Posts by scratchme1010

6

Support groups to assist individuals to leave high control groups such as Jehovah's witnesses

by UnshackleTheChains in

just watched ' one of us' on netflix about individuals who are trying to leave the hasidic orthodox jewish faith group (a high control group within judaism).. i found it interesting as those who rebel or leave are virtually ostracized from their community.

the documentary is an eye opener into their highly insular community.

one of the things i thought interesting is that there is a support group called footsteps to help hasidic jews wanting to leave the strict insular way of life so that they can move on with their lives.. this got me thinking.

scratchme1010

The International Cultic Studies Association, along with some of the mental health professionals affiliated with them have support groups for people who are recovering from high-demand, controlling groups, and those who have lost loved ones to such groups. They have retreats, conferences, support groups, a magazine, a library of resources, quite a lot of information. I know two psychologists, a married couple who have a private support group, and also provide individual counseling around the cult experience.

I ran a workshop for them once, a workshop specifically for current and former JWs.

Please check them out. I don't necessarily endorse them, nor do I provide any review of them. Every person's experience is different, so I encourage you to check them out and judge for yourself.

I am going to check FOOTSTEPS myself and see what they are all about.

28

THEY act like the ones who are hurt??!!

by stuckinarut2 in

it really amazes me when jws act like we are hurting them!.

many of us have found that if we stop associating with them for valid reasons, they act all upset and hurt that we would be "so cruel as to limit our association or cut them off".

i know of friends here on the forum who have been told by parents that they "will shun them if they leave jehovah" , and yet when the shoe is on the other foot and our awake friends shun them first, the parents cry and bemoan the situation and say how "cruel it is to deprive them of their company".

scratchme1010

It really amazes me when jws act like WE are hurting THEM!

The biggest turnoff to me is when any institution, political party, person, organization, company, anything act passive aggressively, acting as if they are the victim.

Something that fascinates me is seeing the switching from passive to aggressive. It never ceases to amaze me. When they realize that playing victim doesn't work, then they show their true colors, their claws come out.

Sadly that manipulation works for many people.

20

...'special'.. televised talk today.

by zeb in

jw
friends

29th april.. anyone have a lead on the ..'special'.. talk that my wife et al has to travel miles to hear/see?

just so i can be advised.. thanks..

scratchme1010

Hi, zeb. I wish I could save you the trip.

5

End of biblical generation.

by asp59 in

this organization use god's name.

when puting god's name they accepted some things.

to complete the preaching work.

scratchme1010

Maybe holy spirit already has made evaluation of things.

According to experts in the matter of high demand, controlling groups (commonly known as cults), the type of groups that always end in some kind of trouble, or just end, are two. The first one are the groups that base their teaching on recovery from addictions, and the second on are the groups that focus on predicting the end of the world or claiming that the end is near.

In the first group, they end in trouble because the following generations, born-ins, never exercised the life of an active addict, and they feel that they have nothing to recover from. Hence, what they say doesn't speak to them at all.

In the second group is because, well, any kind of "end of the world" based teaching is just false (so far we don't have the math and science to predict when life will end). Also, most of those "end is near" groups use that to demand things from their membership, only for them to feel fooled since there's always some stupid explanation as to why something that they predict doesn't happen. There's only so much fooling that they an take, hence, they dwindle, change, get disbanded, or evolve into something else.

5

So let me get this right about what your saying about Jesus!

by nowwhat? in

jesus the non judgmental man who ate with sinners, fed the hungry, showed compassion for the poor, and who wanted mercy not sacrifice is the going to be leading the charge out of heaven with fire in eyes and out for blood.

killing 99.9 % of all men, women and children on earth.

because they didn't heed some obscure religious group that hadn't gotten one bible prophecy right in almost 150 years?!

scratchme1010

That's correct (according to the WT).

8

Can a DF person testify at a judicial committee?

by JeffT in

this may be a plot point in a novel i'm working on.

will a judicial committee take testimony from a df'd or da person?

i could see them wanting to get dirt from any possible source, on the other hand i can picture somebody saying "he's df'd everything he says will be a lie.

scratchme1010

I know of a case where they visited a DFed person to inquire about a case of another person. Don't know about testifying, but I'm sure some have been quite flexible when they are in somebody's case.

24

Mother is terrified over talks of peace.

by Searching in

just spoke with my mother about the summit for north and south korea, her face turned a ghastly pale and she refused to talk to me about it afterwards.

i know exactly what is on her mind, and i'm not sure if i can say or do anything to assuage her fears about this being a fulfillment of prophecy.

any suggestions on what i could perhaps tell her to try and steer her from her line of thinking?

scratchme1010

Any suggestions on what I could perhaps tell her to try and steer her from her line of thinking?

Speak to her in terms that she understands and is willing to listen. According to what i was taught as a JW, that's supposed to make us happy because we're close to our reward.

I hope that helps.

43

Did You Ever Luke ANY Songs From The “Songbook “?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i went on line looking for old jw songs and some of them were pretty good and some were just awful!.

did you ever like any of those songs?

.

scratchme1010

Did you ever like any of those songs?

Yes, since I grew up hearing them and didn't know better. Now I find them cheesy.

226

Wealth, Poverty, and Morality

by SecondRateMind in

jw
friends

i am interested in the approach this forum takes to money.

apart from sex, (which i am quite relaxed about) it seems to me that wealth is the surest divider between those who are moral, and those who are not.. it seems jesus thought so, also.

luke 16:19-31 kjv describes well enough his dusty attitude to the rich who do not succour the poor.. and this world has many poor: so many, it might seem that we can do nothing about it, and twist his words; 'the poor ye shall have always with you, but me, ye shall not have always.

scratchme1010

Interesting post. Seems a little simplistic to me, though. What I have experienced myself and by seeing and living with others, is that it's not just about the numbers. It's not even about the numbers.

I learned to make a difference between poverty and poverty mentality. Without addressing the later you cannot address the former.

On the other side, there also is a mentality, a mindset. The financially privilege have their own way of living and thinking, so it's not as simple as attempting to distribute wealth among the social classes.

Furthermore, some people in the poverty level income live well within their means, and so many others in between the poor-rich spectrum. Not having all the means doesn't mean impossible to live and/or strive.

21

Are older women holding the congregations together (at least in the US)?

by Spiral in

so i went and had a facial yesterday, and the aesthetician (and business owner) was a 30 something women, and we got on very well from the start.

the conversation came around to how many new churches are being built in this area, and i said i was surprised by it all.

she had a very interesting take on the situation.

scratchme1010

Interesting topic. Here is Pew research on Generational cohort among Christians by age group:

Here's the Gender composition among Christians by age group:

There plenty of reliable sources of information if you don't trust this one.