Ask her why a JW reading "Crisis of Conscience" while living in a JW home would have to hide it and sneak time to read it. Or why do JW's dismiss and label any other literature as apostate without so much as a glance inside or consideration of the credentials of the writer?
SafeAtHome
JoinedPosts by SafeAtHome
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JWs always deny the information control
by AuntBee inan active witness on fb just told me that they are taught to "always question what we are taught" and use not only the wt publications, but any research materials, and come to a conclusion about what they find!
this is not what i've heard from you guys!
does she go to some unusual-type kingdom hall, or is she mesing with my mind?.
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GREAT BOOK ! May free your JW loved ones.
by wobble ini have just finished reading a great book entitled "believing bullshit" by stephen law, published by prometheus books of n.y. www.prometheusbooks.com.
in it the author outlines how we come to believe total claptrap most often because of the dubious methods used by the promoters of these ideas.. he does not set out to debunk the ideas themselves as the main purpose of the book, though in passing he has to do so with some .like alien abductions, christian science and homeopathy etc.
his main purpose is to expose the methods used to get people to believe,,and how even if the idea being put forward may be good, or a truth, to use such methods is not justified, and leads one open to being sucked in to an intellectual black hole if you are duped by them.. if this book is read by an active, believing jw they will not smell any rats, but by the end of it, if they are honest with themselves they will see the methods used by the wt as totally dishonest and reminiscent of snake-oil salesmen.. it may just free their minds enough.. i cannot praise it too highly, it is a valuable read for anybody, and shows why even college educated, intelligent people can be fooled by bs..
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SafeAtHome
Thanks, Open mind. My library has this one also, I just put it on hold. Sounds interesting.
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GREAT BOOK ! May free your JW loved ones.
by wobble ini have just finished reading a great book entitled "believing bullshit" by stephen law, published by prometheus books of n.y. www.prometheusbooks.com.
in it the author outlines how we come to believe total claptrap most often because of the dubious methods used by the promoters of these ideas.. he does not set out to debunk the ideas themselves as the main purpose of the book, though in passing he has to do so with some .like alien abductions, christian science and homeopathy etc.
his main purpose is to expose the methods used to get people to believe,,and how even if the idea being put forward may be good, or a truth, to use such methods is not justified, and leads one open to being sucked in to an intellectual black hole if you are duped by them.. if this book is read by an active, believing jw they will not smell any rats, but by the end of it, if they are honest with themselves they will see the methods used by the wt as totally dishonest and reminiscent of snake-oil salesmen.. it may just free their minds enough.. i cannot praise it too highly, it is a valuable read for anybody, and shows why even college educated, intelligent people can be fooled by bs..
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SafeAtHome
Thank you, wobble, for the recommendation last month. My library got the book in and I just finished reading it. Wow. I had to remind myself that this was written for the general public, not aimed solely at JWs. In fact, although JWs aren't mentioned by name, they certainly can be included when religions, or cults in general are spoken of. Of particular interest is Chaper 8, Pressing Your Buttons. It talks about the methods that are used by others to shape our beliefs. It reminded me so much of what Raymond Franz said in the final chapter of "Crisis of Conscience" about how to be genuine, our faith must be individually arrived at and not be the borrowed convictions of others. The subheading, Belief Shaping Mechanisms, points to the exact methods the Witnesses use: isolation, control, uncertainty, repetition, and emotion (fear in particular). (Ray talked about these methods in his book.) Pressing Your Buttons calls these ones "mindless and uncritical followers"...who are "immune to reason, trapped inside an Intellectual Black Hole at the mercy of those who control the ideas at its core". Sound like any organization we know?
As the others said, I don't think you could get a JW to read it. They would say they haven't the time with their own literature to keep up with, or if by a miracle they did read it, they probably wouldn't recognize any of it as applying to themselves. Thanks again for the recommendation, I really enjoyed this book.
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Trying to Salvage a Friendship
by Quendi inmy friends,.
i need your counsel on a personal matter, and i hope you will give it in love.
as some of you know, i was disfellowshipped six years ago, but it wasn't until june 2010 that i made up my mind never to return to the wts.
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SafeAtHome
Quendi, With your obvious writing skill, I recommend you compose a letter as heartfelt as the one you have presented here. He will be more likely to read it through, perhaps, than listening to a phone conversation initiated by you. Your mutual friend assured you that he still has strong feelings about your friendship. That is a hopeful sign, that the JW mindset hasn't completely poisoned him against you. Perhaps in the letter you could talk about some of the old times when your friendship was strong.
You say he "is suffering many things". Typically JW's do not reach out to those suffering physically or emotionally (I have personal experience on both counts to back this up). Rather, their solution to everything is be more active in the service so you won't have time to think about your problems. If this suffering is mental or emotional, contacting you may add guilt on top of what he is already dealing with and the fear of being found out communicating with a DF'ed one may be too much to add to his situation right now. But a kindly worded letter from you, offering any physical assistance and unconditional friendship, well, maybe he will see what a contrast that is to what the JW's have to offer.
Make sure he has your email address, it may be easier for him to make initial contact that way than to pick up a phone. If you do this, I think you will have done all you reasonably can do without making him feel cornered. The next step will be his, if he chooses to take it.
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FSM: Austrian authorities accept colander as religious headgear
by J. Hofer inhttp://translate.google.at/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=utf-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3a%2f%2fderstandard.at%2f1308681039222%2foesterreichs-behoerden-nudelsieb-als-religioese-kopfbedeckung-in-fuehrerschein-genehmigt.
this is google-translated from german.... a "pastafarian" insisted in having his license picture shot with a colander on his head.
it's allowed (for muslims for example) to have ones head covered for legal documents if it is a religious practise.
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SafeAtHome
What a hoot! I religiously follow my Cleveland Indians. Can I wear my Tribe hat on my Ohio driver's license photo?
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DON'T SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES.
by Hairyhegoat inthese comments and the references to the old publications are a true find.
have a read of this and you will never become one of the jw's!.
don't associate with outsiders (non-jehovah's witnesses).
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SafeAtHome
These statements may seem ridiculously harsh to some more recent converts, but they are all too familar to me. Having grown up and been in during the 60's, 70's and early 80's when many of these references were taken from, I know they reflect what was pounded into our heads then. No higher education, no school activities, no competitive sports, do not play chess because of the military nature of the game (boy, I had forgotten about that one, but it brought back the memory of that!), and limited association with anyone not a JW. Even if they were good, moral, honest people, that didn't matter because they didn't love Jehovah and would all be destroyed at Armegeddon! So much more as to employment restrictions, where we could work, who we could have for clients if we owned our own business. What can be said at our own weddings or funerals and who may participate. The list goes on and on.
As a JW you feel you have never grown up, you always have to ask permission or check with the elders if something is permitted. The feeling of freedom, even after 25 years of being done with all that, is something I cherish everyday. Especially since I have family still in and see how their lives, schedules and choices are all made for them and revolve around the Kingdom Hall and what others may think. I am not bitter for the things I missed, just sad that I missed so much and sad for my family members still in because it is always a divider in what had been an extremely close knit family.
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Songs that touch ...
by talesin incan be mushy ... .
or can be craaazyyy ... .
okay, i'll start :).
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SafeAtHome
Sorry, I am new here. I don't know how to link to youtube, but please check out "One Small Star" by John McDermott. It makes me think of my parents and others I have lost. The first time I heard it I cried. I have played it dozens of times, and I still cry. It expresses emotions and beliefs about our deceased loved ones, that as a Witness, would never have been permitted. He has a beautiful voice and many other of his songs are equally poignant, such as "My Old Man" and "Daughter of Mine". Geez, I think I show my age in these choices! BTW, if anyone wants to pm me to teach me how to link youtube, that would be great.
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Baseball fan gives back Derek Jeter's 3000th hit baseball
by TonyT inchristian lopez is the feel-good story of derek jeter's 3,000th hit.
the 23-year old yankee fan caught jeter's home run, and historic 3,000th hit, saturday in the left-field bleachers at yankee stadium.
the former college football player could have held on to the ball and sold it to the highest bidder.
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SafeAtHome
George, I have been in northeast Ohio for 60 years, I am used to being dissappointed by the Cleveland teams. CC was never a Cleveland person, his wife didn't even live here while he played for us. I think she did move to NY though. I have no animosity for his taking $160m, no way Cleveland could match that and no way he would turn it down. He played well for Cleveland except he choked in the 2007 playoffs with Boston, blowing both of the games he pitched. No one forgets that. That was most likely our last chance at a World Series in my lifetime. It was sweet when he pitched against Cleveland in the opener of the new Yankee Stadium in 09 and we beat them 10-2! And it was sweet when we beat the Yankees in the 07 playoffs. I have no jealousy of the Yankees, I just think it is impossible for a market like Cleveland to compete against teams that have unlimited finances and can buy all the best players after they've come up through other teams and are gone just when they are at their peak. I still think Jeter is arrogant and should have offered the guy who caught his ball something, maybe season tickets for next year. That would be like us forking out for one game in the bleachers! Or better yet, make a sizeable donation to the guy's favorite charity, since Mr. Lopez seems to be of the kind hearted nature. It was the Yankees who offered Mr. Lopez the rewards, not Jeter. George, are you a Yankees fan in NY?
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Baseball fan gives back Derek Jeter's 3000th hit baseball
by TonyT inchristian lopez is the feel-good story of derek jeter's 3,000th hit.
the 23-year old yankee fan caught jeter's home run, and historic 3,000th hit, saturday in the left-field bleachers at yankee stadium.
the former college football player could have held on to the ball and sold it to the highest bidder.
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SafeAtHome
If I were a Yankees fan, I would have done the same, as I certainly would have done if it was a player from my beloved Cleveland Indians. However, if it was a ball and milestone from another team, and especially from the odious Yankees, I would have held out for a lot more than seats to remaining games. Jeter is a multimillionaire, arrogant jerk and should have personnally offered the guy $$ that he could have gotten if he had chosen to hold on to it to sell. It would depend on the team and player. Jeter is probably laughing at what a patsy that poor guy was.
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SafeAtHome
Hi, I'm a "newbie" here. Have been lurking for years, just recently decided to join the conversations. I haven't posted my story yet, don't want to hijack your thread here, so I will just say, yes, I am from the Akron area. I am in Cleveland at least 25 times a year for Indians games. (Note my user name, I love the Tribe). Don't know how old you are, but I grew up in the 60's and if you go back that far we may know some of the same names from the past.