Posts by Mum

31

Occupations that will disappear

by joker in

jw
friends

while growing up in the cult one thing that always bothered me was the way witnesses could forecast jobs/occupations that we're going to vanish in their new world.. for example, we would usually discuss at saturday night wt studies how doctors, nurses, funeral directors, and soldiers would go the way of the dodo.

i always found discussions like that just so strange.. in hs, i mounted an unsuccessful effort to enter veterinary sciences, the big answer was always "why" it won't be needed after armageddon 😝😜.

does anyone have their own story about professions that the witnesses believe will not be needed after the big a ?.

Mum

The only occupations I can envision for their "paradise" is farmer and produce eater. "Paradise" has no place for intellectuals of any kind, great literature. As Plato pointed out, the ideal state has no poets. There won't be any great stories of people who have overcome obstacles to success

I can't imagine statisticians or mathematicians having any place, except the engineers who do truss calcs and such for home construction.

Will there be restaurants in "paradise?" Not if it is as visualized in the publications, surely. So, no professional chefs, waiters and waitresses, or other restaurant workers.

We're not going to miss out on much, are we?

21

Appointed men must be exemplary in heeding the warnings given by the faithful slave Governing Body when it comes to higher education.

by oppostate in

.

Mum

I was married to an elder and decided to go back to college. I got the money from my "worldly" family. We had a fight about it every day, but it was worth it.

21

Plastic Surgery

by raven in

hi everyone- i don't have much of an update on my current situation ( refer to previous posts ) august 1st has past, (the day the judicial committee was supposedly held against me- and that i didn't attend, no word on anything as of now, thankfully i am moving to a new home next week which means no more elders sending me spooky jc invite mail!

anyways, i'm getting off the main reason why i'm posting.. so i have tendency to drift off into thought and have discussions with myself, ( i'm not crazy i swear!

) i was thinking today, have we heard any more updates on appearances?

Mum

As far as I know, the Bible is silent on the subject of cosmetic surgery - and colorful socks, for that matter. Their chief priority is image. The JW ideal image is no image. I believe that not everyone was meant to blend in to the background. That's why I love Dolly Parton.

32

Poor Sisters

by Darryl in

jw
friends

i really felt for you sisters i mean i really did.

when you showed up at the sunday meeting and found out the subject of the talk was going to be -and i can't quite remember the exact wording- but something to the effect of marriage and headship, or honoring and obeying your husband, or something like that how many of you wanted to jump right back in your car and head home.

i mean 45 straight minutes of beating down you poor ladies and telling you that you are not worthy of making one decision, taking the lead in anything, don't question the man be obedient and keep quiet.

Mum

This is a topic that gets me going! I know that, as a JW, I had been brainwashed into a false consciousness. I was good at all the "womanly" things I was called upon to do - baking a cake, cleaning the toilets, playing hostess to some prominent local JW's, and generally being slavish.

At some point, I started watching "The Phil Donahue Show." Dr. Wayne Dyer was one of his guests. I found Dr. Dyer's philosophy interesting, so I bought and read his first book, Your Erroneous Zones. After reading that book, there was no going back for me. I came to realize that I was just as significant as anyone else, that it was okay to question anything, and to accept differences as mere social conditioning, not "evil."

I realize that much of what Dr. Dyer said should have been perfectly obvious to anyone. But it wasn't to me. It took me about a year to summon the courage, help and resources to escape. That was in 1979. Life has become quite an adventure since then.

2

A new religion much like the Borg is starting, check it out.

by ldrnomo in

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2ffilmsforaction%2fvideos%2f10153810179575983%2f&show_text=0&width=400" width="400" height="400" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true">.

Mum

There will always be other religions or organizations like the Borg starting up.

21

Stand Up Comedy about JWs

by usualusername1 in

jw
friends

hello all,i have just signed up to do a comedy course.

it starts in september.in order to get a headstart, i did my first 5 minutes tonight about jws.i explained that i celebrated my first birthday last week.

bemusement and a tittle.explained that if you could choose between hare krishnas and people standing at a trolley/cart as a religion who would you choose?got a laugh.explained that the whole world will be destroyed if you do not listen to our message, yet we are not prepared to initiate a conversation at a trolley.big laugh.

Mum

I heard this one from Garrison Keillor on "A Prairie Home Companion:"

A Jehovah's Witness converted to Unitarianism. So he went from door to door for no particular reason.

11

The New World , Utopian or Dystopian?

by BluesBrother in

like many others on here i was raised and spent many years of my life looking forward to , and basing my life around the anticipated "new world" .this utopian paradise would "satisfy the desire of every living thing".

we would enjoy eternal youth in perfect health,have abundant good food ,comfortable homes ,even welcome our parents and forebears back from the dead - what's not to like?i found this description of a dystopian world on the net :"characteristics of a dystopian society• propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.• information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.• a figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.• citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.• citizens have a fear of the outside world.• citizens live in a dehumanized state.• the natural world is banished and distrusted.• citizens conform to uniform expectations.

individuality and dissent are bad.• the society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world."hmm.

Mum

The WT propaganda art depicting "Paradise" bear a strong resemblance to the ones used by the North Korean government to convince the rest of the world that they have paradise now, even though they must know that we know better. As you pointed out repressive regimes are all the same.

Once when I was a JW out in service, a young sister came back to the car and told the rest of us that a householder had commented that the JW outlook was "so Platonic." I didn't know what she meant, but I realize that Plato stated that the "ideal state" would have no poets. People who are self-satisfied are not usually prone to writing poetry, among other pursuits.

Blind, bland obedience ruins lives. A real rebel reads books and learns to think for him/herself!

15

Higher Education - is it really the end of the WT?

by OutsiderLookingIn in

as a non-jw, before i started looking into things, i must say i only encountered intelligent jws.

so i was quite surprised to read here and in the pew report about their low overall educational achievement.

granted, my exposure was limited (less than a handful of people over a lifetime) but i met two of them in post-college education (graduate school) at a very good school.

Mum

One of my Philosophy professors once said, "An education doesn't 'take' on everybody." If these people grew up as JW's, they've been brainwashed since they took their first breath. It isn't easily undone when people are brought up with the "them and us" mentality; i.e., "we" (JW's and other cults) possess the ultimate truth, and everyone else ("worldly" people, meaning anyone who's not a JW, regardless of their Biblical scholarship or degree of religious devotion) is deceived and under Satan's deceptive power.

I commend your friends for being rebellious enough to go to college. I hope they catch the learning bug and are awakened to open-mindedness and acceptance of their fellow human beings.

112

Did an EX-JW wake you up to TTATT or did you put the effort to wake up yourself?

by John Aquila in

how many of us were woken up by some apostate yelling false prophets at a convention?.

how many of us were woken up by someone holding a sign and yelling, what happened to 1975.

how many of us were coerced to investigate the wt because some ex-jw pulled up a bunch of old watchtowers magazines and told us to read the false predictions?.

Mum

It was a somewhat gradual process. After 1975 came and went, I started considering the possibility that I might live out my life and get old (which I almost have now). I was unhappy in my marriage to a low-functioning (as to intellectual ability and curiosity) JW elder. I wanted to go to college and get some job skills. I wanted much more actually, but was willing to settle for what I considered realistic. My husband wouldn't hear of it! I got depressed to the point of being catatonic and almost unresponsive. He relented in order to get me to look alive again, while making it clear that he would not pay for any education. I asked non-JW family members for enough to take two classes. They were happy to help. SO, every day there was conflict at home because my husband was embarrassed to have a wife so arrogant and out-of-control as to attend college. After four years of this nonsense, I made plans to go live with a DF'ed cousin on the other side of the country. I had help from a JW friend who was also waking up and wanted to be educated and from another who had become inactive. It was hush-hush until the day I left. I wrote a note and left it on the dining table stating that I was near collapse and had to get away. I did it! I've never looked back.

27

How to deal with anxiety?

by BlackWolf in

jw
friends

lately my mental health has been rapidly declining.

i have anorexia and deppression, and my anxiety has become overwhelming.

i have been to many doctors/therapists in the past, but because i have not been magically cured my parents dont want to get me any more help.

Mum

I've been through severe depression while a JW. Physical activity is very important to anyone who is depressed. I am wondering if you might be in a position to go to Legal Aid and ask an attorney to help you file a petition for emancipation, presuming that your restricted environment is the root cause of your depression. First, you should call a crisis line to see if you can get a referral for free counseling. I fear that your JW family might prevent you from going to counseling, so emancipation could be your Plan B. It might help to go to Youtube and find some mood-enhancing music or meditation as often as you can. Don't give up on yourself. You can get better. Be patient with yourself and others. Breathe deeply. Relax all your muscles. Rotate your neck. Close your eyes. Let it all go.