Posts by Skepsis

17

Leaving it all behind.

by Jazzbo in

i haven't been on an exjw site for months and months.

i frankly am way past the point where i define myself as an exjw, i am who i am and it doesn't have really anything to do with the way i was raised or spent a considerable portion of my life, i also refuse to be bound by witness requirements as to leaving, contact with witnesses, or some kind of responsibility to whack people who seem perfectly happy as witnesses over the head with 'the truth about the truth'.

i have recently run in to a few people that seems to simply obsess with their lives as witnesses and why they left and in some cases the way they were treated or mistreated, or the need to "do" something.

Skepsis

I suppose that would the dream of the GB and the high hierarchy of the WT, better know today as JW.ORG: that everyone quitting the religion stop talking about all the issues involved in the religion.

If no one spoke openly in sites like this one, some people like me would probably have last much longer until realising completely what kind of organisition it is.

Plus, there are many that even after abandoning physically and mentally the WT, they have to face with still in family.

In the long term, I agree it's mentally healthy to forget a past chapter in you life but circumstances may differ between each of us.

29

Today's Watchtower; if GB say celebrity adulation is wrong, why do they pose for pics and sign autographs?

by Isambard Crater in

jw
friends

says it all really.

total hypocrisy once again..

Skepsis

GB members are worshipped in this religion. Yesterday you saw something was black and if today they publish a WT article saying it is white, you'll say 'It's evidently white and I have always seen it white'.

Catholics have a Pope and witnesses have seven.

25

Outraged After Watching The May 2017 Broadcast

by pale.emperor in

ok, so i've just put myself through another months broadcast so i can see what bull they're feeding my still in relatives.

all was going fine... well, i say fine, i mean the usual cheesy videos, rehearsed reactions from jeffrey jackson (you remember him, the one who told half truths and lies at the royal commission) and propaganda from jw land.. the last feature brings up 9/11 and the paris 2015 attack at the bataclan.

just as im thinking "how are they gonna spin this in their direction" i hear these words:.

Skepsis

From my experience, at least in my area, very few witnesses watch these programmes. Only die-hard pioneers or elders although not all of them.

They started opening KHs in the area one Friday per month with the purpose that all those older members without internet could assist. In fact, all were invited to watch it together as another spiritual activity as a congregation.

After four months, the arrangement was suspended for low attendance. Most brothers aren't watching it and I reckon it's the American televangelist approach it has the main reason.

However, I heard it's having more success in other countries but don't think it has a massive success.

6

Spain : Two new articles regarding Reveal Abuse London event and Candace Conti interview

by sp74bb in

http://www.elperiodico.com/es/noticias/sociedad/cerco-internacional-a-la-ocultacion-de-abusos-a-menores-de-los-testigos-de-jehova-6009083.

international siege to conceal child abuse in jehovah's witnesses.

a meeting in london weaves alliances to denounce the parallel justice of the religious organization.

Skepsis

Here in Spain some brothers are worried by this coverage. In fact, it was mentioned in a Whatsapp group of brothers today.

26

Strange stalking from JW's...Please help

by Toshibabadu in

i just recently stopped attending.

i keep getting messages, emails, texts and voice mails asking if i'm ok. they all say the exact same thing.

it's creepy and a bit scary.

Skepsis

What I do when I miss some meetings or when I'm asked to do something like the carts or help in the maintenance work of the Hall is simply to say that I'm busy at the moment and not available because of a personal situation/my job/a course required to attend by my employer or something similar. Don't give more details.

If they ask how are you doing or if you have some problem, let them know you're fine but busy.

I prefer text messaging than phone calls as they (especially elders) always want to get some information about you. Giving out details is quite dangerous especially with friends or people you may feel comfortable with.

25

Do you feel that you are really YOU?

by UnshackleTheChains in

i am interested in finding out how you view yourself.

are really you when it comes to every day interactions....ie when at work, with family or friends, or if attending meetings?.

if still attending, do you feel you are not the real you at meetings?

Skepsis

I'm still attending meetings so I'm playing a character. Don't enjoy that, even feel bad when coming back home after the meetings.

When I first woke up, I thought I could fake it even for the rest of my life of necessary. I tried to do so to keep my girlfriend but I couldn't. Then I realised it condemned me to a life of misery and unhappiness.

I'm fading, have a plan to leave the religion but still feel the same and the more meetings I attend, the worst it becomes.

I'm trying to know myself better as every aspect of my personality was modelled by the WT. I hadn't realised before the influence the WT got on my personality, way of life, opinions and decisions.

35

RUMOUR - Regarding future memorials

by Listener in

i heard this on the youtube channel - bad jw round table discussions and i normally don't give much thought to rumours, i did find this one interesting.one of the guys on the channel said that there are plans that 'the other sheep' will be told not to attend any future memorials.he was asked how credible was this and he said that it is talk going around by those in the know, just like there had been those that knew about the fairly recent new edition of the bible being in production.even if this is probably just a rumour, the idea has a lot of merit.

the benefits for the organization outweigh the negatives and would fit in with their current direction.here are some of the benefits, for the org.

that could come from it- the biggest benefit would come from not having to accommodate so many attendants, which are more than double a normal meeting.

Skepsis

Don't think they want to make changes to the Memorial, it's the only holiday in the Org.

I could see other changes first like broadcasted talks for public meetings or even eliminating public talks.

51

Today's W.T on GB not being inspired is having ZERO impact on most J.W's

by Isambard Crater in

jw
friends

the congregation i attend had it's watchtower study on thursday night because of l.d.c work this week-end, and another congregation i have some not very spiritual friends in had their watchtower study on wednesday.

from what i have delicately prised out of people, the congregations loved the watchtower study this week, saying it was so encouraging and all the usual stuff, with no-one seeming to realise the g.b.

said they're not inspired, so the spirit int he past has moved them to teach wrong things, and all the other ideas excellently summed up on reddit.. today's watchtower will wash over the heads of most j.w's like it never even happened, the all remaining as loyal as ever, and it makes me so, so sad..

Skepsis

The same here. There's no reaction to this kind of articles. I think WT could publish that the whole Bible is old light and that they have a new book from the NY guys to substitute it and they would agree and accept it without a word.

The witnesses are worshipping the Org above all. It's discouraging.

6

Cool! Scientists Claim Humans in California 130,000 Years Ago

by kpop in

i think this will interest quite a few here.

in an announcement sure to spark a firestorm of controversy, researchers say they’ve found signs of ancient humans in california between 120,000 and 140,000 years ago—more than a hundred thousand years before humans were thought to exist anywhere in the americas.. .

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/04/mastodons-americas-peopling-migrations-archaeology-science/.

Skepsis

I remember being at class at high school listening to dates as back as 20,000 or 30,000 BC and asking myself so many questions.

It was worst when we had to study the Neanderthal or even the last glacial period that ended at 11,000 BC.

Or how about those extinctions of animals that we have proofs of their existance?

But at the time I couldn't join the dots.

33

How many in your generation are still JW???

by Christian Gutierrez in

jw
friends

how many in your age group are still jehovahs witnesses?

from where we are at, there aren't many left.

each year it gets smaller and smaller haha .

Skepsis

I'm almost 30 and those who left did it when they were 18-23. Now those who are still in are married or very close to get married though many are not doing too much. Then, there are the MS and pioneers who are the least and the true belivers.

I think the first group represents 80% of the people my age and the second 20%. I guess there are many who don't believe the doctrines but don't want to change their lifes and get into problems.

I can understand it, it's not easy just to quit the religion and lose everything in your life. And the older you are, the harder it is to start a new life from scratch.