snare&racket

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Posts by snare&racket

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  114

  Jehovah's Witnesses ARE Christians, why do so many ex JW's deny this?

  by nicolaou in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  jehovah's witnesses accept jesus as christ, the son of god.

  they try, in their own way, to live by his teachings and imitate him.

  they pray, read the bible and meet together regularly for worship.. i won't minimise any of the harm and damage they cause but for the life of me, i can't see how anyone can credibly deny that they are christians.. why do so many former jws have a problem with this?

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  snare&racket

  O/P

  some ex-JW's become religious in another faith, some become agnostic or atheistic.

  Those that become religious hold onto the delicious to move from one belief system to another by explaining that they are now true Christians and as a JW never was I.e. The two are worlds apart.

  I have noted many evangelical belief systems go out their way to define any belief system not their own as being non-Christian and to not know christ, because they believe they hold true beliefs and therefore are the only christians.

  When I have discussed scripture, theology, conflicting verses, questionable acts of 'god' or questionable morals of 'god' with many of these believers.... they have used the line that I was never a true Christian and therefore not qualified to really discuss it or have legitimate questions.

  What makes all this worse is that JW's have two characters Jehovah and Jesus, most christians have Jesus who was also God. This JW theology leads many to state that they have diluted the role of Jesus and therefore not Christian. Of course the JW's say the same of them.

  Put simply it's ...."we are right you are wrong".......a stance everyone has, despite conflicting beliefs.
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  22

  Feeling very lonely

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the past few months i've been feeling really depressed and kind of hopeless.

  the few people that actually were a little bit friendly to me at the hall recently moved away, and i'm feeling like more of an outcast than i already was.

  every meeting i just stand by myself by the wall and nobody cares, i feel really lonely and unloved.

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  snare&racket

  Maybe go and talk to your doctor, because as a human being the stress of being in a cult and untangling the brainwashing and fears/pressures/consequences can be too much to handle. We are largely adults here with broad shoulders (.we have survived a cult after all) .....and we all know too well how hard this is.

  Maybe go and talk to someone, you have no idea how unique you are. It's so rare to untangle and see a high control group for the reality of what it is and it's difficult to weigh up standing by reality and the consequences of it or living a lie.

  You are incredibly smart and brave to have even get this far. You have us guys and you can talk to us if you need support, but maybe you need an unbiased professional at your side too.

  have a think about it 😉
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  41

  Convention Weirdness

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well i just got back from 3 days in hell, and geez was this convention strange or what?

  im sure someone's probably made a topic about this already but i can't believe that there weren't any new releases besides the movies.

  has that ever happened before?

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  snare&racket

  I remember a memorable stage in leaving the JW's....

  i went to a circuit assembly, one where I had given talks in the past, had been baptised in front of all the hundreds of people still around me then, that I considered friends, almost family. I had help refurbish the very building I was in, I painted the ceiling above me gold.

  i looked around and for the first time felt like I simply didn't belong. It was like I was watching it all go on from afar, the spell had broken and I no longer believed any of it and it was a very surreal experience.

  Everyone around me was in a zombie like state listening to .....pure gibberish, a hard sell, a world view that now seemed so foreign and bizzare despite me being a very involved JW pioneer, bethelite, RBC construction volunteer not that long ago.

  That was 10 years ago. The beliefs held by JW's now seem so foreign and frankly bananas.... I can't believe I was ever one,
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  31

  Welcome to all the Newbies in the last six months

  by smiddy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think all of us on this forum would like to welcome all the newbies that have joined in the last six months or so ,if i`m not mistaken there seems to be an influx lately.. elders , ms ,and sisters.

  speak up and make a comment , are you happy you came here ?.

  we`d love to here from you.. smiddy.

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  snare&racket

  Every person that leaves makes us happy, not because we are evil and it's the truth... that's not how humans work despite the JW bedtime story villain perspective the JW's have of the real world.....

  we are just happy to see people emotionally, mentally and spiritually free.....
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  28

  I don't like the person i am becoming...

  by SpunkedTeen in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have not been active here lately just lurking mostly but i have no one to talk to and i need some help i guess.i started working out and became friends with my personal trainer(we went to school together).i started going out with him(lying to my mother about what i was doing,another thing to add to the list of lies,it's becoming too easy!

  ) and i notice i'm slowly becoming the worldy people that the jw's described.i've become very selfish and rude and very apathetic towards everything and everyone.i always thought the values that jw's taught were really good.if i cut ties with the only friend i have now , i would probably slip into a deep depression and i that is something that i want to avoid at all costs.i start university in january and my plan was to stick it out in the organisation until i got my degree and became fully independant but as of late a elder told me i am being considered to become a m.s and told me what i need to work on and since then the other elders have been nagging me to work on the same things.i'm trying to rid my self of my 'priveleges' in the cong but nothings working...if anyone has experienced a similar situation what advice would you give?

  , oh and my mom was always super into the religion having been a pioneer and bethel worker for years but we went to the regional convention two weeks ago and now she is even more exasperating (for example a sister asked my why i was 19 years old and not a ms or serving at bethel yet, which is fine i've learnt how to deal with these questions but when i told my mother whom has always been content with me just being in the religion and never pushed me towards anything asked me if i was happy with what i was and if i would not be happier at bethel or regular pioneering.

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  snare&racket

  You have been brainwashed to dislike what is normal, it takes time to readjust.

  Trust me, in ten years time you will realise how judgmental and weird the JW view of normal people is and how odd JW's can be,

  love yourself and make yourself happy....its totally cool to do that
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  54

  According to one JW there can only be 1 of 3 reasons why you left.

  by Bonsai in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i asked an old jw friend of mine why so many baptized individuals leave the jw religion.

  "did it ever occur to you, old friend, that maybe they know something that you don't know and have valid reasons for leaving?

  ", i asked.. his response set me back for an answer.

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  snare&racket

  It is impossible, literally impossible for them to include legitimate reasons for leaving as they believe it's the truth,

  The easiest approach I found is read Deut 18: 20-22 (a false prophet is one that makes predictions that don't come true) then list as many predictions they have gotten wrong as you know and say... who is responsible for the people that leave for,following that verse?

  But remember.....if you could reason with such believers, there wouldn't be any believers to try to reason with.
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  62

  ls homosexuality really normal?

  by atomant in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  l know animals do it but their animals.they dont live by a moral code.the thought of 2 men going for it is not normal.what are your thoughts?.

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  snare&racket

  😮

  that is all......
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  21

  Is remaining ignorant a choice?

  by stuckinarut2 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  is remaining ignorant about the society a choice?.

  surely every witness has a moment in time when "something just doesn't seem right"?

  perhaps a teaching, doctrine, an article, a talk, a news report about child abuse handling, or a jwdubdotorg broadcast, a video, a cartoon for the kids....you know....?.

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  snare&racket

  It applies to many situations such as people living in fascist regimes, like in North Korea, the facts are the facts but ignorance will keep you alive.
  

  i have always said for me, it is a decision of TRUTH v's COMFORT

  I have pondered this for 15 years now and I have found only one reason to justify the ignorance and defend the comfort that I can't argue with. If you were in a river and sure to drown, you look and see a branch, it's the only one currently and only one evidently around, you look and see it is rotten and of no substance, it WILL break when you grab hold of it.....

  Will you grab hold of it anyway?......

  Tough question to answer as an atheist....and as a human.
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  26

  The bOrg Cult Tactics

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm wondering if the borg actually studied mind control and coercion tactics deliberately or wether they just evolved over time through trial and error.

  from reading steve hassans books, studying hypnosis and methods psychopaths use it all seems very complex.

  like it would never occur to me to do a, b and c in the right order at the right time in order to get control of someone or control their lives.. for example, repetition of words (the word "loyalty" was a big one in the last convention), using loaded language, encouraging people not to trust their own thoughts, restricting their information, demonising those who leave etc.

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  snare&racket

  I want to say no....

  But then what person encourages, no demands.... fear of knowledge, education or information?
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  25

  Can a full healing from cult ever be accomplished

  by Chook in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  can all indoctrination leave a person , or does it linger in background till death..

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  snare&racket

  The brain is very plastic and develops by our experiences and knowledge. It's the perspective and window via which we eventually see the world. I was in for 25 yrs and I have no doubt that some JW triggers will still exist when (if) I am old and grey,

  The good news is, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Bad experiences can have positive effects. Look around you when you leave, even undoctrinated people have a tough life and their own demons. Ours were unique to a belief system, that's all.

  My experience with the JW's has taught me to critically appraise all information and personalities I come across. It's now my most potent protection, if not a little too defensive. If I ever have the privilege of children it will be the most important thing I teach them!....... and I learned that by being lost in indoctrination.

  Opportunity often comes disguised as misfortune or temporary defeat....

  The most important thing is to pursue feeling happy!