Posts by Xanthippe

123

Why do some Jehovah's Witnesses choose to be atheist or agnostic?

by Cassaruby in

jw
friends

"traumatic as the initial transition may be, it can lead to the development of a truly personal relationship with these two greatest friends [the father and the son] .

.. "whatever sense of 'belonging' that membership in some religious system may create, it can never compare with the power and beauty and strengthening benefit of the intimate personal relationship the scripture presents .

from reading joseph campbell i've come to understand that there are functions to religion or mythology.

Xanthippe

Like I said I learned from studying Campbell that the path of Atheism and agnosticism means figuring life out on your own.

Yeah I love it, you should try it! Thinking is my main hobby! Then go online or read other's ideas in books and see how your thoughts compare. Very stimulating. You know the best thing? Authors won't shun me if I disagree with them, some will even let me email them!

Like no extra boost to certain insights, like rocky road.

No I listen to a lot of insights from others then I make up my own mind. I'm allowed to do that you see, I'm over eighteen.

24

"Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

by pale.emperor in

now that im not longer a jw this verse puzzles me.

being born and raised a witness, this verse confirmed to me that jesus was talking about a paradise on earth.

but now that everything the witnesses taught is 99.99% incorrect can somone explain what he was getting at here?

Xanthippe

Look at the context, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven -Matt 5:3. Blessed are those persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven - Matt 5:10. Strongly suggests inheriting the earth as a possession as kings.

Having said that, who wrote it, who translated it, who decided this bit should go in the Bible canon and not be assigned as apocryphal, which verses in between were discarded etc etc.

39

In praise of Randall Watters

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

exjw's of a certain age will remember randy's site well.

freeminds was instrumental in waking me up along with ray franz's books.

if net soup and armageddon okies mean nothing to you you're probably under 30.. whatever caused randy to post what he did recently is something i can only guess at but it won't be what i remember him for.. randy, i wish you well and thank you for all you've done over the years .

Xanthippe

We got Randy's newsletter Freeminds sent by mail from the US in 1989. I know I've said it before but it shone a light in the darkness. Thanks Randy, I hope you're okay.

9

Don't let the sun go down on me.

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

in appreciation of david bowie who died a year ago today.

also to george michael and all the other less famous people ( mouthy, school friend.

my aunt.

Xanthippe

Victoria Wood, Alan Rickman, Carrie Fisher, my cousin Julie.

33

Leaving the jws is a "lifestyle choice" according to a counsellor

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

so i had my first appointment with a counsellor, of course i explained about being a born in jw, mentally leaving, the penalty of doing so and therefore the mental strain of pretending to be someone i'm not.

her response was that she couldn't help me with that because leaving a cult was a "lifestyle choice".

i tried to say to her that its a cult not a religion and how it brain washed me but no.

Xanthippe

The first counsellor I tried thought I should join her group therapy. I explained that cults were very different from most traumatic experiences. She was rather indignant that I thought I had had a totally different experience emotionally to someone who had been through a divorce or had a miscarriage. I gave up trying to explain it to her.

My second counsellor knew about JWs because her relatives were involved with it. She said when she took her kids to their grandparent's house they were not allowed to play with their cousins whose parents were JWs. Her kids were viewed as a bad influence so had to play in another room.

As usual people don't understand this cult unless they've had first-hand experience of it. I strongly suggest you try another counsellor.

23

Marking Talks are back!?!?! - New Name!

by thedepressedsoul in

when i was younger i used to hear about "marking talks" given in the past.

i believe they stopped in the 80's or 90's.

basically, if someone wasn't baptized or doing something unrepentant, they would get a "marking talk" and be treated the same as a df person.

Xanthippe

Anyway how does dating an unbeliever reflect badly on the congregation? In whose eyes? NonJWs don't care who you date.

11

Which was the best century to be born in?

by defender of truth in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/10-reasons-2016-is-the-best-time-to-be-alive-2016-8/#1-there-are-much-fewer-hungry-people-in-the-world-1.

is the world getting better?.

in which century would you rather have been born, given the choice?

Xanthippe

The world is getting better, there are so many amazing things in this century. Technology, medicine, travel, literature, ethics and morality, compassion and charities, a wonderful array of food but in some ways it is still primitive. Cults, materialism, politics and the multinationals dominated by sociopaths. I would have liked to see the twenty-third century, I think it will be awesome.

7

Information Disparity

by doublespeak in

the scriptures reveal that god never takes advantage of the ignorance of anyone.. j.rutherford, jehovah, brooklyn, international bible students association, 1934, p.19.

would that the oligarchy followed suit.. tom..

Xanthippe

Thank you Xanthippe. For some reason I cannot update my bio nor the avatar. So just briefly; Born in, thirty-something years later I finally came to terms with some life-long suppressed thoughts & doubts. I am now going through what seems to be a well told story on this forum. (grateful to be able to read about people in the same boat)

Try sending a pm to Simon who owns the site if you are struggling with it. I left at thirty too. Yes many have noticed the similarity between Orwell's 1984 world and the JW cult.

Looking forward to hearing more about your journey so far.

15

A Question about Spiritistic Books

by schnell in

jw
friends

i have a nearly academic interest in the occult, though i am not a spiritualist and remain a skeptic.

i've come to learn that demons are based on everything from dust devils in the desert, to diseases, to actual people.

probably most of all, demons are a tool of good ol' fashioned con artists and fear mongers.. but here's a question.

Xanthippe

The only thing to worry about is if you still have the JW mindset that you are doing something dangerous, then you can frighten yourself. I found a book about near death experiences in a second hand book shop after I left the cult and it really surprised me. Since then I have read may books on this and also the paranormal. It's a time to catch up on stuff we were told not to look at. Just don't be afraid, books can't hurt you.

8

Today vs Tomorrow in the JW World

by Funchback in

i am a teacher and coordinator in brazil.

the school (it's for adults) i work for requires that our students donate food (rice, beens, pasta) or clothes or toys every month.

then, at the beginning of the next month, we take all of the donated goods and deliver them to places that exist on receiving donated items.. two months ago, we delivered the items to a home that cares for kids with cancer.

Xanthippe

Fantastic post thanks! What a great school you work at. Yeah religion is all about the future when many people are in such great need now.

I agree helping others is a game changer. It empowers you and prevents you feeling the world's problems are hopeless. People power, it's real, it works.