Posts by Good JW

9

An update for the completionists

by jaydee in

for all of you who have closely followed my posts over the years....(ok, so that's none, i get it).

some time ago in a galaxy far far away.... i posted some aus government files.. one of which contained an article...'what is a jehovah's witness - - by milton g henschel.

(see here).. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/161119/more-aus-watchtower-pdf-files.

Good JW

Not the best place...

That's not what he was thinking

31

The hypocrisy of today's Watchtower

by UnshackleTheChains in

i don't really need to explain anything really.

all i can say is that i was gob smacked at the sheer audaciousness of the entire study article.

i'm still speechless.

That paragraph you quoted reminded me of my conversations with die hard JWs. I have tried reasoning with the most stubborn of JWs (no heated name calling or anything silly), and in some cases, made me wonder if they were "on the spectrum". One particular JW was so absurd in his ability to (cold-heartedly) reason through WT goggles it just makes you shake your head in disbelief.

The recurring theme being that extreme indoctrination = love. Anything beyond that is "unloving". They literally redefine words, as per cult practice. There was no sense of basic human compassion/empathy unless they were a "repentant JW" (read: submitted to current WT counsel).

WT says that the Pharisees were cruel, and this translated = "they did not teach what the we teach about God (trinity, hellfire, soul, last days etc).". Human ethics/morality doesn't come into the equation because in a cult doctrine is more important than the person (although they rarely see it). The so called greater good = WT propaganda.

Simple examples of WT "morality":

A bad person - someone who tells you to take some time off meetings and not worry about underlining your WT

A good person - someone who tries to "support" you on field service by making you feel guilty over not going out.

31

The hypocrisy of today's Watchtower

by UnshackleTheChains in

i don't really need to explain anything really.

all i can say is that i was gob smacked at the sheer audaciousness of the entire study article.

i'm still speechless.

Good JW

(Watchtower logic)

Mercy:

"Hi Marry I've been snooping about on your computer and noticed these racy emails between a worldly guy and yourself. I'm not going to be a jerk so I'll give you 10 days to go to the elders and confess all the nitty gritty details of your relationship".

31

The hypocrisy of today's Watchtower

by UnshackleTheChains in

i don't really need to explain anything really.

all i can say is that i was gob smacked at the sheer audaciousness of the entire study article.

i'm still speechless.

Good JW

Everything from not allowing ourselves to be like the Pharisees and how we should be merciful and fair and not focusing on the smallest details

Watchtower:

"Be kind, merciful and fair. Do not strain gnats like the Pharisees" ***

*** Please see clause 16959 for further details, under subheadings "Keeping the congregation clean", "Is your mother a mentally diseased apostate?" and "Why it's loving to take a huge dump on your best friend". Further updates to come (depends which way the wind is blowing).

Stay tuned for next week's article entitled "Is a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of blood acceptable to Jehovah?".

31

The hypocrisy of today's Watchtower

by UnshackleTheChains in

i don't really need to explain anything really.

all i can say is that i was gob smacked at the sheer audaciousness of the entire study article.

i'm still speechless.

Good JW

When I first left the org it took some time to realise the actual abuse/hypocrisy. You're so desensitised to it, you read stuff in the bible and think "well at least we don't get stoned anymore".

Lol

The same will be the case with thoroughly indoctrinated WT followers, they're so used to the crap it feels normal.

14

Cart Witnesses vs Faith Healing Church

by pale.emperor in

today in liverpool the cart witnesses were in their usual speck in bold street holding out their wafer thin rags and books that they literally can't even give away.

but today the city centre was flooded with some sort of black church handing out their leaflets and little invitations to a "special event" this sunday.

i took a leaflet off them as they handed it to me and they were very smiley and cheerful.

Good JW

This is the sort of situation I'd pray for when I was a JW. I loved debating scripture because I genuinely believed and (thought) I knew my stuff.

That was actually my problem - as a JW I got a bit full of myself in some respects concerning what I thought I knew. Being a "logical thinker" made me use that ability only for the good of the WT mindset. Was my own worst enemy. Took some time before I was able to step outside the bubble and truly analyse what was going on.

What did it was realising that the GB ("faithful slave") wasn't perfect, or anywhere near it (if "Christendom got things wrong, how come that made them Satanic, but when WT got things wrong, that was just imperfection and new light")...and if they were just taking a "stab in the dark" and hoping for the best in their guidance (no better than Joe Blogs publisher), why on earth was I putting stock in what they said, especially if it meant death (e.g. leaving a family motherless because she refused blood and died during childbirth)?! Why not go straight to the source, or at least weight things up myself?

It's tunnel vision, the JW will always feel their way is right....until something happens in their life that shakes them up a little bit - perhaps something really close to home that jolts them. Then and only then will they be able to take the goggles off. For your average JW, debating people is just a sport (to validate what they've already decided is true)....everything that follows this faulty mindset will only be selective "proofs" to back that up.

35

what big change could bring down the watchtower?

by stan livedeath in

what single big change do you think could back fire and bring the cult down ?.

me: tithing..

Good JW

There's a difference between the structure/organisation of JWs and the religion/faith of JWs. In fact, many JWs expect the structure to fall down but their faith to remain in tact! This only reaffirms their conviction that Satan is attacking them.

The downfall I believe is already in process though (IMO); and that (amongst other things) = a dilution of previous values. The idea that they are different from the rest of Christendom is slowly eroding away. Other than the social value (the bonus of sticking together), there's not as much conviction of belief to make the average JW stay. Eventually I believe it will just become less cult-like and more like a mainstream religion, or else it'll fizzle out purely as a result of being so out of touch with reality (as the generations go on, there's less and less threat of feeling isolated since there's already been many who've "abandoned ship").

29

Guilt trip

by Jrjw in

did anyone have other jws try to guilt trip them when they were leaving or if you were making a decision which jws felt was wrong but wasn't unscriptural?

i'm getting people guilt tripping me to eventually get back with my emotionally, spiritually and mentally abusive husband who i'm separated from.

i feel sick at the thought of getting back together and putting myself through that nightmare again but i'm being told its what jehovah wants coz he doesn't want families to be apart.

Good JW

I can honestly say that I hardly ever feel guilty these days, and it's great! If I do feel guilty, it's usually something to do with stuff that actually matters (e.g. not seeing my mum in a while or something similar). When the guilt comes, I do something about it and it's gone again (no beating myself up as I did while in the org). If it's not something I can fix, I'll discard it.

It's so much healthier to be this way. Looking back on my life as a JW, the guilt tripping they did was eventually paralysing for people like me so it defeated the purpose.

29

Guilt trip

by Jrjw in

did anyone have other jws try to guilt trip them when they were leaving or if you were making a decision which jws felt was wrong but wasn't unscriptural?

i'm getting people guilt tripping me to eventually get back with my emotionally, spiritually and mentally abusive husband who i'm separated from.

i feel sick at the thought of getting back together and putting myself through that nightmare again but i'm being told its what jehovah wants coz he doesn't want families to be apart.

Good JW

These movements thrive on guilt/fear because it works. Fear of what you may lose, or guilt about being "wrong" is motivating (albeit in a negative fashion). You're 10x more likely to do something due to the bad effects of not doing it. It's just instinct.

Many in this cult are only passing on what their religious leaders/parents/culture have taught, and then it repeats from children to children. It's not really their fault, but that's the nature of this beast. The thing to note however is that guilt is not anything real - it is only an "alert system" to say that something may be wrong. Whether it is wrong or right is besides the point (i.e.reality) - your conscience has been programmed to think a certain way. Unfortunately in the JW sect this "radar" has not only been tuned into over-drive, but the alert goes off at the silliest of things, e.g. watching the smurfs, having a wizard toy, being accepting of a gay friend, not doing enough field service, masturbating, not preparing your watchtower for a brainwashing session every Sunday where someone else interjects their own ideas into your head...you get the idea.

With that in mind, logically speaking, being away from your husband is the healthiest thing. Do you think that God/Jesus had abuse in mind when in the bible Jesus said "a man must stick to his wife"? Of course not, the whole idea of marriage is an interchange, a to and fro of give and take - something mutually beneficial towards the upliftment of both parties. If that's not happening, and you've given it your best shot, then what's the point? Look at the context too of Jesus' words in the bible, he was obviously condemning a shallow and frivolous disregard the men in that day had of women (discarding them for a better/younger model), which in turn would not only be "heartless" (as Jesus said) but also devastating for the family unit (all because of the men's selfishness in those times). It's blatantly obvious that you have no reason to feel guilt, it's just an emotional thing (not based on reason) that will pass :)

48

Anyone struggle to find meaning in life?

by Good JW in

just wondering if this is a common thing for you guys and girls?

when i left the jws it was hard to make a connection with people, much of the time i felt that whatever they wanted to talk about just didn't seem relevant/deep/meaningful.

i find myself filtering my mind to get to a level with others (small talk mostly).

Good JW

Stealth - that's a wonderful commitment you've made! If my wife and I can't have children, that'll be our next move (adoption). I am a firm believer in the (better) principles of Christian living.

Mentalclarity - yes that's my problem lately; too much alone time (although I spend plenty of time with people at work, it's not the same as a close friend). Think that Christmas brought it home to me more, felt really out of place with my wife's family (we have nothing in common). Small talk is something I get a lot of so it feels like pulling out teeth now lol. Can't really get into it, it's just part of my personality. I'm the sort of person who's not affraid to ask questions and really delve deep into a conversation, even with people I don't know much about. Like you said about your previous life as a JW and the bible, it feels good to talk about something meaningful. That's never left me.