Posts by Mum

52

I'm new here...

by Demokan in

jw
friends

i'm 15, and i'm an unbaptized publisher... so i've been what you call "lurking" here for the past few weeks and i have some questions.

i hear you guys constantly mentioning ttatt so where can i go to learn more about this (links please)?

also i've already told my mom that i don't believe in the governing body and she is making me do even more!

Mum

Hi, Demokan. Welcome to the forum. You're moving pretty fast, so I recommend you slow down and consider every step carefully.

First, read the books and go to the web sites recommended by the other posters. Also take their advice about not getting on drugs, alcohol or other harmful substances or habits that could ruin your future. It's also very important to take school seriously, study hard and get into college. If anyone is trying to pressure you into getting baptized, tell them you're not ready and that Jesus, the perfect man, waited until he was 30.

I appreciate that you want to help your family. However, we all have to make our own choices ain life and accept the consequences. If they want to be JW's, it's because they get something out of it, albeit something the rest of humanity does not understand. By restricting reading material and communication with others, along with reinforcing their authority at every turn the Governing Body have most witnesses afraid to even consider thinking outside their little box.

You might talk with your counselor at school and ask for a referral for counseling. That episode with the pills scares me a bit. You're not suicidal, are you? A book that really helped me when I was waking up was Dr. Wayne Dyer's Your Erroneous Zones. This book helps you deal with negative emotions, such as guilt and anger, which most exiting JW's have to deal with.

While you're still at home with your parents, go along with the program. Make some friends at school who are serious about their studies and will be a support for you later on in life when you leave home.

Take baby steps, one at a time. Don't call unfavorable attention to yourself. Best wishes for a happy future. Keep checking in with us.

35

How would YOU explain cognitive disonance to a Jehovahs Witness on your doorstep

by smiddy in

seriously , in plain simple language that the most thick headed jw would understand.. and what examples would you use.. smiddy.

Mum

Last night I watched a TV show called "My Bleeped-up Brain." It dealt with superstition and magic. A lady, by sleight of hand, appeared to turn $1.00 bills into $100.00 bills. A chess board which looked like colors of the squares were contrasting actually had squares of the same color, but the brain was fooled (by use of shadow?) into seeing contrasting colors.

Their conclusion was that we all believe what we WANT to believe, bottom line. We can find "data" or "proof" of anything we wish to think is true.

I might say one sentence to give the dub something to think about, but I don't want to listen to their drivel as they try to justify their wacko beliefs.

118

jwfacts or jwinterpretations?

by slimboyfat in

jw
friends

jwfacts is a great website, but in view of the fact that "there are no facts, only interpretations", as nietzsche said, should the website be renamed jwinterpretations instead?

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Mum

I am just a simple country girl from east Tennessee, but I have the temerity to disagree with the esteemed Mr. Nietsche on this point.

It is a fact that food grows right out of the ground if you plant seeds. It is a fact that everyone must eat to survive. How can these FACTS be construed as interpretation?

29

Timing of the "new light" study and the upcoming annual meeting

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

i find it interesting that the 7/15 watchtower will be studied from september 2-29th and then the annual meeting will be exactly one week after.

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it strikes me as an effort to emphasize the fds and their role before a big announcement.. siam .

Mum

You're so right! They now have assumed the power of a dictatorship. As they are all dictators now, I think we should all refer to them as "the little 'taters."

40

Last night the one cool elder calls me

by confusedandalone in

i figured he was going to arrange the committee and try to get me kicked out after the whole "big pile of books" labelled "take this shit".. well his call made me realize that more and more people ... elders included no longer take this religion seriously.

after he told me he heard what happened he actually laughed and said i would never expect that.

he then told me that it is apparent that i no longer want to be connected to the organization.

Mum

I was going to recommend that you choose to be left alone, but you make a good point about the WT being a Hate Group. Sooner or later, they're going to be called out for some of the things they do - protecdting pedophiles, spewing hate speech about "apostates," multiple false predictions, etc. It is totally understandable that you would not want your name associated with them in any way.

When I got out, I moved far, far away, where I didn't know any JW's and was never bothered. Do what you need to do to reduce the hassle.

Best wishes for a happy future in freedom!

29

My August Update

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

i don't really have a purpose in this thread, but wanted to share my thoughts and updates.. fading has, at least for now, totally stabilized.

my jw wife doesn't discuss jw things and, as difficult for me as it is, i haven't been discussing anything directly against jw policy.

oh, i slip in comments when she tries to judge people or groups based on her jw training- things like gay marriage, medical marijuana, pedophile news stories.

Mum

OTWO: I'm glad she's getting some experience mixing with "worldly" people. She is, I hope, perceptive enough to realize that they are all individuals and not as scary as they have been painted by the WT. Congratulations on your progress with her.

It's a cross you have to bear, not bare:

Bear (noiun): an animal

Bear (verb): to carry

Bare (adjective): naked

Bare (verb): to unclothe, make naked

4

Catchng up....

by obfuscatetheobvious in

jw
friends

wife and girls are at the convention today.

hate this time of year.

while my wife tries to hide it, the inevitable post convention zeal pops it's head up.

Mum

Does she talk to you about what she "learned" at the convention? Just tell her you're glad she enjoyed herself. Then go and live your life as you see fit. As my friend's dad used to tell her, "Don't worry 'bout it!"

23

I'm not going back...finally

by lostinthought in

jw
friends

it has been several years since my awakening.

since then i have stopped pioneering, stopped doing temp work at bethel, stopped field service (at the most, i went out a few hours a month for the last couple of months), my meeting attendance has been around 50 percent or so.

i have decided not to go back.

Mum

Do you live alone? Or do you have a spouse? Children? If you have other JW's in your household, it's more complicated.

If you're single and free, it might be a good idea to move to another town or another state.

At least, you can have your phone number changed - AND unlisted.

Avoidance is easier than confrontation.

If they knock on your door, go to the door with an ice pack on your head and tell them you have a migraine, and that migraines have become persistent and are crippling you at this point, and that you're not up to talking.

As others have said, you do not owe them an explanation. There is no reason to feel guilty unless you believe you're doing something wrong, and you are NOT. You do owe yourself the best life you can make.

All actions have consequences. If you're not ready for the consequences, maybe you're not quite ready to leave yet. But keep fading. There's no rush unless you're entirely fed up and can't take it anymore.

Best wishes for a happy future!

15

Is it me?

by 5go in

......or does it seem the gb is setting up the faithful for a big change on something.

seems like nowadays every other thing coming off the platform is saying hey we are the only one approved to speak for god and not liking any change we pronounce is your problem not gods..

Mum

Oh, for the good old days when "Christendom" was the enemy.

41

Another one...nine felony counts - Sun Valley, CA

by Dagney in

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/church-usher-charged-with-sexual-abuse-of-boy-parishioners-217825121.html.

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church usher charged with sexual abuse of boy parishionersmarcelo lozano, 34, faces nine felony countsby melissa pamer| thursday, aug 1, 2013 | updated 1:51 am pdtview comments ()|email|printadvertisementan usher at a jehovah's witnesses congregation in sun valley was charged wednesday with sexually abusing four boys he met at the church.. marcelo lozano, 34, is expected to be arraigned wednesday afternoon at van nuys superior court with nine felony counts, according to the los angeles county district attorneys office.. lozano, who was an usher for the churchs spanish congregation, allegedly abused boys who ranged from 8 to 15 years old between 2006 and 2013.. he is charged with two counts each of aggravated sexual assault of a child, continuous sexual abuse and oral copulation of a person under 14. and he faces one count each of forcible lewd act upon a child, lewd act upon a child and sodomy of a person under 14 with 10 years difference.. prosecutors will recommend that the defendants bail be set at $1.8 million, the das office said.. lozano faces a maximum term of life in state prison if convicted on all charges.. the los angeles police department is still investigating the case, the das office said.. .

Mum

gma-tired, you are right about every JW being an "ordained" minister, at least back in the days when I was on the inside. We females were told to say we were a minister's wife if we were married. In some way, we were to be connected with a "minister."

One of my teenage friends said she was going to say, "My name is ____, and I'm going steady with a minister's son.