Nickolas

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Posts by Nickolas

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  24

  Converts and near-converts, what did you give up for the Watchtower?

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  if you're born-in you probably won't understand the subject question.

  maybe you will if you've taken up any bad habits since leaving the watchtower, if you've left at all.

  but if you were a convert (or near-convert, like i was) did you have to change your lifestyle in order to conform to the expectations of the society?.

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  Nickolas

  One of the hard lessons to be learned about this religion is the longer you hold on the more you lose.
• 
  23

  Wasting one's life on an ancient fantasy

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i could not help but think of my devout witness wife when i saw this in yesterday's funny pages:.

  it is reminiscent of something she said awhile back about being restored to all the glories of youth when the new system comes.

  from my non-theist perspective this is a sad example of escapism.

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• 

  Nickolas

  I suggest you call James Randi and arrange for the two of you to revisit your psychic healer. If she can demonstrate convincingly her ability to act as a mouthpiece for the dead, Mr. Randi will give you $1,000,000. He's had that prize out there for many years. So far nobody's been able to claim it. All the information you need as well as the application for claiming the prize is here. Assuming hers is a commercial enterprise (she charged you for the service, I trust) your psychic healer should have no objection to sharing the money with you.

  We have a tendency to believe what we want to believe, see what we want to see, hear what we want to hear. The fact that you went to see a psychic healer at all attests to your open disposition to such things, PS. I'm not saying it didn't work for you, because it obviously did. But I believe it was you who healed yourself, not the psychic and certainly not your dead father. To each his own, yes that is true. But will we find out sooner or later? If the light just goes out, as I believe, then we will find out nothing because our ability to discern anything at all will be extinguished with us. I can only base what I believe on the evidence I perceive, and the evidence I perceive tells me that just as we did not exist prior to our conception and birth we will not exist after we die. And just as it makes no sense to be afraid of the oblivion that preceeded our births, it is also nonsensical to be afraid of the oblivion that comes after we die.
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  68

  Is there a correlation between personality type and leaving the WT?...

  by Tuesday in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on facebook tonight there was a post asking to take a personality test, in posting the personality tests a trend started emerging that certain personality types seem to leave around the same time.. i came out as an intj which is introverted intuitive thinking judging.

  which a good paragraph describing it was:.

  intjs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "does it work?

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  Nickolas

  It's your thread.
• 
  68

  Is there a correlation between personality type and leaving the WT?...

  by Tuesday in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on facebook tonight there was a post asking to take a personality test, in posting the personality tests a trend started emerging that certain personality types seem to leave around the same time.. i came out as an intj which is introverted intuitive thinking judging.

  which a good paragraph describing it was:.

  intjs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "does it work?

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• 

  Nickolas

  If you can be honest enough with yourself to identify what it is you are trying to prove, you will be able to identify the bias in any survey you would design. Your OP is perfect insofar as it is not leading in its question. What is your personality type (per MBTI) and why did you leave? Simple and open. No agenda. So far, you seem to have identified a personality type that doesn't take things for granted. Perhaps you need only wait and see where this goes.
• 
  23

  Wasting one's life on an ancient fantasy

  by Nickolas in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i could not help but think of my devout witness wife when i saw this in yesterday's funny pages:.

  it is reminiscent of something she said awhile back about being restored to all the glories of youth when the new system comes.

  from my non-theist perspective this is a sad example of escapism.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Then explain my best friend, who vividly remembers being strangled by her husband in 18th century England, and had this memory of hers confirmed by a shaman without saying a word about it to him.

  False memory syndrome is a well documented psychological phenomenon. I can't explain it, PS, I can only refer you and your friend to the documentation. This is the first one that popped up on Google: http://psychology.about.com/od/findex/g/false-memory-definition.htm. There's lots more.
• 
  24

  Converts and near-converts, what did you give up for the Watchtower?

  by Nickolas in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  if you're born-in you probably won't understand the subject question.

  maybe you will if you've taken up any bad habits since leaving the watchtower, if you've left at all.

  but if you were a convert (or near-convert, like i was) did you have to change your lifestyle in order to conform to the expectations of the society?.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  dgp, I've been trying to get my mate to see what you see for 33 years and I have failed. Move on.
• 
  68

  Is there a correlation between personality type and leaving the WT?...

  by Tuesday in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on facebook tonight there was a post asking to take a personality test, in posting the personality tests a trend started emerging that certain personality types seem to leave around the same time.. i came out as an intj which is introverted intuitive thinking judging.

  which a good paragraph describing it was:.

  intjs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "does it work?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Forget about the survey. I've designed several and they're notoriously succeptible to the designer's bias. This thread is survey enough.
• 
  14

  A recent gb meeting in the watchtower catacombs

  by therevealer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  apparently there are more members than they have let us beleive.

  and sometimes the meetings go on and on and on.

  they don't even get to shave.. .

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• 

  Nickolas

  The GB is obviously intent on establishing their legitimacy. But they are not legitimate. They are exactly like Jim Jones and Marshall Applewhite and David Koresh., except with a shrewd business acumen. Follow these zealots to your downfall.
• 
  14

  A recent gb meeting in the watchtower catacombs

  by therevealer in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  apparently there are more members than they have let us beleive.

  and sometimes the meetings go on and on and on.

  they don't even get to shave.. .

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  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  And here I thought the old guy on the far right just blew a wet one and is wondering if anyone has noticed.
• 
  68

  Is there a correlation between personality type and leaving the WT?...

  by Tuesday in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  on facebook tonight there was a post asking to take a personality test, in posting the personality tests a trend started emerging that certain personality types seem to leave around the same time.. i came out as an intj which is introverted intuitive thinking judging.

  which a good paragraph describing it was:.

  intjs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "does it work?

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Nickolas

  Why so many INTJs when they're only 2-4% of the population? ENTJs just as rare. Either the online test is skewed or there is a correlation. I have an Excel 5.0 version of the actual MBTI. If anyone is interested, PM me and I will send you the download link.