jp1692

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Posts by jp1692

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  39

  Do You Know Of Anyone Who Left JWs And Then Decided To Return?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  quite a few years ago there was a poster here that left the religion because he knew it was simply not true.

  however, he returned to jws because he wanted to be with his family.

  i don’t know how he is doing but gumby was his name.

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  jp1692

  I know of quite a few.

  Most had not completely come to terms with the fact that it's a cult. Some few were okay with it for the sake of family. I know of one man that goes to all the meetings simply because he doesn't want to lose out on a fairly substantial inheritance.

  This might sound judgmental, and I suppose it is, but I personally cannot understand how those people can live with their own duplicity pretending to be someone they are not and pretending to believe things they do not. They all live "double-lives" to varying degrees.

  I could never do that. I miss my family members that are still-in. I miss them very much. But my personal integrity is more important to me than that.

  • “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Self Reliance"
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  48

  Healing & Rebuilding Your Life - Feedback Wanted

  by jp1692 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have been invited to speak at an international cultic studies association workshop this fall.

  i could use your help in focusing on my presentation subject.. these workshops are for former members of any cult or other high-control, authoritarian group, not just jehovah's witnesses.

  last year, i spoke at one of their larger conferences in europe.

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  jp1692

  The presentation went really well. In fact, the entire workshop was very successful.

  There were about 30 of us in attendance. The participants were from a number of different cults: Scientologists, Eternal Values, Morningland, the Unification Church (Moonies) and a few other lesser known fundamentalist Christians cults. There were several people that had been in psychotherapy cults. Oh, and there were three other ex-JWs.

  Some had left the cult as little as a couple of months ago, a few decades but had never processed it.
  

  I'll give a fuller report later, but one point that I want to pass on now is this: As superficially different as cults seem from each other, they are all in fact very, very similar.

  All cults -- by definition -- use the exact same techniques of mental manipulation and deceit to control their members. Only the details differ.

  More to follow ...
  
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  143

  What Is Your Opinion Of Melania Trump?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think she’s very intelligent and dignified.

  plus, in my humble opinion, i rate her as the most attractive first lady ever..

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  jp1692

  Just because I think Melania showed poor judgment wearing the "I really don't care" jacket does not mean I like Hillary.

  I find it odd that people always think that criticizing one means endorsing the other. I intensely dislike Hillary Clinton and everything she stands for. Remember, when starting this thread, Minimus asked: "What Is Your Opinion Of Melania Trump?" not: "What Is Your Opinion Of Hillary Clinton?"
  

  FYI: Whenever I criticize Hillary to any of my family members that love her, they automatically assume I support Trump, which I don't.

  Something to think about.
  
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  143

  What Is Your Opinion Of Melania Trump?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think she’s very intelligent and dignified.

  plus, in my humble opinion, i rate her as the most attractive first lady ever..

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  jp1692

  Simon: it's hard to judge without knowing someone or knowing someone

  That is very true. I don't know her. But I can draw some conclusions based on her public behavior. Her tone-deafness is apparent from actions such as wearing the "I really don't care. Do U?" jacket during her trip to McAllen, Texas. Context counts.
  

  Also, the complete irony of her "Be Best" anti-bullying campaign is palpable in light how how her husband treats other people. C'mon, Donald Trump is the self-proclaimed Cyberbully-in-Chief.

  
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  143

  What Is Your Opinion Of Melania Trump?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think she’s very intelligent and dignified.

  plus, in my humble opinion, i rate her as the most attractive first lady ever..

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  jp1692

  I find it very disappointing that the major thrust of the comments on this thread are more concerned with the appearance of the FLOTUS and not the quality of her character. But what should I expect from people that support a reality tv star as President?

  (I predict many “Dislikes” and no genuine dialogue or discussion from the members of the Trump cult in response to this comment.)
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  17

  Watchtower attempts 997 mind trick segue to 1914

  by Darth FayDehr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  fancy a mind trick?

  here’s 2 for the price of 1; if you only want watchtower’s trick, skip to the next paragraph.

  you may need to write this down or use a calculator:.

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  jp1692

  Think of any date in the last 1000 years: 1111

  Swap the digits around anyway you like to come up with an earlier date: No can do!

  Now subtract the earlier date from your original date: 1111 - 1111 = 0
  
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  17

  Watchtower attempts 997 mind trick segue to 1914

  by Darth FayDehr in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  fancy a mind trick?

  here’s 2 for the price of 1; if you only want watchtower’s trick, skip to the next paragraph.

  you may need to write this down or use a calculator:.

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  jp1692

  I wrote down: Uriah.

  Isaiah 8:1-2 - The Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll and write on it with an ordinary pen: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz.” So I called in Uriah the priest and Zechariah son of Jeberekiah as reliable witnesses for me.
  
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  143

  What Is Your Opinion Of Melania Trump?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i think she’s very intelligent and dignified.

  plus, in my humble opinion, i rate her as the most attractive first lady ever..

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  jp1692

  
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  39

  New releases at annual meeting??

  by _Morpheus in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this has been mentioned in passing but it seems to deserve its own thread.. this year at the rc, no releases.

  instead they wait to drop them at the annual meeting which isnt a even simulcast event.

  what is their thinking?

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  jp1692

  I, for one, really appreciated this thoughtful point from the new publication, Apply Yourself to Reading and Teaching. In Study #9, Appropriate Use of Visual Aids, we are reminded of this important point:

  • Make sure that your listeners can see the visual aid
    

  This is so helpful, because -- you know -- that might not have occurred to us!
  

  (See the highlighted portion at the bottom of the screenshot):
  

  
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  8

  There will be no fifth generation of jw’s in my family.

  by longgone in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i’m happy to say that, yet as always with the wts there is a price to be paid.

  i’ll explain how this is working out.there’s a new development in the family that’s making the final break possible, and sadly is where the penalty for leaving is going to happen.

  only one person of all the jw family history is left that could start a fifth, he’s my nephew.

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  jp1692

  Well that's something worth celebrating!