one of the most frustrating things.
when you confront jw's about what they believe they will often deny it.
such as "if your child is disfellowshipped then you can't have contact with them ever again".
My faves include:
"You can leave whenever you want, you just stop going to meetings."
"We don't let our children die, we use alternative treatment."
And they really hate it when you point out that their governing body can dictate to them what to believe st the drop of a hat.
was reading up on the world mission society church of god, or wmscog for short, a south korean church founded in the early 60s by ahn sahn-hong.
the church has a million+ members in over 100 countries.
they believe in god the father (jehovah) and a god the mother, whom they claim to be a living south korean woman named jan gil-ja.
Im familiar with these nuts. I've seen some of their propaganda cartoons as well. There's one entitled "Cult Experts Break Up Families" in which they make out that "see, we HAVE to shun you, because you're trying to take me away from this church".
what kind of restrictions are people put under when their behaviour has been considered worthy of disfellowshipping but have managed to avoid the big "d"?.
me (going back a bit):.
1. never to be in the company of the lady unchaperoned although we were "betrothed".. 2. removed from ministerial servants position.. 3. not allowed to pray in the congregation at all, including book study.. 4. removed as watchtower study conductor.. 5. removed as public speaker and talks at service meetings.. 6. removed as pioneer.. 7. report to po once a month.. amazingly, i missed none of those things and relished the freedom from responsibility.
Let's see... I've had:
Removal from microphone duty - YAY!! I can finally sit down during the meeting.
Removal from sound desk - YAY!! (and nobody else knew how to use it, so that was fun to watch)
Removal from saying the prayer - YAY!!
Removal from reading the WT or book study book on the platform - YAY!! I didn't want the job anyway.
When the gave me my "privileges" back i told them i didn't want them and wouldn't be doing them. I didn't understand it. They told me i should be "reaching out". I told them "i have a 6 month old babe, a wife with severe OCD, a stressful job and im surrounded by brothers who are, apparently, more spiritual than me. So i dont need or want this "privilege" thank you.
That was satisfying i can tell you.
tonight's episode of holby city on bbc 1 starts a jw narrative that explores family estrangement and the blood issue.
the outcome is explored again in a couple of weeks and is pretty favourable to the jws..
I always found these programs to be inaccurate. Last time i seen this theme being explored on Casualty and the JW was wearing a headscarf (she died for want of blood) and the husband at the end said the Lords prayer in King James English.
The reason for refusing blood was "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." - Again, in King James English.
Im all for exposing their dangerous blood doctrine but i want it to be put out there accurately. Because people with JW friends will just say "what a load of nonsense, they dont wear headscarves! This is all rubbish." and switch over.
since leaving watchtower i kind of hit the "reset" button in my mind and reevaluated what i thought i knew, what i believe and i require proof for every idea put before me before i commit to it.
lately i've been fascinated with evolution.
as a jw i never even looked at the subject, dismissing it as "just a theory".
Cofty, would you give me your take on these creationist arguments as put forward by bible nut Jack Chick in one of his tracts:
since leaving watchtower i kind of hit the "reset" button in my mind and reevaluated what i thought i knew, what i believe and i require proof for every idea put before me before i commit to it.
lately i've been fascinated with evolution.
as a jw i never even looked at the subject, dismissing it as "just a theory".
Since leaving Watchtower I kind of hit the "reset" button in my mind and reevaluated what i thought i knew, what i believe and I require proof for every idea put before me before i commit to it. Lately i've been fascinated with evolution. As a JW i never even looked at the subject, dismissing it as "just a theory". Embarrassingly, i now know that i had no idea what a "theory" was. Im amazed that i ever believed humans were created after all. I mean, the bones that have been found of are not ape (we know what ape bones look like) and not modern human either.
This is a completely new subject to me and i feel like a kid, reading up on it, watching documentaries, looking at charts.
One more reason i could never go back to the JWs.
alright.... so in another thread, most of us have been counseled for some lame stuff, and the responses range from funny to shocking.. now, let's focus on you giving counsel to others.
come on, don't be shy!.
i'll begin:.
I had a long talk with my brother in law who, along with my sister, were very rarely at meetings anymore. I gave an upbuilding little speech about "how much Jesus has done for us, and what does he ask in return? That we learn about him and tell others about him etc etc..." it worked and he started attending meetings again.
He's now an MS.
I should've let them go, they were seemed a lot happier and less up their own asses.
apparently going to the kingdom hall and getting out in the door to door ministry is the best way to get over the loss of a loved one.
who'dve thunk it?.
stash: /intesoft-inc.appspot.com/post/80e3cef960fd4eee9fd5cd757c438581.html
Apparently going to the Kingdom Hall and getting out in the door to door ministry is the best way to get over the loss of a loved one. Who'dve thunk it?
Yes, no matter what happens, we must peddle those magazines. And how dare you for not thinking of JW.borg and thinking of your dear old nana instead.
i voted this morning for the first time.
at 32yo i wondered in a church of england parish hall with no idea what i was doing.
everyone else knew how to do it.
I've even eaten black pudding!
I think that eating black pudding is the acid test for how far you have come in getting rid of indoctrination.
I tried it in a cafe about 3 months ago. They seem to add with to every fried breakfast here in Liverpool. I didnt like it. In fact, i spat it out. It tastes like metal! So now i dont eat it through choice rather than being told not to.
I do put a bet on every now and then. Christmas, i cant get excited about, unfortunately it still feels wrong in my head. My birthday and my daughters birthday was great though.
i voted this morning for the first time.
at 32yo i wondered in a church of england parish hall with no idea what i was doing.
everyone else knew how to do it.
I voted this morning for the first time. At 32yo i wondered in a Church Of England parish hall with no idea what i was doing. Everyone else knew how to do it. So i manage to fake it enough to make it look like i've done this before. Casted my vote and made my way out. On the way out there's the female vicar talking to some young schoolchildren about a day out they're all going on tomorrow. There was a big display on the wall that the kids had made and they'd stuck on leaves and painted hand prints and were raising money for the Manchester terrorist attack victims. Message above it said "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." - Romans 12:21.
I thought this was really nice. So i even put a few £££ in the collection box. Sure, im an atheist now, but this little parish is doing something nice with the kids, getting them involved in making a display, raising money for - not the church - but for the Manchester victims families. A far cry from the Kingdom Hall i was raised in.
Anyway, i felt not one jot of guilt over voting. Whereas about a year ago i would have. It's made me see how far i've some in untangling the indoctrination and thought stopping the Watchtower fed me since birth.
