no, not that prince, its just a username.
hey apostates, i've heard about these types of forums at meetings and such, never would've guessed it was called jehovahs-witness.net lol.
(excuse my shock, hope no one is offended).
Hi BP. If you like to read true adventure stories, take a look at my website: jehovahsmysteries.com I was your age when I began to play up, left the JWs but still believed in them.
Glad you're opening your eyes and questioning. (The height of selfishness isn't doing what you want to do. The height of selfishness is expecting others to do as you say without question.)
Look forward to hearing more from you here.
Best wishes from Flossycat.
the icsa event in london was a day well spent although a little emotionally draining.
the event was well represented by ex jws who formed the biggest group there with representatives from both the uk and europe.
other cults discussed during the day were, exclusive bretheren, christian scientists, therapy cults, mystic cults, born again christian cults and some extremely scary mind control groups.
Jeez, at the Australian Cult Info&Family Support conference in March (Brisbane parliament house), I was the only exJW there. However, a psychologist I met there in conversation said she'd had a JW as a patient not long ago - JW only came for 3 consultations then stopped. So I showed her the book I've written, which she gladly accepted - and emailed me a week later thanking me profusely, said it's answered so many questions she had about the WT Society - and she's going to recommend my book to other therapists.
The conference was fantastic (written about on this forum back in March) - psychologists from the U.S. were brilliant. Totally agree with Randy - hearing testimonials from other ex-cult members is powerful in getting one's head out of enslavement for those who still doubt or still feel overwhelmed at times by old attitudes.
Thanks, Nugget, for your update from the other side of the world.
Flossycat, Down-under.
i've only met the man properly three times, and all of them through my uncle who was the district convention overseer.
however, there was another time when i ran into him by chance that was amusing.
we were all staying at the marriott.
Oh - duh!
i've only met the man properly three times, and all of them through my uncle who was the district convention overseer.
however, there was another time when i ran into him by chance that was amusing.
we were all staying at the marriott.
Hi sd-7. Please understand that I'm trying to understand why you've said the above. I can't find anything in Tyrannis' story that's disloyal or demonic. What point would there be to lie about such an innocent memory? I don't understand why you've responded this way.
Best regards,
Flossycat
in a few minutes we will be heading to glendon's memorial service.
we live around the corner from that hall.
the service is in just over an hour.
hi everyone, i would like to introduce myself and tell my story.
from the standpoint of being one of jehovahs witnesses, my whole family is deeply involved as i was the 5th generation of witness and any children that my brothers or sister have will be the sixth generation.
as some of my brothers and sisters are grandparents, i guess that makes their grandchildren a potential 7th generation.
Hi Jake, from Melbourne, Australia. Wow - what a well written and powerful testimony. So glad your wife has seen the hypocrisy with you.
I was a teenage JW in the early 1970s and remember well how everyone was holding their breath for the big event in 1975/76. (Kingdom Ministry praising brothers&sisters for selling their homes to pioneer etc) I left the JW early '80s. About 9 years ago bumped into an elder from my old congregation - at my local gym. I had really loved the people in that congo, and he was just the best elder. I went over to him. He didn't recognize me after so many years - turned out he and his wife and kids got disfellowshipped in the mid '80s. He said in the lead-up to 1975, at the elders' meetings, he was the only one to voice doubts that Armageddon might not come in 1975. Shock-horror! The other elders looked down on him, to the extent (he later found out) they'd begun having 'special' private elders meetings without him, to discuss him.
On the point you raise on how could we have fallen for such a string of lies and hypocrisy and just plain crazy doctrines: In March, at the national (Australian) Cult Info&Family Support conference, one of the clinical psychologists spoke of this. Might just add here - there were testimonials given from some who'd joined cults as young adults (early 20s) who had come from very well-educated secular backgrounds; they had university degrees, great incomes, good friends - yet still got sucked in to the most severely controlled cults that totally stripped their dignity and ability to think for themselves. It can happen to anyone, which is the mystifying part - all they could say was they were looking for something more fulfilling in life's purpose. But for those born-in, this is how the psychologist explained it: - the brain is 'plastic', the brain's neuron-synapse connections need new experiences, needs to continually learn to think outside the box. If it doesn't get this stimulation the brain 'whithers' in its capacity to rationalise. Also the brain, from childhood if living in a good-v-evil/reward v destruction environment, quickly normalises this kind of behaviour and attitude. That's it in a nutshell.
Look forward to hearing more from you.
Flossycat
so this week was stressful and emotional.
my husband's witness family found out that we where not attending meeting anymore.
she stated if "i keep talking like i am i'm going to get myself disfellowshiped.
Hi and welcome, So-Confused. Great advice here - you have lots of people around you to help you and support you and your husband through this. Someone's already mentioned it - find a good therapist - one who knows about Jehovah's Witnesses/cult-mentality if possible.
In March, at the Australian Cult Info&Family Support conference, I met a psychologist (we'll call her Cath) who had a JW patient. The JW only came to see her a few times then stopped. Cath didn't know why. I said 'I've written a book about having been a JW, and the problems of leaving, and it includes a experiences from a psychologist who had problems trying to get through to 2 JW patients he'd had.' She bought my book. Two weeks later she emailed me thanking me so much in showing her how to understand everything. (Obviously not everything - but for her it answered her dilemma with this JW, and why therapy wasn't working.)
Keep in touch - because being able to vent and talk - as was explained at the conference - "helps bring down the terror."
Love and best wishes from Helen. Melbourne, Australia.
i had a conversation on the phone today with two different elders today.
i dont want to post the topic that we discussed on here at this time.
they had a problem with something going on in my life and i said where is it written that this is a problem.
Hi 2tone. You said: 'I think they were more surprised at my pressured speech towards them than anything.' Good for you:) The first time I stood up to an elder it took him by surprise. His only way of response was to look down his nose and deride me for once having been a Pioneer and 'leaving the Truth'. Probably didn't help that I'm female, bowled up to him, spoke with him on equal footing - and questioned him!
I'm not sure of your history within the congo. Sounds like they're looking to find fault. They love trying to make people grovel and tow the line - gives their own small-mindedness an ego-boost. To me it just shows how pathetic and unhappy they are within their own skins.
Good to hear you on this subject. Keep us posted, please.
...the reason being is that you will see how it all works...it is very scary and it will definately make you doubt.
this maybe about scientology, but just replace that word with jehovah's witnesses and there is absolutely no difference.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfdl6ga1di0&feature=related.
Thanks for that IamwhoIam. The cult catchphrase of having certainty. That's why my mother joined the JWs when I was a kid, (and why thousands of others join of course). Any JW who watched this though, would jump on things said like: 'We don't charge any money to join or do levels of membership. We don't rip people off like that.'
Remember the newspaper article in the UK recently about JWs calling ex-members mentally diseased? I think it was on JWR I read about an exJW who decided, when speaking to an still-in JW to talk to her about this newspaper article about a religion (she didn't say what religion) who calls it's ex-members mentally diseased etc. The JW woman was saying how terrible that a religion would treat others that way. Then - when the exJW said the article IS about JW Org - the JW woman said: well it must be the right thing to do then - the WT Society is divinely governed....
Was at the Australian Cult Info&Family Support conference in March. Heard plenty of testimonials from various ex-cult members, both Christian and non-Christian. Some of these ex-members joined as young adults, very well educated with multiple university degrees, from loving families. They had it all. It's hard to know why some fall for this kind of mentality. However, I think the point made early by this ex-Scientologist - about the 'certainty' factor has a lot to do with why people convert. For those born in, their brains' hard-wiring doesn't get exercised via new (outside) experiences, so (the theory goes in research so far) they haven't developed skills to think critically. The brain needs new and varied experiences - it needs exercise to function properly. JWs don't allow their members to think critically or think outside the square. Poor people.
Steven Hassan's book on mind-control by cults.
Thanks again IamwhoIam. Hope this helps anyone here who's sitting on the fence to wake up.
if witnesses could only feel the freedom to speak their minds, what would they say?.
well, being fully free from the org via my ex-communication really allows me to engage in conversations with members who allow me to do so.. what i have found interesting in every conversation is this common phrase, "you know (looking down their nose at me) the truth.
you know that the information is correct so imperfect organization or not this is jehovah's chosen organization.
Yes, MTM. I agree with you - JWs think those who leave live terribly lost, unhappy lives. And I did for many years because I hadn't stopped believing it was the truth. So my JW family were going: 'You know it's the truth. Please come back.' Then once I learnt the JW teachings are a load of bull****, quit feeling guilty/condemned, I really got my life together; 7 years ago found a wonderful man (who isnt the slightest bit religious) who any mother would love as a son-in-law - he's kind, caring, honest, honourable, financially well-off and supports me in every way. He really, really loves me - and I, him. AND THAT is what gets under the skin of the JWs, (despite my mother saying she's glad I've found stability). They don't like it when an exJW 'makes it' outside their confines. She sent me a short note about 3 years ago asking me to 'please come back to the Truth; time is fast running out...'
And yes - you can't discuss doctrine with a JW. You can actually see them go into robot/program mode - they stop listening and just preach AT you.
