notalone

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Posts by notalone

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  144

  RC 2017

  by wifibandit in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  due to last years success, i will post everything related to the 2017 regional convention in this thread.. to start us off.... thanks to exjw reddit user ich3b we have advance notice of the theme (this is not a joke!).

  the theme for the 2017 regional convention is: "don’t give up!” .

  as always, if you have access to confidential materials you would like to leak but need to protect your identity, pm me or email me: wifibandit1 (at) gmail.

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  notalone

  disgusting! have children dress modestly- educate the child's conscience- tell parents- disgusting!!!.
  
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  first non-witness affiliated visitor

  by notalone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know this is sad but last night was the first time we have had a non-witness affiliated visitor to my home.

  we have had workmen and the such but never someone over for a meal and just visit.

  it was very impromptu.

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  notalone

  I know this is sad but last night was the first time we have had a non-witness affiliated visitor to my home. We have had workmen and the such but never someone over for a meal and just visit. It was very impromptu. Normally ( I use this term loosely) I am very nervous. I would make sure every inch of my house was 'bethel' clean. I would be very nervous about conversations and how everything would come off. This was very relaxed. They were very appreciative of the meal and conversations flowed freely. I never realized the anxiety level in all interactions between witnesses. I am starting to wonder just how much of my daily life and concerns are changing for the better. Well, I just thought I would share. Thanks for listening.
  
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  22

  Are JW's non- violent

  by notalone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, i keep reading something and though jw's do not get involved in national wars, my experience has always been they are very violent people.

  every convention i have ever been to was filled with children being beat within an inch of their lives for just not being able to take a third day of mind-droning silence without being able to move or now even sleep.

  i have seen whole congregations laugh at stories of children being beaten and calling out to "jehovah".

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  notalone

  Dear dreary weather, I did not intend to put forward the idea that believing in Armageddon is violent.. My personal feelings about God and Armageddon are beside the point.I also do not want to get into a debate as to whether those in the Bible were violent or whether this was accepted by God. I am not even discussing if religion in general promotes violence or peace. I was pointing to the specific claim that being a JW would cause one to be non violent and that the religion of JW's is non violent. I know there are many that have become more peaceable when they come to religion in general.I also know that many people who do not turn to religion decide to leave a violent background. I feel that many individual witnesses are peaceable, yet the claim that JW's are a non violent people by my personal experiences does not seem to fit. One of my favorite sayings that I have still held on to is- by their fruits you will recognize them. It seems to me that often there is a disconnect between what is said and what is actually done. For example JW's say that they are not creationists, yet they believe God created the earth as described in Genesis.They claim they are not fundamentalists, yet they accept the Bible strictly as it is. They say they are not pacifists,then they say they are non violent, then members follow a violent course. Now we could say that individuals are that way, but not the whole. That could be accepted if they removed violent people from their midst through disfellowshipping, which we know they use. From my personal experiences I have never known one who was disfellowshipped for violence and I have known many that would be considered violent by the standards of the judicial system not my personal standards. If you have been blessed to have never experienced a violent Witness I am so very happy for you. If you yourself have found the teachings of the witnesses have aided you to not follow a course of violence I applaud you for following a course of peace. I am only questioning whether the specific claim of non violence by JW's and those who have left could be more from propaganda rather than personal experience.
  
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  22

  Are JW's non- violent

  by notalone in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, i keep reading something and though jw's do not get involved in national wars, my experience has always been they are very violent people.

  every convention i have ever been to was filled with children being beat within an inch of their lives for just not being able to take a third day of mind-droning silence without being able to move or now even sleep.

  i have seen whole congregations laugh at stories of children being beaten and calling out to "jehovah".

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  notalone

  Okay, I keep reading something and though JW's do not get involved in national wars, my experience has always been they are very violent people. Every convention I have ever been to was filled with children being beat within an inch of their lives for just not being able to take a third day of mind-droning silence without being able to move or now even sleep. I have seen whole congregations laugh at stories of children being beaten and calling out to "Jehovah". I know of wives that have suffered broken bones only to be blamed. I know of a sister who was assaulted and faced an attempted kidnapping by a 'brother'. As a child I was repeatedly told how if I had lived in ancient Israel I would have been stoned to death. I was also told about parents that ate their children because they had not been obedient in Jerusalem.I have seen verbal abuse hurled at young and old alike. All the victims left without recourse.I know for a fact if the society were to say that they were now commissioned to join with the angles in the cleansing of the earth a great majority would be out there destroying all "God's enemies".. So I really don't know where the idea that JW's are non-violent comes from except their own propaganda. They are not only some of the most violent people I have ever known but they also have a coldness about it. I am on a task of trying to weed out all the little lies they put into my sub conscience. . I keep finding these tenacious weeds popping up, sometimes I need help in noticing them and this site has been great with that. So I want to ask, does anyone else think this is one of those insidious weeds of propaganda?.
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  184

  Outcome - Banned in Russia - Final

  by OrphanCrow in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i just watched the live feed from the russian court room and followed the updates on the russian exjw forum.. just waiting for confirmation from other sources...but, it looks like the final (and expected) result is:.

  banned.

  which means that the wts property in russia now belongs to the russian state..

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  notalone

  There is a God, and he has put those who acted as vicious shepherds, tearing at the flock and false prophets have come to account. I do not rejoice for those who are scared and confused. I truly hope that these who can not be drip fed the the mind control kool-aid will start to wake up and escape without the fear of that knock at the door or the summons to a judicial hearing. I pray that those who leave will find strength to realize that this org does not have the right to judge them. I pray they can leave with their dignity. I pray that children will live when they need medical treatment. I pray that when older ones die their hard earned inheritances do not go to a money grubbing corporation. I pray that those who are weak or confused will not get that knock on the door that brings them further down. I pray that the children, the oh so many children hurt , abused and silenced will find a voice that will be heard. Today, I pray many things and as I was often told- wait on jehovah. I did and He acted.
  
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  103

  What will you be doing on the evening of the 11th ?

  by Phizzy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  mrs phizzy and myself will be eating out, sure in the knowledge we will not have jw's using the same restaurant.. i may have a cigar along with my brandy at the meal's end to celebrate my (our) freedom..

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  notalone

  Today, I experienced my first Palm Sunday and had communion, Tuesday I will be at pottery class. Thursday will be Holy Thursday and Sunday, sunrise services. I wanted to see what it is like to celebrate His life, commemorate his final meal and rejoice at His resurrection, rather than the deep foreboding of a black mass.
  
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  Marc & Cora on YouTube causing unnecessary divisions

  by jambon1 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what is it with this pair?

  why do they have to constantly have a bitch about guys like john cedars?

  a very recent video of them shows them calling him a 'village idiot' and making other disparaging claims.

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  notalone

  Welcome to place where we value the opinions of all even those we do not agree with or we may not personally be drawn to. We have left tattered and torn from a cult that would only revel at any ( as they would perceive ) infighting. There are many right now who are waking up. They are taking their first steps to freedom. What do you think will be their reaction to this. Some people are drawn to Ceders, some people are drawn to Kim and Mikey, some are drawn to Mark and Cora. Some are calculating. Some are confused. Some are scared. Some are depressed. Some are angry. Many are a ever changing mixture of all the above. There are reasons to support the Russian ban. There are reasons to not support the Russian ban. Every voice that is willing to speak up is valued. We are not in a place where we ' need to all speak in agreement', but if we want to support those waking up and encourage new voices we need to think how would I feel, not who do I believe is right. Maybe it's a residual consequence of having been in a cult, being right is more important than people, then dignity. Maybe we are only truly free from it's warping when we start to value people more than opinions.
  
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  My Anointed Grandma’s Wavering Faith?

  by My Name is of No Consequence in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  some quick background information: my dad (her firstborn son) died unexpectedly this past october.

  his death has really hit our family hard.

  personally, i have not totally come to terms with this.

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  notalone

  Dear My Name, my mother is also of the anointed she finally woke up last year.She did not attend the memorial but had a private observance on the day before the Passover, when Christ actually had His last supper. She had seen things with people in the org for a while, but made excuses. There were finally no more excuses to be made. As to the doctrines, this is not the org her grandmother joined with in the time of Russell. This isn't even the org of Rutherford,Knorr or even Franz. This is some empty shell of an org. There are no deep studies or conversations. The rank and file have left any love they may have had, and now it's all empty double-talk. So she left, because her conscience required it. Now she is reading her Bible without the publications. It is hard but she is actually happier. Now, my when husband's grandmother stopped going, and even listening in she said,'I've heard it all before'. I was worried at the time but I now realize she had woken up but kept up appearances the last couple of years. Her final say was refusing to leave the org any money in her will, quite adamantly so. I am sorry for your loss and for hers. Talk to her about the Bible. Talk to her about forgiveness. Talk to her about Christian conscience. Show her love and respect, you never know what may happen.
  
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  21

  I need your opinions and recommendations please.

  by bola in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after my exit from the watchtower shunning cult, i have received tons of invitations from different churches.

  but because i am aware of religious cults, i need recommendations of churches that are not cults at all.

  after exiting the watchtower cult, i don't want to fall into another religious cults.

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  notalone

  Dear bola, as a mulit-gen born in the idea of attending a church was like someone just handed me a bowl of poison and said, "take a bite." The first thing I did was to systematically undo doctrinal lies. I tend to be of the mindset lairs lie. If you catch someone in one lie there are probably more. The lies of the organization are complete. So I decided not to hold onto those lies and let them continue to control my life. So test things out. Try little local congregations that don't care if you believe or do everything they say. Try to find those who by their works show they want to be kind to those in their community. I liked the Unitarians, but I also like a very small Methodist church with a kind- hearted older pastor. I really am not interested in anything that is fire-and -brimstone or overly regimented, but that's just me. See what feels good but be careful about joining. Side point I just found out about something called Maundy Thursday.I think that's what they called it. It's a commemoration of the last supper. I think I'll give it a try this year.
  
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  11

  Just an update on me

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, i came on here a few weeks ago and told my story and you were so kind, caring and welcoming.

  your messages of support moved me to tears.

  i was so grateful.

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  notalone

  Dearest Phebe, I send you my love and compassion. My husband had a similar reaction when the same thing happened in our family. It was when we realized this isn't just a local thing, that this is everywhere.We realized that many of those 'faithful' brothers we had known for years were rapists, kidnappers and child molesters- all in one hall, all interacting with the cong freely. If this was God's clean org this could not happen. It could not be happening throughout. This is hard. This is a quake to our very reality, but if you do believe in God know He will be a strength to you. He will guide you. He is guiding you. You know that 'by their fruits you will recognize them' and 'one faithful in least is faithful in much'. God is allowing you to see what you were once blind to. Now comes the time of free will. This is your choice. You have a God-given conscience and it is screaming out to you. I know this is scary, but you are not alone. There is your family and this wonderful ex-jw support system. Taste and see- you might find truth,freedom and friends. You might come to see your self as deserving. Phebe, this is hard, this seems to shake your core. Take a breath, see the beauty around you and step into it. Trust God, trust him like you never thought you would have to. Trust him directly, and see what happens. We have not been to a meeting in a little over a year. We have taken it slow, carefully and did research. I can say we have never been so happy, or known the Bible as well as we do now. We have been blessed with new friends and some old ones that were friends still are. Those who would ask you to ignore your conscience are not used by God, see them as they really are. Ask yourself, if someone who was not a witness came to you and told you to act against God's standards and your own conscience what would you do? You have held to strict standards for over 50 years, this was not easy. You can do this- I send my prayers.