hey everyone.
i have a question and i hope i'm not confusing this with something else i heard.
while watching ex jw videos on youtube many of them talk about how noah's ark and the flood didn't happen and it's impossible.
The replica they tried to build that houses the Creationist Museum is proof that it cant have been built.
They used modern machines, modern methods and even then they had to fortify it with metal girders and concrete. Any shipbuilder will tell you that a wooden vessel of that size wouldnt be seaworthy. It would bend in the water and would be smashed to smitherines as soon as the big waves come.
There's a reason the really big ships are built out of steel!
the life saving message of death and gloom brought to a town centre near to you!.
A picture speaks a thousand words.
No ones interested in them.
No ones interested in their message.
No ones interested in what they're doing.
For all the public knows they could be waiting for a bus or for someone to pick them up.
i awoke in the middle of the night to banging on my door.
i went to the door half asleep and asked who was there.
i heard “police.” my dog was going crazy, so i slipped outside to talk to them.
Whenever the police are parked in my street my immediate thought is "what have I done that the police could know about?" and immediately hide my stash.
i recently asking this women out who here has problems with women after being a jw.
i still do.
i will try to talk with with women..
I find the best way to ask them out is to simply say "we'll hang out". And that's it. Say it like you hang out with lots of people all the time anyway, like it's the most normal thing in the world because you're social life is just brimming. Even if it isnt, she doesnt know that does she?
"hey it was cool to chat, and i gotta go now but listen, we'll hang out ok?"
Done. Get the number. Hug close. Leave.
as it's highly unlikely i'll ever go to warwick, i found lloyd evans latest video fascinating.
i had no idea that the whole 'museum' (if you can call it that) was so big.
notice the credit card machines by the entrance.
I watched this last night, thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd never visit myself either but glad i got to see what they had there.
Credit card machines... really? How very Catholic of them.
i recently asking this women out who here has problems with women after being a jw.
i still do.
i will try to talk with with women..
I found it to be the opposite actually. It all comes down to confidence and putting yourself out there more.
Remember, confidence just means you know you can handle whatever happens.
the one thing that annoys me most about being a jdub is the control watchtower has over everyone.
for a start, there is absolutely no liberty in christ.
there is no freedom to openly express your own thoughts on scripture.
As far as im concerned, the moment they introduce any "new light", they've basically just invented a new religion. What if one called out the GB on charges of apostasy like they would on us we stuck to what we were told by them previously? The religion i was baptized into is not the same religion that i was disfellowshipped from.
I was thinking only this morning that JWs boast about "every congregation having the same talk on the same day etc" and claiming this is a sign of unity. But actually, it's a sign of a controlling organization cult. What? Dont they trust their own elders to give their own bible based talks? Where's the talks that a written specifically with a member of the congregation in mind to help them through their difficult time?
my excuse is that i was born in the religion.
but if someone wasn’t, why would they become one?.
This question appeared on Quora once. I answered it like so:
Imagine my scenario:
You’re born into a family of a Jehovah’s Witness mum and dad.
Before you can even talk you’re trained to point at the sky when they playfully ask “who made the trees?”, “who made the grass?” etc and everyone goes “awwweeee!! That’s right!”
When you’re old enough to talk you’re encouraged to use the name Jehovah when talking about a magic man in the sky that watches us all and loves all of us Jehovah’s Witnesses.
At the age where you’re told that stealing is wrong, fire is hot, strange dogs are dangerous - you’re also told that there is a god called Jehovah and he has a son called Jesus. And that one day Jesus will kill everybody who isn't a Jehovah’s Witness and bring about a paradise on earth. You’re shown pictures in Watchtower literature of non Jehovah’s Witnesses. They’re evil. They all take drugs, sleep around, catch diseases. They gamble, smoke, drink to excess, get involved in politics, are corrupt, they live for pleasure and cannot be trusted. You’re also shown pictures of the world, the world is bad, evil, dangerous and is made to look enticing because Satan wants you to leave Jehovah. Then you’re shown more pictures (many pictures) of Jesus killing all of these people in a thing called Armageddon. But you’ll survive it if you become a Jehovah’s Witness. Again, you’re told this when you’re a little child. Before your critical thinking even has had a chance to develop.
From the age of about 3 years old you’re encouraged to put your hand up in the Kingdom Hall and give a one word answer in the book study or Watchtower study. Everybody goes “awwweeee!!” and you feel validated.
You, your friends and your family all refer to your religion as “the truth”. Cult experts recognize this as loaded language. It’s a well documented fact that if you repeat something to yourself enough you eventually believe it. So the idea that the religion you’re involved in ever being wrong simply does not compute.
You’re not allowed non JW friends. No birthday, no Christmas, no Easter, no learning about other religions in schools, you never learned the national anthem and you’re not allowed to study any other religious book unless it’s published by the Watchtower Society.
By the time you’re 12 you’ve already given many bible readings on the platform in front of an audience of about 70 people. More than likely you’re giving 5 min talks on various bible topics too. You’re given validation and praise. All this time you’ve also been out every Saturday morning and - if your family were very good Jehovah’s Witnesses, every Sunday afternoon too - knocking on peoples doors trying to talk to them about Jehovah and place magazines with them. This reinforces in your mind that you have the truth because why would 8 million people do this if it wasn't true?
By age 19 if you’re not baptized people will be wondering why, because surely you should know this is the truth by now? If you’re not baptized no girl will want to date you, you cant get married, your family will keep asking you why you’re not baptized.
So you believe it. And you believe it because you know of no other life, everyone around you believes it too so it must be right. And all the negatives about the world and people in it are blown out of proportion and their positives diminished. So you see the world as bad and cant wait for Jesus to destroy it and slaughter all those evil non JWs. When somebody online or on TV criticizes or poses questions you cant answer with Watchtower literature, or when the flaws in the religion are exposed you become very angry and defensive. You can feel the anger inside you like a burning blaze. This is cognitive dissonance at work.
So simply put, in my case is was slow, gradual, consistent indoctrination and effective mind control from a publishing cult in New York posing as a religion.
we all know that this cult will drive those trying to leave to desperate measures, and today by brother was very nearly one of those statistics.
he slashed his thigh with a kitchen knife and was bleeding out until he called the police.. i got a call on my way home from work from a police officer, coincidentally it was one of my old friends from school who's now a cop.
he told me my brother is in hospital after an attempted suicide and has lost some blood but will be ok. but i should get to the hospital as he's asking for me.
Thanks for all the messages and replies guys. It's really appreciated. I went in today to see him, i chose a time that i knew no one in my family would visit... Sunday meeting time. This time i went in with a little bag prepared;)
He seemed better than when i last seen him when his mum and sister was there. He told me that he had to block my number because his mum, sister and two elders were over his shoulder watching him do it as a "protection to his spirituality". He's also been told "has anyone who's left found a place with better spiritual food than us?" and apparently that's a reason to just keep "waiting on Jehovah".
I didn't bring up anything JW related or apostasy related. Just kept it about him. But he did ask if there's many of us out there in the same boat? So i told him about this site and the comments you left and he was pleased. I dont know if he'd ever join this site though. They've taken his phone off him. Patients arnt allowed them in there apparently, but thats actually a good thing because it'll mean less of the family harassing him.
I spoke to the therapist assigned to him. I had to wait around for a bit to meet him though. I explained that he and i were raised in a religion that we found to be quite controlling. That were were both baptized members of a religion which we both find to be controlling and we simply don't believe the religion anymore. That im officially an ex-member and he's trying to leave which i know is contributing to his stress/depression. (I didn't want to come across as a crazy person with an axe to grind). The therapist listened and asked which religion it is. I told him and he written something down and said "I've heard about them before. This would actually explain a lot." In my bag that i had prepared was a copy of Keep Yourselves In Gods Love. I shown him page 207-208 which explains how to treat a disfellowshipped person. Also, a printout of the May 2015 Watchtower were it has an article called "Why Disfellowshipping Is A Loving Provision". THEN, as a finale I explained that leaving officially on ones own terms means you're treated the same as a disfellowshipped person. And shown him the PDF of the elders guidebook showing that.
He was surprised and asked if he could borrow the book. I said he could keep it.
I also told him that if he manages to be around the next time im here when the family are here he should watch how they are around me to see what i mean. Also that non family JWs will likely want to meet with him. If it's two men it'll be elders and they should not be allowed to see him because that's exactly what he's afraid of. That if he says out loud to two elders that he doesnt want to be a JW it will destroy his life.
I was relieved to hear him say "i'll put on his file that he's only allowed family members as visitors. Stress reasons."
Im happy with how it went. Any hey, i even placed a book!
this is my first post on here so i apologize that it is like an essay!.
my husband and i are currently 'fading out' of the truth.
we stopped preaching in may 2016 and limited meeting attendance in january 2017 and stopped completely in june 2017. my main reason for this was my whole life i have been doing things to please others, even getting baptized to please my mum.
Hi Emily. First of all, welcome!
second, I strongly suggest you download a PDF of the elders secret guidebook Shepherd The Flock Of God. If you google it you'll find it easy.
DO NOT accept an elders visit. As you'll see from the elders book they need two witnesses to hear you say you're no longer a JW and they can announce you from the platform.
