Posts by tor1500

61

Mental Illness

by Tallon in

over many years i have been pondering how mental illness has impacted upon jw's due to the effects of indoctrination.

in my case; when i was 21 i had a breakdown and was hospitalised for 6 weeks.

i was diagnosed with anxiety tension state disorder.

That's the issue, I have no need for structure, my head is on pretty tight...I came into this religion out of curiosity, I looked too long into the hole and I feel into it....why it's hard for me to leave is because most of the friends need me, they have no place to air their real feelings...somehow, I happen to be that sister that can talk folks off the ledge....No doubt I learned a lot from the friends but I'm the encourager in the congregation. I could tell you more but don't want to say too much....if you know what I mean...

Life is precious, that's what I try to share with the friends....yes, it's nice to look forward to a better day but what about the journey now...not everything is bad....I even have to point out the flowers in field service or tell them that today is a good day because someone just had a healthy baby and someone just found out that their cancer is in remission...yes, all the time I have to tell them the glass is full, so that is why it's hard for me to pull away....I know that these are conditional friends....and if I leave they will miss me...& I them....but I still have friends that are not JW's and that keeps me balanced...

Thanks for the encouragement, that I should not be frozen with fear and that's it right there...fear of man not God...

@ Snowbird,

Yep, that day will be here and you'll be free of yesterday....we will keep each other in our hearts and pray for healing for all those who have gone through so much...Love, Tor

Tor

25

Does the Average R&F JW understand what grace is in Christianity ?

by smiddy in

i`m showing my ignorance here , not being an active member of any church before joining jw`s as a 19 yr old ,whenever i was ever confronted with the question of "grace" i was always at a loss to give an effective answer from a jw point of view.. was it just me ?

or did anybody else have a similar experience ?.

(ps , i dont think i ever heard the expression " grace" in a religious sense in all my 33 years in the borg.studying the wt.).

tor1500

Hi Nonjwspouse,

You got it too... I think witnesses are conflicted with the scripture that says faith without works is dead, then the other scripture says, faith is by hearing, somebody became Gods friend because of faith....faith is believing in something that will happen....you don't have to work for it...(least any man boast).....the Grace Jehovah gave us is for believing that he did send his only begotten son..even though we don't deserve it, but he did it anyway...

Again, witnesses have an unworthy/ yet over worthy gene...they are conflicted, part of them are so prideful to be a witness yet so unworthy to receive the gift of Grace....but what they do receive is being CHOSEN, so they don't need no grace, as we will see in this weeks WT....they are God's People and who are leading God's people, so you see, Grace doesn't even come into the picture, they have decided that they are God's people so they don't need no Grace, God gave it to them already but we heathens only get undeserved kindness...

But, the witnesses better start really believing that Jesus is the way....because He is the Grace God sent to Mankind for us miserable sinners.

Tor

61

Mental Illness

by Tallon in

over many years i have been pondering how mental illness has impacted upon jw's due to the effects of indoctrination.

in my case; when i was 21 i had a breakdown and was hospitalised for 6 weeks.

i was diagnosed with anxiety tension state disorder.

tor1500

@Snowbird,

Yep, I see why you were a good target. Don't be so hard on yourself...that's who the org. preys on...the more depressed you are the more you are a return visit.....they don't return visit on well adjusted balanced folks...I noticed that when I started talking to the friends one by one...their home life was something to be desired....even when I started going the hall, I noticed many of the family members didn't sit with one another, so you better not talk about anybody because you don't know who is related....

I'm happy you are out...hope you are doing well...your past is your past...I once heard this....you may not be where you need to be but you sure are not where you used to be....we have a choice in life...you have left the org...live, breath, don't blame anyone or anything anymore....those are just crutches....

One day, I'd like to be free of the org....but I have made some nice conditional friends, so that's my rub...but one day Snow bird one day, I'll be on this site...saying I'm free at last Great God Almighty, I'm free at last (from the org.) and I can be a real Christian and help where I feel needed, be it a soup kitchen, or in a hospital, but to be able to give back what God has given me....not just knock on doors week after week but to do something, even if it's not that much...

Tor

26

August 2017 Watchtower - Screwing with J.W.'s minds again

by The Searcher in

in the latest issue of double-speak, i'd like to highlight these two statements:.

page 3, par.

2 - "...how encouraging it is to know that jehovah’s faithful servants in the past felt free to express the same question that may loom in our minds, and they were not condemned for asking it!

tor1500

Hi,

If I would to build a house or whatever and one of the friends would say to me...we need to keep our life simple, we know we are living in the last days, then I'll answer you are so right....Just like they are getting ready for the GT at Warwick, I'm doing the same thing, making sure of no home invasion....Just in case when GT comes I can't run for protection to Warwick.....

See all this literature is warning of the end and the org. is giving the friends blow by blow description of how this is all going to play out....so the friends stick to the org. because THE ORG. KNOWS....just how and when....the literature is written on "How you can survive the GT"....just take our literature and we will tell you things no other religion can tell you, because Jesus is in heaven now and giving us hints...we have the Jesus hook-up....

Let's face it some of the minds of the JW's are screwed up anyway....that's why they stay and hear all this ridiculous mess...but as Toesup and I say, just wait until one screwed up folks get screwed.....then the kool-aide ain't so sweet no more...and they don't have such a waiting attitude anymore.

Tor

25

Does the Average R&F JW understand what grace is in Christianity ?

by smiddy in

i`m showing my ignorance here , not being an active member of any church before joining jw`s as a 19 yr old ,whenever i was ever confronted with the question of "grace" i was always at a loss to give an effective answer from a jw point of view.. was it just me ?

or did anybody else have a similar experience ?.

(ps , i dont think i ever heard the expression " grace" in a religious sense in all my 33 years in the borg.studying the wt.).

tor1500

Hi,

Grace to the average JW means saying prayer before your meals...even in Christian homes before the meals they say let us say Grace...then there is Grace period...when you owe but they give you undeserved kindness and extend the due date (because you sinner you promised to pay us on the 15th....so out of the companies Grace, Mercy, undeserved kindness, again, you have been extended time.

JW's will use any words to sound different from other Christian religions...many of them don't even know what the present churches teach, the JW's are still in the Reasoning book mindset....

The average JW doesn't even know what love, or forgiveness is so how would they know what Grace is...Folks that are attracted to the JW religion are worker bees....they feel they have to work out their salvation...they have to keep on the move and busy because Satan is right on their heels....just like the rest of the world except witnesses are not balanced...either they are drinking the orgs. kool-aide or twirling on a barstool somewhere... Many have to be in a structured religion...the rest of their life is kaos...

Trust me they know what Grace is....just ask them about it when it comes to one of their bills they owe, oh, yeah, they can give those little tiny rules you get with your credit card....they read those small print rules...

Many don't feel worthy and so there are many words that they can't accept....ever try to encourage a witness...it's like swimming up hill...I finally told one witness who was down and I tried to encourage them...I used scriptures, you name it....they kept being down on themselves...finally I said....You don't want to be encouraged, you want to be punished....well you came to the wrong place...

I do get the undeserved kindness and it's true, we don't deserve it....but those words are like a constant whip always never feeling....may I use the word again?????....Worthy...

Tor

26

August 2017 Watchtower - Screwing with J.W.'s minds again

by The Searcher in

in the latest issue of double-speak, i'd like to highlight these two statements:.

page 3, par.

2 - "...how encouraging it is to know that jehovah’s faithful servants in the past felt free to express the same question that may loom in our minds, and they were not condemned for asking it!

tor1500

Hi,

This has various meanings, the org. is trying to recruit more sheep and so they want to appear more warm and fuzzy to the general public, now that they are in the internet.....What these new WT's are now trying to say, just in case an interested ones gets a glimpse of the inside workings of what we are taught....see we aren't that bad....sure you can express yourself, sort of....it can't be your new light but what theirs....

The org. can mess with the minds of JW's all they want...no matter what, they will stay, it's not the doctrine, or shunning (unless it happens to them, then they come on x JW sites, but before then, no comment)....The congregations are there because they want to be there and are carrying the name of Jehovah (like a new bride and a badge of honor, also, like being married to an abusive spouse but because you are now have a married status now, you don't care, you is married, and the rest of you ain't, I got my partner, what about you, something must be wrong with you.....that's the average mindset of a witness...again, I'm on the inside and see the reactions to the literature, they short circuit for a minute, then back to socializing again...

Tor

61

Mental Illness

by Tallon in

over many years i have been pondering how mental illness has impacted upon jw's due to the effects of indoctrination.

in my case; when i was 21 i had a breakdown and was hospitalised for 6 weeks.

i was diagnosed with anxiety tension state disorder.

tor1500

Hi,

I haven't read all the comments, but what I have noticed that many witnesses come from some type of home that had some type issues, well all families have issues, but witnesses that have deep issues seem to be attracted to the religion. If you have issues the hall can be a place of comfort...but as I mentioned in another topic, if you ever came from a pretty decent home and you became a witness, you will start to see that you don't fit...because you are well adjusted....

If you are a little odd/misfit, the witnesses will embrace you, but they will ruin you, because you'll either never feel you are good enough or think too much of yourselves...

I know now that even though I like my congregation, I don't fit.....I came from a nice family and they loved me and taught me how to navigate this life....

Mental illness in the org...one day take a random pix of witnesses....no light in their eyes...

Tor

49

Do religious people fear that their religion may be wrong???

by James Mixon in

because there are so many religions in the world and it is obvious that no matter what the truth is, a large population of people will be wrong about it.

we at one time believe we had the truth and 99% of the world population were in darkness, but i wonder about folks in other religions today.

speaking with a christian friend about this and he told me," that's for god to decide, i hope i'am serving god"...the sad thing about all of this if one die and still believe in his religion, he will never know he was in the wrong religion.

tor1500

Hi,

Everybody thinks their religion is right....even it they don't they stay for various reasons....most of the time the reason is the fellowshipping and like minds...then from there some of these relationships turn into nice conditional love friends....you just have to know they are your friends because you will become a witness or are a witness, if you can deal with that, you have going to the hall licked....

JW's believe they have the true religion...they are the same folks that have the mind set that they have the best car and live in the best places...even if they live in a not so great area, they think they are better than the worldly people whatever that means...worldly people, ain't we all in the world, and many of us don't do everything we see and hear....JW's have an elite'ess attitude, so even if they were in a Baptist church they would have the same attitude.....So not everyone would be attracted to the Truth because not everyone thinks so much of themselves....that's a gene....

We will never know which is right or wrong or about death, because nobody came back to say a word.

Tor

22

the archangel, an archangel

by AmyWatson916 in

i'm reading a book called "what to do when they knock" that goes over the jw book "what does the bible really teach?".

it points out that the "bible really teach" book, on page 218, makes a bit of a point about there being only one archangel.

it says michael is "the archangel" and emphasizes that "the" means only one.

tor1500

Hi All,

Love the comments and so true...why does Jesus have to wear so many hats, why can't he just be the son of God and helped with the Creation...as Stillin says it's because the org. wants people to know they got a hook up in heaven Jehovah and now Jesus...so they are now in communication with Heaven.....spooky, huh?

I've read the bible from back to front (entirely) and what I've come up with is....Yes, we are our brothers keepers, and as JW daughter says the bible is supposed to build your character. to make you a better person....ain't nobody can do all those rules and regs. in the bible...Jesus is an archangel, no he is on a horse, no now he is struggling with a body, was that Jesus in the fire with Shadrach, Mechach and Deb(?)....oh look Jesus is over there no, he's over there....The org, has made Jesus so many things and characters, yet they only do obeience, whatever that word is supposed to mean...Jehovah said all knees should bow to Jesus....

See Jesus is the way, the org. was so focused on Jehovah, they lost site of the importance of Jesus...now they have to back peddle because they see that all this time, they have been trying to protect Jehovah's name, if in deed that's his name....but Jehovah don't need nobody to protect his name....he just want folks to know about his son giving up his life for us and how much God loved us to sacrifice his son....

What witnesses don't know, is that going door to door now is a little bit easier because the org. is pushing Jesus more...now most in the territory believe in the Trinity, yet they believe that Jesus is the son of God, some believe they are the same...whatever, if they believe in Jesus, they we have a common ground, then you can develop it from there....but ,the don't know Jesus as well as they know Jehovah....so that's why they can't develop a bible study....Everybody knows who Jesus is....except the witnesses...

When you read the literature today, subliminally they are pushing Jesus to the fore front....I can see it...little by little....

JW's are supposed to be Christians, that don't give Christ his due...isn't the word Christ in Christians...

Tor

22

the archangel, an archangel

by AmyWatson916 in

i'm reading a book called "what to do when they knock" that goes over the jw book "what does the bible really teach?".

it points out that the "bible really teach" book, on page 218, makes a bit of a point about there being only one archangel.

it says michael is "the archangel" and emphasizes that "the" means only one.

tor1500

Hi,

This very point is what got me to look a little closer at the org. so much so I went on another site and boy did I get some witnesses angry....I chose this X witness and I wrote to them because they were no longer a witness but not bitter they just stated the facts about what and who witnesses are...we got to be good buddies, anyway, I wrote to him about Mike being the archangel and they said I was right about he not being Jesus, I quoted this scripture which is from Heb. 1:5, For example, to which one of the angels did God ever say: "You are my son; today I have become your father"? and again, I will become his father and he will become my son?....And another one, Luke 2:21, After 8 days, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angels before he was conceived...I have a reservoir of scriptures that can poke that Jesus is Michael the Archangel...and so what if he is...

I could prove heaven from the bible more than I can prove paradise....how many times heaven is mentioned as opposed to paradise ? The reason the org. says Jesus is Mike the Archangel, because it was from another religion and because it wasn't common knowledge as usual the org. adopted this thought just to sound like they know more than anyone else...Just like when the first horseman goes out...the org. thinks it's Jesus when in fact it's one of the 4 horseman to bring destruction...so they say he opens up the scroll, runs out with a bow and no arrow then runs back and open up another scroll and so on....not possible...that'll be a new light one day...if we all live to see it.

Tor