I used to deny that only JWs will survive. It was actually an apostate on Quora.com that corrected me and pointed me to the many Watchtower articles.
Kudos to that apostate
there was a recent thread on another site where posters maintained that many of the *most* long-standing jw's don't believe at least one official watchtower doctrine.
i've even read reports from bethelites saying they've heard bethel overseers say they don't believe some watchtower theology.
this made me think - i believe there are a few official doctrines that are common for many jw's to be either in denial about or simply not really believe ( often one and the same thing).. i'd say these are pretty high in the ranking:.
I used to deny that only JWs will survive. It was actually an apostate on Quora.com that corrected me and pointed me to the many Watchtower articles.
Kudos to that apostate
just wanted to share with you some good news i'm really excited about.
i have been accepted for university to study psychology and counseling.
my goal is to become a counselor and, in time, to specialize on treating those who have left high control relationships/groups like we all did.. it'll take a few years before im qualified but studying in university has been a dream of mine since i was 12, which was systematically dashed to pieces by watchtower.. .
Hello everyone
Just wanted to share with you some good news I'm really excited about. I have been accepted for University to study Psychology and Counseling. My goal is to become a counselor and, in time, to specialize on treating those who have left high control relationships/groups like we all did.
It'll take a few years before im qualified but studying in University has been a dream of mine since i was 12, which was systematically dashed to pieces by Watchtower.
Well Tony, lets hope so. I may even wear tight pants to class and grow a beard.
switzerland - .
jw files a suit because his surgery was refused!
supreme court decides against jw.. in the present case, the dilemma to which the hospital refers is not at all.
This whole non blood thing may a well sound like this to me:
Doctor: Good news, we can perform your operation in the morning.
Patient: That's wonderful news doctor. Only, i'd like you to do the operation using only your left hand, cutting with a knife only, no scissors, and instead of stitching me up i'd like you to use cellotape.
Doctor: I... im not willing to do that...
Patient: You're discriminating! Im being persecuted for my beliefs. The prophecies were right!
Quack Doctor: Hallo everybody! I'll do the operation for you.
Patient: This surely is a blessing from Jehovah!
Patient dies.
Mother: What a wonderful display of faith! We'll see her in the resurrection.
so after a couple of years, i've finally re-established contact with a close relative (not revealing too much for privacy reasons).
it turns out that he is dfd (for the typical jw reasons, of course).
we caught up about a lot of things, including family.
i loved going out in service, i would empty my book bag out on the counter at the laundromat, walk out and go get a doughnut, i had a lot of hours and placements on my time card.
i really hated talking to people, the anxiety was too much for me to handle, good thing my service partner felt the same way..
Australian rural territory was the go, we would only talk to 1-6 people a day never more Easy 7 hours on the report card. My problem was I use to believe the bullshit , nothing like a devoted cult follower. What I did enjoy was the architecture and landscaping ideas I got.
Sounds great Chook.
Meanwhile, in Liverpool...
i loved going out in service, i would empty my book bag out on the counter at the laundromat, walk out and go get a doughnut, i had a lot of hours and placements on my time card.
i really hated talking to people, the anxiety was too much for me to handle, good thing my service partner felt the same way..
I hated the door to door ministry (we dont use the word "service" here in the UK). I didn't pretend to enjoy it either. I quite openly said it to people i was working with out in the ministry. Reason being i knew i was annoying people, i didn't know who was going to open the door and i cant sell an idea if i dont really believe it myself. I never understood why people claimed to enjoy it. Whats to enjoy?
I would always try to work with people that, like me, couldn't stand it and was only doing it because you have to fill your report slip in dont you? I employed the usual tactics: "feather knocking" that no one could hear. Pretending to press the door bell. Offering to work in the apartment blocks and not knocking on any door. One time i was working with a young brother who knocked quite loudly, i jokingly said "shh! They'll hear you!" he looked at me confused and said "they're supposed to hear us!" - two days later i got a surprise visit by two elders asking me about this.
Snitching little *******
Eventually a blank report slip became my canvas. I would just make up hours and placement numbers. I did the same for my then-wife too. She hated ministry even more than i did.
Im glad i left before the video presentations took off. No way would i walk around my territory in Liverpool with an iPad. You'd never see it again!
i have posted the full story on a fb site.
so my apologies to anyone who's already read it.
some of what i've written is what was told to me by my father.
bunny--i think we married the same woman...?
hahahahahaha!!!
Hang on... yh me too!!
Oh and by the way, Jasper Carrott whom you sang songs with in the pub, his wife is a JW.
i have posted the full story on a fb site.
so my apologies to anyone who's already read it.
some of what i've written is what was told to me by my father.
Loved reading this! This would make a great book!
My parents shunned me for a number of years after that, as did all my witness friends. By this time I'd become anardent Portsmouth FC fan and attended every home match. So I kept busy and gradually made new friends.
I noticed the same thing with me, rather than dwell on the "loss" of family/friends keeping busy and finding new interests really does speed up the recovery from Watchtower.
i suppose after lurking around for a few weeks i thought i might share my own personal story, as i think it would probably be a very freeing experience for me right now.
to start off, at 23 years old i'm actually a third-generation jw, my grandparents were baptized (my grandfather is actually an elder) when my mother was only a toddler, she was raised as a witness, then of course, married a witness and thus myself and my two brothers were born-in's.
growing up my mother was always very careful about what she taught me, all the good things for sure, about how we would live in a paradise earth and i could pet all the animals that i wanted and not worry about growing old, and she'd ask me who in the bible i'd love to see and talk with - my grandparents however, were a different story and the cause of i think, most of my childhood trauma.. they really drilled home the fact that we were the only people who were going to be saved, we were the only people that were going to survive and that everyone else was going to die horribly - that i shouldn't try to make that many friends in school because they would never be "real" friends unless they were fellow jw's and they would die anyway.
Welcome! I've been out just over a year, awake for about 2/3 years.
You should check out Crises Of Conscience written by former Governing Body member Ray Franz. That'll really open your eyes!!
I remember the first time I visited JWFacts looking for answers. It seems to be the go to place for JWs who can't find the answer on JW. org
there was a recent thread on another site where posters maintained that many of the *most* long-standing jw's don't believe at least one official watchtower doctrine.
i've even read reports from bethelites saying they've heard bethel overseers say they don't believe some watchtower theology.
this made me think - i believe there are a few official doctrines that are common for many jw's to be either in denial about or simply not really believe ( often one and the same thing).. i'd say these are pretty high in the ranking:.