Posts by Xanthippe

8

Facing Existential Dread

by Brokeback Watchtower in

the watchtower corporations main appeal is a everlasting life, this makes it possible for one to avoid existential dread.

this type of anxiety is a part of the human condition, and it explains the appeal of many religions to the human condition as it offers some relief from the anxiety about our life ending.. psychologist show the importance for facing this dread/anxiety.

my feeling is that the more you can accept the fact that your life is very very temporal, the better you will live your life as you accept that you are very temporary and try to live life to the full and not be duped by religions appeal to calm this anxiety.. https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/types/existential .

Xanthippe

Interesting topic Brokeback. Eternal life is the main hook of most religions. I like the way the article you linked to stressed that existential anxiety is normal and part of our life. We have to find ways to deal with it. Excellent that they say it's evolved from what does God want from me, what is the purpose of life, to what is the purpose of my life. That's the way I cope with existential angst by making my life purposeful. Over the years my purpose has changed continually since leaving the JWs. At this point in time I'm trying to have more fun and make more friends. In the JWs that would have been seen as a very selfish life purpose, but what do they know.

Death is not something that I worry about. I think most people think they are going to live forever anyway perhaps until they're older or a sudden severe health problem frightens them. Although I think it's normal to think about our eventual death and wonder what it's all about, religion has made this much worse over the centuries with talk of judgment, punishment, hellfire or other torments. Religions have hijacked our existential anxiety for their own ends.

34

Waking up to TTATT: Blessing or Curse?

by Jules Saturn in

if you take the red pill, you'll have knowledge, you'll be awakened, aware of reality, you'll have freedom.. if you take the blue pill, you stay in your bubble, wearing rose colored glasses, and feel security in an illusion.. taking the red pill isn't something that's easy to do.

to accept that everything around you is an illusion built up on lies or half truths.

but hey, it might feel good to be aware and break free from this illusion.

Xanthippe

Anybody else every think about this?

Yeah in a sense, I have said on this forum I sometimes wish we'd faded slowly and kept my family but I'm just not like that, there isn't a deceitful bone in my body. I can't live a lie.

Whenever I see a lie or a sham in this world it just screams at me. Advertising, politics, new age mumbo jumbo etc. There's a a lot if blue pill stuff out there.

It's sad I agree but basically you are cleverer, more honest and braver than the generation before you. I don't know if it's a recessive gene or what but we are stuck with our intelligence and honesty. I think it's a blessing to answer your question, I'd hate to be stupid and shallow.

22

Parents who try to make you feel guilty.

by NJ501 in

when parents say all the things we've done for you and your not doing anything for us in return like going to meetings, witnessing, answering up etc... how do you respond to parents?.

Xanthippe

That seems a strange reaction to me, surely it should be what are you doing for God? Seems it's all about what other people think about your parents and whether you are shaming your parents in their eyes or making them proud by being a JW drone.

I don't know what to tell you, it's painfull I know. A friend said to me its like you're the child that was thrown away in your family.

The thing is I didn't give birth to my daughter so that she could be a carbon copy of me and believe me she isn't! Children have to grow up and live their own lives.

You are not responsible for your parents' lack of self esteem. They should have built their sense of self based on their own achievements not relying on what you do with your life to impress their friends/the congregation. Too many parents make this mistake but it's their mistake and not yours. I know it's painful nevertheless, chin up.

114

JW Stumper Questions - List You Best Here

by pale.emperor in

hi guys.

sooner or later we're going to get a jw knocking on our door.

just like when we were jw's doing the knocking, it's good to have a question prepared to get them thinking about their own beliefs.

Xanthippe

Deut 18:20-22

Failed prophecies are to be treated as not from God, the prophet ignored, if not put to death! Therefore this paradise within one generation of 1914 prophecy having failed was spoken by false prophets that don't represent God. I would then love them to launch into this overlapping generation rubbish. I would just stand back and enjoy the fun.

33

JW's are S.O.B's

by James Mixon in

jw
friends

i didn't say it, it was the president....

Xanthippe

What president? We don't have a president in my country. Why do people post on this board as if only Americans are listening? Open your eyes, there are other countries in the world. I despair of the US I really do.

60

DPRK Asserts that USA has Declared War

by cofty in

north korea has taken president trump's recent statements as a declaration of war.

pyongyang reserves the right to shoot down american planes even if they are not inside their airspace.. i listened to trump's speech to the un with dismay.

it demonstrated a total lack of understanding of his enemy and the inevitable consequences of inflicting personal insults on kim jong-un.

Xanthippe

Trump has access to the best informed experts in the world on North Korea and yet he either ignores advisors or he has surrounded himself with "yes-men". - Cofty

Fearmongering about immigration has led to this stupid narcissist being given a hideous level of power. In the UK the same tactics were used to force the government to leave the single market. How did we develop so much xenophobia in the twenty-first century.

56

Human Origins

by cofty in

fantastic graphic produced by the smithsonian institute illustrating human origins.

click on any of the group or species labels for more detailed information.. meet your ancestors here....

Xanthippe

Fascinating thanks for the link.

FTS thanks for your links too, great thread.

33

New, but needed to vent- thank you :-)

by Danni Jackson in

i discovered your website this morning as i was trying to find some information about 'marking'.

you see a very close friend of mine was 'marked' earlier this week and as i know the ins and outs of the situation (as we are close friends) i disregarded the talk immediately as i know my friend is obviously having issues but is no way a 'danger' to anybody else's spiritual health.

basically they are dating a non-believer- hence the talk.

Xanthippe

Hi and welcome Danni.

the organisation have got me in a corner where I feel powerless to even think about leaving.. now that is some sort of special skill set that is. It in fact is absolutely genius in its manipulation.

You're right it is a fiendish skill set that all mind control cults use to imprison people. How to restart? You've only been baptised a year so probably have a few contacts left outside the religion. Relatives, work colleagues, neighbours. As a matter of urgency renew your friendships with them and make these your support system.

Get your kids involved in other stuff to distract them from their JW friends, days out, art and craft hobbies, sport, pets, whatever they're into. Try and get them more into other kids not in the religion, cousins, school friends, neighbour's kids. Invite them round for tea, sleepovers, have a kid's party.

Start planning your escape. Visit your doctor and get some advice about counselling. Use depression as an excuse to miss meetings because being away from the constant indoctrination will clear your head more than anything.

Keep posting, there are hundreds of brilliant people on here who will have many brilliant ideas to help you. Take care, it's all going to be alright.

37

Protect Your Family??

by Tech49 in

here is an article in the current study copy of the wt.

tell me your thoughts and i will tell you mine.!

this is a topic that i am very sensitive about, as i could never see not protecting my family, even if that meant using whatever means at hand to do so!

Xanthippe

Bible principles. These advise against the use of carnal weapons, such as handguns, rifles, or other firearms, for protection against other humans."

Are we talking about the same book? The one that encouraged the pillaging of Canaanite towns, slaughtering every man, woman, child, babe in arms and domestic animal. They were protecting themselves alright, against these people who dared to trespass in their promised land. Slaughtered the lot of them.

27

An honest question for those who were "born-in"

by stuckinarut2 in

just wanted to ask a question of those who were born in as i was.. how did you feel to have been "privileged to have been born into the only true faith - the truth"?.

did this make you feel confident, or proud - or perhaps arrogant?.

how did you reconcile the fact that 99% of the earth's population was not born "into the truth"?.

Xanthippe

Stuck it's quite hard to put myself back into the mindset but I think rather than confident I just felt odd. I say felt, 'rationally' at the time I though it was the truth but feelings often connect you to what's really happening don't they. Not going into assembly at school, sitting in a classroom on my own while they had the Christmas party. Yeah it just felt odd and didn't give me very good social skills.

Later I started pioneering and I just thought I was lucky enough to know the 'truth' and we had to try and spread the word because people's lives depended on it. Yeah sounds weird and pompous now. So probably I was weird and pompous. Sounds about right.