Posts by Nathan Natas

14

Set ptermber AT study article: "Armaggedon Is Good News!

by Room 215 in

omg, is this the apotheosis of bat-shit craziness or not?

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What can a therapist really do?

by Thetruthhurts in

hi all, i've not read the forums for awhile as i've been trying to move on with my life but i'm back and posting for the first time feeling like i cant get a grip.

so i'm wondering for those of you that have seen a therapist and say that it truly helps, what can be accomplished?

i'm just really skeptical, but starting to feel desperate.

My reasons for seeking help didn't have as much to do with my Dub experience as it did with some serious physical challenges I had to deal with, but my Dubbish background played a part, as it turns out.

I had a few memorable less-than-optimum experiences: on one visit with a psychiatrist, I was yammering away about my feelings when I heard him snoring. Note to self: make an effort to apply the Theocratic Ministry School lessons about adding dynamism to my presentations! No, I didn't go back to that shrink,,, Another time I was on my first visit with a psychologist and gave her my story. Her reaction was, "That was hard, but think about what a STRONG PERSON you became as a result!" Yeah, me an Samson, with that psychologist as the Ass's jawbone.

I want to correct a typo I made in my earlier post. I meant MEDICATIONS but typed MEDIATIONS instead. Two things to remember about meds: a) most have side-effects that are seldom welcome, and it is unlikely that any med is going to make you happy about the problems you've been through; at best they might help you be less bothered by those problems, but no drug can change the past.

Like Thetruthhurts, I am an atheist.

21

What can a therapist really do?

by Thetruthhurts in

hi all, i've not read the forums for awhile as i've been trying to move on with my life but i'm back and posting for the first time feeling like i cant get a grip.

so i'm wondering for those of you that have seen a therapist and say that it truly helps, what can be accomplished?

i'm just really skeptical, but starting to feel desperate.

Nathan Natas

Hi, Thetruthhurts. You are correct, of course, no person can change your circumstances.

What CAN change, many times, is the way we FEEL about our circumstances.

Let me first say that I have experience with both psychiatrists and psychologists. The difference between the two is that psychiatrists can prescribe medications and psychologists are limited to "the talking cure."

One thing I was slow to realize was that the doctor can't "fix" problems without the participation of the patient. One of the first things the patient has to deal with is their EXPECTATIONS. As an extreme example, if your foot has been amputated, no psychiatrist or psychologist or mediation can give you your foot back.

They can help you see ways to change your feelings about your circumstances from one of "I'm a victim who didn't deserve this." To "this happened to me, and I survived it."

As with any doctor, you need to find one you feel comfortable with. I wish you success in your journey.

22

Upset and Concerned!

by The Bethelite in

jw
friends

i'm very worried.

i just took out two slices of dave's killer bread out of the bag this morning, to make some toast.

i bought the bread almost 2 weeks ago.

Nathan Natas

The theological implications are STUNNING, aren't they?

39

Why Did You Stay In The JW Religion As Long As You Did?

by minimus in

jw
friends

were you so indoctrinated that you just couldn’t leave?

was it due to family pressure?

was it your friendships that you didn’t want to lose?

Nathan Natas

Tenacious, how many apostates invaded you? Did you need larger pants after this, or a larger hat?

I'm just teasing you; I've had 47 apostates invade me, and it was EXQUISITE!

But seriously, thanks for sharing your experience. Isn't it funny how once we wake up we ask ourselves, "How could I have believed that?"

39

Why Did You Stay In The JW Religion As Long As You Did?

by minimus in

jw
friends

were you so indoctrinated that you just couldn’t leave?

was it due to family pressure?

was it your friendships that you didn’t want to lose?

Nathan Natas

StephaneLaliberte said, "...What made me change my mind was the realization that a just God would judge the actions rather than the belief."

Here is something you might find interesting; I'm surprised this isn't more widely discussed.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/unsearchablerich/booksonwebsite/©CPC+Why+I+Believe+in+Universal+Reconciliation.pdf

If I ever decided that I wasn't an atheist (which is unlikely because I am SO intelligent), I would probably feel this was my best guess.

39

Why Did You Stay In The JW Religion As Long As You Did?

by minimus in

jw
friends

were you so indoctrinated that you just couldn’t leave?

was it due to family pressure?

was it your friendships that you didn’t want to lose?

Nathan Natas

rickroll said, "...a There were few books from former members like Baker Schcnell 30 years a Tower slave."

I think you mean "30 Years a Watchtower Slave: The Confessions of a Converted Jehovah's Witness" by William J. Schnell.

GOOD NEWS! You can read it for (sort of) FREE here:

https://www.scribd.com/book/235006311/30-Years-a-Watchtower-Slave-The-Confessions-of-a-Converted-Jehovah-s-Witness

39

Why Did You Stay In The JW Religion As Long As You Did?

by minimus in

jw
friends

were you so indoctrinated that you just couldn’t leave?

was it due to family pressure?

was it your friendships that you didn’t want to lose?

Nathan Natas

I stayed in because I was a child and depended on the wiz-dumb of my single mother to tell me how the world worked. I was baptized at 14.

I was compliant and obedient and massively naive. To this day I am almost shamefully gullible because I mistakenly assume that people usually tell the truth.

As my rational mind began to develop I began to detect the unmistakable aroma of bullshit... I had heard about the "gay boys" at Bethel from Howard Zenke (now dead), a member of the WTB&TS Service Department and the Overseer of the Sunnyside congregation in Queens, NY, and I knew about the gay hot tub scandal in the early 1970s that resulted in the dismissal of A LOT of "Bethelites," but it was when I learned of a pedophile in my congregation who was protected by the elder's committee that my "cosmic egg" shattered and I realized that righteousness in the WTB&TS was only another product of slogan engineering. This was in the late-mid-1970s, LONG before the pedophilia scandal broke nationwide.

I was in my mid-twenties when I walked away. I have not been disfellowshipped because I moved far away and few knew where I was, plus the elders who did know me were dying off. Maybe they'll disfellowship me when they are resurrected.

44

The idiots Hollyweird destroys the Bond Franchise

by rockemsockem in

99% of the people who go to bond films want a straight white english bond with a bit of light sexism and some bond girls thrown in.

they do not want a tranny bond or a gay or lesbian bond.

and they do not want a black woman bond.

Nathan Natas

JeffT -

In my opinion Daniel Craig has been a very good Bond. If you have an opportunity on a cold rainy weekend, check out Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), and Skyfall (2012).

Like many others, I have zero interest in a trans-species morphodite robot James Bond.

A Jane Bond, however, could be interesting IF she wasn't a "Tugboat Annie" Biker Dyke or an insatiable lipstick lesbian.

32

Is there such a thing as true religion?

by Half banana in

“it is the only religion which doesn’t go to war.

we have friends in every country on earth and we all think alike---we have the true understanding of the bible.

we are the true religion which god approves………..” says the jw.. to put jws in the context of the question of true religion, we first have to get an insight into how a jw thinks and these points above are the selected criteria chosen by jws to judge themselves.

Nathan Natas

YES!

Atheism -- "the un-religion!"

Join us at your local Atheist Church! Services every Thursday from 2:16 to 2:18 PM!

Bring your own manna, please.