Posts by scratchme1010

7

Perfection

by Jehovah lol in

is the watchtower's concept of 'perfection' biblical?.

scratchme1010

Is the Watchtower's concept of 'perfection' biblical?

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what you mean by "perfection" and by "biblical". I do know that whatever the WT has to say about anything is pure bullshit, though.

33

the life saving message

by jookbeard in

the life saving message of death and gloom brought to a town centre near to you!.

When did "no part of this world" exclude crowdfunding ?

by redundantcartworker in

if this family are j.w's, is this not a bit hypocritical ?.

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/local-news/parents-launch-35000-fund-raising-859314.

Reminds me of some of my JW relatives who like(d) calling me for money. One of my sisters called me, wanting me to pay for her plane ticket to got to a JW wedding of one of my nieces who didn't invite me because I'm not a JW.

Yes, I know well that their "not part of the world" shit is quite elastic.

35

Unbelievable KMS example

by Saltheart Foamfollower in

i've been to the kingdom ministry school (for elders) recently and can report that it is mostly the usual mix of cliches and platitudes.

several letters where basically just read through one line at a time.

one point early on though almost made me laugh out loud.

scratchme1010

...to view Jehovah as being beside you...

...and your dick between your legs, idiots.

3

Step dad is a elder

by Jayk in

i was unware of this.

the irony is my mom is so "different" most her witness family barely wants anything to do with her.. she has spoken badly about my own brothers to other witness parents.

most witnesses who know my family and situation have said not even the bible has the answers to helping us.

scratchme1010

I agree with dubstepped. That applies to both JWs and non-JWs, family and not family.

6

"Worldly" boyfriend has never met my JW family, and might never will.

by BL_Poet in

public service announcement: i am not going to write a whole backstory on myself, i just simply want to get to the point.. i have been disfellowshipped now for almost 3 years, for i had a baby out of wedlock, not by my current boyfriend, but by a guy i was dating at the time- don't judge me ;) lol- my current boyfriend and i have been dating for a year now.

i've met his family-only his parents, and his cousins family, of whom i knew before i met him, thus how i met him through a bbq- at the time, he knew i was a single mom, and didn't know too much of my backstory.

as you can imagine, i had to tell him about how my babies father and i didn't work out, due to his wandering eye, and how i had little to no support due to being disfellowshipped, or as the "world" knows it by- disassociated- from my religion.

scratchme1010

First, big hug. You do not deserve the treatment that you are given by anyone, neither your JW family, not your wondering eye boyfriend. Shame on all those irresponsible morally bankrupted people who let you go homeless.

I'm not going to judge you, but I do severely judge those who are supposed to be there for you and have no problem with not supporting you.

I'm so sorry you're going through that.

Now, I left long ago and had a few relationships. I am a gay man, so you can imagine that announcing my wedding to my JW parents wasn't exactly something I was looking forward to.

However, what worked with me was becoming self sufficient in every aspect, financially, physically and emotionally. My parents and my JW family are not there for me, never have been there for me, and if/when they want anything it's always been for their own benefit.

I just had to accept that reality and move on. Hopefully you get to form a good family with your current boyfriend. Explain to him your circumstances about them being morally irresponsible JWs, and that their support is minimal (I wouldn't say that you are completely alone, just in case he turn out to be abusive and knows that you are completely alone; play your cards right).

Once again, please know that no one deserves such mistreatment.

5

I Am A Hemp Witness, this in my first video :)

by Greybeard in

jw
friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsqexhdme3i.

scratchme1010

Fun to watch.

20

Talking to women

by Holden Caufield in

i recently asking this women out who here has problems with women after being a jw.

i still do.

i will try to talk with with women..

scratchme1010

Sorry what I meant to say was that I still get nervous not so much talking to women but asking them out.

By your first post, I can tell. Good luck. If it's of any help, some women feel equally nervous around getting asked out. And there can be one or two who may ask you out.

46

What Makes Someone Become a JW?

by minimus in

jw
friends

my excuse is that i was born in the religion.

but if someone wasn’t, why would they become one?.

scratchme1010

My excuse is that I was born in the religion. But if someone wasn’t, why would they become one?

I am born-in too. What I know from the experts is that it's a combination of factors, including timing and circumstances of the person who joins, some of which apply to some people. Here's what some experts say:

Decision point - The cult arrives at a time when people are facing a turning point in their lives, and need support.

Dissatisfaction with state of something (the world, their lives, their community, etc.) - Certain events affect people and they want answers or an explanation for their suffering, and the cult appears to give them comfort and/or answers. The WT offers paradise forever on Earth.

Loneliness - Some people just want to belong to something. The WT offers a "spiritual paradise" and a congregation that is forced to tell that they are a cohesive unit where people love each other.

Loss - The cult offers hope and comfort from loss. In the case of the WT they offer people being able to see the loved ones who passed away.

Play on ego - Some people never get the opportunity to lead. The WT offers "privileges" of being a pioneer, a MO, an elder, etc. This one seems to speak to people who never had educational or career opportunities.

Promise of certainty; relieve doubt - They make promises that "all your problems will be solved". The WT talks about living in paradise where one will not even fear wild animals.

Spiritual search - Some people are actually looking to nurture their spirituality. The WT offers gazillions of publications providing gazillions of explanations about why the Bible is so clear.

The “buzz” / emotional arousal - The born-again effect is a feeling that some people like. It's called the "religious high". It took me some time to understand this one. I found a book with the title "When God Becomes a Drug" that explains well the effect of emotional and religious arousal in people.

Vicarious celebrity - People relate to the experiences that they hear others telling. The WT notoriously does that in their assemblies, always having people sharing their testimonies and experiences, always being some kind of horrible person who now isn't thanks to their Jehovah.

Attractiveness of leader - Some people are charmed by the leadership. In the WT this is typical of when people attend a talk from a very skillful speaker.

Escape from freedom - Some people have a sense of inadequacy about their own lives, and they feel that they need some kind of structure.

Health reasons - The cult promise comfort and and answer to their suffering, or hope about their conditions getting healed. The WT promises all that in their paradise.

Stop using drugs - Some people feel that being part of a religion or some kind of group that doesn't allow drugs will keep them safe, abstinent and sober. The WT promotes a "healthy lifestyle" in that respect.

Escape abusive families - Some people are in bad domestic situations (caused by them or others; remember that there are many current JWs who were/are violent abusers). People look for religion as a way of changing family dynamic, or as a way of sheltering themselves from abusive situations.

Relationships - Aside from a sense of community, some people believe that only good people join and stay in those groups, hence, they think that the groups are good places to find suitable partners to form families. The WT promotes marriage among them.

I see some of those things in my family. My mother joined because she was completely alone in Puerto Rico after moving from the Dominican Republic, and only had my violent wife-beater drunk father with her. In the JWs she found an explanation for her suffering, a congregation, something to do, hope for a better life, a ways to improve her level of literacy, and a promise of happiness and life forever.

My father joined in an attempt at stopping his violence, and to stop hanging out with his drinking buddies (to stop drinking). He also saw an opportunity to teach and lead others, something he likes doing but never had the chance to do again. Never mind that he stopped beating my mom and using beer as an excuse, but started beating us his children and using the Jehovah crap as an excuse.

9

What grinds my gears most about being part of a high control religion!

by UnshackleTheChains in

the one thing that annoys me most about being a jdub is the control watchtower has over everyone.

for a start, there is absolutely no liberty in christ.

there is no freedom to openly express your own thoughts on scripture.

scratchme1010

The fact that no one speaks out when some whacko answers up saying 'we must shun our own family members if they are disfellowshipped'.

They are brainwashed, so they will believe (or pretend to and go along with it anyway) what they are told to believe.