NotFormer

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Posts by NotFormer

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  3

  Is There an Underlying Mental Disorder that Can Help Explain Why JW's Lie So Easily to Protect Their Church?

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think some of the points in the medical article below is spot on, especially the part about anxiety disorders.

  after regularly subjecting yourself to wt fear mongering, how could that not elicit an anxiety disorder?.

  mental health disorders that contribute to pathological lying.

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  NotFormer

  It's a repetitively iterated requirement* and the leaders lead by example. Perfectly normal people in that environment are going to pick it up osmotically. They don't need a mental disorder up front. That isn't to say that the cognitive dissonance of lying in the name of "Truth" won't lead to psychological problems.

  Perfectly intelligent and otherwise normal people in the Pentecostal movement can convince themselves that the repetitive babble they spout is some sort of true language gifted to them by the Holy Spirit.

  In the end, you run with what the group pressure tells you is right.

  * Being a bit hyperbolic here.
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  46

  What makes a cult (in the pejorative sense)?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  michael moore writes:.

  a cult is an organization that enslaves minds and destroys families using cult mind control.

  cult mind control involves orchestrated deception, social pressure, psychological abuse, and repetitive indoctrination (brainwashing) centering around an unchallengeable ideology enforced in a totalitarian way in a closed socially-separatist community setting.

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  NotFormer

  The question is asking people what makes a cult. And people are honestly giving their opinions. That you don't like those opinions is neither here nor there.

  To be fair, I've been using the word "cultic". I could use "cultish" too, if you like. It's no skin off my nose.
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  6

  The man wins custody because of the blood issue.

  by liam in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  here is a great story about a disfellowshipped man who fought his in laws, his wife, and his wife's boyfriend, and other jehovah witnesses, in order to win custody for his son...........and won!.

  you will like the outcome.. https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/1he2emz/i_used_the_blood_shunning_issues_to_win_custody/.

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  NotFormer

  "Sooner or later the Blood Doctrine will also be gone. It's just a matter of time."

  I share your hope and admire your optimism. The blood doctrine is very, very heavily entrenched. The legal ramifications of changing it are probably insurmountable.

  I doubt that they are yet going to do what many have suggested, that is, to not mention nor enforce the blood doctrine and just let it quietly die. Why? Because the ****ing HLCs still exist. They still send people to hospitals to try and ensure that a person needing a transfusion dies. Those sick bastards wallow in this stuff!

  Even if they do the obvious thing that proves that they are moving away from the blood doctrine, that is, disband the HLCs, it will achieve little. Why? Because the JW congregations are probably somewhat full* of people like the mother-in-law of the story. The R&F will continue to practise the blood doctrine because they haven't been told not to. It's still going to be doctrine in their minds right up until it officially isn't.

  *Okay, I'm not an attendee nor a practitioner, so I have no idea how many gung-ho anti-blooders there are in any given JW congregation, but there must be quite a few.
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  46

  What makes a cult (in the pejorative sense)?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  michael moore writes:.

  a cult is an organization that enslaves minds and destroys families using cult mind control.

  cult mind control involves orchestrated deception, social pressure, psychological abuse, and repetitive indoctrination (brainwashing) centering around an unchallengeable ideology enforced in a totalitarian way in a closed socially-separatist community setting.

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  NotFormer

  Vanderhoven7, a group that bullies a bloke to the point of suicide sounds pretty cultic.

  So sorry to hear about this! 🙏 😞
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  10

  Your First Christmas Tree, Christmas Lights, Other Christmas Decoration/Custom

  by NotFormer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as someone who never grew up in the shadow of the wt, i love reading accounts of people who began to wake up and think that the wt wasn't all that it represents itself to be*.

  and especially when they see that the things that they were told to avoid were harmless at worst, and quite often fun.

  christmas is a prime example.

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  NotFormer

  That's a wild take on this, Bribie: even though many on here have demonstrated how happy a few simple Christmas observations can make people after exiting their former oppressive situations, your gripe is that those things have not solved global conflict?? 😳

  Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Were the angelic host lying when they declared peace on Earth at the birth of Jesus? Yet global conflict has continued since then until now. It is better to light a single candle 🕯️ than to curse the darkness. The examples given by posters above are of people showing small acts of kindness between friends, family and co-workers. IMO, those little gestures actually do make the world a tiny bit more livable.

  Thanks for posting your Christmas observations, folks! 😘 Keep 'em coming! 🌲🍗🕯️✨🙏
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  10

  Your First Christmas Tree, Christmas Lights, Other Christmas Decoration/Custom

  by NotFormer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as someone who never grew up in the shadow of the wt, i love reading accounts of people who began to wake up and think that the wt wasn't all that it represents itself to be*.

  and especially when they see that the things that they were told to avoid were harmless at worst, and quite often fun.

  christmas is a prime example.

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  NotFormer

  As someone who never grew up in the shadow of the WT, I love reading accounts of people who began to wake up and think that the WT wasn't all that it represents itself to be*. And especially when they see that the things that they were told to avoid were harmless at worst, and quite often fun. Christmas is a prime example. And often a brilliant way to go beyond PIMO, or just quietly faded, if one chooses to go there.

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5107191200088064/ive-done-christmas-lights-outside

  So, when you decided to embrace the whole Christmas thing, how did you do it? Put up a tree 🌲? Festive lights? Put on a Christmas dinner 🍗?

  And, most importantly, how did it feel? Were you nervous? Excited? Just plain relieved? And what was it like interacting with the rest of society and not being the odd-bod anymore?

  *Not just the WT, but that's going to be the obvious example on here. It's interesting to read about people who leave Mormonism, Scientology and high control Pentecostalism as well, for example. Heck, even ex-Amway people have similar stories!
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  39

  Merry Christmas Everyone

  by jhine in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it's that time of year again .

  in the words of the bard ( noddy holder ) " it's christmaaas " .

  merry christmas everybody .

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  NotFormer

  Merry Christmas, Jan! And to everyone!

  'In the words of the Bard ( Noddy Holder ) " It's Christmaaas "'

  The Christmas episode of Would I Lie to You? which features Noddy Holder is required viewing:

  https://youtu.be/BUfi9U4RIws?si=b3h_jca_uhLhxn44
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  46

  What makes a cult (in the pejorative sense)?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  michael moore writes:.

  a cult is an organization that enslaves minds and destroys families using cult mind control.

  cult mind control involves orchestrated deception, social pressure, psychological abuse, and repetitive indoctrination (brainwashing) centering around an unchallengeable ideology enforced in a totalitarian way in a closed socially-separatist community setting.

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  NotFormer

  "...are you telling me that we shouldn't disfellowship pedophiles...?"

  Yes, they should. More often than not, they don't. Thanks to the two witness rule. Which was implemented to protect the reputation of the WT at all costs, including the cost to actual justice. That's some pretty cultic behaviour, right there.

  "I consider it completely just that a pedophile is removed from the congregation."

  As would we all, should it happen, which it often doesn't, and the victim is expected to continue to attend with their abuser. That's some twisted cultic logic right there. And true justice involves actually calling the police; you know: the actual justice system! Not involving the secular authorities to protect the religion's reputation is again pretty cultic.
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  2954

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars (continued)

  by Simon in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  uh oh, looks like the mega thread gave up the ghost, so while i investigate / fix it just continue the discussion here .... it's been a long 9 years lloyd evans / john cedars.

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  NotFormer

  Is Billy Carson an exJW? I'm trying to figure out where he's coming from.
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  46

  What makes a cult (in the pejorative sense)?

  by Vanderhoven7 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  michael moore writes:.

  a cult is an organization that enslaves minds and destroys families using cult mind control.

  cult mind control involves orchestrated deception, social pressure, psychological abuse, and repetitive indoctrination (brainwashing) centering around an unchallengeable ideology enforced in a totalitarian way in a closed socially-separatist community setting.

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  NotFormer

  How about: "Jehovah's Witnesses are a high control religious group from which many people emerge emotionally and psychologically scarred"?

  It's true that being high control and religious doesn't make it necessarily "a cult". The above mentioned government is a good example of a secular cult. A lot of people on the Amway subreddit refer to Amway as a cult. It could be argued that the above mentioned anti-cult guy seems to believe that voting the same way that his former cult leader probably would have in the last US election might make you a cultist.

  The word "cult" is possibly overused to the extent that it has become meaningless. That doesn't mean that the JW religion isn't still a high pressure religion that causes damage to many of its adherents.