Don't know where you live, but if you'd like to come to Melbourne, Australia, I know someone who's got almost the complete WTB&T Society books and magazines (a whole room full) since 1900. I was amazed first time I saw her collection. She's helped hundreds of JWs out of the org. I think she'd be happy to show you whatever you'd like to read.
Flossycat
JoinedPosts by Flossycat
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old literature
by independenthinker inhey guys, me again.
thanks for all the help, i was wondering how to get my hands on the old literature, i was gonna ask this nice older brother i know if he could get me some old books?
i really wanna see the failed proph...... old light for myself.
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At last....I made the connection with an old friend...who is a practising Pagan
by Pams girl inim the nervy, anxious type.
i suffer with panic attacks and sometimes my agoraphobia cripples me.
the organisation effectively isolated me fo a long time.
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Flossycat
Beautiful, Pamsgirl. Know how you felt. I too am the nervy, anxious type. When I was a prostitute, (husband was my pimp), it was my 2 'worldly' friends who stood by me, took care of me, and loved me no matter what. And you know what else? Most of the girls I worked with showed more compassion, honesty and care about what I was going through, and how I felt, than the JWs. When the JWs found out (thought I'd make a go of it back in the org) while they were well-meaning, everything was conditional; you must stop this, judicial meetings, you must do that blah, blah - and when I didn't/couldn't, I was cast out. That's when my nonJW friends shone like pure white light through the darkness.
You know, it was a clairvoyant witch who helped me enormously in getting refocussed. She was wonderful and helped me tremendously for many years. And her insights were so accurate - really amazing.
Best wishes from Flossycat, Melbourne, Australia
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To 'Black Sheep', apologies
by Flossycat inhi blacksheep.
in the post: cult info&family support conference - when i replied to specific names' comments, i didn't mean to leave you out of the interchange.
it was just that you hadn't asked a question or leading comment.
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Flossycat
Oh! UnConfused - I'm sorry! I can be so vague at times
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To 'Black Sheep', apologies
by Flossycat inhi blacksheep.
in the post: cult info&family support conference - when i replied to specific names' comments, i didn't mean to leave you out of the interchange.
it was just that you hadn't asked a question or leading comment.
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Flossycat
Hi Blacksheep. In the post: Cult Info&Family Support conference - when I replied to specific names' comments, I didn't mean to leave you out of the interchange. It was just that you hadn't asked a question or leading comment. Heaven forbid there be any shunning or ostracism here Everyone's comments and thoughts are appreciated.
Best wishes from Flossycat.
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Do you know JWs who have never been happy in the truth?
by truthseeker inhappiest people in the world?
consider my own family.
i have jw relatives who gave up everything, moved to where the need was greater and they have never been happy.. they've been constantly in poor health, suffered with depression and had feuds within their own jw family.
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Flossycat
PS - guess I was one of the comparitively lucky ones compared to some mentioned here.
One now-exJW friend told me his mum (wife of an Elder) used to throw hissy fits - once she hit him (he was about 17) over the head with the frying pan, and dented the pan. We can laugh about it now. Also when I was a kid I knew personally some JW parents who beat their children mercilessly to the point of bruises and welts. No wonder most of those kids ended up leaving the witlesses - so much for love and protection.
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Do you know JWs who have never been happy in the truth?
by truthseeker inhappiest people in the world?
consider my own family.
i have jw relatives who gave up everything, moved to where the need was greater and they have never been happy.. they've been constantly in poor health, suffered with depression and had feuds within their own jw family.
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Flossycat
The last time I saw my JW family was 10 years ago during the months that lead up to my dad's passing. I travelled from Melbourne back to my home town to spend time with him. (He was the only non-practicing JW of my JW family, and he and I (the black sheep-DF one) were always v close.) I can say with all certainty 99% my JW neices and nephews were v happy when they were all together. They were mostly in their 20s and had a great social network of young JWs in their areas. I know one of my teenage neices wasn't happy though. In her country town there weren't many JWs and she had teenage depression. She's very pretty and handled school curiculum very well. Just wonder how they'll all be in another 20 years. So many JWs seem to end up with depression, chronic fatigue, never satisfied.
Got a chuckle out of 'Leavingwt/Paul McCartney' - they, esp the older ones, love sighing and groaning over the state of the world - and how it can't go on much longer. I got a (rare) note from my mother a few years ago: "please, please return to the Truth. The time left remaining is short." If we say "oh, you've been saying that forever," it gives them ammunition to quote one of the Peter letters where people would be saying that just like Noah's day. So I just send a card to her to let her know I love her v much and think about her a lot, and hope she's well, and that I'm doing very well.
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Is the May 2012 KM pumping up some hysteria?
by discreetslave in1)as sheep amidst wolves, gods servants are preaching among a crooked and twisted generation.
(matt.
10:16; phil.
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Flossycat
Is there any subliminal expectations among JWs for Dec 2012? (the Mayan calendar and other esoteric literature) It sounds like the WT Society is not only having a bet-each-way on covering themselves on safety issues, but doing some of their usual cultivating seeds of paranoia on the end being near/be vigilant. Some of this KM reminds me of when I was a teenage witless in the summer of 1972/3: In Australia, because our new Prime Minister (Gough Whitlam) wanted to develop good trade relations with China (I spoke about this on another subject on this forum - think it was under the heading "Does anyone remember this?" Sydney headquarters had us practice meeting undercover in case Australia leaned too far to a communistic way of rule. We held our Sunday WT study masquerading as picnics, WT mags hidden inside worldly mags, wore reversible coats, bags, hats (to change around at the end of the meeting in a nearby public toilet block, complete with donning sunglasses to disguise who we really were. We had scouts during the picnic to keep a look-out for police who might be coming to arrest us; we had secret code words in case of being raided. Was like something straight out of Get Smart. During this time the JW Yearbook devoted a whole section to the JWs in Malawi being horribly presecuted (houses burned, women raped, bros&sis's bashed and tortured) because the refused to carry the country's national party ID card. (Incidentally during those years apparently in Mexico JW men were allowed to pay a fee to the govt to get out of army service? I think it's spoken of in Crisis of Conscience.)
Another thing: Does anyone from the 1970s remember this report given during one assembly?: A sister (going solo) was making a return visit to a femal householder in a dangerous part of NY (Harlem or Bronx; can't remember which specific part). The door was opened by a big man. She noticed he had blood on his hands and clothes. She asked if she could speak to the woman who lived there. The man said no, she wasn't there. So the sister left. Concerned/worried, she went to the police. They went and found he'd just murdered the householder. When the police asked the man why he didn't 'take' the JW woman seeing as his bloodiness was obvious/suspicious - he said he wasn't game to touch her because she had 2 big men standing one each side of her. The JW speaker said this was evidence of Jehovah providing angels to protect us when needed. The auditorium burst into enthusiastic applause, bros&sis's looking around at each other either wide-eyed with wonder and gratitude, or knowing looks of satisfaction. Years later, when I raised this story with another exJW who'd done years of deprogramming, not just JWs but other fundamentalist Christians, she said "Oh, that story's been told by such-and-such religion too, only their's was of missionaries in Africa." She pointed out that there was no proof - no specifics, which police precinct, dates, names.
Incidentally, news has just come through while I'm writing this, that Gough Whitlam's wife, Maragret has just passed away. Gough's still alive - in his 90s. They were 2 towers of intellect in Australia from the 1960s-90s.
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is death a transition?
by soft+gentle inall spritiual views welcome.
i'd also like to know if the bible presents death as a transition and if it does so more than presenting it as a complete end..
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Flossycat
Just a suggestion (I adhere to no particular belief - intersted in all theories): Dr Brian Weiss has written some fascinating books on his experiences in practice - "Through Time Into Healing", and "Many Lives, Many Masters".
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V for Vendetta - another great movie for faders and ex-JWs
by RayPublisher injust re-watched it again recently...wow what a powerful film and really shows up totalitarianism, mind control, etc.
of course the great wachowski's (of matrix fame) made it, so what do you expect?.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chqi8m4ceey.
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Flossycat
Remember watching Matrix years ago, thinking how much like the JW mentality it was.
I'm many years out of the J Witless, but new to the discussion forum. It's great seeing so many switched on people here
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Flossycat
Hi Smiddy and Broken Promises. This is only the beginning of something we/any one of us, can work on - and I'll be working on. Last year I sent a copy of my book, "A Little Lower Than Angels" to Nick and he said he looked forward to reading it. A few weeks later I sent a DVD (copied from a video I made) from Channel 9's Sunday Morning Program in 2002 called Silence of the Lambs. Does anyone remember that? Before Australia/channel 9 did their show, the US and UK had already done their's, on the problem on pedophilia not being addressed in JW congregations. I know a journalist with one of Melbourne's leading newspapers who is an exJW. He's been writing pieces here and there drawing attention to JW cult behaviour. I intend to write to Nick again. In view of the fact JWs are always out there door-to-door it's important the public gets to hear the real story/s about the WT Society.
For those of you in Queensland, maybe put together a co-signed letter to senator Sue Boyce, to begin with? For what it's worth I'd co-sign it too. I'm going to find out who to approach here in Melbourne. The counsellor I used to see encourages some of her clients/patients to read my book - she would probably sign a letter too. Think of who you can get to co-sign in the health field as well if you decide to do a letter?
Yes, it was $400 to attend the conference. Worth every cent, esp as morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea included. Found a really good B&B called Annie's Shandon in Upper Edward St on the edge of the city - cheap.
One of the stand-out things for me was the advice in how to handle those still under the spell of cults: be gentle with them and provide them with an environment where they feel safe, (even if at times you feel like tearing your hear out).
Gotta go - night