PokerPlayer,
You have written what has for years been my position on this religion. Thanks, I can't add any more.
i saw some of the quotes coming out of the new assembly brochure "return to jehovah", why would anyone abused by the congregation decide to return for more hate by the congregation?
jehovah's witness are the first one's who tell you "we are god's organization because we are the only religion that has the love jesus christ spoke about!
", that's a big whooper!
PokerPlayer,
You have written what has for years been my position on this religion. Thanks, I can't add any more.
hi everyone, i'm nearing the end of steven hassan's first book: combating cult mind control.
as i was on the chapter which describes 'mini interventions', i had an ah-ha moment regarding wtbs and the stance on two matters which awoken doubts in me earlier:.
college enrollment (on campus housing vs. off campus housing, etc.).
I had an AHaaa moment last night. I'm traveling alone and I usually just eat at the bar instead of waiting for a table. One of the servers was getting drinks from the bar near me. He was a very outgoing, two-toned longer hair young man, just excited to be alive. He asks me about my hat, and I gave a short reply, and then off the top of his head he indicated that he probably won't be working there much longer because he was going to a small school to get educated for a mission trip.
I'm thinking about Steven Hassan's book, Combating Cult Mind Control. I'm asking myself questions. The young man returns to pick up some more drinks. So I asked, "so where are you going on your mission trip?" He said that he had to go be trained at a small school in west Texas, and didn't know where they would send him. And That after they get to know you they send you where they think it is most appropriate.
So I waited until I was leaving and started for the front door and saw that he was waiting a table near the front door. I established eye contact with him and then motioned for him to come over. I said, "Your mission trip sounds exciting and that I approached him knowing that this wasn't any of my business, but,.... that I had some concerns of his mission trip. He said, wow, well, tell me what your concern is, for a customer to take his time and tell me he has concern for me personally I want to hear what he has to say.
I said, at least do this: Get on the internet, google and research the group you are planning on going to get "educated" by. I then told him that I was born into a high control group that my parents were committed to and that it was 45 years later I realized that it was a cult, and that I wasted decades of my life working for them.
I then told him about Steve Hassan's book Combating Cult Mind Control and he took a pen out and wrote it down, and then I briefly explained the BITE methods used to keep you in their control. That's when I saw that this young man had an AHAAAAA moment cross his face. It was a blessing to see this.
The manager was a nosey twit that had his nose into everything and he started to hover around us to get a listen. The young man was very perceptive, as I motioned with my eyes that someone was behind us. So he said loudly, "Well have a safe trip, enjoy your evening here".
I think that the young waiter had a "Ahaaa, I've got it" moment and will go home and do his homework. So this was a mini-intervention I wonder what I spared him from?
they're baaaack!!!
jws "tabling" at my student center again, first time in over six months.
i wonder if the fact it's been 15 degrees out had anything to do with it?
a week or so ago i posted that the forum was 15 years old (15 years of jehovahs-witness.com) and hinted that there may be some news to announce about the site:.
i also may have some other news to share soon about the future of the site so stay posted.
well, now i can announce it - i sold it !.
i have a serious problem that i cannot solve on my own.
i was born-in but am only in by a thread at this point.
i quit the tms a few weeks ago and wrote a post on it.
I agree with several of the post, BluesBrothers said to go to him at his home and talk with him face to face. Basically lay your law down in no uncertain terms in a prepared way, "using applicable scriptures or just referring to them" and in a calm manner if possible, I said, calm, not necessarily soft spoken wimpy calm, with sufficient strength to let him know you are serious.
Just remember that This guy is counting time with your son and is causing division in your house.
Why is someone else studying with your son? Someone other than the father studying with his children used to be looked down on by the elders in my congregation, because you, as his father, have the responsibility to train him spiritually.Maybe, you should say you are now taking the responsibility of training/studying with your son now and you don't need his help. Then conduct your own study with your content.
The deal with the car I think is very disrespectful to you and just stinks. That is like the pride of a father to help his children with their first car.
I think you can pull a restraining order or an order of protection without engaging a lawyer, but perhaps you should use the free first visit with a lawyer to see what can be done. Just mentioning to the man that you are contacting a lawyer and considering filing a restraining order/order of protection for stalking your minor underage son, should stop him in his tracks.
Also, if you are not able to talk with him, go to the COBE (old Presiding Overseer) and tell him to get this man to back off. That you are not comfortable with your son going to his house alone for hours on end without your supervision, (pediphile possibility) or that you feel that this "brother" has an interest in your wife, and that he needs to stop, wouldn't want adultery going on.
Ten years ago, I had family members roll over me like a steam roller. I wish now that I had NOT been so peaceable, and stood my ground. I thought at the time just to maintain peace, While they were fabricating all sorts of lies and carrying out a character assassination on me which was very successful. I finally left the city. But, if I could go back in time and redo, I wouldn't have been such an easy mark.
As a man and a husband, there are times that you have to "mount up" and defend your own, just like King David coming back to find another tribe had taken many of his wives and property, and he mounted up and went and kick some proverbial Butt. The account is below.
30 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekiteshad raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.
3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men weptaloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”
“Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Valley, where some stayed behind. 10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.
11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?”
He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites,some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burnedZiklag.”
15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?”
He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”
23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.
26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the Lord’s enemies.”
27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.
i'm new to this forum.. i was raised in " the truth" from age six and now i am in my mid 60's.
my wife was born in " the truth" and is very strong in the religion.
i have had many experiences during my lifetime with the other members of several congregations.
Welcome Big Dumb Dumb,
I can sympathize. I was born in and my parents were in this religion from birth, and their parents and their grandparents back to 1918's and shortly later selling "Millions Now Living Will Never Die". I never had a chance with indoctrination from an infant. But I began to awaken to the truth about the truth in 2008 and stopped cold turkey in 2010 shortly after the overlapping generation scam. I was 45 years old.
I understand the bitterness. It is difficult, and I don't want the bitterness to stick, but it is a phase I'm still somewhat going through. I long for the day when I can just say I'm completely done with that and over it. Live long brother.
at a recent one day assembly i walked away with the thought that the wtbts sure does not like witnesses who have the opportunity to make a good living.
there were, in one day, three experiences of witnesses who turned down "6 figure salaries" because there would be some traveling involved and some meetings would be missed as well as missing family worship night.
i thought it strange that the exact phrase was used of "6 figure salary".
i've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.
i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.
i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.
this brings back memories.. https://instagram.com/p/0n8sxirizd/.
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https://instagram.com/p/0n8sxirizd/?taken-by=marcusastanley.
quickbuild's are something the jws crow about a lot as evidence of yahweh's "spirit" working on them, but amongst the puffery' there was a solid fact that the buildings were often the result of good planning rather than divine assistance.. and, in most cases the buildings were seldom built in a weekend.
a concrete slab foundation needed time to dry out before walls could be built.
and before the slab could be poured, the ground had to be levelled and services like plumbing and drainage roughed in.
Many times, I have spent 6 months + basically full time working on EACH Kingdom Hall doing excavation, grading, drainage, paving (concrete or asphalt, including curb and gutter) the concrete foundation for the building, utilities (electrical, sewer, water), light poles for the parking, septic systems, etc.
In addition to that, deceleration lanes in the roadway, and installing or demolition of islands in the road for entrance or exit into the new kingdom hall. Also, ADA compliant sidewalks from the bus stop to the front door of the kingdom hall. All of these require city permits to be pulled, and meeting and working with the inspectors.
It has always chapped my big white axx that people come to two days of work and feel they built the kingdom hall. Bull Butter.