@Listener: Well hello there! I remember you from when I posted on here in “the old days”! How’s it going? What’s new? Last time I posted this site was the old JWN.
WinstonSmith
JoinedPosts by WinstonSmith
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336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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WinstonSmith
So in this past week I came across a stash of my old elder stuff. I've scanned a bunch of notes and agendas, and public talk outlines.
Check out an agenda and my notes from the meeting here: https://imgur.com/gallery/QQmyCZN
Oh, I'm back by the way. How are you?
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21
Chile and the flag September 18
by ILoveTTATT ini have asked the people who are following my fb page and who live in chile to take lots of pictures and even videos if they can of the chilean flag in the kingdom halls... can't wait for when the pictures start rolling in!!.
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3 days ago Apostate walks into Watchtower headquarters gets a new Bible Leaves his business card
by Watchtower-Free inbo juel jensen from norway was visiting new york 3 days ago .
he is an apostate activist and a child abuse survivor .. this is the video.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odluwssd_qy.
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WinstonSmith
I picked up on the "whipped out a huge erection" comment the first time I watched it. When I finished I looked at the comments here to see if I had just been imagining things. It appears not.
I don't think it was included on purpose, and is definitely not what I would call subliminal, but it is there and is clear to hear. Surely it could be muted out in the same way off colour words are removed from news items etc.
To Bo and Juan, is there any more detail on the reaction of the guy that gave Bo the bible when he read Bo's card? Did he know who AAWA was or that at least Bo was what they would call an "apostate". Would love to have seen his reaction.
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336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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WinstonSmith
I had a bit of a waaaaaaaaaah on my blog this morning:
A friend of mine who recently left the Watchtowerites (Jehovah’s Witnesses) posted this video on Facebook this morning. Having recently been through this myself, I know what it is like to have people who used to say they loved you turn their back on you and act like you don’t exist. I have seen first hand a people – who say that one of their “identifying marks” is their love – turn their back and walk in the opposite direction of other people who used to share their beliefs.
They are told by their self named and self appointed ‘Governing Body’ that this is what the scriptures command them to do. The reality is that no such command is found in the scriptures, it is in fact, their own directive, a means to control with fear, the very people they are supposed to be shepherds for.
I have read the bible a few times, and studied it closely. The message that Jesus preached was one of love and forgiveness. Of trying understand other people and showing them through your actions the wonderful light that Christianity has brought into your life. The cold hearted shunning of others is un-Christian in the extreme and shows a fundamental misunderstanding of Jesus message of kindness to others.
The Watchtowerites are told that this is ‘tough love’ and that shunning those who no longer believe what the Watchtower teaches will help them ‘come to their senses’ and come back to the fold. While this may be true in a handful cases (although the return usually has more to do with wanting to be with their family than any kind of reconciliation with god), all this does is push people further and further away. The Watchtowerites love to tell you how much they are increasing worldwide, and say how many got baptised here and there. But the reality is that their increase is only a little over 1% – barely ahead of population growth. How can that be with all these ones supposedly getting baptised and increasing the numbers? Because thousands are leaving and never going back.
When someone tells you that they no longer believe what you believe. Don’t berate them, don’t turn your back on them, don’t delete them from your life. If you really want them to come back, show them how attractive and amazing your life is with the ‘way’ you have chosen. Show them how much you love them by showing some understanding, some empathy, try and find out what it is that has made them come to their decision.
Love them.
Unconditionally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SlbJKfZ9B1o
Here are the lyrics:
Jesus, protect me…Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Not all of them
Just the ones
Who turn love into fear and hatred
And the ones who say they are above me
And then point their fingers down at me
And the ones who judge me when I’m troubled
And they tell me on the street that I am lost
And they tell me on my doorstep that I will burn in hellJesus, protect me…Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Like the ones who only speak with anger
They’re screaming from my television
While stealing from the hand that feeds them
And demanding that you are the only way
While spitting in the face of love
With the one hand on the bible and the other in the purseJesus, protect me…Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Like the ones who turn their back on the dying
And laugh in the face of pain and suffering
They would kill in the name of freedom
Or the ones who would manipulate the Constitution
And try to make laws of their opinions
While walking shoulder-to-shoulder with greed and violence
To the ones who would start wars in your name
To the ones who would attack me for this song
I singJesus, protect me…Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Not all of them
Just the ones
Who turn love into fear and hatred
Yes, they turn love into fear and hatred -
336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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WinstonSmith
As usual Oubliette, you are right on the money!
Let's review.....
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336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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WinstonSmith
Alrighty then, so here is Mum's follow up email to her "I will look at everything when I return and contact you then" message. She got back on the 25th of February and this reply came last night (8th of March):
Hi there
Safely home from <location> after another lovely trip. It was really hot there, but it was a great stay again renewing old acquaintances and making new ones. Tons of photos of course.
I will reply to your other comments in due course, I just don't feel like it right now.
love to you both, mumxxx
I replied this morning and said "Glad to hear you made it back safe and sound the other week. Great that you could catch up with some familiar faces. Would love to see some photos at some stage." I am going to leave the ball in her court about replying to my "other comments", but I tell you this now, if she tries to defend her treatment of me with a stream of WT bullshit, she'd better get ready for a take-down that will rival Armageddon. If she insists on cutting me off then she will get exactly what she wants because IDGAF anymore.
I love her to pieces, but will not allow her or anyone else to happily shit all over me. I'm done dealing with human worshiping morons. The sad thing is that I don't think she will ever 'get' it, and all any of this will do is fuel her (their / JWs) persecution complex. Time for me to focus on the people who love me for what I am, and not for shared obedience to a publishing corporation.
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336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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WinstonSmith
Listener: My initial reaction was "oh well, now I know where I am on her list of things to give a shit about", but as you say, I think that I am hitting a nerve that she can't ignore. A lot of JWs never have to face a challenge to their faith, and so when they do have to face one, they have no idea what to do because things in real life never play out like they do in a convention demonstration or drama. Love your point about if shunning were Christian then we would see good coming from it. Nice one!
Clarity: Thanks for keeping in touch :-)
Giordano: I appreciate you checking in to see how things are going, nice to hear from you again! It is my hope too that Mum will come around to at least see that she can keep in contact with me. My whole goal here is not to get her to change her religion. I am honestly not trying to get her to change her religion, but I am trying to get her to see that there is no scriptural reason as to why we can't have a normal relationship, and that there is no scriptural reason for her stand (or rather, the stand she has been told to make). To be honest, I think she knows this, but does not want to admit it because if she admits that there is one thing that is incorrect, then she has to admit that there could be other things that are incorrect thus getting on a slippery slope that at her stage in life, she is not ready for.
Joe: Cheers for your message, I have read your posts and threads and sympathise with your position. There is no such thing as a true friend in the organisation - not in my experience anyway. Friendship as a JW is soley based on your mutual obedience to the everchanging rules of the publishing corporation overlords. Hang in there mate, things will get better!
Mum has finally followed up on the email she sent in my previous post. I will put it up in a minute. (It is a classic).
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53
If you wrote book about JW's what title would you give it?
by LogCon inmany, after leaving or being cast out of 'the society,' have felt so strongly so as to write a book.
some well thought out and good reading.. my questions are the following:.
if you were to write such a book what title would you give it ?.
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WinstonSmith
B.I.T.E Me
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336
The New Diary of Winston Smith
by WinstonSmith inwe had to go off grid for a time, time and half a time as we thought we had been outed.
fortunately it was a false alarm, but it was a stressful time.
i asked for my original diary thread to be deleted in case there could be anything on there to identlfy mrs smith and i. i am always very careful when posting, and am sure there was nothing on there, but felt it best to have it removed in order to be as cautious as a dove.
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WinstonSmith
So it has been a while since I made an update on how things are going. To be honest as I said above, things are getting to be.............normal.
Following on from the leak of the DF and Suicidal Shepherding videos, I decided to have another go at getting through to mum. I know, I am a sucker for punishment! No-one will ever be able to say that I didn't try. Here is a blog post I made titled "Mum, please read" that I also sent to her as an email:
You made it very clear in a text to me back in October that did not want me to text you "for a while". I have respected that and we have only been in touch a few times since then (all initiated by me). We had a lovely chat on Skype on the 17th of January, but since then I have heard nothing from you. Today is the 15th of February which means on Monday it will be a month since you last had contact with me.
I know you believe that you are doing the right thing as directed by your religion, but I am still waiting to hear why, per the scriptures you have decided to cut me off simply because I decided that my belief system no longer aligned with that of Jehovah's Witnesses. There is no scriptural basis for your decision (or more correctly, the directive from your governing body), and for that reason, I do not know why you continue to ignore that fact that I exist.
Since deciding that my beliefs no longer align with that of the Jehovah's Witnesses, I have been the happiest I have ever been in my whole entire life. I have an amazing wife, a great job, and live in a beautiful city (and country) that makes me appreciate so much this unique life that we as humans have. Such a shame that because of your decision to shun me you are missing out on seeing me, your only son, thriving in my new found joy for life.
Neither you or anybody else have given me any explanation or reason as to why you think it is an acceptable Christian thing to do to cut off your own offspring simply because they can't accept the teaching of your religion. The last time I read the bible, it told me things like:
- Love covers a multitude of sins
- Lover never fails
- Forgive your brothers
- Love your enemy
- The example of The Good Samaritan
- The example of The Prodigal Son
- An identifying mark of true Christians is their loveCutting someone off because they no longer believe what you believe is not loving by any stretch of the imagination, and is most certainly not covered by any scripture.
The Watchtower Society tells its followers that this shunning is like tough love and that it can motivate people to come back. That sounds to me more like emotional blackmail that it does anything like love. If you think that shunning me and having no (or very little) contact with me is going to make me come back, then you are wrong. Very very wrong. The reason I will not come back and be a Jehovah's Witness is because a large number of their directives are plainly and demonstrably unscriptural, and their long track record is one of failed prophecies, flip flopping doctrine, and a heavy handed approach to the followers that more closely resembles the Pharisees than it does anything Jesus exemplified.
In addition to this, the Watchtower Society fails to genuinely care for its sheep. It definitely gives the impression that it does, but closer examination shows that this is not the case. As a case in point I was forwarded a video yesterday which formed part of a recent school for elders. Please watch the whole thing, and be mindful that the first section is the "how not to do it" part.
Please click here to view the video <link>
Keep in mind that this is not an 'apostate' video, this is an official Watchtower Society video designed specifically to instruct elders on how to 'shepherd'. I was sent a few videos, but I chose to share this one in particular because of the history of depression and mental illness in our family. The advice given here sounds nice on the surface, but is ultimately very dangerous.
Depression, and suicidal thoughts are a sickness and as such need professional care. It has nothing to do with integrity as stated by the elders in this video. Telling someone who is depressed and suicidal (she had even ideated how she was going to do it) that they are being attacked by Satan is horrible. Laying sugar coated guilt on them (you have to keep your integrity or else you are letting Satan win) is exactly the sort of thing that will push them over the edge. Telling them to read the bible and chant mantras are at best very short term fixes.
Someone in this situation needs to have professional help. Nowhere in this video is the lady directed to grief counselling, community help, or suicide prevention facilities. She is given what amounts to a pep talk and the elders sit there smugly like they have cured cancer.
In summary the video says "If you have suicidal thoughts you lack integrity and are letting Satan win against you, read your bible and everything will be fine."
This video shows a total lack of understanding (or desire to understand) mental illness. It is not something that is fixed up in a ten minute 'shepherding' call. It takes months of professional counselling for some to get the assistance they need to begin to move on.
This video is from the Watchtower Society and is therefore its instruction on how elders are to deal with this situation. As you know, elders consider themselves to be appointed by holy spirit and view the governing body as spirit directed. This gives them a dangerous amount of confidence in dealing with highly sensitive situation that could have devastating consequences. Not all elders are like this of course. In my experience I was fortunate to work with some really lovely guys. However these people are like this not because of the Watchtower Society, but despite it. As you can see, offering to assist someone get counselling or psychiatric help is the logical thing to do, but goes against what the Watchtower Society recommends in its training video.
Mum, I'm not trying to get you to change your religion. What I am trying to do is get you to do is examine what you have been taught to believe, and compare this with what the bible really teaches. The Bereans were commended for examining the things they were taught, and all true students of the bible should be the same. The blind acceptance of directives given by a self appointed and self named governing body is not only dangerous, but unscriptural.
You know I love you very much, and I know that you love me very much. I know that you think you are doing what is best for me, and I hold no ill will for this. All I am asking is that you examine the scriptures on their own to see of there is any basis for the decision you have been trained to make. There is no reason why we can't have a normal mother / son relationship and just not talk about religion.
With tonnes of love,
Winston
She replied not long after with the following:
Hi Winston
Thanks for the email. Good to hear from you.
<Stepdad>and I are currently <overseas> and will be home 25 Feb.
I have indeed really appreciated you respecting my request and it has been most beneficial in settling my mind.
Unfortunately, prior to coming to <country> we have had rather a torrid time with the death of <friend> who I have been supporting thru the final weeks of her life. We also had a wedding for which I was heavily involved.(We have another when we get back!). We have also painted all the stone work on the house and around the section in the last month before we left.
I will look at everything when I return and contact you then.
Love mum xxx
I was less than thrilled to know that she had not let me know she was going overseas. Not because I think she needs to report to me, but because she ain't that young anymore, and had anything happened to her while she was away, I would never have known where she was.
Lots of excuses as to why there has been no contact. I think I now know where I stand on the important-things-in-her-life scale.
I have not heard anything since, and will leave it another month before I make contact again. She can't get rid of me that easily. My existence and contact is a reminder to her of her cognitive dissonance, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.