Simon

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Posts by Simon

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  17

  Research project: A study designed to explore the experience of leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses

  by Researcher2023 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  as part of a psychology msc research project, i am looking for participants to take part in a study designed to explore the experience of leaving the jehovah’s witnesses.. former witnesses who were raised in the organisation will be asked a few questions about their reasons for leaving, their experience of leaving, and how their life has changed since leaving.. taking part involves completing an interview over the internet.

  according to research needs, the number of questions asked in each interview may vary.

  the interview will take between 5 – 90 minutes depending on the questions asked and the level of detail you wish to provide.. your participation will remain confidential and anonymous, and it is completely voluntary so that you may withdraw at any time up to two weeks after the interview.

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  Simon

  Just to confirm that this is legit, they requested permission to post it and it comes from an "ac.uk" (university) email address.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  one Croatian sister in the group was a court interpreter. I took the test and became a court interpreter soon after I met her,... only I interpreted Spanish-English.

  I'm ... well, struggling to keep up with reality maybe

  What's going on, can someone fill me in?

  It's starting to feel like a character in one of those "OMG the premise of this TV show is such a mystery! (yep, our writers don't have an ending)" shows.

  So am **I** Lloyd? and am I a robot but don't know it? What's the plot twist?

  Wait, no, the Thai hooker is the robot right? So I shoot it and ... huh, no wires, just blood, so much blood ... that's strange.

  Anyway, there's blue and red flashing lights and people saying I have to go with them ...

  .

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  And still it's not as mental as Lloyd world.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  I know exactly why he told you everything, Kim. He thinks he has gotten so powerful he actually boats about his escapades thinking that his followers will stroke his ego even more.

  I think he probably got some kick out of talking about his sexual deeds in front of women he felt like he had some power and control over.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  Ex-dubs and athiests have a moral code and ideas about right and wrong, whereas Lloyd seems to do whatever he wants ... Obviously, most men don't cheat on their wives with prostitutes ... And then there's people like Lloyd

  And that is why some push the notion that to leave the WTS you have to leave all morals behind as well, to excuse their behavior. It's wrong of course - you don't need to go mental when you stop being a JW and switch to living some "opposite life". In fact the people who do seem to self-destruct, but I think it was only the constraints of the WTS helping them to keep things together.

  But the vast majority of people can just leave and continue being who they are - moral without being judgemental, honest without being self-righteous, and loyal to their spouse and family without feeling like all their promises and commitments somehow don't count.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  When he says that they 'flip[ped] to being judgmental and self-righteous,' he is simply saying that he's upset that they stopped supporting him and refused to agree that everyone lacks self-discipline. Remember, he mocked "Saintly" Brandon for expecting better of him. Anyone who thinks he should've been a better husband and father is judgmental and self-righteous.

  Yes, it's like he can't even comprehend that someone wouldn't be a cheating asshole. He thinks anyone that says they don't cheat and behave like he does is some faker, claiming to be "saintly" like some unachievable goal.

  The reality is that he's the odd one out, the failure. He's failed all his life at everything he's done: failed as a JW, failed as an elder, failed as a husband, failed as a father, failed as an exJW and even failed as a grifter.
  
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  29

  Police confirm homicide at Jehovah’s witness center in Colorado after shooter 'threw Molotov cocktail into building'

  by TakeOffTheCrown in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11573103/active-shooter-throws-molotov-cocktail-jehovahs-witness-center-colorado.html?ito=amp_twitter_share-top.

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  Simon

  Very sad. I'm sure there's a longer story behind this, but it won't justify someone's insane actions.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  he never expected “such a significant % of ex-JWs to so easily flip to being judgmental & self-righteous.”

  This is such a cheap shot. The notion that anyone who happens to have morals and behave like a respectable person is somehow "judgemental and self-righteous" is right up there with comparing someone to having an elder mindset. Usually a sure sign that someone has no real argument worth making.

  He still can't grasp that the overwhelming majority of regular people would condemn what he did: you don't need to have been brought up in a strict conservative religion to believe that cheating on your wife and leaving your family over Christmas to go to certain countries to use prostitutes is immoral and low.

  It doesn't make people self-righteous, it just makes them normal and not degenerative perverts.
  
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  Remember one of his early lies, that he'd hired a PR firm to deal with this bad publicity?

  What a stellar job they didn't do, if they even existed.

  Coming up to a year later and HE still can't help talking about and publicizing the whole thing.

  What a muppet.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  To put it mildly. What I see is him blowing a huge opportunity to come across as the voice of reason and even elicit sympathy.

  Yeah, it's a tough act to pretend you've been heinously wronged but are then innocent and it's of no concern when you do the same thing to someone else. It was an open net, an easy goal, and he hoofed it wide.

  The reason there wasn’t a Magnificent 8 with Jake included was due to a mutual follower of both parties interceding in favour of Jake. Lloyd was already paying more than he wished for the litigation anyway and he didn’t take much convincing to drop one to save money.

  I wasn't aware of the 8-to-7 thing which in itself again undermines the whole claim - if you don't feel quite so "wronged" just because one patreon subscriber (?) liked the other guy too, it's then hard to argue that you have been quite so wronged by the other people.

  Honestly, all these Patreon and GoFundMe type things just seem to be a cancer. I'm sure there are communities and creators where they work as intended, but it all just seems to be so scammy and open to people who will game them.
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  11530

  It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

  by Newly Enlightened in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  original reddit post (removed).

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  Simon

  Also (more re: Jakes latest video)

  If you are keen to "do more", to be "an activist" ... be aware that while the vast majority of people are nice but some people are utter scum. There are nutty psychos about, in general online and it seems especially in the exJW community. People are unbalanced, obsessive, and want to retaliate if you slight them in some way or they will just take exception if someone else is a "success" in some way.

  I've come across them over the years and I don't really get too involved with exJWs as a result. The idea that we can only limit our association with a certain group is the ultimate JW mindset hangover.

  This is partly why I think people wallowing in exJWism and making it their life are certainly not helping themselves and probably not really helping other people who leave and then get hooked on exJWism.

  Rather than making "leaving the JWs" into a big accomplishment, why don't we make it what it really is - something that anyone can do, fairly easily, so they can move on with your life. Yes, there may be some family ties impacted but that happens to the rest of society, just for different reasons. It's not the worse cult ever, stop pretending it is. The WTS are not the 3rd Reich, stop pretending they are.

  Just leave, show that you can be normal and that it's no big deal.