Posts by ABibleStudent

31

Be a part of research about leaving the JWs...

by TerriO in

jw
friends

hi guys,.

some of you may remember me, i've been on here before in the past and been about on the exjws forums on and off for about 7 years now.

you've probably also seen me advertising the xjw meet ups in london as well..... :-).

ABibleStudent

Hi TerriO, Have you asked to post your survey on www.jwfacts.com, www.watchtowerdocuments.com, www.freeminds.org, www.silentlambs.org, and other exJW forums?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

31

Be a part of research about leaving the JWs...

by TerriO in

jw
friends

hi guys,.

some of you may remember me, i've been on here before in the past and been about on the exjws forums on and off for about 7 years now.

you've probably also seen me advertising the xjw meet ups in london as well..... :-).

Best wishes that at least 200 exJWs complete your survey TerriO. When your research is completed, I hope that you send a copy to members of parliment to help them understand how dangerous cults like the WTBTS injury their members either emotionally or physically.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

33

New to the board

by jbeau504 in

jw
friends

i'm new to this board and looking to see what it's all about.

i'm currently an unbaptized publisher and third-generation jw, so for obvious reasons i can't give my real name due to personal concerns.

so from now on people can refer to me as "jimmy".

ABibleStudent

Welcome Jimmy (jbeau504) to JWN. I hope that you postpone getting baptized until you are convinced that the WTBTS has the "Truth". I look forward to your opinions in the future. Also, congratulations on overcoming WTBTS phobias of not reading or posting on exJW internet forums.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

17

JW boyfriend, the sequel

by SEL in

almost a year ago i made a few posts here about how much effort i ought to put into getting a man i loved considerably out of the wt.

by that point i had already put in a lot of effort and accumulated a nice collection of books on the wt, on cults, on bible chronology.

then i finally gave up and decided to leave.. we kept in pretty regular touch until last fall, when i moved a neat twelve time zones away.

ABibleStudent

Hi SEL, Why don't you ask him if he is married. If he says yes, then confront him about how you feel about him calling you.

I know that it will be hard for you, but the best thing for you to do is tell him to stop calling you. It is impossible for JWs, who absolutely believe that the WTBTS knows the "Truth", to be friends with non-JWs, because JWs believe in ConLove and not unconditional love. Friends listen to each others opinions because they respect each other, and encourage each other to excel. JWs are taught to look down on non-JWs and to fear disagreeing with the WTBTS.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

9

Thinking about going to the memorial and...

by popcorn_eater in

partaking.. background: i have never been a jw.

i have been brought into their world (and the way better ex-jw world) through having a jw stepdaughter and extended family.

i have really come to love my stepdaughter and frankly all this jw stuff pisses me off to no end, as you all might imagine.

ABibleStudent

Welcome popcorn_eater to JWN. Your time might be better spent reading books written by Steve Hassan (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control" and "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves") or by Don Cameron (i.e., "Captives of a Concept"). The best thing that you can do is plan fun outings with your family: introduce your JW step-daughter to nice "Worldly" friends, who are her age; and help her to learn more about the internet (i.e., Wikipedia and articles about the WTBTS) to do her homework.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

20

Hello!

by digderidoo in

just having a browse ... wow 11 years ago i joined this site.

in previous years i had a number of ex jw issues and this site really helped both for support and to vent my anger.. hello to anyone who remembers me, though there looks many new ones now..

ABibleStudent

digderidoo - As for the Human Rights Act (HRA) to be used against the Watchtower, it never could. Whatever the issue is against the watchtower, would always be balanced against Article 9 of the ECHR (which the HRA implements), 'freedom of thought, conscience and religion'.

Hi digderidoo, Too bad that the WTBTS organizations has more rights than individiual JWs. I always thought that Human Rights were for humans and not corporations. It seems a shame that the WTBTS will trample on the Human Rights of JWs and then seek protection from governments in the name of JWs. If history is any kind of teacher, many followers have been persecuted by their religious leaders, so members need more protection than an organization.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

27

Steve Hassan's books

by tornapart in

at the moment i can't get these books, they are not available as ebooks and i can't risk having them in the house.

but i have heard so much about them and how helpful they are that i am just wondering if any who have read them can give some insights they have gained from them that would be useful to know.

thanks in advance.

ABibleStudent

Hi tornapart, You can visit Steve Hassan's website at www.freedomofmind.com and use the site's search feature to locate additional information.

I read Steve Hassan's "Combatting Cult Mind Control" about a year ago. I wrote the following threads to help other people, who wanted to learn more but were afraid to posses the book:

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

63

Prelude to a disfellowshipping

by rory-ks in

jw
friends

i was 25 years a congregation member; ten years an elder; all told, up to 18 years an appointed man; a decade or so as a full-time minister; assembly speaker, with the pinnacle giving the public discourse at a district convention.. .

i stopped being an active member of the congregation in november 2010, but it had been brewing for several years, with the customary gradual drifting away - all the necessary mental gymnastics as my spiritual views changed and doubts set in; quitting the theocratic ministry school; ceasing to answer; sitting quietly off to the side.

i think the straw that broke the camels back was when family worship inevitably became family worship.

ABibleStudent

Welcome rory-ks to JWN. Are you an American citizen? Did you disagreed with any WTBTS's religious doctrines in your blog? If you are an American, didn't disagree with doctrines, and the WTBTS disfellowships you, you should write a letter to the Treasury Department, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and Americans United (AU) asking them to challenge that the WTBTS is entitled to receive tax exemptions under Title 26 §501(c)(3), because they infringed on your rights to freedom of religion and speech by disfellowshipping you and there by promoting other JWs to shun you (i.e., read an article in the July 16, 2011 Watchtower, Study Edition) . Writing to the aforementioned organizations may not help, and it will not hurt your situation.

In the 1970's and 1980's the IRS revoked the Title 26 §501(c)(3) tax exempt status of Bob Jones University and Goldsboro Christian Schools, Inc. because both organizations prohibited students from having interracial relationships while attending their religious schools. The Supreme Court sided with the IRS in BOB JONES UNIVERSITY, GOLDSBORO CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS, INC. v. UNITED STATES. 461 U.S. 574 (1983). In the past the Supreme Court has narrowly construed tax exemption and taxation of religious organizations in its decisions.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

20

It's official!

by lilbluekitty in

tonight i just got my certificate: i'm officially a member of my church and a baptist.

(i think of myself as just a general christian, but i like the laid-backishness of the baptists.

i definitely don't think one denomination is better than anyone else though, and my church is multi-cultural, so i'm not a hater of other races like some southern baptists).

ABibleStudent

Congratulations ((((((lilbluekitty))))))!! It is better to live and enjoy life now. Instead of toiling for other men and waiting for the end to start living.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

23

Message at yesterdays assembly

by isaacaustin in

a relative of mine was at the assembly yesterday and was appalled at the message givien before lunch:.

she heard them blast higher education...then warn to not miss meetings for work...then they gave the stupidest illustration i ever heard- they said that it is true that supporting your family is important...but not to give it too much importance and said it is like trying to cross a busy street.

they said if you see a car a long distance off it is ok to cross, if you are too careful you will never cross the street.

ABibleStudent

isaacaustin - She heard them blast higher education…then warn to not miss meetings for work . . .

I'm a little confounded why the WTBTS would say don't miss meetings for work? If JWs don't work, who will donate money to pay the bills at Bethel? I understand why the WTBTS does not want JWs to get a higher education, because then JWs might gain critical thinking skills and leave the WTBTS. Since the WTBTS stopped charging for its literature, how does going out in field service or attending meetings help the WTBTS collect donations? The WTBTS is a corporation and money is the life-blood of a corporation, so how does money flow into the WTBTS?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert