Posts by mentalclarity

23

Did a current or ex-JW help you to awaken?

by TweetieBird in

jw
friends

was there something that was said to you that got the wheel turning in your brain, that caused you to start waking up to ttatt, either by a jw or ex-jw that you didn't know was awake?

i'm trying to think of things i can say or ask of my current family members still in that may help them to start seeing the real truth about the organization.

they think we're still in..

mentalclarity

While I was still in, I heard of some exjws who had become "apostate". I would never have talked to them or listened to anything they said. My guard would have been up.

My waking up had to do more with questions that a non-jw at work started to ask and I found myself struggling to make our beliefs sound logical.

I think there are different things that awaken each of us. With some, it's seeing things crumble from the inside. With others it's exposure to nice non-jws. For some, they looked up stuff online and I really doubt someone sitting you down and trying to "reason" with them about JWs is going to help them wake up. You have to already kind of be going down that road and open to doubting the "truth". I don't really try even bringing up JW stuff when I'm with the family...but, I make myself approachable (non-confrontational/loving) and lead a happy life so that if ever someone wants to come up and ask me questions..or a place to stay or whatever- they know I'll be there for them. I don't want to be that crazy exjw that they'll automatically dismiss because I'm always trying to prove them wrong.

12

Recovery From The Jehovah's Witnesses - A Guide

by pale.emperor in

hey guys.

a friend online asked me about my recovery and how i managed to recover relatively easily from watchtower indoctrination.

although i think a major part of it is acquainting oneself with information about the watchtower and it's history, a lot of it (for me at least) was an inner game.

mentalclarity

This was a really good read - your friend is lucky to have you for support.

"You’ll be tremendously loyal and loving to those you really care about"...

This is so true. For every family member or friend I've lost because of them following these silly rules, I've gained someone new who loves and supports me unconditionally. I can't tell you how much I value them because of my JW upbringing. I might have taken it for granted had I not had that experience.

81

Gerrit Losch Claims JW's Attending College Are Spiritually Weak

by pale.emperor in

https://www.facebook.com/jw.0027/videos/799049613609936/.

the video was posted directly to a pro-jw facebook page.

i cant believe what i'm hearing... actually, nothing surprises be about this cult anymore.. didn't they say to the judge in the arc that they dont discourage college?.

mentalclarity

I've been out for quite a while but as far as i can tell from my uber JW family this is a conscience matter and the younger generation of relatives I have have all either been to college or technical school. I'm not saying they are sending kids to live in dorms at top Universities but definitely there is more openness to sending kids to college in general. In some countries you really can't get a job without a professional degree and I don't think that was the case 20 years ago. Maybe there's a difference from country to country on this issue. I tend to see alot of difference even from one congregation to another.

44

Why Do People Become JWs?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i was born in the religion but why on earth do people join this religion?

?.

mentalclarity

I think people who become witnesses are looking for something outside mainstream religions that provides them with answers. JWs seem to do that superficially. There is also the lure of being part of a group and there are alot of nice JWs out there. At first glance, it seems like a nice bunch - it's not until you've been in a while that you start seeing all the major flaws.

New converts are usually vulnerable also in some way- in alot of cases I can think of- people have been ignored or feel isolated and here comes a group of JWs paying alot of attention to them and being super nice. Of course that's going to make an impression. And people might start feeling this false sense of "I know something that others do not" like you've discovered something that everyone else couldn't decipher, but here you are diligently studying the Bible and you're surrounded by a group of people who feel the exact same way. That's powerful stuff. You're all in this together- you suddenly have a purpose (preach!) and you know exactly what's going to happen in the future. Sadly, the euphoria doesn't last long....

15

Lack of open-mindedness

by ilikecheese in

jw
friends

a lot of religious folks can have an open-minded discussion about their beliefs without getting defensive.

some can actually consider things from another point of view and point out the validity in the other person's point.

obviously, a lot of jws may just be scared to think/speak in a semi-detrimental way about their religion.

mentalclarity

A lot of religious folks can have an open-minded discussion about their beliefs without getting defensive. Some can actually consider things from another point of view and point out the validity in the other person's point.

I agree. Let's not overgeneralize all religions and people.

I can't speak for other religions because I don't have that experience from the inside, but I do know how JWs think. The reason JWs cannot do this imo is because their self-righteousness does not allow any openness to being wrong. Their whole self-identity would crumble if they thought that. Remember that the org breeds perfectionism - always trying to attain it (that is the ultimate goal, right? perfect life) Approval from God and others hinges on this very core belief. So it makes complete sense that you would never even toy with the idea of being wrong - there is way too much at stake. And there is the black and white thinking. Either you are with us or you stand against us. Anyone who thinks differently is standing against them and must be convinced or condemned silently.

20

My 1 Year Update - I've Been Disfellowshipped One Year Today

by pale.emperor in

what a journey!.

it was a year ago today that i was announced from the platform by brother paul "twofaced" castley that i was "no longer one of jehovah's witnesses".

i didn't go to that meeting to hear the announcement because i already didn't believe the watchtower religion.. how was my first year?

mentalclarity

Looks like you hit the ground running! I know the feeling- so much to catch up on!

Congrats- your post just reminds me how great life is once you start doing what you really want and not just going through the motions out of obligations.

Hope next year is even better!

55

Why do ones that got out come back in?

by moreconfusedthanever in

i have not been to a meeting for about 2 years now.

i do not intend to go back but one thing has me baffled.

why do ones that have faded and been out for years return?

mentalclarity

1)They held onto the belief it was true or it doesn't matter because they feel comfortable in the environment.

2)They lack a social network to replace family/friends. I left and instantly got involved with the "wrong" crowd which seemed to prove that all worldly people were evil. Had I found a nice/healthy circle of people I probably would not have returned.

47

Are JWs "mind trained" to be habitual liars?

by nonjwspouse in

i don't mean overly obvious, or otherwise meaning to cause harm, but taught to lie for the purpose of avoidance.

this type of lying can be pervasive in areas of life that are not just to avoid discussions with people who have questions about the jw, etc.

my husband will lie/be deceitful about the silliest, simple things.

mentalclarity

I think as a born-in you get used to "spinning" the truth so that it fits your idea of reality. For example, people saying how they are really trying to live a simple, non-materialistic life as if it was their "option" when in reality they can't find better jobs because of lack of education and are barely making ends meet. I agree with everyone, that they believe their own lies so they don't see it as being dishonest.

Another example: Xmas is so commercial (something alot of people complain about) so I'm so progressive about not celebrating- you get used to "normalizing" crazy ideas. I think someone else mentioned always justifying crazy behavior. I think born-ins are adept at making things look good/sound less crazy then they actually are.

I'm sure deep down we all knew we weren't fooling anyone.

120

What history have you seen in the makeing???

by karter in

jw
friends

i saw:.

neil armstrong say those famous words...this is one small step for a man........... muhammad ali win and loose the world title 3 times.. the 1st women prime minster of the uk..

mentalclarity

I saw a man on reality tv with no political experience win the presidency of the U.S.

28

Another JW Urban Legend Thread

by Funchback in

threads about jw urban legends are nothing new on this forum.

they are loads of fun to read.

how many of you remember the one about the teenager who skipped the meeting and decided to get into a car with his worldly friends and they worldly guys decided to rob a store and the jw didn't know they were going to do so but he was arrested simply for being with them?.

mentalclarity

I was at a meeting once where the visiting speaker told a story about a rock falling on a bus full of people (in a mountainous region in the country) and of course the JW's survived but the others died. I mentioned it later to my family and they kind of shook their heads and said they shouldn't be telling those types of stories from the platform. But it wasn't uncommon to hear how tragedy struck everyone except the JWs type stories - there were just a bunch of versions of the same message - really loving message....geez