Posts by Xanthippe

8

Prince Charles, Cameron and Obama on their way to Saudi

by Xanthippe in

what do you think of royalty and premiers going to pay their respects at the death of saudi's king abdullah in light of the human rights abuses; public executions and people getting a hundred lashes for criticising islam?

a hundred lashes!

wouldn't that kill someone!

Xanthippe

What do you think of royalty and premiers going to pay their respects at the death of Saudi's King Abdullah in light of the human rights abuses; public executions and people getting a hundred lashes for criticising Islam? A hundred lashes! Wouldn't that kill someone!?

25

Your first time on this forum. What were your thoughts and feelings?

by stuckinarut2 in

hey all,.

i was just thinking back to the first time i found this awesome forum...years before i eveni joined up and starting posting myself.. i was so encouraged and happy to see that i was not alone!

i was not the only one who was observing the org, and all of its aspects and thinking "seriously?

Xanthippe

I came on here to find out if anything had changed in the Borg after more than 20 years out. I loved the way people laughed at the religion. I associated it with the terrible pain of losing my faith and family but the guys here who make fun of it helped me to lighten up about it which felt great.

I was a bit shocked at how rude some people can be to believers when it was not so long ago that they tried to shove a cult down strangers' throats. I suppose it takes all sorts.

13

Thinking about thinking and upbringing

by ballistic in

jw
friends

i was thinking about being "brought up in the truth" as opposed to joining.. as a child's brain develops, it builds connections based on what it is taught.

these connections are inseparable from the person in that our thoughts and memories actually become part of our personality (who we are).. a very simple example, might be being taught *not to do something* because it "displeases jehovah".

the understanding of right and wrong is then set in the child's mind and built upon.. there are several points of thought i have about this fact.

Xanthippe

And then I thought, how was my brain originally wired? How have I changed it? What about the period after I was df, how did I survive? Does it explain why some people "go off the rails" ? - Ballistic

Having watched my daughter grow up it seems to me that children just want to enjoy life and whatever happens they try and survive. So I must have constantly tried to be happy in that religion as a child and tried to survive my mother's need to drag me to meetings and cope with trying to be a social animal at school while not joining in with anything.

Unfortunately while I was trying to survive and squeeze some happiness out of my weird life I grew up, totally indoctrinated into the cult. What I find now even after more than a quarter of a century out, is that I just want to play, play, play. I'm making up for lost time, I suppose. However it has taken me a long time to become like this.

At first I wanted to get qualifications, a job, a home, a family and also do something 'worthwhile' blah, blah, blah. Now I think I want to learn how to be a human. The way that children learn, by finding out what makes me happy, what doesn't, what is healthy, what isn't, and so on.

So Ballistic thanks for this topic. I realise that surviving has taken a very long time although much of it has also been enjoyable. Finally I am probably now back to the beginning as far as rewiring my brain, and I'm going to enjoy it. Pass the toys, what do people do for fun around here?

44

Why are JW talks & publications never uplifting?

by thedepressedsoul in

i was sitting at the meeting the other night and for the first time it hit, jw talks or magazines are never uplifting!

i rarely, if ever hear a talk or read a magazines and have it give nothing but praise to jehovahs servants or just praise jehovah and jesus throughout it.

they never just a read through the bible or just a bible story explained or told.

Xanthippe

My father-in-law's only rebuttal was that "we were getting a window into what it's like a bethel - it's a whole different world and they have to set higher standards so that the world can't pick out any flaws." Even when I emphasize that they had an unprecedented opportunity to build up 1 million JWs all at once, and they squandered it he sticks to this. Basically it was a privilege for us to get to see more of them and they shouldn't have to change anything for us. -OneEyedJoe

They have this whole celebrity thing going on with the GB now don't they? I don't remember it being like this when I was in. They think they're so different from the world, but they just have different celebrities.

18

sooner's new job

by BigMike in

jw
friends

Xanthippe

Don't you remember Sooner, Giordano?

18

sooner's new job

by BigMike in

jw
friends

Xanthippe

Woo hoo! congratulations! You did it.

25

Article: Inside the Jehovah's Witnesses' British Headquarters

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

http://www.vice.com/read/inside-the-jehovahs-witnesses-british-headquarters-829.

vice.

inside the jehovah's witnesses' british headquartersby adam forrestoct 8 2014. .

Xanthippe

It tells me their lawyers are worried.

24

I know why you are here.

by compound complex in

jw
friends

i was expecting you, but not so early in the day.. i saw you walk up to my neighbor fred's house last week while i was out getting the newspaper, once again tossed into the bushes by a careless newspaper boy.

today, it's the usual routine of rising at dawn, fetching the paper from the bushes -- where else?

-- and settling into my comfy, tattered wing back with the first of several cups of coffee.

Xanthippe

Thank you CoCo.

Oh I didn't realise Meet Joe Black was a remake.

12

Special Report: Joel goes undercover at a KH

by RayPublisher in

for those of you that are into activism you may enjoy this special report video.

here's the description from the jwstruggle youtube channel:.

my buddy joel the unwitness recently went undercover at a kingdom hall, armed with a notebook, regular clothes, and an american standard bible.