PS - what happened to the cat that looks like a guinea pig? Made my night, that did.
Flossycat
JoinedPosts by Flossycat
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16
Thank you, Just Ron for your welcome:
by Flossycat init's a bit daunting getting around some of these websites.
i'm 53 years old and not too savvy with things cyberspace.
how did my stong-willed, outspoken mother, who, since childhood reckoned jws were just a lot of old women running around town with nothing better to do than annoy everyone, become one of them?
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16
Thank you, Just Ron for your welcome:
by Flossycat init's a bit daunting getting around some of these websites.
i'm 53 years old and not too savvy with things cyberspace.
how did my stong-willed, outspoken mother, who, since childhood reckoned jws were just a lot of old women running around town with nothing better to do than annoy everyone, become one of them?
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Flossycat
Hi from Australia. Just looking back over comments above is great - love Just Ron and Finally Awake chiming in together - your logo is great.
Back from the Brisbane Cult info conference. Amazing, fabulous and, at times, horrifying. There was a girl in the audience who escaped from a satanic cult - just horrifying. Won't go into details here till I get her approval to speak publicly about it. Others gave testimonials of getting trapped in seemingly helpful New Age psychology groups which make the JWs look like a walk in the park by comparison. I was the only JW there, incidentally - got to say my piece when we had a segregated session for 'survivors' downstairs. A lot of 'survivors' were only out of cults for one or two years, so they're still very hurt and easily upset, a number bursting into tears before they got their first few words out - overwhelmed by the love and care they felt being at the conference - then tears for what they've endured.
Clinical psychologist, Professor Doni Whislett (think that's right spelling) from California has dealt with cult and ex-cult members for many years. (If you closed your eyes during her discourses you'd swear it was Meryl Streep speaking.) Anyway, one of Doni's lectures explained, in part, why it's so difficult for children raised in cults, or people who've spent many years in a cult to completely free their minds - from a pure neuro-biological analysis - which is really comforting to anyone who might get down on themselves for not thinking/acting the way they thought they should after de-programming. We: 1/ learned not to trust others. 2/ learned helplessness. 3/ Had our stress responses dulled. 4/ Had no sense of personal choice.
Something that really made sense to me: Over years of being in a cult, not being allowed to think for themselves for many years, their brians' neurons-axons-dendrites wiring has withered, doesn't function anymore. However, because the brain is plastic (as opposed to rusted?), an empathetic environment where the person feels safe can help them rebuild and begin to exercise their powers of reason. New experiences re-wire the brain. Therapy re-wires the brain.
Lifton's research and 7 points of brainwashing - how the gradual process of normalising of cult's beliefs ends up resulting in 'anxious dependency'.
Lalich: 'Bounded Choice': How people in cults say their actions/deeds are done willingly - but it's not really willing when it comes at a price, or there's a price to pay for not doing something that's meant to be done 'willingly'. At what points do 'voluntary' become obligations?
When Doni said some mystical groups use the terminology "heavenly deception" to justify illegal/immoral behaviour, it reminded me of the JWs' "theocratic warfare" - and how such in-house terminology blankets the real meaning/turns it into something normal and right, for the 'Higher good'/glorying God.
Geez - 5 emotional signs of PTSD were outlines, and I'd had them all. Then the 5 physical signs of PTSD and I'd had 3. Speaker said ex-cult memebers frequently have what's called complex PTSD: In chronic trauma cortisol (adrenaline) levels remain chronically high. Or, never returned to base line/normal levels. They've spent much of their lives fluctuating between chronically high level of cortisol (adrenaline) due to chronic stress - then PTSD symptoms which is chronically low cortisol - going round and round till mental and physical damage begins to show, like depression/anxiety/schizophrenia etc, and insomnia, gastro-intestinal problems, headaches/migraine, back/neck problems, anorexia.
Putting words on trauma (through therapy for eg.) helps bring down the terror. Which is why forums such as this one is so helpful and healing for many.
NICK XENOPHON spoke with passion: He'd like to see the French model of the Anti Cult Act employed in Australia. It's a big call. A couple of points I only had time to note down were - cults=abuse of an individual's weakness, and exploitation; When ex-members become refugees in their own community.
Nick X urged each and every one of us to assist in getting community, State and national awareness up and running via each State's Defence Council, State Law depts, the ACCC (Rod Simms). AND through getting knowledgable people in the Fair Work Act to recognise groups/organisations/cults that oppress and work under misleading/false premises. In Queensland, senator Sue Boyce (who joined with an Aboriginal Elder in opening the conference) is keen to assist. We are urged to write to the new Attorney General Nicol Roxon, who, Nick thinks might be more positive to our causes than the previous AG. (Not that the previous one was antagonistic - just didn't see cults as a priority.)
Unfortunately, because the conference was running behind shcedule and it was still morning presentations, Nick only had 7 minutes to answer questions after he got down from the platform when we broke for morning tea. By that time was almost peeing in my pants; the reptilian/surival brain overtook the neo-cortex/judgement section and I scuttled out of the auditorium, down the hallway.
Hope my notes so far have provided something of value to you? There's more if you like.
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Flossycat
If the GB said it's a cat, JWs would be convinced it's a cat.
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16
Thank you, Just Ron for your welcome:
by Flossycat init's a bit daunting getting around some of these websites.
i'm 53 years old and not too savvy with things cyberspace.
how did my stong-willed, outspoken mother, who, since childhood reckoned jws were just a lot of old women running around town with nothing better to do than annoy everyone, become one of them?
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Flossycat
If the subject of JWs isn't raised at the conference, I'll do it. Senator Nick Xenophon (a key speaker) has a copy of my book.
Thanks for the warm welcomes. Much appreciated
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57
You Might be a Jehovah's Witness if . . .
by sizemik inyou might be a jehovah's witness if .
you know when nisan 14 is but you forget you own birthday.
you wash windows for a living but you own five suits.
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Flossycat
Good one sizemik and all.
An earth tremor/tidal wave/flood/bushfire hits your house/city, and the first thing that pops into your head is: "Is it Amargeddon? Is the earth opening up wherever there's churches?"
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16
Thank you, Just Ron for your welcome:
by Flossycat init's a bit daunting getting around some of these websites.
i'm 53 years old and not too savvy with things cyberspace.
how did my stong-willed, outspoken mother, who, since childhood reckoned jws were just a lot of old women running around town with nothing better to do than annoy everyone, become one of them?
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Flossycat
It's a bit daunting getting around some of these websites. I'm 53 years old and not too savvy with things cyberspace Here's a little story about myself as requested: I was dozing on the lounge suite one afternoon when I was 22. It was a sweltering Melbourne summer. Traffic going past outside droned in the background. Then - Bang! Crash! Smash! Glass was flying everywhere. The whole room sounded like it was exploding. Across the room the front door was being blasted open. "Oh, Jesus," I groaned. "Is it Armageddon? Please Jehovah, make it quick. I know I've been very wicked and deserve to die, but I don't want to suffer anymore. Why, oh why have I always found it so hard to do the right thing? I didn't mean to. Please forgive me." I had become a prostitute. This happened at the brothel. And I was ready to die. Just 16 months previous I had been a good JW girl - a Pioneer, doing all the right things. I loved everyone in the congregation; had wonderful JW family. By the time I reached 27 I'd seen and experienced more than most people would in a lifetime. For 17 years I lived in a suicidal state of mind; it became a kind of comfort, an out, if the load got too hard to carry. Till someone introduced me to an exJW woman, who, in one sitting, changed my world. Doors opened. Still made plenty of "fools rush in where angels fear to tread" decisions - life was to be savoured - and researched. Lots of it.
How did my stong-willed, outspoken mother, who, since childhood reckoned JWs were just a lot of old women running around town with nothing better to do than annoy everyone, become one of them? (I know the answer. Just a good seg-way.) My gentle, kind Dad always resisted becoming a JW. He was from a long line of farmers, and we'd lived on the edge of one of the most beautiful rain forests in Australia. But, whilst my older siblings were always quietly obedient to our mother and the religion, and lived in submission to the WT Society, I was the black sheep. These days it probably riles my JW family that life has turned out exceptionally well for me. For the last 6 years I've been in a stable, happy relationship with the man of my dreams; we have good, kind, trustworthy friends, and we're financially doing well. Apostates aren't meant to do be happy and successful, are they. In a couple of days I'll be in Brisbane at parliament house for the national Cult Information & Family Support conference. 2 years ago I wrote a book, an adventure story: A Little Lower Than Angels - black humour - all true - quite a few surprises for many who live in Australia I think. If you like you can read a bit about it on: www.jehovahsmysteries.com It's self-published, so I'm not in this for the money. Simply want to entertain the public at large, while providing some insights into getting 'de-programmed' and encouraging exJWs. I'm a quiet person who loves solitude - just found myself in unusual circumstances for much of my life.
Thanks again Just Ron for welcoming me. It's great reading about what's on people's minds. Best wishes to all, from Flossycat.
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Hayden Covington's unwitting role in harsh disfellowship policy
by Terry inin the january 8, 1947 awake!
magazine the following article appeared.. .
the above article was published under the watchtower presidency of nathan knorr.
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Flossycat
Hi from Melbourne, Australia. I'm 53 years old, and new to the discussion forum. I'm getting away from the topic a bit. But it follows on from the last comment about who's in charge of WT Society and delegating various ideas and behaviour. In the summer of 1972, a politician by the name of Gough Whitlam ran for Prime Minister - which he won. His was the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Because Whitlam was keen to develop good trade relations whith China, the WT Society thought the new Whitlam govt might also develop communistic attitudes seeing as the ALP ha strong Trade Union backing and the Unions were at times linked with communist thinking people. So the Sydney (Australia) WT Society designed a program to prepare ourselves in case the JWs became a banned religion. Remember, this was 1972/73; great expectations for 1975 possibly being the time when the Great Tribulation would begin? The bros&sis's in Malawi were banned and being tortured, raped, homes burned, because they refused to carry the national party card. We were primed: 'In case we are banned, we'll practice holding our Sunday WT meetings undercover. We'll hold picnics instead; hide your WT magazines inside newspapers and popular periodicals. Wear reversible coats, bags, hats. At the end of the meeting/picnic, go to the public toilet block, turn your coats, bags, hats the other way out, and don sunglasses.' We were given secret coe words/phrases to use in case we knew the police were closing in, like: 'The cabbages have arrived.' It was like living inside a Get Smart episode. Those at WT headquarters love to keep generating that feeling of 'any day now'. It goes hand-in-hand with the egos and control freaks that have run the Society. It's a great psychological ploy to draw the rank&file tighter together. No wonder many JWs suffer from depression (repressed anger), paranoia, and other mental problems - they've got a lot to be angry and/or paranoid about. Have really enjoyed following your history on this thread/conversation. Thank you and best wishes. Look forward to reading more of your experiences and knowledge.
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Phone call from the local JWs this evening...
by Jim_TX ingosh i wish i was better at having religious discussions with jws.
this evening, as i am at home trying to relax, i get a phone call from the local jws who are evidently sitting in their kh dialing out.. i got this man who starts off by asking me if he can ask me a question.
"okaaaaay..." i say slowly.... "do you think..." he starts... and then stops... obviously losing his place in his pre-prepared sermon....
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Flossycat
Under impromptu circumstances you did extremely well, I think. Good for you
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It makes no sense whatsoever that a" CREATOR" would only communicate with a minority of the population then put the onus on them to convey this life saving message to the WHOLE wide world
by smiddy ini now find it idiotic that i could ever beleive the bible to be the inspired word of god.....,throughout the bible "god"has only dealt with a few of his favoured spokespersons to deliver his messages to a minority populace.individuals at first,..... then, patriarchs,nomads,a small nation,ignoring all other nations that had sprung up.......,abandoning his chosen nation,sending his "son"to a small nation, only giving them his pearls of wisdom,much of what was not even recorded for prosperity and remember he never wrote a word,it was left up to other imperfect humans to record what he was supposed to have said,just a smidgen......,again ignoring the bulk of humankind keeping them in ignorance of his plan for universal salvation,leaving it all up to imperfect humans to spread this message of salvation, whom he has already condemned for their sinfullness and disobedience.i just find it so unbeleivable.
in the 6000 years of recorded history only a fraction of the earths population,maybe less than a third have ever heard of the god of the bible, or his so called plan to redeem humankind ,thats millions and millions of people.
( india,arabic,afghanistan,pakistan etc.etc.).
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Flossycat
I'm with 'Illinois' and mP. To me, Jehovah behaves like a spoiled, insecure brat who thows trantums every time he doesn't get what he wants - maybe a psychopath, even.
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It makes no sense whatsoever that a" CREATOR" would only communicate with a minority of the population then put the onus on them to convey this life saving message to the WHOLE wide world
by smiddy ini now find it idiotic that i could ever beleive the bible to be the inspired word of god.....,throughout the bible "god"has only dealt with a few of his favoured spokespersons to deliver his messages to a minority populace.individuals at first,..... then, patriarchs,nomads,a small nation,ignoring all other nations that had sprung up.......,abandoning his chosen nation,sending his "son"to a small nation, only giving them his pearls of wisdom,much of what was not even recorded for prosperity and remember he never wrote a word,it was left up to other imperfect humans to record what he was supposed to have said,just a smidgen......,again ignoring the bulk of humankind keeping them in ignorance of his plan for universal salvation,leaving it all up to imperfect humans to spread this message of salvation, whom he has already condemned for their sinfullness and disobedience.i just find it so unbeleivable.
in the 6000 years of recorded history only a fraction of the earths population,maybe less than a third have ever heard of the god of the bible, or his so called plan to redeem humankind ,thats millions and millions of people.
( india,arabic,afghanistan,pakistan etc.etc.).
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