Posts by Xanthippe

37

Seems very easy to leave now, why do people hesitate?

by Xanthippe in

when i see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, jwfacts, jwstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-jws, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989. .

no internet, no amazon to find ex-jw books, no facebook to link up with ex-jw groups.

still people find it so hard to leave.

Xanthippe

I don't know how anyone could say it's easy to leave. It isn't! It's easy to see through the bullshit. It's easier to find TTAT. It's easier to acquire knowledge, to recognize you're in a cult, etc. But it is NOT easier to leave. It's just as hard and for one reason. Family

Well don't just read the thread title. I did explain that I was comparing it to leaving in 1989 with no internet. Those of us who left pre-internet were very isolated. We had the library as I said with CoC being the only book in it about JWs. Apart from that somehow we got hold of the paper newsletter Freeminds for which I am eternally grateful to Randy Watters. That was it.

I knew this would probably upset some people but I am not talking about those staying in for family. All the other reasons have amazed me over the years on here. I'm not ready. Where shall we go to? What about my social life? However, never an easy subject to broach but I think some of the answers have been really interesting and may help lurkers.

37

Seems very easy to leave now, why do people hesitate?

by Xanthippe in

when i see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, jwfacts, jwstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-jws, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989. .

no internet, no amazon to find ex-jw books, no facebook to link up with ex-jw groups.

still people find it so hard to leave.

Xanthippe

Great story thanks Phizzy. I've drawn closer to my non-JW cousin since leaving too after losing my entire JW family. Made a few friends who have been there for me through thick and thin. It does seem a huge wrench after having dozens of friends in the JWs but where are they now? True friends stick around no matter what.

Interesting thoughts from everyone, some I hadn't come across before.

Done4good yes the organisation plays on our nature as social creatures so self honesty becomes very expensive. Very true, how evil is that in the twenty-first century. It's positively medieval to make people choose between integrity and family.

So Simon it's easier to be 'less in' in some ways, less involved. Perhaps that makes it harder to leave.

37

Seems very easy to leave now, why do people hesitate?

by Xanthippe in

when i see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, jwfacts, jwstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-jws, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989. .

no internet, no amazon to find ex-jw books, no facebook to link up with ex-jw groups.

still people find it so hard to leave.

Xanthippe

Thanks for saying that Millie but I don't know about admirable, I just hate being lied to. Once I found I'd been lied to I thought how could God let this happen? My life was in ruins and he just didn't seem to be there anymore.

Blondie and Outlaw I think you are right in my case, my family would have shunned me for fading anyway. Some families are just prone to bearing grudges and being unforgiving.

Other people have a great family and want to get them out, perfectly understandable.

IMHO people should ask themselves if their family is really worth the pain of staying in the cult for years, not all families are.

37

Seems very easy to leave now, why do people hesitate?

by Xanthippe in

when i see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, jwfacts, jwstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-jws, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989. .

no internet, no amazon to find ex-jw books, no facebook to link up with ex-jw groups.

still people find it so hard to leave.

Xanthippe

Some because of family and work don't have as much time to research

Really with iPads? I had to go to the library and look in the 'religion' section. Thank god I found Crisis of Conscience there. Sat up reading until the early hours, how could you stop reading? True I didn't have any children at the time.

Yes I realise some stay in to get family out. Not all though, some say they are just not ready.

Millie, fascinating, tradition, insurance policy? Those things never even occurred to me when I found it was all false. We're all different of course, but we didn't have anywhere to go. As for feeling good, we felt terrible.

37

Seems very easy to leave now, why do people hesitate?

by Xanthippe in

when i see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, jwfacts, jwstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-jws, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989. .

no internet, no amazon to find ex-jw books, no facebook to link up with ex-jw groups.

still people find it so hard to leave.

Xanthippe

When I see people on here saying they've looked on several sites before this one, JWfacts, JWstruggle, youtube, etc., and then they make friends here, sometimes meeting up with ex-JWs, it seems incredibly easy compared to leaving in 1989.

No internet, no Amazon to find ex-JW books, no Facebook to link up with ex-JW groups. Still people find it so hard to leave. Just wondering why, not meant as a criticism.

7

Waking up from the JW dream... The biggest loss for me, was the idea of justice.

by adjusted knowledge in

jw
friends

being a jw you're able to ignore bad things to some level.

it's the lazy way of saying, "jehovah will deal with it soon".

but when i loss my faith, the biggest gut wrench was the idea that true justice was just an illusion.

Xanthippe

Facing reality is a hard thing to do.

Yes it is! This point cannot be emphasised enough. It's the reason religions like JWs exist, because reality is HARD. These religions scoop up all the adults who can't cope with the way the world really is and tell them a great big powerful person will make it all rainbows and cuddly lions soon. Then their children are raised in a fools paradise of pathetic lies.

The cruelest thing is that they prevent their followers seeing all the good things that volunteers and charities are doing to relieve suffering and tell them not to bother contributing to them which makes them feel even more helpless.

Only we can change this world, our family's experience and our own lives but the thing is there's rather a lot of us. People power, I totally believe in it, don't let this religion take away your power.

7

unable to post a reply

by Sad Cypress in

thank you for accepting me.. i don't seem to be able to reply to posts, despite receiving my confirmation email (which i have activated).

is there a button somewhere that i've missed?.

i've been on internet forums before.

Xanthippe

Welcome Sad Cypress. There is a reply box with the heading Have your say ..... Can you see it?

60

What is God's Kingdom?

by Gods_Kingdom in

what is god's kingdom?

some say it is in your heart.

some say it is heaven.

Xanthippe

Well you did not deign to reply to me after I took the time to get my NWT off the shelf as you were asking for a scriptural reason for our views. You said you won't reply to those who start foolish and ignorant debates, which is very insulting and indicates that scripture I used hit home. I don't know what you hope to achieve here with people who know a huge amount about the Bible and JW teachings unless it is just to count your time.

60

What is God's Kingdom?

by Gods_Kingdom in

what is god's kingdom?

some say it is in your heart.

some say it is heaven.

Xanthippe

God's holy spirit also helps humble ones to understand what the Bible means if you pray for it and keep praying for it. The Bible says to study to show oneself approved....rightly dividing the words of truth.

Welcome Gods_Kingdom, this is just a very old argument to stop people questioning their teachings I'm afraid. The reasoning goes if this teaching doesn't make sense to you you are not humble enough.

So when some of the intelligent and well-read people here questioned the organisation's teachings they were not humble enough, hence they were disfellowshipped for apostasy.

Here is a scripture for you,

Immediately by night the brothers sent both Paul and Silas out to Beroea, and these, following their arrival, went into the synagogue of the Jews. Now the latter were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with the greatest readiness of mind, carefully examine the scriptures daily as to whether these things were so. Acts17: 10, 11 (NWT 1963)

Most of the people on this forum have read the Bible and studied it for many years, I certainly have. However when what we read in the Bible didn't fit with what the GB said we questioned it as the Beroeans questioned Paul and Silas. Then they tossed us out of the religion. Strange isn't it?

26

Today's Watchtower Study, from Feb 15th " Jehovah Guides......."

by BluesBrother in

not a full critique but some points astounded me .

after decades of hearing them say how terrible the "critical times" are that we live in today.

i now hear :.

Xanthippe

This is all part of the move away from the end is coming one generation after 1914 I think. They now have been given a peaceful world to preach in for, oh maybe twenty or thirty more years, or even a hundred, depending how you overlap those generations.