Posts by troubledfiancee

27

Question for our WT history experts

by tenyearsafter in

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does anyone know the significance or meaning of the suit of armor depicted in the upper right hand corner of the picture?.

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troubledfiancee

Diamond - I agree with you in part. Is the WT-Russell-Mason connection a theory? Yes. Undocumented though? No, the connections and similarities in imagery, symbolism and even belief structures are undeniable.

Was he actually a Mason or did he just study and emulate them? I don’t think there has been any evidence to date to prove this one way or the other. It may very well be the case that he just studied them as he did the pyramids. And the similarities certainly don’t prove any of the conspiracy theories (Illuminati, NWO, etc…)

Either way, it provides insight into the early years of the WT and further signifies the break between Russell and Rutherford. I really would like to see an example of that exact image in connection with Masons (or wherever it leads).

27

Question for our WT history experts

by tenyearsafter in

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does anyone know the significance or meaning of the suit of armor depicted in the upper right hand corner of the picture?.

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troubledfiancee

The Book: "The Watchtower and the Masons" indicates it is a Knights of Malta insignia. The lefthand side is certainly from the Order of the Knights Templar, very well documented.

Here's a clip from the book:

11

My spiritual goal...reaching out

by 2tone in

jw
friends

i'm so tired of hearing people setting goals for themselves.

i know people who are in there early twenties with the goal of being a c.o.

do people just wake up one day and say "i think ill become a c.o" well i know some girls that want to marry a c.o.

troubledfiancee

Well i know some girls that want to marry a C.O. or wont date anything less than a ministerial servants. WTF... My favorite is there is a girl that would use a bethel application to rate the guys she dated.

Wow, that is pretty screwy logic... What about a CO or MS would NECESSARILY make a good husband? That is, assuming she's not just going for the backseat of the car thing as Mr. Falcon implied... What about a CO or MS would even make a decent husband???

From the stories I've read on this board and from other sources, it seems like many of these "Perfect JWs" have trouble supporting their familes, turn emotionally or physically abusive or even worse...

2tone, keep reaching - there is life outside the WT too - Where the women are interested in more than how loyal you prove yourself to a group of old men in Brooklyn...

-TF

19

How can the WTS be short of money ?

by the max in

so the society have a hedge fund, some(50%) shares in a usa company who specsialise in weapons delivery systems , has a shares portfolio that includes cigerettes.it buys up real estate in one of the worlds most lucerative locations ny,uses free labour to refurbish these properties along with its tax free status and then sells them on at a profit.it further extends it real estate portfolio by lending money at intrest ,for the building of more kh, again built with free labour and tax breaks, which are never owned by the cong,s who built them, but belong wts.

i am not an economist,though i would be hard pressed to come up with a better economic model than this, also it purports to be politically nuetral, so hopes to operate globally without restrictions, infact the (workers) have to pay the society ,by way of mag sales and donations, in order to give their free labour, no trade union protection or minimum wage.

g--gle, p--si,ya-oo, micro---t, would kill to have these advantages in the market place..

troubledfiancee

Haven't heard about the WTS being short on $$, but from what I understand they have billions in assets. Liquid vs Fixed (or Non-Liquid) assests can be a very different thing though. A spike in expenses could conceiveably cause a cash crisis while still sitting on billions in assets. Wouldn't surprise me really. Maybe it is time to start collection plates...

19

New to this forum and few thoughts.

by sweetrose74 in

well i have not been a part of the jws for over 12 years.

i was born and raised one.

indoctrincated from birth you can say.

troubledfiancee

SweetRose,

Welcome! I'm glad to see you have freed yourself from the fear & guilt dispensed by the WT.

Flipper: How commendable of you to keep your son's interests first in showing him a normal life.

Seconded. Very commendable and shows strong character.

The ones I am most sad for are those who have their doubts and never walk away or who do leave but never let go of the life or the beliefs.

I couldn't agree with you more. No doubt there are literally millions of indivduals in one of these two categories today.

-TF

57

Has anyone left still believing it was the truth?

by FollowedMyHeart in

it seems that most xjws have left because at one point in their jw life something happened that made them start to think something wasn't right with the religion.

when i left, i still believed the jws had "the truth".

i was dying inside, trapped and unhappy (another poster's words, but describes exactly how i felt).

troubledfiancee

we have had to face up to the fact we have been fools... just cos I got snared

the max, Although I've never been a JW, I have undertaken an immense study on this organization. The simple truth is that the WT gains its members through deceit. It’s not that you’re a fool – If anyone had told you the truth to begin with, I’m sure you would have chosen the red pill…

This forum is a great network of information and recommendations for anyone on their way out. I would be glad to send you some resources, or point you to some important threads. If I can be of any help, please let me know.

Best of luck while pulling back the curtain… TF

36

Any Ex-JW's in The Dallas, TX DFW area?

by troubledfiancee in

jw
friends

hi guys, i'm new to the forum.

i'm looking for anyone in the dallas area that has left jw's for any reason and has since learned the real truth about the watchtower and jw doctrine.

i've never been involved with jw myself, but my fiancee grew up as a jw and is having thoughts of going back.

troubledfiancee

Thanks Quentin, I should have replied to the thread, I spoke to James as well since his post. Thanks again to both of you. I will give you each a call next week to update you.

In the meantime, To all on the board: I am still very interested in speaking with Ex-JW's in the DFW area. Please PM me.

Thanks,

TF

57

Has anyone left still believing it was the truth?

by FollowedMyHeart in

it seems that most xjws have left because at one point in their jw life something happened that made them start to think something wasn't right with the religion.

when i left, i still believed the jws had "the truth".

i was dying inside, trapped and unhappy (another poster's words, but describes exactly how i felt).

troubledfiancee

It seems that most XJWs have left because at one point in their JW life something happened that made them start to think something wasn't right with the religion.

As to what Followed said: I think that these are the people we’ll find on exJW threads, or who have spoken out, written books, etc. I think there is a large collection of faded exJWs like my fiancée's family who still believe they'll be struck dead at Armageddon because they’ve never tried to examine things and prefer to hold on to their beliefs, even if it means their own demise... And there probably won't be too many of those folks here...

It seems like the break-point is the term “cult”. If an exJW can say cult and WT in the same sentence, they can 1) admit they were in one, which sems like it can be embarrassing – Mostly, I think because of so many misconceptions about that term and misconceptions about cult members – and 2) Understand that it wasn’t the truth, and that they were following men, not God.

57

Has anyone left still believing it was the truth?

by FollowedMyHeart in

it seems that most xjws have left because at one point in their jw life something happened that made them start to think something wasn't right with the religion.

when i left, i still believed the jws had "the truth".

i was dying inside, trapped and unhappy (another poster's words, but describes exactly how i felt).

troubledfiancee

I was never part of the WT religion, but I've become exposed to it from my fiancée and her family. She and about half of her extended family no longer attend meetings (and haven’t in 5+ years), but most of them tend to still believe it is "the truth". Their excuses for not attending meetings and peddling WT literature are that they are all being “selfish” or “worldly”.

I think that most people who “fade” for personal reasons, without a critical examination of the WT on their own terms, seem to still believe it is “the truth”. My experience with her and her family is that the indoctrination (especially if born-in) runs so deep that unless something sparks a desire for the real truth, people may very well go on for years or decades even, believing the indoctrination they received from the WTBTS.

If anyone has a magic ingredient that dispenses real truth, PM me, her and her family still hold on to the guilt instilled by the WT…

9

Steve Hassan Professional Fees

by troubledfiancee in

jw
friends

steve hassan is still practicing his exit counseling/ strategic interaction approach, intervention style.

still 3-5 days with family and friends after days/ weeks of prework.

meetings (other than interventions) that take place in my office on weekdays are $250 per hour.

troubledfiancee

I need to change my profession

Yeah, I know right? Go grab a Master's Degree in Psychology, get registered w/ your state and you’re in business!

As I said in my post I'm not recommending him, but I’m also not trying to discourage anyone from using him either. By most accounts he is the best in his field, and It’s a pretty narrow field from my research, as well.

As TTWSYF said, how much would you pay? In my situation, I just don’t believe it to be the correct course of action. For many others, it may very well be, and he certainly has the credentials and celebrity status in this field.