because that is what you were taught?
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
well i have been lurking for the past couple of weeks and have finally decided to create an account.
just wanted to introduce myself and relate my life story in the borg, specifically from the past few weeks- which i think has been a lot easier than many on the board.
anyway, my mum began to study when i was 10 (2005) and since then has been babtized; she strongly believes it is the truth.
Welcome Iseenow. Have you read Steve Hassan's books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control") or visited his website ( www.freedomofmind.com )? I checked out "Combatting Cult Mind Control" from a library in the USA. If you want to read abridged information about "Combatting Cult Mind Control", I wrote the following threads about "Combatting Cult Mind Control": Combating Destructive Mind Control – Part I and Combating Destructive Mind Control - Part II on JWN. If you want to read how to possibly adapt Steve Hassan’s techniques to born-in JWs you can read Combating Destructive Mind Control - Part III . Steve Hassan might give you some ideas about dealing with your mum and brother. You could also post specific questions to members of this forum, who have had similiar experences.
I would also suggest not getting baptized as a JW until you have absolutely no doubts, and do it for yourself and not to please other people.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
haven't sent this yet: might not, but i think it would help people here:.
to all my family members and friends of the jehovahs witnesses.
for the past year and a half i have been deeply immersing myself in the community which you refer to as the apostates: the ex jehovahs witness community.
serenitynow! - I gotta tell you, 99% will not go beyond the first sentence. You can't say you've been "immersing" yourself in the apostate community. You know the kind of visceral reaction a "true" JW will have after seeing that word.
Hi sabstious, your letter is very honesty and thought provoking to a non-JW, and I agree with serenitynow! What is your objective (or desired outcome) for writing a letter to your friends and relatives? If you are trying to build bridges with your friends and relatives, I would recommend sending them pictures of you and your family doing fun things and enjoying life. You could also invite them to Birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, etc celebrations. LOL If you want to free their minds, I would suggest sending them anonymous emails as I wrote in "You've Got Mail!". Good-luck with writing your letter.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
like a creep, i've popped out of nowhere and i've been throwing my 2 around all over this forum.
i'm sorry it's such a long post.
i hesitated and delayed writing it knowing it'd be long.
Welcome Velour, I'm sorry about the abuse you have suffered, and thank you for introducing yourself. Since you like to read, have you read Steve Hassan's book (e.g., "Combatting Cult Mind Control") and Raymond Franz's books (i.e., "Crisis of Conscience")?
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
ABibleStudent
