erbie

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Posts by erbie

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  62

  Enemies Of Reason -Richard Dawkins

  by frankiespeakin in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcs751gcp10.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52j5stxkbkq.

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  erbie

  Cold Steel is priviledged indeed as God has not hidden himself from him.

  I'm very happy for him, really I am.

  Genuinely no sarcasm intended.
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  136

  After the cult how many reject faith in anything?

  by Seraphim23 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  erbie

  I desperately wanted to believe in some form of religion for years but I'm afraid it would seem that it is all just superstition and snake oil.

  Reality is well worth the initial pain though and to dispense with the burden of superstition can be very liberating and refreshing.

  I now believe that to be truly humane and apathetic you must first dispense with any kind of religion, particularly Christianity and Islam.
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  134

  Who left or got stumbled over the 1995 generation thing?

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  or the 2000's generation thing?.

  how did you feel?

  how did it help you wake up?

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  erbie

  I clearly remember that fateful District Convention in 1995 during which I was (proudly) acting as an attendant at Cardiff. I just remember standing there and feeling my heart sink whilst realizing that the WT was obviously making all this trash up as they go along. That is pretty much what did it for me and it set in motion a course of events that would be life changing for me and my family.

  At the end of the day, I just experienced a collision course between intelligence and outright lies and nonsense. Pretty nasty but unavoidable.

  Currently I am reading 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins and wish it had been available to me back then.

  Better late than never
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  84

  How do I as a future "Therapist" help ex-jws that won't move on from the WT?

  by booker-t in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i am halfway through my master's program in psychology/sociology and plan on being a therapist/sounselor.

  i left jw's in 1988 and i have never looked back.

  i enjoy my life so much after getting my aa degree, then my ba degree, and now i will soon get my ma degree.

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  erbie

  Thank you for all of your comments, I've found it very enlightening on a very personal level.

  I think Roberta makes a truly excellent point with respect to therapists who see their primary role as 'helping' other JW's leave their religion or in helping others who are struggling to 'move on'. In their case I too would question whether they themselves really have moved on. Probably they have not.

  I am ashamed to say that I am also one of those poor unfortunates who has found it impossible to 'move on'. I left the WT first and my wife and kids followed shortly after. She instantly made a new circle of friends, went back to University (which I also have done) and she just moved on straight away. Or so it seems.

  I, however, have found it very difficult to really move myself forward in a spiritual sense as I have been led to believe that all other religion is Satanic or of the Devil.

  I did go to a therapist but she always said that she was not allowed to give me her opinion as it was just that-her opinion and as such was of no real value to me. She would not even answer my questions as she said that her answer would only reflect her opinion and that I should not care what other people think.

  ???

  I quickly realized that I was wasting my time talking to a person who, for whatever reasons, is not able to express their own personal opinion based on life-experience, education, wisdom, etc. You really are better off talking through your struggles with a friend/aquaintance who is able to talk to you on a level.

  Anyway, after quite some time it has become obvious to me why I have not been able to move on and I am taking steps to change that. For quite some time a friend kept asking me to join their choral society. I repeatedly declined because I did not want to become involved with something I had always been led to believe was unclean despite the fact that I have always fancied doing it. Now I have a change of heart and believe it will do me a lot of good.

  Ultimately, for me to truly 'move on' will probably require moving away but in the meantime there are other things I can do to help myself.

  Good luck to all of you-I know its a struggle.
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  104

  Yet another "Shunning is good for you, honest!" quote in the June 15th 2013 Watchtower

  by cedars in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  hi folks.

  that's right, the new june 15th 2013 study edition is out now on this link.... http://download.jw.org/files/media_magazines/28/w_e_20130615.pdf.

  the following quote caught my eye, from the final study article on page 28.... .

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  erbie

  So, by his own admission, he went back for the reason of association?

  They seem to approve of that.

  That's very enlightening.
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  46

  Jehovah’s Witnesses and psychiatric diagnoses?

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  jehovahs witnesses and psychiatric diagnoses?.

  today i added a new article to my blog sharing information from a 1983 study published in the journal for the scientific study of religion addressing religious affiliation and psychiatric diagnoses.

  this article pulls information from an excellent academic study that is often misunderstood and therefore underutilized for its value.

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  erbie

  In many ways it really is a 'refuge' for persons with mental health issues, uneducated, socially disfunctional, simple, naive etc.

  The list is endless.

  Neverajw made the point earlier that he would not attempt to awaken the person and I totally agree as it is rather like awakening someone from the Matrix (no joke intended).

  Some people are genuinely happier and perhaps healthier within the confines that the cult has placed around them.

  I have personally made people 'aware' of the duplicity of the WT and they have ended up hating me for it.

  It is good to expose untruth in general but some individuals are very delicate and this should be kept in mind.

  I always think of the Dr. Who episode in which the Cyber-Men become concious of the fact that they were once human with the result that they are unable to live with the pain of that recollection.

  I know it is a simple parallel but I remember watching it with my kids and immediately making that connection.

  I too have suffered since my departure and have, on occaision, felt the urge to return.

  I now realize that this was due to a lack of purpose and attainable goals in the REAL world and I have take steps to remedy this.

  Successfully I hope...
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  55

  The CO asked for money tonight at the meeting.

  by life is to short in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was shocked i do not know why as i have read that the co's were doing this but to hear it with my own ears was unbelievable.

  i do not go to the meetings but my husband still does and this week is the co's visit.

  i decided that i would listen in to his talk; i swear i have lost some brain cells by doing it but anywho.. he started out by talking about the old story that has been in the wt many times about a little boy who was seven and raised a chicken and gave the money to the society.

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  erbie

  Wasblind-

  I may not get there but that's not gonna stop me storing up treasures in heaven.

  Either that, or I could build a new grain store.

  What do you think?
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  375

  The Governing Body intends to announce significant changes in academic literature (DOCTRINES) - Brazil

  by Dogpatch in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  dear randall.

  good morning!.

  here is the daniel of brazil (former bethel).. this week at the forum of former jehovah's witnesses had an interesting news!

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  erbie

  Tis a bloomin shame.

  I was hoping they would bring back miracle wheat.

  We could all do with some of that!!!
• 
  55

  The CO asked for money tonight at the meeting.

  by life is to short in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i was shocked i do not know why as i have read that the co's were doing this but to hear it with my own ears was unbelievable.

  i do not go to the meetings but my husband still does and this week is the co's visit.

  i decided that i would listen in to his talk; i swear i have lost some brain cells by doing it but anywho.. he started out by talking about the old story that has been in the wt many times about a little boy who was seven and raised a chicken and gave the money to the society.

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  erbie

  How much does he need???

  Only, the household bills take up most of my earnings but I'm sure that if me and the kids went hungry I could spare him a little.

  Probably not enough to prop up the org but hey, every little helps!

  And...I'd be storing up treasures in heaven
• 
  27

  Early church fathers

  by Rattigan350 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  in a post by leolaia she stated:.

  then the trinity brochure came out and i almost immediately became upset at its intellectual dishonesty, as by this time i was very familiar with the early church fathers and recognized that the brochure distorted heavily their views.. .

  early church fathers and their views?

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  erbie

  With you on that one soontobe.