Xanthippe

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Posts by Xanthippe

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  33

  UK TV--next monday 24th aug---channel 5-----9 pm--escaping the witnesses

  by stan livedeath in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just see it advertised on tv--with photo of our friend from south wales

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  Xanthippe

  Brilliant! Karen Morgan made it clear that Mark Sewell, who abused her as a child, was an elder and he loved being an elder, loved the power, until they locked him up for fourteen years. I didn't realise his sentence was that long. She did very well.
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  12

  The salvation paradox

  by OverlappingGeneralizations in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  another thing that has bothered me-.

  if the righteous and the unrighteous will be resurrected, and will have the same chance at paradise as the hard-core dubs, what was the point of being hard core?

  i know the point used to be "well, armageddon is gonna happen this weekend, and you'll survive and they won't!

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  Xanthippe

  I think you have answered your own question. If it sounds like nonsense......

  I've been out over twenty- five years and when I read the doctrines you quote I just think WTF! Sorry if this is not what you need, I apologise. From an 'outsider' perspective this sounds like nonsense. Well done waking up.
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  69

  Why Me?

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  do you ever wonder why out of all the witnesses, you are the one that woke up?

  i wonder many times why me.

  i know many men and women that are much, much better persons than me; either they are much smarter, more humble, kinder, more successful, or just better persons all around.

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  Xanthippe

  I have come to the conclusion our personalities are a nature/nurture thing plus our own free will. We have a certain personality partly because of our genes and partly because during our childhood we kept making small decisions that even make us different from our siblings.

  For example, my mother was ill during my teenage years so I helped out with housework because I could see how she was struggling. My brother and my unmarried sister thought it 'wasn't their responsibility', whatever that means. Little decisions that make us who we are.

  Do we look at the world now and say perhaps I can help by contributing to that charity, food bank or volunteer time and energy. Those still in the cult say big J will sort that out. Each small decision, one after the other in our formative years makes us who we are I believe. For some the comfort zone of th JW religion draws them back as they wrap themselves in cotton wool and go back to sleep.
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  69

  Why Me?

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  do you ever wonder why out of all the witnesses, you are the one that woke up?

  i wonder many times why me.

  i know many men and women that are much, much better persons than me; either they are much smarter, more humble, kinder, more successful, or just better persons all around.

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  Xanthippe

  Sometimes I think it is the very reason that we suffered so much in the religion, because we were always questioning. You are still questioning now when you ask, why me. Those that accept things find the religion and possibly life in general easier to deal with.

  If you constantly question everything your whole life it can make life quite uncomfortable. It's easier to just go along with the crowd but you obviously can't do that. It's not about being a good person it's about thinking for yourself
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  30

  Life after the witnesses, friends, faith etc

  by Theburstbubble in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi everyone, this is my first post so go easy on me :) i have been a witness all of my life (i'm 37) and truly believed it until 3 years ago.

  my husband and i had become spiritually weak and over time i began to question more and more until i came to the conclusion that the witnesses were not the true religion but just one of many religions and that if god is there then there are many paths to get to him.

  anyway, i've battled with keeping going as my husband still believed and i didn't want to be in a divided household as we have a young daughter and thought it would be very confusing for her (and us).

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  Xanthippe

  Hi and welcome. Well done being brave and patient until your husband joined you in disbelief regarding the JWs.

  I made friends with mothers at school when my daughter was small. That may be a good place to start. Also I made a friend of a woman I worked with, which has lasted for about twelve years. I also made a friend doing voluntary work. They are genuine and they don't get upset if you don't agree all the time.

  As for belief I was a Christian when I left for a while. After a while I started to look at other beliefs and philosophies and also read about science and evolution. I suggest you just follow your curiosity and read whatever you like, that's what I did.

  It's good to have you here.
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  25

  A word of advice clining to their persecutors ...

  by SecretSlaveClass in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  let me start off by saying i do not presume to have the answers, i am merely offering advice.. i will preface this posting with this, cutting a long story short:.

  my sister was raped by a popular jw lad wh's dad happen to be a rock star elder.

  in the attempt to fight him off his face was covered with scratches and it was reported to the police ( instead of rape he was sentenced on the lesser charges of sexual battery and assault) but he confessed to having violent, consentual sex.

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  Xanthippe

  Have you completely cut ties with them? How is your life now?

  
  I don't have anything to do with them but I wouldn't put the phone down on them if they contacted me because they may want to leave the cult one day. There is little chance of this but they know where I am.

  My life is good. When I left I got my degree and eventually a job I like. My daughter is an intelligent, ethical, compassionate young woman of twenty now, free to enjoy her life without cult influences. She is enjoying university and we have a great time travelling to different countries together.

  
  

  
  
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  25

  A word of advice clining to their persecutors ...

  by SecretSlaveClass in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  let me start off by saying i do not presume to have the answers, i am merely offering advice.. i will preface this posting with this, cutting a long story short:.

  my sister was raped by a popular jw lad wh's dad happen to be a rock star elder.

  in the attempt to fight him off his face was covered with scratches and it was reported to the police ( instead of rape he was sentenced on the lesser charges of sexual battery and assault) but he confessed to having violent, consentual sex.

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  Xanthippe

  I agree with you SSC my JW family have been playing the, let's shun because it's fun game for over a quarter of a century. They would speak to me and even kiss me and my child, who they didn't even know, at funerals and then when it was over we would be back to the putting the phone down on me or else speaking to me coldly as if I didn't deserve to live.

  I just won't play anymore. I say hello at funerals and then I move away. I don't write, email or phone. Let them play their manipulation games with each other, I'm not a little mouse to be mauled by their claws until I die.
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  14

  Catholic Funeral - Rosary and Viewing

  by Gram in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  tonight i attended a rosary following the viewing.

  it was held at the funeral home.

  the rosary is a series of prayers led by a priest.

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  Xanthippe

  I went to an Anglican high church funeral and nearly jumped out of my skin when the vicar entered the church behind us saying at the top of his voice ' I am the resurrection and the life'. I believe there was incense too and the vicar wore flowing green robes.

  It was a strange turn of events because the deceased, our friend, was an atheist and scientist by training who had befriended the vicar in a local pub and they had become drinking buddies. So the vicar, quite grief stricken at his friend's sudden death had offered to do his funeral. Some of the stories our friend's old college buddy told when he got up to speak were x - rated and it was amusing to hear our friend's sense of humour in that 'holy' or holier than thou place.
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  84

  The Kingdom Halls are empty

  by punkofnice in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  my jw spies tell me that the kingdom halls are empty compared to how they used to be, since i left 5 years ago.

  not saying they're empty because of me though.. is that what you are hearing?.

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  Xanthippe

  When I was in CO and assembly talks were always 'admonishing' those that said there's no love in this organisation. These people were seen as complainers and weak brothers. What the heck is wrong with wondering where the love is? Isn't that supposed to be the sign of true Christianity?
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  78

  I believe that the greater percentage of JWs-You Will Not Be Able to Help, no Matter What Facts You Show Them.

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so i ran into this brother whom ive known for a while and the conversation led into me being invited to come back to the kingdom hall.

  we talked for about an hour during which time i explained to him 607 being the wrong date and a lot of other stuff including the child abuse cases in australia.

  but what i wanted to relate was the last few minutes of our conversation.

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  Xanthippe

  You and all apostates have nothing to offer. You have no answer as to why we were put on this earth and where we are headed. Most of you think this life is all there is. You debate among yourselves whether humans evolved or if they are in some type of computer simulation.
  So when your parents or children die, all you have is these great memories for a short while. Then a few years will pass and those memories will die, because most of you believe this life is all there is. That is the saddest thing a human can believe.

  Thanks John that is quite an insight into human feelings isn't it and an explanation for why religion itself exists. What most born-ins fail to understand is that many religions teach life after death and most of their members find comfort from that. To stay in a high control cult because you're afraid of death in unnecessary.

  I know many of us don't feel the the need for this type of comfort or to have all the answers to life, death and so on but some people do. I just wish people like my loved ones would see that they can have hope and comfort elsewhere without ruining their health trying to keep the rules of this cult.

  I know this post won't please everyone because some feel that religion should just not exist, but it does. My view, along with that of many scholars is that people invented it because they needed something to get them through. Yes there were power plays and politics and priestcraft involved but there were also ordinary people just trying to survive the struggle of life, and the death of loved ones. What we don't need is cults that rob people of free will and destroy families.

  Will humans one day be able to cope without religion and just enjoy their lives? Will we be able to face reality and cope without it because of all the efforts humankind has made through science, medicine, philosophy and so on to make our lives easier? I hope so. Meanwhile people like your friend should have the freedom to look around and find whatever works for them, but within the mindset of this cult this is forbidden.