Posts by jp1692

BTW, I appreciated the brief recounting of your experience realizing JWs do not have "the Truth." It's a painful realization and a difficult process to recover from. Good for you for doing the hard work.

149

why jw's commit suicide?

by notalone in

jw
friends

we all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.

my question is this- was there some subliminal messages that encourage this.

i was a born in and my entire life i would have these thoughts that could come out of nowhere,"kill yourself.

jp1692

Ruby: If you have mental health issues then it is best to stay away from witnesses.

It's just best to stay away from JWs, and ANY cult for that matter, whether you have mental health issues or not!

So Ruby, I just searched the paper by Laurence R. Iannaccone which you referenced on page 4: "Why Strict Churches Are Strong."

Why did you reference this in relation to the OP? "Suicide" wasn't mentioned once in the entire 32 page paper and, although JWs were mentioned four times, none of those references had anything to do with mental health!

That being said, there was an intriguing comment made by Iannaccone in his conclusion when he wrote: "A study of unsuccessful sects is needed to test the [rational choice theory] theory's prediction that too much strictness causes just as much harm as too little." Although I fail to see the need to restrict such a study to "unsuccessful sects," the questions raised by this recommendation about high-control, authoritarian groups (aka "cults") are very germane to the topic under discussion.

I would also caution that a paper like this is limited in its application to groups like JWs, because the very underlying assumption of "rational choice theory" does not apply to cults. No one willingly and knowingly join a destruction cult. They join a group which they perceive as benign at the least and hope is very positive. The harmful effects are hidden and only discovered after one has made the commitment.

Also, Iannaccone's comment that "that too much strictness causes just as much harm as too little" is simply not true. Too little strictness never leads to tragedies such as Jonestown. Fundamentalist extremism of all sorts are malignant cancers of the soul and psyche.

8

Existential Psychotherapy

by Brokeback Watchtower in

existential psychotherapy: death, freedom, isolation, meaninglessness .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhqc5md6qv0.

jp1692

That's some pretty heavy stuff!

My takeaway from the video was that what kind of life we have is not just about our circumstances, but it is up to us as individuals to do the hard work to have the kind of life we can and should have. Most people just aren't up to doing the hard work. They want easy answers even if it means being used, abused and taken advantage of.

10

I've created a survey

by pale.emperor in

hi guys.

thanks for taking part in the previous poll i did about disfellowshipping.. i've created a survey here: https://goo.gl/atcm22.

and the results will be published here: https://goo.gl/qzqzjd.

jp1692

I'll be interested in seeing your surveys after a few more years of university studies!

50

Jehovah's people are not happy people

by Phoebe in

jw
friends

i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

jp1692

Steve2: I saw parts of Morris III's opening address for the current Summer convention. Within minutes, a memory of that depressed old feeling began to hover over me as he lamely enumerated all the disasters in the world and how these are critical times hard to deal with.

JWs view the world through shit-colored glasses. They only see the bad because they need it to confirm their apocalyptic beliefs and worldview.

There is abundant evidence that this is, in fact, the best and safest time for most of us to be alive. But JWs only look for bad news to prop up their beliefs.

It's enough to drive anyone crazy!

149

why jw's commit suicide?

by notalone in

jw
friends

we all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.

my question is this- was there some subliminal messages that encourage this.

i was a born in and my entire life i would have these thoughts that could come out of nowhere,"kill yourself.

jp1692

Ok, so now we have two posters--Notalone and Ruby--asserting completely contradictory information about the suicide rates of JWs in comparison to others, and yet neither of them can or will provide independently verifiable data to back up their assertions:

Notalone: We all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.
Ruby: The suicide rate isn't higher among JWs than general populations. In fact it is lower.

Careful, thoughtful people avoid making unfounded assertions. They also avoid accepting them uncritically and unchallenged.

Demand facts. Ask questions. Think critically.

149

why jw's commit suicide?

by notalone in

jw
friends

we all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.

my question is this- was there some subliminal messages that encourage this.

i was a born in and my entire life i would have these thoughts that could come out of nowhere,"kill yourself.

jp1692

Ruby: the suicide rate isn't higher among JWs than general populations. in fact it is lower.

How do you know this? What facts do you have to substantiate this claim?

I looked at the link you provided and I could not find a single, specific reference to Jehovah's Witnesses.

Please provide evidence and data to back up your claim.

Thanks,

JP

149

why jw's commit suicide?

by notalone in

jw
friends

we all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.

my question is this- was there some subliminal messages that encourage this.

i was a born in and my entire life i would have these thoughts that could come out of nowhere,"kill yourself.

jp1692

Notalone: We all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.

This is obviously an important topic. It needs to be addressed and needs to be addressed with some sensitivity. It also needs to be factually accurate. And so I'm going to ask some direct questions:

How do "we all know" this?
What data do you have to back it up?
How was it collected and by whom?

I'm not trying to diminish the seriousness of this topic. Indeed, one suicide is too many to me. But we need to be careful making statements that are not substantiated by facts.

If you have some, please provide them.

Steve2 provided a few excellent points for consideration in this regard too.

Thanks,

JP

119

Do I have to believe in Jesus to be saved?

by unsure in

do i have to believe in jesus to be saved?.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness.

i was born in.

jp1692

Unsure, I think you're going to need to change your username as you seem less and less unsure of yourself with each successive post!

PS: I'm glad to know you're not coveting my ox or my donkey!