This is one of the healthiest posts I've ever read on this board. Glad to hear things are alright for you dude. I wish everyone else here could have an attitude as healthy as yours.
Posts by rhett
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21Letting JW relatives go....revisited
by MegaDude insome of you might remember i posted my thoughts on why, after years of shunning, and me continually trying to establish contact with the jw relatives that do this, i finally decided it was healthier for me to let them go and stop doing that.
this was especially true in the case of my younger brother, who was more like a best friend.
we spent a lot of time together before my extricating myself from the watchtower, including vacations and lots of weekends.
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39
Who shuns you?
by Dawn inafter reading a number of posts it sounds like most of you have been shunned even by your immediate family members (parents, brothers, sisters)after you were df'd.. i am shunned by my sister-in-law - but she's it out of the entire family.
my uncle, brothers, mother, and father (an elder before he passed away) all continued to associate with me - we even go out to dinners together.. so here's my question - is my family the minority?
i thought that only non-family members had to shun you but family was ok as long as they don't discuss spiritual issues.
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rhett
Hi Connie,
Tell them the truth. Your family is in a religous cult and since you're not they won't have anything to do with you. Hey, no need to try to hide what's going on because if you try it will just seem like there's something you did wrong. Besides, using your experience will just serve as a warning when the JW's come knocking on your friends' doors. -
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Who shuns you?
by Dawn inafter reading a number of posts it sounds like most of you have been shunned even by your immediate family members (parents, brothers, sisters)after you were df'd.. i am shunned by my sister-in-law - but she's it out of the entire family.
my uncle, brothers, mother, and father (an elder before he passed away) all continued to associate with me - we even go out to dinners together.. so here's my question - is my family the minority?
i thought that only non-family members had to shun you but family was ok as long as they don't discuss spiritual issues.
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rhett
Well, even though they don't exactly shun me my family isn't exactly what you would call very warm towards myself, my wife and son. What's funny though is that my sister is nicer and more friendly to my wife who was never a JW than she is to me.
What really pisses me off more than you can imagine though is my sister's kid gets presents at Christmas and his birthday from my parents even though my parents say that's not the case because they don't celebrate those holidays but my son gets nothing from them at those times despite the fact that we openly celebrate them. -
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Can U Answer a Really Hard ? from any JW?
by Mindchild ini was thinking today that many of us ex-dubs are fairly capable of holding our own when conversing with an active witness about anything jw related.
if we dont have an immediate answer, it isnt difficult to find a ex-jw website that has a lot of good information we could use for finding an answer fairly quickly.
having said this though, i think there are some questions that a jw could ask you that might be a lot tougher to answer, websites or not.
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rhett
"Well, if Jesus DIDN'T come to Earth in 1914, how do you explain how the perception of the state of the world since has shown us to be in the 'end times'"
Tell them their crazy and you most people don't see 1914 as a big turning point in human history.
"If this isn't the end times, how do you explain the preaching work of JWs going on 'throughout all the inhabited Earth', as it was predicted it would be..."
The manipulation of cult leaders. When you get down to it, most people don't know who the JW's are and even if they do they generally think they're nut jobs. I really don't remember anything in the bible saying anything about that.
"If we aren't the true religion, how do you explain the GB being inspired by god?"
They're not. If they're so inspired by god then how are they wrong so often? Yeah yeah yeah, I know you can say that they just get a better understanding of something but if they're so inspired then how can they do a complete 180 on something that is as important as life and death?
Remember folks, when you're dealing with a JW, you just have to point out the crazy actions and reasoning they have. They're the ones in a cult. You're the one living a normal life. Don't forget that you don't have to go along with any of their preconceptions because they're the crazy ones. -
23
Who believes in a firey hell?
by rekless inis hell the grave.
is it dante' pit.. or is it.
hell is truth seen too late.
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rhett
Yep, I sure do believe in it. I believe it as much as I believe that those flying chipmunks outside my window really are government experiments to take control of my printer. Those bastards.....
In a way though, I do wish that there really was a hell. From what I've heard alot of the people there sound like they'd be a blast to hang around with forever. -
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Puppy Love
by Celia inmy dog died today.... and i am very sad.
i got him as a 7 week old puppy 11 years ago and i loved him dearly.. i brought him to the vet.
to be put to sleep, that was so hard, but he had diabetes, had lost at least 25 pounds in the last 3 months, drank gallons and gallons of water, woke me up 2 or 3 times during the night to go out, could barely walk anymore, and he was blind...
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rhett
Sorry to hear that Celia. Last month my bird who was older than your dog died so I know how much it hurts. Petey never ate table scraps but would follow me around the house until I played with her, act excited whenever I would come home, and even do tricks like a dog. Sorry if it seems I'm hijacking your thread. I was just trying to relate. I just still really miss Petey.
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Disfellowshipped Friends
by Sunflower1982 inim sorry for filling up the boards with my mindless ramblings but, being new here, i have to so much to ask.. recently, two of my good friends were disfellowshipped.
i feel bad for them because they were raised as jws and now their relationship with their family and friends will cease to exist, but i also feel like this is the optimal time to talk to them about the truth.
ive told them both that i love them and that i dont care what standing they are in, but all they want is to get reinstated and become pioneers to prove that they love jehovah just as much as everyone else.
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rhett
You can't get them out. Its impossible. You can be there for them should they have any doubts or questions. You may even be able to offer little nuggets of truth to get them to start thinking but you can't get them out unless they want to be out. Its like alcoholics and drug addicts, you can't help them unless they want to help themselves.
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24
Can U Answer a Really Hard ? from any JW?
by Mindchild ini was thinking today that many of us ex-dubs are fairly capable of holding our own when conversing with an active witness about anything jw related.
if we dont have an immediate answer, it isnt difficult to find a ex-jw website that has a lot of good information we could use for finding an answer fairly quickly.
having said this though, i think there are some questions that a jw could ask you that might be a lot tougher to answer, websites or not.
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rhett
1. Because people are slightly advanced animals. We're not perfect and people make mistakes. Some people just need to learn how to deal with those imperfections a little better. Another big reason is people always trying to force their small and petty version of god on other people who have their own small and petty version of god.
2. Who says the world's going to be saved? Who says it needs to be? -
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Bizarre religious doctrines
by Solace ini am aware of false religious doctrines in the w.t.s.. i never really considered the possibility of others also being manipulated by different religious organizations.. i work with a woman who is very devout in her beliefs.
the women in her church are not permitted to use birth control, cut their hair, wear makeup or wear jewelry.
they may sing but no music or musical instruments are permitted.
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rhett
I know of people who seem to think that bunnies lay eggs and make a big deal about that bunny bringing eggs to children. How strange is that? They say it has something to do with the resurrection of christ but I can't really see a connection there.
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Are Dub's always so quick to jump to concusons?
by lydia ini'm just wondering here... .
i just got some e-mails from a dub about something i was to do - however - due to this flu - i missed it.
did this person ask if everything was okay?!
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rhett
Yes, they are. That's the problem with cults, the make people crazy.