it was six hours long.
at the beginning of the week i had four accusers and by the time i went (half way throught the week) i was up to twelve.
i was charged with apostasy, malicous slander, lying, revileing.
So sorry you've had such a terrible time Label Licker. Yes the more a religion preaches love the more full of hate they are. Glad you are both leaving. It's good to know that they are shi!ting themselves over internet apostacy!
The elders said be careful of the internet and that the apostates have old magazines of half truths on there.
But these are their magazines that are full of half truths, they admit it! What are they talking about?
i would be very interested to hear from you ladies on this one.
i know that the society keeps women in subjugation through the headship cr@p but didn't ahve any sense about hoew prehistoric the attitudes are until the other day when we were driving out of the supermarket car park and my wife spotted a woman dressed in tight shorts (it has been very hot here) and she commented 'they say that women who dress like that dserve to be raped'.
i did a wtf and overreacted 'how can you blame the victim like that - such attitudes give men a lciense to commit rape and make women feel they are to balme if they get raped which in turn means that rape doesn't get reported and it gopes on with impunity.
My analysis of the portrayal of women in the Bible Stories book for kids reflects an image of women as weak willed and easily corruptable and manipulators of men (the implication being that men would be pure without such wicked female influence).
Yes I always felt that men in the congregation viewed me as immoral if I had an opinion of any kind. I felt they wanted me to sit in the background and be quiet in mixed company. I actually find I don't want to talk about this anymore, it is too painful - a terrible time now past thank goodness.
this clip shows an ex-mormon using the sparlock film as a way to show the control teqniques of the watchtower society: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmesmlhydru then you may watch this clip from a talk at this years convention showing how these methods are employed:.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yldwe_6jsu.
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Brilliant first vid thanks InquiryMan. I knew that the ridiculous teacings like blood, no worldy holidays etc etc were about separating people from human society and making them dependent on the cult for social needs.
What I hadn't really crystalised in my mind is that the social removal from human society leads to information control because you become suspicious of all 'worldly' sources, books, tv, newspapers, all human ideas. In my experience the crazy doctrines make people withdraw from you and exclude you from Xmas stuff at school/work etc, which makes you run to the cult but also makes you feel paranoid and persecuted. Out of being hurt we then become paranoid about the whole of society withdrawing even more into the cult - resulting in information control because why would we want to socialize with people who make us feel different or read their books?
What I still don't understand is how this relationship with an invisible being is forged. Why do we care about someone we can't see? Without that we could not be manipulated by - don't upset Jehovah. Why did I care about this invisible person, I just don't get it. Does anyone know how this is done?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yldwe_6jsu.
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cedars.
They never admit that a person has to decide to shun a family member. A person may leave the religion they grew up in because they no longer believe it but the family decide to shun them. No-one asks to be shunned. They don't leave their family, they leave their religion. Why do they persist in saying that the decision was made by the one who is shunned! Makes me think of people who abuse and torture victims, I have heard that they say, why are you making me do this to you?
a tourist seems to get carried away with his visit, but his video gives a good overview of modern china.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe4rij0icjw .
This is really interesting fulltimestudent, I'm still reading it. I always enjoy your threads. Thanks.
i was told by a family member the other day "if you want to leave jehovah, go ahead.
but don't think you'll ever be happy.
all the people i know who have left got burned by the world and they come back to the truth".
Really happy now, have my beautiful daughter who has lots of friends, including gay ones. She can join in everything, Xmas, birthdays, halloween fancy dress. I tell you it has been such fun bringing up a child in 'the world' !
She is going to university in September and is a happy healthy girl with no jw hang-ups or depression.
I got a BSc in history after leaving that religion and I work in a public library. I like my job, I have a few really good friends and I go abroad every year and I'm having a blast exploring this beautiful planet.
Sometimes I miss my husband who died five years ago, but life must go on and yes I am happy - most of the time.
I have not been burned up by the world, on the contrary I volunteer one morning a week for a mental health charity and I find in enriches my life.
Life is what you make it isn't it?
when i was young there was endless speculation about "the persecution".
i have very clear memories as a child sitting in the old kingdom hall in coatbridge hearing it talked about from the platform.
it was a frequent topic at home.. sometimes there was lurid detail about what sort of torture "they" might use against us to make us betray others.
I remember a watchtower study about the Great Tribulation in the eighties just before I left. I answered on this point about the persecution where we would suffer quite badly for a short time before Jehovah would come to our rescue because anyone harming us would be like touching his eyeball. The 'brother' started arguing with me from the platform that it wouldn't be like that at all and we shouldn't worry about it - but that was what the watchtower said I pointed out. I think I was beginning to notice a difference between what the society taught and what the congregations believed.
I remember those same talks when I was a child back in the 60's. I think that is why to this day I fight off paranoia thinking. The Cult has really messed up alot of minds. Totally ADD
You are so right Totally ADD sometimes I feel an irrational fear of I know not what and I have come to the conclusion it is having this terrible thing taught to me as a child that I was going to be dragged off and tortured in the Great Tribulation. The feeling passes very quickly now but what a wicked thing to tell children.
as it's conflated with witnessing, meetings and so forth...what's the most extreme sacrifice you made for those things?
for me it was my mental health and maybe a career in something cooler than being an office fungus.. you?.
I can't remember it either Hortensia. It does all fade away doesn't it? It's good for people to know that however much this religion dominates your life now it will fade away given time, honestly
their email address is: xxxxx.
and their message is:.
you probably would say, 'i didn't abandon him, i can still serve him on my own.
You talked mostly about corporate structure and politics, competitiveness, injustices and policy. Nothing spiritual.
It is sad that some people are so naive. You talked about the reality of this organisation and the lack of spirituality you saw around you. Sorry you have to put up with this nonsense Barbara.
i have been on this site lurking for over 2 years and this is my first post, i feel so bottled with emotion that i have to let it out somehow so i do not have an emotional breakdown!
i was raised in the organization and am married with 2 children ages 4 and 2. my wife and i have been inactive for about 2 years and i have always had hard questions that were never answered growing up, such as blood policy and how david and his men were allowed to eat from the bread reserved for the high priests without death penalty since it was life or death.
carbon dating on human remains/tools that date back 30-40k years, far surpassing the 6k year man creation date, the double standards and very real "human" aspect on the organization and its decisions and history.
Welcome EastCoast
You're doing the right thing not raising your kids in a crazy cult. It is something people regret for their whole life so well done. Just chill out, you have your wife on your side and your lovely children. You can make a new life with your family. Yes you feel angry for missing out on education but my husband and I used to say there are so many ways to mess up your life, drink, drugs, bad relationships, being stupid with money - we just did it with a cult. Actually we were born-ins like you so not much choice, but we moved on and had a great life and you will too.
