Posts by Pardus

37

If you were wrong about the truth, what else?

by ballistic in

jw
friends

what effect has having a whole section of your life proved to be a falsehood had on you?.

anybody that has been a witness will understand the time, effort, comitment and money that it took to be a member.

the way it dominated our lives, affected every decision we made and shaped our future.. some have left and turned to other faiths and some (like myself) have lost all religious faith (and i make no appology for that).

Pardus

I was born into the organization.

It wasn't until I was old enough to really think about the repetitive material I was listening to when I realized the illogical crap I was being force-fed.

I realized what it was doing to my brain, and now I see things for how they really are. I've been trying to find my own path for the last few years.

I really feel for those who have spent decades going to meetings, out in service, etc. For some it probably would have been better to go with the old "ignorance is bliss" instead of finding out what the truth is really about. It's sort of like Neo in the Matrix finding out that the world he knew was just a computer simulation.

53

Thoughts about Depression and Anxiety

by flower in

this is mostly directed to others that were born/raised in the cult.

more specifically those raised in the cult who also suffered from severe depression and/or social anxiety disorder or any other mental illness (other than the normal probs that come with being in the borg).

sometimes i wonder if its just me that doesnt feel like a person now.

Pardus

Flower I can relate to your feelings and to those who have responded. I had one really good "worldly" friend growing up (along with JW friends who I wasn't as close with) until I was 10 or 11 years old and when he moved that was pretty much it. I hardly had any friends after that because I was and still am shy naturally and being a Witness just made it worse. I thought that only going to occasional meetings and not believing in any of it would solve my social problems or at least help them but it hasn't really. I think it is just ingrained in me to be shy and to believe that worldly people just will not accept me, and Witnesses will only be friendly if I go to meetings and agree with all the teachings. Having a cool older brother has helped because he agrees with me that most of the JW stuff is BS. But still growing up a JW and realizing that I missed out on so much enjoyment, especially in school, has made me a very bitter and angry person, and often difficult to talk to.

I think the key is really just being selfish and doing what you want to do. If other people don't like it, just tell them you need to do things for yourself right now and find people that support you and don't judge you.

3

The wisdom of Ozzy

by Pardus in

jw
friends

i never thought i would be quoting the wisdom of ozzy osbourne but he said something on the show tonight that stuck with me.

he said something like "the thing about life is, you don't figure it out until you're almost dead.

" yes, i know his mental processes have been screwed up from drugs so i'm sure he didn't figure out a lot of things that he should have.

Pardus

I never thought I would be quoting the wisdom of Ozzy Osbourne but he said something on the show tonight that stuck with me. He said something like "the thing about life is, you don't figure it out until you're almost dead." Yes, I know his mental processes have been screwed up from drugs so I'm sure he didn't figure out a lot of things that he should have. But I was thinking this could be applied to witnesses. Many former witnesses didn't figure out that the "truth" wasn't as truthful as it seemed until they were older in years, or "almost dead." It's hard enough figuring life out as it is but when you have grown up being endlessly taught so many things that are false, it really screws your mind up. You thought you knew it all, and now you know nothing. I'm glad I am still young so I can start living now the way I want to live.

28

Why the hell do I have this pathetic life?

by Nicolas in

i' so tired of this.

sometime, i'd just like to say goodbye cruel world but, it would be too easy to do this.

when i was in the borg, they were telling me that when someone go out of the org, he have a lot of problems and that's exactly what happen to me.

Pardus

That was a good comparison between the Organization and Shawshank. You really can get to be "institutionalized" even though you are not physically imprisoned. Your mind has been conditioned to associate the K. Hall and field service with salvation and pretty much everything else with death.

12

sunday meetings

by Realist in

jw
friends

in the awful sunday meetings are people supposed to answer the questions from the wt by just reading the stupid paragraph again or would the elders prefer to hear a real comment?

Pardus

Some just read from the paragraph with some rewording of the phrases, others, mainly elders and ministerial servants will include original thoughts or experiences. The format is such that it usually discourages anything but just answering the question, but some questions ask for personal experiences specifically. These personal experiences and comments are pretty much the only interesting portions because otherwise it's just rehash of what was just read. A lot depends on the conductor. If he is lively and asks additional questions then it is much easier to pay attention.

9

The Scorpion King-yum,yum

by termite 35 in

well!

what a treat!took my daughters to see the scorpion king tonight;a truly crap film,but boy oh boy, what a body that man has!

(glances at snoring,open-mouthed,dribbling husband)perhaps if i got out the bicycle pump and a little oil.......

Pardus

I thought it was a good movie but it could have had more dialogue and humor in it along with the fight scenes. If you have seen any of the Rock's interviews in the WWF you would know how funny he can be.

27

Suffering

by Realist in

brief question: if the sin committed by adam and eve is responsible for suffering how can one explain the fact that animals died long before that event?

or are animals not considered to suffer?

Pardus

I think the Bible says that animals didn't suffer before Adam and Eve's sin. Apparently they all just lived together peacefully in some way that we can't comprehend.

27

Zebras (Awake! magazine Jan 2001)

by Duncan in

jw
friends

well, weve been in our new house now for almost two years, and we finally got our first visit from the witnesses, a couple of days ago.. two very nice middle-aged ladies stood on my doorstep, asking me would i accept their two magazines for free?

- they were old issues from january well, how could i refuse?.

its gods will that zebras are striped and thats the beginning and end of it.. for an educational magazine this is just a disgrace.. can you hear the voice of the great teacher in this?

Pardus

I've noticed that the Awake! articles about nature and animals have gotten a little better. They are not as dumbed down or short as in previous years, but still if you want any in-depth information without reading technical papers, National Geographic, National Wildlife, Wildlife Conservation, and others are much better. You just can't expect much from Awake! And yes, some of their theories like all dinosaurs being herbivores are really silly.

28

Kingdom Melodies

by Dawn in

jw
friends

i was just listening to my new nicole c. mullen cd (she rocks!!

) and i had this thought...... i really enjoy christian rock music now, but i had never listened to it as a jw because i wasn't allowed.

so instead i listened to that every uplifting ac/dc, metalica, scorpions (still favorites of mine).. the society did release the "kingdom melodies" on tape though and everyone bought the complete set.....did anyone here ever really enjoy that music?

Pardus

My favorite is Song 23: "Dark days are here, men live in fear...Having no hope, blindly they grope...but the Bible gives us a reason for cheer" I get a kick out of that one every time.

16

awake 4-22-02 "spider masquerades as ant&q...

by Moxy in

jw
friends

there is a rather fascinating article at the end of the april 22nd awake concerning a certain spider that is able to imitate an ant so convincingly that it can live among ants and escape detection.

(puzzlingly the article fails to either name the spider or indicate its native habitat.

looking up some info myself, i see that there a several species of ant-mimicing spider, especially of the genus myrmarachne.

Pardus

This post reminds of something I could never understand. If there was no predation in the new system ("the kid will lie down with the leopard, the wolf and the lamb will reside together" - Isaiah), how would overpopulation be controlled? It was always explained "well, Jehovah will fix everything so it would work out." Would there be natural or accidental deaths of organisms only? Would everyone have to be vegetarian?