I agree, I don't see how such a religion could possibly survive in this day and age. Their cultish ways are becoming more clear every day.
Things could spiral downhill mighty fast for the WT.
satinka
first of all, let me say that i do think this excuse of a religion is on a downward spiral, which will only accelerate.. as a born in, i always read comments here about how dedicated and hard-line we are.
most of the born ins (who stayed) develop a casual attitude toward everything.
even if you believe it, hearing about armageddon, constantly, doesn't excite you as much when it's the 1,000th time you've heard it.
I agree, I don't see how such a religion could possibly survive in this day and age. Their cultish ways are becoming more clear every day.
Things could spiral downhill mighty fast for the WT.
satinka
guess cause i'm considered inactive?
well, he moved to a new hall and went to 1 meeting with him.
didn't even stay the whole time.
Hi Cognac,
I'm so sorry to hear things are tough between you and your hubby right now.
I agree with some of the other posters that your child's health and well-being is the priority here. Mental and emotional health. JW-ville churns out babies like an assembly-line. More indoctrinated-from-birth members. So sad.
Perhaps your hubby ratted out on you to score "loyalty" points with the elders..?
Where is his loyalty to his wife?
Oh yeah, I forgot, he's brainwashed...WT first. So sad.
My suggestion would be to take care of yourself and your child first, cognac
Love,
satinka
this might sound a little strange but i hope some of you might understand.. my 17 year old boy is hot and heavy with his jw girlfriend.
he told me the other day that they had talked about getting married an two or three years, how they want to travel the world before having kids etc.
i asked him where getting baptised fitted into this, as they will need to be baptised if they want a kh wedding.
Auzzie Oz, are you "in" or "out" of the cult?
The reason I ask is because if you are "out", once he gets married, he will be forced to shun you. Is this acceptable to him?
He is awfully young. What about the girl, is she 17, too? Do her parents know about their daughter's relationship with an unbaptised boy?
It is sad that young ones take their first relationships so seriously. They do tend to get awfully depressed when it ends suddenly, especially if they are talking marriage. And undoubtedly there will be pressure to marry from the elders. You know, they must "avoid fornication" at all costs. Keep the organization clean. No doubt you know the drill.
I figure it might be best to just be a good friend to him and be observant. "Be there" for him. Answer his questions when he asks them. It's nice to see that the two of you are communicating. He does seem to confide in you with his concerns. That sounds like a healthy father-son relationship to me.
I don't know how many 17-year old boys make it to the altar, without experimenting with at least a few dates with other women. Seems awfully restrictive with himself to think the first gal is "the one."
I'm a grandma, so maybe I have forgotten what it was like to be 17...maybe... But I wish only happiness for you --- and for your son, too. At the end of this "thing" it would be nice if you and he were still "family."
Let us know how it is going...
satinka
you all know he was in a terrible motor bike accident.broke every bone in his body.
was in hospital for ages.
unconscience ...his exwife nancy.
Hi Grace,
I have a copy of the Fifth Estate documentary (on VHS) about the Silent Lambs. It's very good in showing how really uncooperative and evasive the WT is when coming to dealing with the issue of child sexual abuse. I think the reason the tape didn't get very much publicity is because the JWs legal department got involved. The program was supposed to run in BC, but was pulled at the last minute...duh ...at least if my recollection is correct (I'm a grandma, too, ya know!) The WT legals like to threaten and intimidate, as I understand.
*Sorry about changing the topic*
Back to you, OOMPA! Get well soon!
satinka
many years ago 2 guys visited our kh on meeting night.they were from some "anti-cult" group.
can't remember the name exactly.
everyone ignored them after talking with them for more than 2 seconds and realizing their purpose.. not me, i really wanted to debate them.
Welcome, Red Piller!
It took a lot of guts for the "apostates" to enter the lions' den with their message of hope.
Posting threads on this forum is a great start for you and any of us who desire freedom.... I am grateful for this forum. It has been a lifesaver which enabled me to swim to safety out of the shark-infested waters of the Jehovah's Witnesses' organization.
Best of luck in your search for freedom!
satinka
you all know he was in a terrible motor bike accident.broke every bone in his body.
was in hospital for ages.
unconscience ...his exwife nancy.
Grace, I'm so glad that OOMPA has you for a friend --- and for a connection to reality.
Gosh, the religion interferes with so many lives in such harsh ways. I agree with another poster who suggested going to the newspapers with the story. My reason for that: If we keep quiet about the jw interference, perhaps we are "enabling" such disrespectful behavior to continue longer than it needs to.
Sending positive vibes to OOMPA and family,
satinka
in sweden the tradition is to eat lobster and fillet of beef and champagne of course!
party, dance and party more with family and friends.. i've never attended a real new year party (for obvious reasons) but it would be nice sometime.... i'm happy that my boyfriend will come and join me from the north.
some times i find it hard to stay awake until midnight though.
Absolutely I will celebrate New Year's Eve!
Mr satinka and I are going dinnner-dancing with friends!
satinka
1.the organization itself denies access to reality and substitutes its own version, interpretations and meanings.. a.only watchtower approved publications are allowed.. b.no higher education is to be pursued.. c.no non-jw friends or associations are encouraged with their "outside" points of view.. d.no free-style questioning of doctrine or criticism permitted.
curiousity is verboten.. e.threat of being "marked" or disassociated looms over them.
2.between every real-world event and the rank and file jw's mind is a roadblock.. a.the moment of identifying is short-circuited by an interpretive moment of re-labeling in watchtower-speak.. b.all things happening are forced into a narrow storyline and propagandized as end times happenings leading to armageddon.. 3.social and personal identity is expunged and replaced by a collective persona: "jehovah's witness".. a.private thinking is red-flagged as selfish and sinful.. b.personal improvement, welfare and ambition is crushed and door-to-door ministry substituted as "worthy" endeavors.. c.self-conscious obsession permeates witness awareness as each person is transformed into a public spectacle of performance for judgement.. d.since you aren't an individual you don't really have a right to fall in love and marry or educate or earn.
Your depth of research is great, Terry. Thanks for sharing your insights.
Terry wrote:
5.Talent, Creativity and Genius are transformed into useless and wasteful ego problems.
a.No room is made in the Organization for personal praise for achievement since all glory is for Jehovah only.
b.Neither Musical, Artistic, Scientific or Mathematical ability is needed or encouraged because the preaching activity trumps and supercedes all.
Of special interest to me is 5b, which rang so true. I personally was told, "there will be unlimited time AFTER ARMAGEDDON to pursue dancing, music and art." Try telling that to someone whose soul urges them toward these pursuits.
Had to leave...gone dancing!
satinka
i wanted to make a dramatic video to remind jw's to be faithful in what is least.. i need as many things as possible, each will only get a few seconds each but it will speed up until the things arent visable to the naked eye and it will end with a spining grinning satan head.
huh, i know it's nuts but trust me it wil work.. these are the types of things i'm looking for.
april fools day.
I see Chess is on the list. I was told Chess was wrong because it was a "war game."
I was a member of several congregations (in Saskatchewan and Alberta) where brothers were not allowed to wear colored shirts.
satinka
on december 10, 2010, appearing in our local newspaper was an article titled, social science palooza, written by columnist, david brooks.
"every day, hundreds of thousands of scholars study human behavior.
every day, a few of their studies are bundled and distributed via e-mail by kevin lewis, who covers the social sciences for the boston globe and national affairs.
JWs are TOLD they have the truth and never to doubt for a minute, or Satan will find an "in" --- the basis of FEAR.
If they dared to doubt, their entire world would crumble, they would lose all their friends and family if they got disfellowshipped. FEAR
At all costs, they must prove to themselves that their doubts are NOT valid. FEAR
They must prove to themselves that they have the truth, just as they have been told. FEAR
The must prove that they do not doubt because they are loyal to the organization and to Jehovah.FEAR
They must prove that they are not Apostates.FEAR
All part of the brainwash.
It's circular.
satinka