Solzhenitsyn

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Posts by Solzhenitsyn

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  37

  2 Gallons of Coffee

  by Solzhenitsyn in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  that is how much coffee me and another elder went through as we camped out all night until 7 a.m. outside the home where suspected jw fornicators we're staying.

  little did i know what a powerful contrast that would prove to be when as an elder i was faced with another case involving the allegation of severe child sexual abuse.

  we disfellowshipped the couple based completely on circumstantial evidence of sexual wrongdoing because they simply "stayed the entire night".

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  Solzhenitsyn

  That is how much coffee me and another Elder went through as we camped out all night until 7 a.m. outside the home where suspected JW fornicators we're staying.

  Little did I know what a powerful contrast that would prove to be when as an elder I was faced with another case involving the allegation of severe child sexual abuse.

  We disfellowshipped the couple based completely on circumstantial evidence of sexual wrongdoing because they simply "stayed the entire night". They vehemently denied engaging in any sort of porneia much less outright fornication. Nevertheless according to our elder handbook and clear branch direction, we removed this "wicked couple" as a protection to the congregation.

  In contrast (and in accordance with our elders handbook and clear Branch legal and service desk direction) we did nothing to an alleged sexual abuser who would not confess to anything, but in graphic detail had described by the victim disgusting abuse at his hands.

  Perhaps there is another JW elder out there who walked in my shoes, or mine in his?
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  53

  Were You A Gullible JW?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

  if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

  if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

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  Solzhenitsyn

  In hindsight...yep.

  If Tony Morris had banged on my front door at 2 in the morning waking me out of a sound sleep, told me to grab my keys and follow him as he got in his car and sped away.... I'd have done just that without question (think 2" paintbrush vs. 4" paintbrush) following his tail lights at high-speed right off the edge of a cliff.
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  7

  Virginia Beach Shooting Victim a JW

  by RubaDub in

  1. social
  2. current

  i didn't see it mentioned here yet, but this week at morning worship in bethel it was mentioned that one of the women shot and killed in the virginia beach shooting was a jw.. rub a dub.

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  Solzhenitsyn

  And just like we learned at our regional convention on Love.....we only give a crap if one of our own is involved:

  https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/united-states/Mass-Shooting-in-Virginia-Beach-United-States/
  
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  23

  Those that need to see a Therapist / and those that don`t is there a correlation of the two ?

  by smiddy3 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there have been a number of threads / posts here over the years about ex jw`s needing to see therapists for what they are going through , and i can appreciate that.. obviously there are many ex jw`s on here that haven`t ever felt the need to see a therapist ,and i`m just wondering why not ?.

  why does one feel the need and another does not ?.

  is it to do with born ins as against those who were converts ?

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  Solzhenitsyn

  I would love to have a definitive answer to this question.

  Since exiting the organization I've been able to gather together a half dozen+ ex-JW elders. We meet for lunch fairly regularly and I'm convinced there is a very different healing path between those born into the JW bubble and those who later in life converted to the JW bubble after having had real world life training.

  Another anomaly is the difference between born ins who leave and converts who leave and whether or not they remain believers vs. athiest/agnostic.

  Fascinating really.
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  9

  Anybody been to the therapist to talk about the Jdub stuff? What did they think of it?

  by nowawake14 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what was their view of jdub rules?.

  what was their view on the dfing thing?.

  did they get pissed and think it was a cult?.

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  Solzhenitsyn

  As was mentioned before, therapists who specialize in religious cult victims and their recovery, are rare.

  I was able to find one who has patiently worked with me every week for nearly a year-and-a-half. She even watched many of the j-dub videos, and played them for me during therapy sessions, hitting pause from time to time to explain the details of how what was being seen and heard is emotionally abusive.

  In addition to PTSD recovery, EMDR therapy, and an amazing amount of professional patience, she helped me round the corner.

  Marriage saved and still together as a family with all of us miraculously having exited one of the most dangerous religious cults in the world.
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  45

  Do any of you born into the cult feel like your mental growth was stunted?

  by rockemsockem in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  being born in to me was devastating.

  when you are a child born in and raised with the they vs us and they are evil and worldly and going to die.

  not allowed to form relationships with anyone not one of you.

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  Solzhenitsyn

  Mentally and emotionally stunted for sure for those of us who were tried and true born and raised in what ultimately turned out to be a dystopia (negative UNreality).

  From being read Bible stories inutero back in 1978 of Jehovah killing non Jehovah's witnesses in the flood, to Stormtroopers bursting in and elders shredding documents and deleting Google drives before being hauled off to JW jail.....

  I was never trained nor developed the ability to recognize my true problems much less solve them on my own. Or even recognize that the problems and deficiencies I had were even really problems to begin with. I was raised from infancy by an organization in essence. A tried-and-true narcissistic, emotionally abusive, male.

  Thank God for a loving and patient wife and therapist trained in religious cult recovery & PTSD care.
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  16

  Did anyone go to the Atlanta International Convention?

  by My Name is of No Consequence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i ask because my mother went and, of course, it was great!

  what was the attendance?

  how many got baptized?

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  Solzhenitsyn

  @ My Name.

  Tell me about it. I've resigned myself to the fact that JW DNA will always be with me. Hoping that time will heal the life that has been sucked from me + family that is recently out. What I would give for a JW erase button.
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  16

  Did anyone go to the Atlanta International Convention?

  by My Name is of No Consequence in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i ask because my mother went and, of course, it was great!

  what was the attendance?

  how many got baptized?

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  Solzhenitsyn

  I was at the Mercedes Benz stadium for a ATL UNITED game before the International Convention and there were 70,000 there for that event. There were only 47,000 JW's in attendance for the convention, nowhere near capacity. The top ring was closed off.

  Sadly a longtime elder (who wayyy back went over one set of my baptism questions) died suddenly right as the the afternoon countdown timer was approaching 0 minutes on Sunday. Dead when he hit the ground. I despise all things JW Borg but this guy truly was a great person to the core. Non judgmental, non gossiper, no drama, low key, salt of the earth. Such a shame those qualities weren't put to better use elsewhere. His name was Tim Cole from the Suwanee GA Cong. https://www.crowellbrothers.com/obituaries/Timothy-Montgomery-Cole?obId=4418174 850 for his memorial service last Sunday spread out over 2 KH's in Suwanee, Suwanee Literature Depot, Buckhead, Braselton, and tied in up in TN.

  Little history.... Tim's uncle was Marley Cole, a "famous" JW from years past: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/67610/marley-cole-jehovahs-witnesses-new-world-society

  Steven "Goofwad" Lett was a real hoot and was the centerpiece for all the brainwashed man followers there:
  

  
  
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  58

  Beautiful New "Kingdom Hall"

  by Sea Breeze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  these images were posted on one of my fb news feeds.

  they are legit.

  looks like an upscale commercial bldg.

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  Solzhenitsyn

  And to think the GB had to ultimately approve either the final plan for a normal looking house of worship OR a commercial Taco Bell/Starbucks looking plan. And to think that it came down to what ended up being a a 5 to 3 vote in favor of the commercial structure we will all see popping up everywhere here and there.
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  11

  Music. YANNI

  by zeb in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  has anyone been to a concert by yanni?.

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  Solzhenitsyn

  Yes, I have been to a Yanni concert.

  No, he sounds nothing like Zamfir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ISe0fdoaPs