Posts by Muddy Waters

27

Am I selfish?

by Jules Saturn in

tonight i had an argument with both my parents.

my parents are aware of my feelings towards the organization, and it saddens them because i am their first born son.

they had high expectations of me, my father dreamt of him and i serving together as elders.

The WT uses fear, obligation, and guilt -- F.O.G. -- which keeps their members controlled. There is no climate for doubt, for questions, for open discussion. There is no transparency or accounting, no apologies for "unclarified light". They take and they take and they take without ever giving anything back in terms of practical help or assistance.

We can be the change we want to see... We can be the ones who show love and tolerance... We can be off the man-inspired and directed WT treadmill which goes nowhere.

Your indoctrination, and their reactions (very JW-typical) makes you feel "selfish" but hopefully you can question & rationalize those feelings. All the best.

16

Have you ever looked back at your early posts on here?

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

no doubt we are all overjoyed at how we have progressed since breaking the shackles of the society!.

for those that have been here on this forum for some time, have you ever looked back at the version of "you" that first started posting here, and compared yourself with where you are at now?.

i am overjoyed at how much i have grown as a person!.

Muddy Waters

Yes, definitely have changed my outlook on so many things.

I used to think that there was still a "truth" out there, that there was a God somewhere, and that the present Governing Body had somehow apostasized....

Now I'm very close to being an atheist, and have become much more humanitarian and people & community focused... Feel much better about myself & my value and worth to the people around me, that family is indeed, our life blood... that is important to make this life the best it can be for not just oneself but the people around us... We all in this together... 💕

21

reps of the JW.0rg kiosk looking very Sea.0rg'ish

by oppostate in

amazing how cults end up looking so similar.

have you ever wondered how budhist monks and catholic monks look and behave so similarly?

or why mormons and jw religion have so many parallels?.

Muddy Waters

Hahaha! What is that scripture in Ecclesiastes which says: "... the making of many books of which there is no end, and the pursuit of them is wearisome to the flesh..."

I also remember being stumped in field service one time when I was sharing the scripture which said, "For all scripture is inspired by God... that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped... etc." and the householder asked me, "If that's true, why do you guys have all those extra books and magazines...?"

48

"You're going to die in Armageddon"

by Jules Saturn in

i'm sure i am not the only one to have heard this come out of the mouths of my loved ones.

it's a very painful thing to hear, especially when it comes from the people like your own parents/family.

even after i've been told that, they would say "we'll just continue life without you.

Muddy Waters

And! Interestingly, these very words were said to me when I attended a JW funeral a few years back. A few people were asking me, "So what hall are in you now..?" and various similar questions (they always need to check your status, don't they??)

And it was so gratifying, so wonderful, to say almost casually, offhand: "Do you know, I'm not really sure... We haven't been to meetings for quite a while and I'm sure the boundaries have changed by now..."

And then to watch the expression on their face change, and then to hear those ridiculous words: "Not going to meetings! But you must go to meetings or you will die at Armageddon!!" THREE different people told me that at this one funeral.

I thought to myself, "Is that all you've got? Is that really supposed to encourage me to come back? Threats of death and destruction?" I just sort of smiled and said, "Well, it was nice seeing you again, take care." and walked away. They have no power over me any more. They are as deluded as I once was, and it is *good* to be out and away from it.

48

"You're going to die in Armageddon"

by Jules Saturn in

i'm sure i am not the only one to have heard this come out of the mouths of my loved ones.

it's a very painful thing to hear, especially when it comes from the people like your own parents/family.

even after i've been told that, they would say "we'll just continue life without you.

Muddy Waters

Oh my god.... I remember saying these heartless and cruel words to our dear teenage daughter when she balked at going to meetings ... And I remember her look of utter hurt and rage...

It breaks my heart to think of the emotional damage we put our children through by believing the stupid cult propaganda: "Brothers and sisters, are you doing all you can to build your children spirituality with fire-resistant materials...? Are meetings non-negotiable in your home? What better place can we be than at our Christian meetings?" Blah blah blah crap.... Despicable utter crap.

And people really were dispensable.... Replaceable... Like Borg.... My husband and I "comforted" ourselves by saying we could have more children in the new system....

When you believe the goddamn lies you don't even see how hurtful it is.

15

June 29, 2017 TO ALL CONGREGATIONS Re: Branch Relocation - Newsletter (UK)

by wifibandit in

june 29, 2017 to all congregations re: branch relocation - newsletter.

britain branch relocation - newsletter ed.5 summer 2017. .

.

Muddy Waters

Wow... Thank you again. How can the "brothers" read this crap out loud at the meeting and keep a straight face? It sounds so over the top now.

8

May 24, 2017 TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS Re: Donations to “Jehovah’s Witnesses of India” by Indian Passport Holders

by wifibandit in

may 24, 2017 to all bodies of elders re: donations to “jehovah’s witnesses of india” by indian passport holders.

.

Muddy Waters

wow.... thank you for this...

24

Do WT Publications Make Us Feel Unworthy, Unlovable and Helpless?

by jp1692 in

it is my contention that the wtbts, (as do all high-control, authoritarian cults), deliberately cultivates dysfunctional beliefs among its members.

in particular, the most destructive of these beliefs are those that undermine one's feelings of self-worth.

for a research project i am doing, i am looking for direct quotes from wt publications that seem to be specifically designed to manipulate the readers into feeling: unworthy, unlovable, inadequate and/or helpless.

Muddy Waters

You may want to also search the publications for the word, "behooves ".... as in, "... it behooves us to..." or "... should we not feel behooved to..." etc.

I look forward to seeing or hearing more about your research project.

36

Please tell me: what is a relationship with the "person" Jehovah like?

by Maryo in

does anyone out there know of any jws that have talked about what their personal relationship with jehovah was like?

for example, hearing his voice, a certain feeling?

an intellectual understanding?

Muddy Waters

Hahaha, what a great question! Yes, I remember hearing about "the Person of Jehovah" as well as the great Jehovah being a "manly person of war.." !! -- LOL

And my "relationship" with this "person"...? Well, thinking back to my totally intense, hoodwinked, full-of-the-koolaid JW self once upon a time, I suppose you could liken it to an adult having a really good friendship or relationship with Santa Clause.

Like, he was "always there" (in my imagination), looming above... Looking down to make sure I was being Good and not Bad...

Worse, I imagined I could FEEL his presence, this mighty, silent, powerful God, the Grand Creator, surrounded by all his angels (and Jesus too, somewhere in the shadows, waiting patiently for his turn) and I imagined that every time I did a bad thing or made a mistake, that Jehovah would sadly turn his face away from me....

But when I did good things (determined by WT just exactly what those "good things" entailed), I imagined the great Jah smiling down at me, his angles happy too, all was like a big happy bubble...

I remember feeling so damn smug some days, when I was doing "all the right things" and thus making Jehovah "happy" .... and every now and again feeling troubled at my smugness, wondering why I felt like that pompous man described in the bible who prayed that he was so thankful not to be like those terrible sinners all around him.

Dare I even say that I sometimes had "demon" trouble and would pray out loud to Jehovah and my goodness, the demons would flee away ... Oh boy.

I think I either had a really active imagination, or stress-induced night terrors, or I actually did lose my mind while being a totally indoctrinated dubbie.

17

My Current Views About God, Relgion, JWs and Life In General

by pale.emperor in

this past year has been the most life changing year anyone could ever go through.

waking up, leaving the cult, separating from my wife, research, research, research, reading, pondering etc.

and i've found myself having to re-learn and re-evaluate everything i thought i knew.

Muddy Waters

PaleEmperor, nicely expressed! I have come to about the same conclusions as you.

It frustrates me now to hear people say, "I'll pray for you" or "sending prayers!" or some such, because it feels like a cop-out... where is the PRACTICAL, physical help or advice..?? Telling people who are in need or distress to wait on God to help them feels like they are being told to wait for a magic fairy or Santa Claus to do something ...