Posts by Brighid

26

Depressing chat to my still-in brother about the RC

by Lemonp in

here is a quick breakdown of our conversation (by text message).

me: "have you read about the royal commission?

the org has been covering up child abuse.

Brighid

"The Royal Commission is how Jehovah is fixing it"

Call me ever hopeful - but this could actually be an ever so slight chink in the armor. If you follow the thinking process here, they're at least acknowledging that something was DEEPLY flawed with how the GB was and has been handling things for a very long time, instead of falling back on "it's all lies" or unwarranted "persecution!!". This line of thought at least brings them out of boot step with the GB being godhead and acknowledging that there is something or someone higher (what they call "Jehovah") that can discipline or trump the GB. To my mind this is a huge leap for typical JW mindset, especially in light of the fact that over the last few years it seems, the GB is more and more trying to set themselves up as JW's personal godhead and actually distancing the RF from the One True God.

15

Are Witnesses Allowed to Read Bible by itself

by Brighid in

i've been away from the boards so long that i had to create a new account but recent events have brought me back - i've missed this place!

anyway, i heard a former witness being interviewed the other day that said the witnesses were now being highly discouraged to read the bible by itself (without wt literature) on their own.

this seems over the top even for the witnesses.

Brighid

Uuugggh!!! I feel so badly for those left in. What hope do they have left for a real connection to Spirit (God), if they must always filter it through the publications. My first glimpse of freedom and true connection to "God" was when I took my father's very old King James which had all Jesus' words highlighted in red and started reading only his supposed words. They gave me hope and really spoke to me.

5

Governing Body monthly broadcast a prime example of delusional people willing to go public with their nonsense before for the whole world

by Brokeback Watchtower in

i think the governing body is so delusional to give these monthly broad cast i'm mean it is totally a show of their complete ignorance to keep broad casting their ugly mugs to the world uttering utter nonsense to be used against them in a court of law.

they can't think above the mentality of a brain dead devotee, they think they are giving a good witness in what ever they speak which indicates a severe denial and compartmentalization going on in their psyche so that they have no knowledge of when they are out right lying.

Brighid

I've listened to a few and I'm actually embarrassed for them. I've actually wondered if they're so old, out of touch, delusional and protected that they could've been co-opted amd mind conyrolled by power hungry, corporate, mafia types who just use them to rob the masses. Then I realize that no, they're very much am active part of it too. It's still mafia-corporate-power-gone-mad type of propoganda and control but they know what they're doing. Like the godfathers they are. I knew it when Jackson evaded authorities in Australia and let his henchmen take the fall for the sex abuse scandals.

15

Are Witnesses Allowed to Read Bible by itself

by Brighid in

i've been away from the boards so long that i had to create a new account but recent events have brought me back - i've missed this place!

anyway, i heard a former witness being interviewed the other day that said the witnesses were now being highly discouraged to read the bible by itself (without wt literature) on their own.

this seems over the top even for the witnesses.

Brighid

Thanks Wolfman85... I was really hoping this person was exaggerating. But deep down inside, I kinda figured. That means that people of true Faith within the organization have almost no hope of forming a personal relationship to their Deity. Even though I've left all that behind, I feel really saddened for the ones left inside. I remember during my darkest periods as a witness, if I'd not read the bible by itself, on my own with intense prayer, I'd have probably "offed" myself (I was that depressed as a Witness - happily, not any more). It was like Spirit was communicating with me directly and those times were the times that I felt most comforted and loved - alone with the bible and "God", who as much as spoke to me, and kept me alive during periods of DEEP distress as a witness. I cannot imagine what would've happened to me if I'd been cut off from that or felt somehow that I was doing something "wrong" - how sad for those left in.

15

Are Witnesses Allowed to Read Bible by itself

by Brighid in

i've been away from the boards so long that i had to create a new account but recent events have brought me back - i've missed this place!

anyway, i heard a former witness being interviewed the other day that said the witnesses were now being highly discouraged to read the bible by itself (without wt literature) on their own.

this seems over the top even for the witnesses.

Brighid

Thank you and thank you. *sigh* That's what's so frustrating and what outsiders can never grasp hold of when legally examining the organization - all the double speak, group think, hive mentality and rules that are just "understood". Like how the MINUTE you hear "it's an individual matter up to one's own conscience"... inside, you just KNOW that it's not to be done (wink, wink, nudge, nudge - if someone does this, they're to be marked). It's like those words spoken from the podium at a Kingdom Hall mean the exact opposite in the real world. That's why it was so difficult to watch the ARC (even though I hung on every word of every day), just knowing, in a very difficult to quantify way, that what the elders and branch members were saying on the stand was carefully designed to sound like one thing to an outsider and completely opposite to an insider. Like, you just KNOW if someone tries to go to the police with abuse charges how they'll be viewed in the congregation. Especially if the abuser is a higher up.

15

Are Witnesses Allowed to Read Bible by itself

by Brighid in

i've been away from the boards so long that i had to create a new account but recent events have brought me back - i've missed this place!

anyway, i heard a former witness being interviewed the other day that said the witnesses were now being highly discouraged to read the bible by itself (without wt literature) on their own.

this seems over the top even for the witnesses.

Brighid

I've been away from the boards so long that I had to create a new account but recent events have brought me back - I've missed this place! Anyway, I heard a former witness being interviewed the other day that said the witnesses were now being highly discouraged to read the bible by itself (without WT literature) on their own. This seems over the top even for the witnesses. Having been out for over 15 years now, I was hoping someone more recently in could shed some light on this. Surely this isn't true... sadly, I will not be shocked if it is.

11

Crisis of Conscience

by FreeGirl2006 in

do you think that any of the clueless, amnesiacs that appeared before the rc will have a crisis of conscience over the abuse situation?

seriously, with the grilling they received from our new heroes, they would have to be sociopaths not to do some long hard thinking about the lack of empathy and compassion the borg displays as a top down policy towards abuse victims.

i can understand these idiots not having an awakening within the confines of their daily lives since they stay cloistered in their belief system, but the rc forced them into the real world with their questions and one would hope, made them think.

Brighid

I got the feeling that one or two of the elders was probably thinking, why am I taking the hard fall for just following orders. And that they didn't personally feel very good about having to defend the WT's indefensible policy. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but there was one that looked like he truly did have some personal regrets about his part in how it was handled. I'd like to believe that there's some human compassion somewhere left in the organization... somewhere. somehow.

7

Hello Again

by spoils_useful_habits in

jw
friends

hi everyone, i joined this site 9 years ago, posted a few times but decided i just didn't want anything to do with the jw's anymore including perusing exjw sites.

i felt that i just had to completely "detox" myself from this religion, not even talking about how much disgust i had for it.

it did a wonder of good.......but, i recently came across an article about the australian child abuse cases and started to see what was happening with that, which got me here again.

Brighid

And TTATT is on YouTube as jwstruggle and has some excellent videos.

7

Hello Again

by spoils_useful_habits in

jw
friends

hi everyone, i joined this site 9 years ago, posted a few times but decided i just didn't want anything to do with the jw's anymore including perusing exjw sites.

i felt that i just had to completely "detox" myself from this religion, not even talking about how much disgust i had for it.

it did a wonder of good.......but, i recently came across an article about the australian child abuse cases and started to see what was happening with that, which got me here again.

Brighid

Spoilsusefulhabits, the ARC is what brought me back to the boards. I was here about 7 to 9 years ago as well. It's amazing how the community has grown.

20

An Obvious Contradiction Mr Stewart is Missing

by cofty in

all jws on the stand have stuck to the same line that they have no problem with cooperating with mandatory reporting when state law requires it.. if the law does not require it then bible principles absolutely prevent them from taking away rights of the victim to report abuse to the police or not.. we have already heard from a jw rep a couple of days ago who proudly asserted that when the law conflicts with bible principle they will always obey the bible and quoted acts 5:29 "we must obey god rather than men".. please join the dots!.

Brighid

Agreed. They're (the commission) are doing a very good job but I'm afraid they're missing a lot of the double speak and "inside" references that you'd only recognize having "been in". However, was glad to hear that obviously, they've been clued into "Theocratic Warfare" concept. It's also not lost on me, as it seems obviously lost on the "brothers", that all those times congregants were told, even after suffering grave injustices to "wait on Jehovah, he'll bring it all out", that that is precisely what is happening. I call it Natural Law, and not Jehovah's but either way, you can't trod all over good people, call good bad and bad good without there being eventual grave consequences.