Haha, I have to act like that for my JW mother when visiting. Bless her, she's so naive about TTATT I have no other option but to let her express herself. Common themes tend to be about how "forward thinking the society is" and how "the organisation is really growing" lol. One time I even set up her I-Pad so she can watch JW broadcasting! I felt violated that day :)
Good JW
JoinedPosts by Good JW
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15
Biting my tongue
by Jrjw ini'm really biting my tongue at the moment with a certain witness.
he said he hates how the churches have lied to people, misled them, controlled them, got money out of them.
gouge can he noht see the wts has done that, i really wanted to say something so badly.
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Whatever happened to the "written review"?
by pale.emperor indoes anyone know why the written review was stopped?
i relished the half hour silence they'd give you to "write down your answers", time i spend doodling or thinking up cool song lyrics..
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Good JW
Waton - yes it must be very irritating when your sheep start using their brain. lol
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On Grief and Loss
by jp1692 inon grief and loss.
each and every tear is a memory.
and when you feel so intensely all that you have lost, you are also remembering everything that you have had.
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Good JW
Thank you JP.
I have often wondered what the best course is for a person who's lost another in death - my dad died when I was 28 and I kind of buried the feelings. I thought of grief as something one must just "get over", but it doesn't work that way, nor should it be...as you've so poetically put it. The grief tags along with memories etc, something to experience rather than hide or run from.
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Whatever happened to the "written review"?
by pale.emperor indoes anyone know why the written review was stopped?
i relished the half hour silence they'd give you to "write down your answers", time i spend doodling or thinking up cool song lyrics..
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Good JW
Does anyone know why the written review was stopped?
It had that dangerous effect of making people think (to a certain degree). Nowadays they've figured how to let the brain slowly rot by sticking on Sparlock cartoons and Tight Pants Tony.
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Generation
by Jrjw inplease could someone explain to me what the generation thing i keep seeing in people's threads was that had lots of people leave the wts coz it was way before i became a witness.
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Good JW
Sorry, can't help much - I used to sleep during the (more than usual) bull crap...
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Wierd Shunning Stories
by VW.org inyesterday i went to a shopping center.
i saw a dub who was once a very friendly person.
he was about 10 metres from me when i noticed him.
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Good JW
Some of the strangest shunning experiences for me is where they did it bipolar style. One minute they were making the effort (like that friendly "I still think you're ok" smile), the next minute you have some contagious disease or worse, don't exist. It's like they expected you to fall to the floor in gratitude for the crumbs they dropped.
"Let's give this heathen some encouragement, you never know, he might return to the true religion and Jehovah won't have to smite his ass"
If they acknowledge you, so be it, if not, who cares (not me anymore). Got my own life now that more resembles reality lol.
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Wierd Shunning Stories
by VW.org inyesterday i went to a shopping center.
i saw a dub who was once a very friendly person.
he was about 10 metres from me when i noticed him.
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Good JW
I find that if you see a JW squirming, scared to look at you/speak, simply be over-enthusiastic about seeing them, like they're a long lost friend:
http://www.relatably.com/m/img/wide-eyed-meme-girl/hqdefault.jpg
(try not to get a restraining order)
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Why do ex-JW's talk so much about being ex-JW's?
by Sour Grapes inis it because we were in the cult watchtower compound that we talk about being ex-jw's when we stop being active?
i have never heard anyone say that i was an ex-catholic or an ex-lutheran or an ex-baptist.
they just stop going to their church and don't talk about it.. years after not stepping inside a kingdom hell, many of us still have to talk about being ex-jw's.
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Good JW
On a slightly more serious note, I do think that ex JWs are damaged (not beyond repair though, just need the right direction). A JW is taught to see things very externally, always judging "the others", and rarely looking internally other than to feel guilt/shame. There are countless negative psychological traits of WT indoctrination, but the top of the lot is probably making the average adherent (and many who leave) feel powerless. This damaging mindset is often taken with you! Ironically, you can go from feeling like a persecuted JW, to a persecuted ex JW.
"Woe is me"
That's one of the most damaging aspects. The feeling that everyone is against you (them against me), or that you're stuck, unable to do something positive about your situation.
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Why do ex-JW's talk so much about being ex-JW's?
by Sour Grapes inis it because we were in the cult watchtower compound that we talk about being ex-jw's when we stop being active?
i have never heard anyone say that i was an ex-catholic or an ex-lutheran or an ex-baptist.
they just stop going to their church and don't talk about it.. years after not stepping inside a kingdom hell, many of us still have to talk about being ex-jw's.
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Good JW
Not all ex's talk about being an ex - some prefer to just block that part of their lives out completely (pretend it never happened).
Other than the obvious (something in common to talk about, being on the same page with others), it's likely to do with ones commitment to it. If you dedicate your life to something, then discover it's all been a big scam/farce, you'll want to talk about it....for some time. Most people don't realise what it means to "sell your soul to an org", so when you talk about it with them they're like "meh", but those who've been through it understand.
The most dedication and betrayal the average person has to put up with is their cable service overcharging them for a basic TV package while Joe blogs down the street is getting the full lot for half price. Or religiously following a diet (with promises of 20lbs weight loss) for a whopping 6 weeks, only to find out it wasn't for them.
LOL
(ok, maybe a bit of oversimplification/exaggeration there)
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By there fruits: The JW's very rarely encourage forgiveness
by goingthruthemotions inby there fruits you can tell a true christian.
well if this is the case, then if you are not blind it is easy to see that the witnesses truly not what they present themselves as.
my wife is a testament to this characteristic.
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Good JW
Hi Sunworshipper805, I didn't intend this to be an all out attack, was hoping to strike some balance through constructive criticism that's all. "Give the poor guy a break" is the wrong way of seeing this.
Let's break down what happened in here - goingthruthemotions started a thread that was completely based around bashing the JWs for their bad fruitage. I understand that, and have done the same myself to certain degrees. The alarm bells went off however when he uses his own wife (!) of nearly 30 years as a perfect example of a "false Christian". He judges her, gets a forum to pity him and be against his wife. This is the same wife whom he vowed "to have and to hold...for better, for worse". So much for the sanctity of marriage.
Which part of any of this seems reasonable and loving to you? If his relationship is in tatters, and he blames this all on the JW religion (or his wife's behaviour), is it going to do him or his current and future relationships any good by saying "there there, you poor man, you're just a victim, let me wrap you up". Of course not. I'm trying to be honest so that something positive can be done.
Look at it the other way, if "goingthruthemotions" listens to all those who've labelled/implied his wife is a narcissist (re-read the first page, this did happen, I'm not jumping to conclusions) then all he will do is judge her even more and there'll be greater dysfunction of the family! He will see her less as a human being and just some cultist with mental problems. How exactly would that help his situation? His only seeing things through his own eyes is not going to help - it's blinding him from reality to the point of harm. A good friend won't just tell you what you want to hear, and that's the unfortunate reality of the exJW community; too much mollycoddling (fear of accountability) and not enough reality checks.
Granted, I do sympathise with "goingthruthemotions" as regards leaving the org, this is a very confusing time! But other than empathising initially, I don't believe it would be doing any favours by misleading him into shifting blame onto everything else. Why? Because then he's taking away his own power! He's taking away his own control, his own ability to do something about it, and ultimately his satisfaction from life. Seeing things in black and white (us against them - the exJWs against the WT, for example, or him against his wife) is not healthy, it causes you to avoid the real issues in life.
