Posts by Giles Gray

26

Post Your Favorite Misheard Lyrics

by APieceOfShitNamedTate in

@0:53 - "she got dishes, she got fish sticks and snacks/got it ready for the willy, got a chicken in the back.".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krp_fqcmsva .

One simple photo to sum up the heartless and hypocritical attitudes of many Jehovah's Witnesses

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

.

this was taken in london yesterday by a twitter user still managing his fade so i can't be more specific than that.

disgusting.

No one is minimising the impact and harm that has been caused by the Jehovah’s Witnesses or attempting to diminish the negative attributes that individual members have as a result of their indoctrination. Ex members such as ourselves have been there and we all know how toxic the religion is.

However, what is of concern is the fact that the self same negative mechanisms that we ex-JWs hold against the Watchtower are overtly apparent in our own ex-JW community.

If a believing Jehovah’s Witness, or even the Watchtower itself, made a discriminatory and presumptuous conclusion about a group of people based on nothing more than an emotive photograph, the members of this forum would be all over those Jehovah’s Witnesses like a rash. We would be quick to point out how biased and prejudiced the Jehovah’s Witnesses were acting. We would accuse them of being quick to judge and we would be correct to do so. It would be wrong.

It’s a very unfortunate fact that the attitudes of some of the ex-JW community are displaying a similar blanket discrimination as the Watchtower. This is understandable under the circumstances, considering how poorly many ex-members have been treated. People need a place where they can vent. However, to maintain this disposition in the long term is unhealthy.

The attitude of this thread is almost a microcosm of the mindset of the Watchtower. The Jehovah’s Witnesses in that emotively designed photograph are being judged using nothing more than INDUCTIVE REASONING, as opposed to what should be the yard stick, which is DEDUCTIVE REASONING. It amounts to nothing more than CONFIRMATION BIAS and is exactly what we all hate about the Watchtower.

The unsavoury traits that are common amongst the members of the Watchtower are bred because of the fact that they don’t look or question beyond the confines of their own ECHO CHAMBER. The self same workings of an echo chamber can easily take root in communities like the ex-JWs on forums like these. The constant (mostly justifiable) negativity against an organisation like the Watchtower can easily lead a person to get embroiled in a biased narrative that is as equally discriminating as the one being fought against.

This only plays into the hands of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, who can rightly state that ex-JWs are biased. We become the cliché that they paint us as being, which can only work against the overall objective of someone like you who desires to open the minds of the people caught up in the organisation.

As I have pointed out before, the poster called Kramer affirmed that…

“The homeless people here do get talked to regularly and get brought food and drinks by the people on the trolleys”

…yet what he said wasn’t acknowledged in the least, presumably because it didn’t fit in with the narrative of the ‘anti-Watchtower’ ex-JW echo chamber. Admittedly Kramer’s comment is anecdotal, but what is disappointing is that it wasn’t even considered.

If what Kramer claims is correct then we would all owe the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the photograph a huge apology.

If we are going to conduct ourselves in a similar vein to the organisation, have we truly left it behind and are we any better than they are?

98

One simple photo to sum up the heartless and hypocritical attitudes of many Jehovah's Witnesses

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

.

this was taken in london yesterday by a twitter user still managing his fade so i can't be more specific than that.

disgusting.

Giles Gray

@nicolaou

You can't be incredulous at Smiddy3's alleged racist remark (or more correctly his alleged colour prejudice remark) when you have effectivly condemned the same group of Jehovah's Witnesses as 'heartless' and 'hypocritical'... an assumption/conclusion based on nothing more than a photo.

While I agree that there are some Jehovah's Witnesses who lack compassion, by far the majority are caring and kind individuals who have been lead astray by their beliefs.

Kramer's comment was very insightful. Claiming to know that part of London, he affirmed that the Jehovah's Witnesses who engage in the ministry where that photo was taken do in fact show kindness to homeless people, contrary to what the picture seems to insinuate.

Kramer also explained that the reason why there would have been a homeless person in near proximity to the JW stand is because of the fact it was raining heavily, so much so that it made the news. Therefore both the JWs & the homeless would have been seeking shelter at the same location.

The poor weather also explains why there are excessive Jehovah's Witnesses manning that stand.

It's far too easy to see the prejudice and faults in other people while ignoring our own.

We need to be careful of not being guilty of the things we condemn others of being, else we are no better than they are.

98

One simple photo to sum up the heartless and hypocritical attitudes of many Jehovah's Witnesses

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

.

this was taken in london yesterday by a twitter user still managing his fade so i can't be more specific than that.

disgusting.

Giles Gray

Following on from the points made in Drearyweather's post:-

How condemning would it seem if there was a snapshot of the photographer taking an insensitive picture of a homeless person asleep on the street?

A picture like that could also be construed as heartless.

98

One simple photo to sum up the heartless and hypocritical attitudes of many Jehovah's Witnesses

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

.

this was taken in london yesterday by a twitter user still managing his fade so i can't be more specific than that.

disgusting.

Giles Gray

I'm in agreement with Drearyweather.

A mere picture doesn't convey what proceeded that shot being taken.

How could that picture convey the fact that the group of Jehovah's Witnesses may have already given that person a hot cup of coffee and a bite to eat half an hour before the picture was taken?

How do we know the homeless person wasn't inebriated?

To translate that picture with a negative connotation against the people manning that stand is a terrible assumption.

15

First time here - My Story (Spousal Abuse)

by Centaurus A in

hi everyone, this is my first time here and only in the last 2 weeks have my eyes been opened.

still trying to take in all this new info.

anyways here is my very condensed story:.

Giles Gray

Hello Centaurus

Wow!

That's quite a (condensed) story. It almost hurt to read it.

So pleased you have found your way out & things are good for you now.

I'm sure there will be a few ups and downs along the way, as you come to terms with your eyes being opened, but it sounds like you are in a good place to get yourself straight.

Looking forward to hearing more of your story.

42

Hello Everyone, Another JW Has Left!

by SuperGirl in

just want to introduce myself and let you know that this site is working and is a big help to lots of jws with doubts.

i've been lurking for about a year, the first couple of times i was frightened and literally shaking visiting an apostate site but it's the only place i can come to for sanity.

the religion has become a nut house.

Giles Gray

Hello SuperGirl.

Delighted you made it this far.

I'm not here very often these days, but just to say that your story grabbed my attention and really warmed my cockles.

Thank you so much for sharing it here.

Wishing you all the best for a bright and happy future.

29

JW’s do NOT shun... (apprently)

by pale.emperor in

my quora campaign of answering all jw related questions truthfully with evidence is going well.

however, one jw had the audacity to claim that "jws do not shun".

they seem to want to present a fake, squeeky clean image to non-members and seem to get angry when answering questions regarding shunning.. like this asshole, dennis cybulski.

Giles Gray

Anders Andersen:-
“Won’t be long before I quit the whole site.”
That really would be a pity. I think with your comments and answers, you do a sterling job.
I’m a big fan of the work that both you and pale.emperor put into ‘debating’ with the apologists on Quora.
I only wish I had more time available to contribute to your valuable efforts.
Quora really isn’t the most conducive facility to undertake the task of debating apologists. It seems ironic that a forum designed for open and informative debate has the facility to bar people from contributing to a certain dialogue.

40

Branch Co-ordinators letter re the Australian Royal Commission

by stuckinarut2 in

this letter was posted on the aust and nz facebook group this week.. it is self explanatory!

wow.... it seems to be their attempt at controlling the situation after the arc fallout.. .

Giles Gray

Anders Andersen:-
" Full text for those who have a hard time reading it"

Many thanks old boy.

40

Branch Co-ordinators letter re the Australian Royal Commission

by stuckinarut2 in

this letter was posted on the aust and nz facebook group this week.. it is self explanatory!

wow.... it seems to be their attempt at controlling the situation after the arc fallout.. .

Giles Gray

I'm finding it too blurry to read as well.

Would somebody kindly transcribe it.