Posts by schnell

14

How to believe you deserve to relax

by rebel8 in

jw
friends

i was brainwashed to believe you generally shouldn't relax much.. demons can enter you if you meditate or even relax your brain too much for one second.

always be on guard.. scriptures criticizing laziness were repeated often.

https://www.openbible.info/topics/laziness "be kind to yourself" and all that.. you need to strenuously exert yourself for jehoopla and you're worthless if you don't.. most forms of fun were extinguished.

schnell

I can thank meditation for helping me through what I was learning as I was fading.

I can thank meditation for helping me to stay calm and see things honestly.

I can thank meditation for helping me to be alert and in the moment, rather than "lazy", aloof, or unaware.

I can thank meditation for helping me overcome internal demons (a psychological metaphor) like fear and doubt, rather than filling my mind with whatever they think wants in there.

Jehovah's witnesses live for a future time. You cannot be mentally here and now if you are so frantically concerned about the future.

15

The JWs who don't believe JW doctrine

by evilApostate in

to me it seems that there are a growing number of jws who reject a few to most doctrines of jws and yet still believe that they are in "jehovah's organisation.

" i have come across quite a few who for example, reject the 1914 doctrine entirely and yet remain psuedo-jws.. take a look at this page: http://e-jw.org/index.php?threads/the-ultimate-generational-leap-rebuttal.2521/#post-21793.

those are jws who reject 1914 and even the gb.

schnell

Those are JWs who reject 1914 and even the GB. They claim that Jokehova will cleanse the organisation at the time of the end and only the true servants will survive.
The problem is that that logic can be applied to any church in existence. They might as well go to a Catholic church whilst rejecting some doctrines and keeping their own beliefs. Wouldn't Jokehova also cleanse the Catholic church (or any other church for that matter) at the time of the end and save his true worshippers? What makes JW land still so special?

My brother is like this. It's his get-out-of-jail-free card, so even though he's DFed and the elders treated him like dirt, he persists.

As with any cult, a lot of people like the fellowship, even though it isn't great all the time. Or perhaps they're used to it. They don't want to leave.

But yes. You can apply this to any other church and the logic is satisfied, which is also why householders have every right to say they have their own church. So how is this a selling point?

8

JWs Harass their old members

by StephaneLaliberte in

while i am presently under training, i was looking at the definition of harassment in the work place according to the ontario (canada) government and found that, among the listed items, some of these could very well apply to the jws!.

preventing a person from expressing himself or herself: yelling at the person; threatening; constantly interrupting that person; prohibiting the person from speaking to others.. making rude, degrading or offensive remarks.. discrediting the person by spreading malicious gossip or rumours, ridiculing him/her, humiliating him/her, calling into question his/her convictions or his/her private life, shouting abuse at him/her.. isolating the person by no longer talking to him or her, denying or ignoring his or her presence, distancing him or her from others.. destabilizing the person by making fun of his or her beliefs, values, political and/or religious choices, and mocking his or her weak points..

schnell

Old members? How about their present members who are harassed into pioneering and judged if they don't?

13

First time back in a KH in 8 months

by Normalfulla in

so... one of my employees is a miserable servant and was giving the pt and invited me to come knowing full well i was faded out, i go along cos i respect him and thought why not, i must admit i was a little nervous headed back there (a neighboring hall not my old one) i saw alot of familiar faces and some old friends who were aware of my fade, all so pleased to see me at a meeting again and i can sum up how i felt about the experience like this.. .

have you ever been to a party and been the only sober person there and are totally aware of the ridiculous things said and going on?

that's what it felt like except the party would have been more fun of course,... all these good people, drunk off their heads on wt propaganda and false hopes, the irony was the talk was titled "does your life have meaning?".

schnell

#worstpartyever

11

Which was the best century to be born in?

by defender of truth in

jw
friends

http://www.businessinsider.com/10-reasons-2016-is-the-best-time-to-be-alive-2016-8/#1-there-are-much-fewer-hungry-people-in-the-world-1.

is the world getting better?.

in which century would you rather have been born, given the choice?

schnell

If I'd been born at any other time, it wouldn't be me.

15

Compiling a list of Sin

by Nihilistic Journey in

with all the rules that we had to live under to be a good christian it's a wonder that we aren't all neurotic basket cases like i am!

let's compile a list of transgressions and rules that we had to live by.

no rated r movies.

schnell

No ideas that might "take you out of the truth". (Apparently "the truth" is fragile and easily debunked by basic evidence and logic, but should be adhered to regardless.)

No historical/critical analysis of the Bible. (It's the inerrant Word of God and that's that.)

No "violent entertainment". (Nebulous, much? Does the Bible count?)

No "vampires". (Oddly specific. When Twilight was big, there were talks and articles specifically about this. I always wondered why the elders forced this on everybody in attendance, as if we're all into it, and didn't just say, "Hey, don't watch shitty god-awful movies.")

No oral sex. (Hey, other stuff got repeated too.)

No instructional videos or texts that might give you an idea as to how to better please your mate. (No porn.)

31

You know it's the Truth, because it attracts crazy people.

by schnell in

jw
friends

i wish i was kidding, but i have heard this idea suggested lately as a defense of the wts.

this is god's organization, even though it attracts crazy people, and because it attracts crazy people.

"unlettered and ordinary," et cetera.. i don't get it.

schnell

@Finkelstein

The point or intent this guy was probably trying to infer is that people are crazy in consequence of being in this wicked old system of things but once they have experienced being engaged with Jah's earthly organization, they revert from that craziness into a state of happy emotional bliss. or what some describe being spiritually uplifted.

He was all over the place. In context, we were talking about the child abuse scandal, which made it that much more bizarre. I was personally upset when he said it, and he was the one laughing about the crazy people in the hall.

He's an older man than I and he's aware of most things I bring up, though not all the details. In his case, I feel like he's been trying to wake up for years, and he's holding onto anything he can, so he comes to me because he sees a lot of himself in me and wants to validate his choice to stay by trying to "encourage" me.

This is the same friend who told me that Losch put his arm around him and said, "...but look at all the things we've gotten right!"

31

You know it's the Truth, because it attracts crazy people.

by schnell in

jw
friends

i wish i was kidding, but i have heard this idea suggested lately as a defense of the wts.

this is god's organization, even though it attracts crazy people, and because it attracts crazy people.

"unlettered and ordinary," et cetera.. i don't get it.

schnell

@scratchme1010,

schnell, you should know better by now:
Do we say the same thing for other institutions?
Yes
Which ones?
Insane asylums and USA Congress
Why?
Insane asylums because they are for, well, the insane.
Congress, well, need I finish this sentence?

Heh, you know I was being socratic and rhetorical. :P

And I experienced something similar. I gave pioneering a shot and burned out immediately. (Early mornings every single day, gas stations, etc.) It exposed me to other young people who were also pioneering, and what judgmental assholes they were. I never spoke with a psychologist, but psychology is always interesting, and the Wikipedia article on cognitive dissonance illuminated things for me.

31

You know it's the Truth, because it attracts crazy people.

by schnell in

jw
friends

i wish i was kidding, but i have heard this idea suggested lately as a defense of the wts.

this is god's organization, even though it attracts crazy people, and because it attracts crazy people.

"unlettered and ordinary," et cetera.. i don't get it.

schnell

@Christophoros

'the truth' can also appeal to people who have a love of truth... And for whatever reason, fall for the Watchtower lies...
Personally, I was a naive 15 year old...
Is naivete', at whatever age, or stage of life and learning we are in, 'crazy'...?
So, could we have a definition of what 'crazy' is....?
It, and similar terms, are actually quite offensive to a significant number of people who suffer with, and/or advocate for, mental illness.

Nope, I can't in good conscience, except only in a one-to-one joke in person, seriously call naivete "crazy". You're right, it's a pejorative term.

What I can say is that if someone has a condition that falls under mental illness, they do not need to congregate in a millenarian sect. They need to face their issues honestly, and perhaps seek the help of a therapist and/or medical treatment if it's necessary. Being promised a new paradise earth where it will all be better is manipulative and cruel.

So, again, this is not a selling point for the organization, and Fear-Obligation-Guilt does not contribute to good mental health. Ignorance and cognitive dissonance do not either. Actual crimes of perverse nature certainly don't, and poison the whole well perhaps beyond redemption.

2

Is This How You Promote Insecurity in Relationships?

by Saename in

it's time for some ridiculous entertainment, guys.

today my sister showed me a video by pewdiepie in which he reacted with his girlfriend to this article.

it was really funny, i have to admit, because he was basically criticising the article.

schnell

Ha! My wife's a huge PewDiePie fan, I'll be sure to put it on for her later.