hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Fink,
What, in your opinion do you think the average person like myself could do to help counter the religious control over not only our loved ones but anyone we have empathy for?
I know sometimes gentle mockery can make people think.
And I appreciate there's no silver bullet but surely we can chip away with something sincere and kindly.
hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Hi Blondie,
You are another who is a wealth of information.
Your commentary is a valuable asset here.
Your honesty is endearing and I value your opinion.
Even though my parents were and are both witnesses, we were still affected by the congregation cliques; weren't quite good enough for the KH crowd either.
There were some JW kids at my school too and you would think we would be in close association but...nope.
Hugs to you for your past negative experience, but I can see you've come out the other side all the more wiser.
hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Hi Fink,
Indeed what you say is true, that is why it's vitally important for us to learn from our experience by challenging authorities and each others opinions and beliefs while allowing others to challenge our perspectives without being aggressive, ask for evidence where required and doing so with kindness and appropriate respect.
By doing that we turn some of the negative impacts and consequences into positives ; we won't be fooled or deceived again.
hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Hi Giordano and thaks for rhe welcome.
As a child i would sneak unapproved library books home and read them with a torch under the blankets till 3 am.
I didn't read anything of real substance back then, mostly fantasy and science fiction. Still, it incresed my vocabulary and helped me think beyond controlled ideas.
My parents were born in the forties and neither of them were readers of anything but propaganda. Our conversations always circle back to whatever hyperbole that feeds into their end times world view.
I don't learn much from my father and that's such a pity, because I could listen for hours uninterrupted to older folk who are a wealth of information; I love learning and having my beliefs challenged.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience with me, it gives me a sense of who you are. I've noticed you mention those books on previous posts.(while I was lurking)
I was too young to understand the significance of the 1975 hyp and I almost missed the significance of 2014 and what that meant in terms of "this Generation". Boy were my eyes opened wide that year as I discovered the overlap and the UN affiliation and the tsunami of child rape cover-ups and the changes to blood doctrine and the lies,half truths and misquote's.
My head was in a spin. And I'm still a bit dizzy.
I don't recognize that as being the same religion I left in 1991.
after all these years, it seems to me that people do not properly take note of what happened on this date in 2001. for some, it’s like nothing major happened.
for me it is a day of reflection..
How could any of us who saw it unfold ever forget?
If there are any who don't think it was significant, I'd like to know why.
It's a day of reflection for me also Minimus.
leaders of the jehovah’s witnesses ordered to destroy confidential records.
a letter obtained by inq has shed light on the secretive methods the jehovah's witnesses are undertaking to erase the impact of child sexual abuse within the sect.. by georgia wilkins sept 10, 2019. a body representing the jehovah’s witnesses in australia has written to all elders of the group ordering them to destroy confidential records, including notes taken by elders investigating child sexual abuse, in an instruction that has enraged survivors of abuse inside the secretive christian sect.. in a letter obtained by inq, dated august 28, a body called the christian congregation of jehovah’s witnesses (australasia) instructs elders to destroy so-called judicial hearing records and certain congregation notes.. “we ask that each elder check his personal computer, or hard copy files, and even his meeting bag, to ensure that no confidential correspondence is retained outside the congregation’s confidential file,” the letter states.
it also directs elders to destroy information aired against so-called “wrongdoers”: “if this ‘wild talk’ is recorded in detail, it may not be accurately assessed when reviewed out of context,” it says.
It would appear that the private notes contain the most accurate and unrevised information that reflects what actually transpired as recalled by the victims.
This was proven at the ARC, the private notes supported the victims recollection.
It would make sense to have only a brief summary as your main document and to discard the detail if the intention is to hide what you knew.
“get out of here—this is my father’s funeral; you don’t belong here; you are a liar!”.
the woman’s face reflected terrible pain—the worst pain possible, to the point of breakdown.
a thousand unanswered questions washed from her eyes by the flow of many tears.
Oh yes indeed Terry those images were very powerful and devastating.
There is a conflict in my mind between the importance of historically capturing such tragedy and the repulsion I feel knowing someone filmed the individual's private suffering.
The questions posed by some reporters can be quite idiotic and thoughtless. Some can be eloquent and be of historical value.
All who saw this will forever feel the echoes.
Globally we all lost something that day.
Our thoughts will be with the families who lost loved ones and we stand united with our allies and friends over in the United States.
hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Hi again Fink,
Thank you for your warm welcome.
I find open, non hostile debate and discussion to be a most valuable asset to a forum such as this.
There will be folk just like me who were or are lurking, watching the dialogue play out and seeing we aren't all that different from them, we are kindly, we have empathy but we won't just tickle their ears either. We will call them out for nonsense or ask for clarification.
That is healthy, meaningful and productive. We all win.
hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Hi Simon,
It is a shocking and an extreme act of violence to endanger people's lives by attacking a place of worship.
Rightly to be considered unacceptable behaviour and condemned in the strongest possible terms by the exjw community.
It's great to have dialogue like this because even if we have mostly recovered we can learn new techniques and other perspectives; all character building and developing a better community.
Just like you said, the fact that I had inherent family issues, I was not born with the potential to be highly intelligent, came from a low income family and was an introvert, are all factors that would still be present, with or without watchtower.
I feel it's an important undertaking to dissect and scrutinize our experience with WTS.
To peel it back to its core and discover in what ways watchtower genuinely impacted us positively or negatively.
Only then will we have a clearer view of what to keep, what to discard, how to identify undue influence, learn to own our inherent faults and make positive change where we can.
hi from new south wales australia.
fyi , it's tuesday 10th september 2:36am here.. i am categorically not going to blame the cult for every poor choice.
i am conscious of the fact that i was at a genetically determined disadvantage academically; i was never going to be outstanding in my achievements, no matter how hard i tried.
Peacefulpete,
I am so sorry you lost friends to suicide most likely because of the isolation that is the product of shunning ?
We certainly are affected differently according to our individual circumstance.
I would have thought the examination and identifying exactly what makes a person do this or that would be the key to unlocking the driving force or mechanism that will empower us to know our own mind.
If you have time I'd like to explore your position on this because I've read some of your posts while lurking and found the content educational.
I'm happy to be schooled on any subject if anyone is willing to walk me through it and allow me to object or ask questions.
Thanks for your input peacefulpete.
