Saethydd

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Posts by Saethydd

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  12

  Recovery From The Jehovah's Witnesses - A Guide

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hey guys.

  a friend online asked me about my recovery and how i managed to recover relatively easily from watchtower indoctrination.

  although i think a major part of it is acquainting oneself with information about the watchtower and it's history, a lot of it (for me at least) was an inner game.

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  Saethydd

  That is beautifully written, I'm gonna bookmark this.
  
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  21

  Help/Advice on Birthday Present

  by Phizzy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have a very xjw type problem, i am invited to my cousin's 70th birthday party, and really don't know what to buy him.. i only met him a couple of months ago, as my jw parents never encouraged the non-jw side of the family, so i don't know much about him, except that he is retired and his hobby is sailing his boat.. i don't have contact details for his kids etc to ask them for ideas, so could you come up with something please ?

  not too extravagant, i am a poor pensioner !

  but, it is his 70th.. thanks in advance for any tips !.

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  Saethydd

  Some people who like boats also appreciate a nice ship in a bottle. Not a very personal gift, but it doesn't sound like you know them that well so it might be appropriate.
  
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  15

  Lack of open-mindedness

  by ilikecheese in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a lot of religious folks can have an open-minded discussion about their beliefs without getting defensive.

  some can actually consider things from another point of view and point out the validity in the other person's point.

  obviously, a lot of jws may just be scared to think/speak in a semi-detrimental way about their religion.

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  Saethydd

  I personally feel that the key to open-mindedness is to recognize that your beliefs shouldn't be concrete certainties, rather they need to be probabilities that are based on all the available data and evidence that you have access to, and these should shift as new data is acquired or debunked. Otherwise, you can simply ignore all evidence that contradicts your viewpoint creating an unhealthy confirmation bias.
  

  Most JWs don't view things in this manner, they KNOW (or at least feel pressured to openly claim that they know) that they alone have God's backing. Or more accurately, the organization they are a part of has His backing. It's very common for a conversation with a Witness to lead them talking about how "glad they are to be in the Truth," or how they can't wait for some promise that they read in the Watchtower to be fulfilled in the "new system." And if one has doubts about those things and openly expresses them, they are held to be "spiritually weak" which is the greatest of sins in JW Land. Even genuinely agreeing with someone else about the uncertainty of your own beliefs is considered spiritually weak, which, to the indoctrinated, makes them feel guilty themselves even if no other JWs are present to make them feel that way.
  
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  81

  Gerrit Losch Claims JW's Attending College Are Spiritually Weak

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  https://www.facebook.com/jw.0027/videos/799049613609936/.

  the video was posted directly to a pro-jw facebook page.

  i cant believe what i'm hearing... actually, nothing surprises be about this cult anymore.. didn't they say to the judge in the arc that they dont discourage college?.

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  Saethydd

  And those who buy into the ridiculous arguments presented in the video are mentally or emotionally weak. Many of them trained to be that way by their "spiritual education."
  
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  10

  Went to a Different Kind of Convention This Year

  by Saethydd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my old congregation's regional convention was the week before last, and for the first time in 20 years, i wasn't there.

  instead on the very same weekend, i went to a geeky fan convention called magic city con.

  i had loads of fun there, i cosplayed as a jedi and the doctor (which is my current profile pic).

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  Saethydd

  Sounds like a lot of fun good for you. Saethyyd any pics ?
  

  The phone on my camera is awful so I didn't get any myself, but a photographer got some good ones that are in this album on Facebook.

  Here are the ones I do have though.

  

  

  
  

  
  
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  14

  Thought Bubbles Then & Now

  by steve2 in

  1. social
  2. humour

  my thought bubble in the 1980s:.

  "how can i engage with worldly people when they are just not interested in discussing these important topics as featured in the watchtower and awake?.

  my thought bubble in the 2010s:.

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  Saethydd

  My thought bubble in the 1980s:

  I really look forward to existing in 15 years
  

  
  

  My thought bubble in the 2010's:

  This stuff my parents taught me just isn't adding up.
  
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  10

  Went to a Different Kind of Convention This Year

  by Saethydd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my old congregation's regional convention was the week before last, and for the first time in 20 years, i wasn't there.

  instead on the very same weekend, i went to a geeky fan convention called magic city con.

  i had loads of fun there, i cosplayed as a jedi and the doctor (which is my current profile pic).

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  Saethydd

  I loved Tennant, I actually intended to cosplay as him, but I didn't have everything I needed for him or for Matt Smith, so I just went as 10 1/2. Which, by the way, was a big hit at an All Fandom Dating Game I played.
  
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  10

  Went to a Different Kind of Convention This Year

  by Saethydd in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  my old congregation's regional convention was the week before last, and for the first time in 20 years, i wasn't there.

  instead on the very same weekend, i went to a geeky fan convention called magic city con.

  i had loads of fun there, i cosplayed as a jedi and the doctor (which is my current profile pic).

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• 

  Saethydd

  My old congregation's Regional Convention was the week before last, and for the first time in 20 years, I wasn't there. Instead on the very same weekend, I went to a geeky fan convention called Magic City Con. I had loads of fun there, I cosplayed as a Jedi and the Doctor (which is my current profile pic). It was incredibly enjoyable to finally be able to meet new people that I like and share common interests with and not feel that having a real friendship with them in the future is an impossibility.
  

  Another side note, this "worldly" convention was just as clean and orderly as any JW event I ever went to, and much less boring. I didn't have to pinch myself to stay awake once.

  Just wanted to share that update with you all and let you know how I'm doing.
  
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  26

  My Introduction

  by Ray Frankz in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this is my first post and i'm feeling like i'm doing something bad big time!

  i know on my mind it isn't, but the feelings are less manageable.. well, since i'm still a jw it's better not to give too much info, but i'm from brazil.. i've grown-up in the religion and practicly all my family, my closest friends and my girlfriend are loyal jws.

  i used to be a regular pioneer but i still have a service privilege on my congregation.. i've had questions about the teachings of the wt since i was 10, but naturally i always pushed it away as it were "questioning the holy organization".. i started a friendship with some people in a course i took and we talked about a lot of subjects.

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  Saethydd

  Welcome to the forum, hopefully you can find what you're looking for here.
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  33

  My parents found out

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so in my last post i talked about how i had told my younger siblings how i didn't plan to get baptized or ever be a witness.

  i thought i could trust them but i guess i was wrong, they're just kids after all.

  my oldest brother (who's 11) told on me today.

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  Saethydd

  I sympathize with you a great deal, not too long ago my situation was very much like yours. I, however, am the youngest in my family and the only who has thus far woken up. After I realized that my entire life and its "spiritual" goals had been built on lies and delusions I had many conversations with my parents over several months. It was like talking to a brick wall, nothing I said sunk in, no evidence I provided swayed them, they were incapable of conceding a single point in my favor even if they could not answer my arguments.

  So, I started leading something of a double-life. I reached out to old acquaintances from college to build true friendships with and met new people as well. I started spending quality time getting to know them while my parents thought I was at the gym or studying. I realized very quickly that it was a situation I could not endure for long because it was tearing me apart. So I started working on finding a place to live and figuring out a budget, saving up money, etc. Until finally about a month ago I had everything I needed to approach my parents and tell them I no longer wished to attend the meetings or try to get reinstated, I had been DF'd about a year earlier, unfortunately I was much like your brother, so eager to get baptized at the young age of 10 years old. (A decision that I was once proud of, but now see as perhaps one of my greatest mistakes.)

  They were stunned, to say the least, we talked for a long time. I told them how I was miserable at the meetings and knew that I could not get reinstated feeling this way. They told me that they weren't going to kick me out, but apparently, they spoke later and changed their minds on that. If I wasn't going to the meetings they didn't want me there.

  So, I followed my carefully laid plans to where I sit right now. At my desk, in my new room, in a house that I share with true friends. Friends that would never cast me aside because I didn't share their beliefs. It was hard getting here, and it's hard work staying here. I've got three part-time jobs right now and summer classes. My free time is limited, but I'm figuring out to make things work. I miss my family, I miss the people still inside that I once called friends before I realized how tenuous those relationships were, but I don't miss the religion one bit, I don't miss their God, and I'm pretty sure that's because he was never anywhere but my own imagination.

  It's not all freedom and good times away from the Organization. Sometimes I do feel sad for what I have lost, but overall, I would say I'm happier now. Finally, for the first time in my life, I don't feel confined by the mental and emotional prison constructed by the Watchtower. Finally, I feel as if I am free to seek my own path instead of following the one I've been forced to walk since birth.

  I can't tell you what to do, it's your life, and your choice, but hopefully my story will help you decide.