Posts by scratchme1010

29

How many do you figure are converted through the door to door ministry?

by HereIgo in

i regular pioneered for 2 years and never have actually converted anyone through the door to door work, in fact, i only knew a few individuals that joined this way.

most were born-in or at least had some type of family influence.

i had several bible studies but they all got cold feet when things got serious and potential baptism was discussed.

scratchme1010

Looking back the entire experience was just a waste of time and meaningless. A lot of empty homes, coffee breaks and people uninterested in what we had to say.

It's very interesting, that was my experience too. I started preaching by myself when I was a little child, all the way up to when I was 23. Rarely I saw a person who really wanted a revisit for the right reasons.

Now as an adult, and also way more educated in the matter of negative influence and high demand, controlling groups, I know that research shows that most people who fall for groups like the JWs do not pay attention to their message unless it comes from a friend, a coworker or a loved one. Most people in these groups started following another person they know and/or have a degree of trust. It's no surprise that house to house preaching raises awareness at best.

9

Today is my two year shuniversary

by kairos in

jw
friends

glad it isn't the 1200's...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbtad2c08xu3-25-89 to 9-10-15.. today is my two year shuniversary since they executed me for apostasy..

scratchme1010

Congratulations. You don't sound too "executed". You sound pretty much more alive an happier.

35

JW.org is a real estate and publishing company disguesd as a religion.

by UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in

jw
friends

since my awakening i have tried to understand why and how people could continue to believe so blindly in a proven false "religious" cult that has such an extensive and detailed record of scandals, lies and cover ups???

i've come to the personal conclusion that there are three major reasons.

i call them the 3 f-ups!

scratchme1010

Is this the beginning of the end of the JW corporation? Time will tell...

Doubt it. They changed their model like every other business that was in the publishing industry.

64

Free to sin but still cannot bring myself to do it

by sinboi in

have da'd myself nearly 3 months ago.

now i am part of this world but i feel myself the odd one out.

something inside me is still blocking me to do the things i have been longing to do while i was still a jw, such as attending birthday parties, sex, etc.... just last nite, i was on the way to attend a birthday party.

scratchme1010

Now I am worried about my military obligation in a year's time. Will I be able to get myself involve in bayonet fighting?
Been 16 years under bondage by the org. (since birth). The only sin so far is smoking and heavy petting .

Sorry that you are going through all that. Please be gentle with yourself. I can give you a million reasons to understand how ridiculous that concept of "sin" is, but I think that you get that well at the rational level.

If you find it to be a problem that is stopping you from living your life and feeling comfortable in your own skin, I may suggest you to get professional help. You don't need to deal and figure everything out all by yourself. A counselor or therapist who specializes in negative influence may be able to help you with whatever is blocking you.

Leaving that organization physically is not the end of your relationship with them. Please know that many of us have gone/still go through the same or worse.

One of the most important "sins" that you can commit is getting outside help and advise from a mental health professional that understands the negative influence of that organization while remains a complete outside source. Remember we were trained to believe that we "know better" than those professionals, and that the only source of help is not even the Bible, but the gazillions of publications containing their interpretations of it. Ditch that believe and ask for help if you feel like you need it.

And of course, there's this forum.

23

Pale.Emperor And The Hypnotists

by pale.emperor in

jw
friends

even as a jw i was fascinated with hypnosis and seeing people like derren brown putting people under almost instantly.

in the last 2/3 years when i was a jw but beginning to wake up from the bullshit i read up on hypnosis, watched a few youtube demos and explanations etc.

but never actually studied it seriously until about a year ago.

scratchme1010

Interesting topic and experience. I myself explored it at some point, but my level of interest is not that deep. That ridiculous condemnation of hypnosis by the WT is just bizarre.

Hypnosis has had a bad rap in the past due to ridiculous claims that many other sources have made about it, such as:

Or:

And:

It used to be common that hypnosis was made fun of or misrepresented in the media and even in education. There were/are many misconceptions about it. HOWEVER, most of the world have moved on to knowing better, but the WT continues their stupid archaic way of thinking about it.

41

How much do you think the internet has hurt JW growth?

by HereIgo in

the internet is what helped bring me and so many others out of this evil organization or at least confirmed our doubts.

i have to say, i have seen quite a few youtube videos recently of ex jw's secretly recording their interactions inside of different congregations, halls, etc and see how empty the halls are!

so many people comment on how the attendance is so low, far more emptier than when i was in 6 years ago, even on a weekday meeting.

scratchme1010

One of their most used tricks to maintain people controlled and to keep ex-JWs feeling like crap, was to isolating and limiting access to both information about doctrine and about the lives of people who leave.

The Internet has posed a giant challenge to the WT in that sense. Aside from people having easier access to information regarding all the nonsense that they teach, the thing that has hurt them the most is ex-JWs being able to unite, compare notes, form groups, and provide a consistent message about what the WT really is.

Without the Internet (for example), many people would have never heard about the case of the Australian Royal Commission and their institutional child abuse. More than finding discrepancies in their teachings, the Internet has provided a more realistic picture of who they are.

Also, people who may be thinking on joining them have the opportunity of hearing the entire story before making a decision.

At first they tried to stop people from using the Internet, then they started talking about the "dangers of the Internet". It was inevitable that they had to embrace it, but they came in late to the game. That is the result of having older non-technology oriented people in their GB.

So yes, the Internet is one of the WT's biggest nightmares. Still is.

15

Why would Jehovah God write the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone ,in the first place ?

by smiddy3 in

i mean to say he is the creator of the universe isn`t he ?

so why would he use such a method that is subject to crumbling over time ?.

i remember a jw talk/mag.

scratchme1010

Why would Jehovah God write the Ten Commandments on two tablets of stone ,in the first place ?

That was an important prophecy, predicting the iPad.

9

In the name of the...

by btlc in

when i was a kid, i was occasionaly attend to baptism at conventions, and i remember that brothers who immerses candidates in the water, said: "right hand to nose, left hand to right hand, and i baptise you in the name of the father, son and holy spirit, amen".

i remeber that same mantra at my baptism too, back in the eighties.

but, some years ago, i was asked to help to move some props around baptism pool, so i attend to baptism after so many years - there was no "in the name of the..." part.

scratchme1010

Never paid attention to that detail. Don't remember if anything at all was said during my baptism. However, btlc:

...he gave me look like I said something nasty, and he said: "we don't use that phrase for decades, dude..."

that's a more relevant issue to me.

12

What is the watchtower going to do when

by pepperheart in

all the old magazines that are on the carts now have gone ?.

scratchme1010

ALL the old magazines that are on the carts now have gone ?

Print more.

26

Prayers ,are they answered ? or is it just self delusion ?

by smiddy3 in

after 33 years as a jw and leaving 25 years ago i think prayer can be summed up with the jews praying at the wailing wall.. all they are doing is talking to a brick wall ,and getting no feed back.

and they expect an answer to their prayers ?!.

christians /other beliefs might find that funny but they are no better off.. prayer is always a one way street you talk either vocally or mentally to god however you never get the same back .. if god " so loved the world that he doesnt want any to be destroyed but have everlasting life " then whats the problem with him audibly answering his servants prayers ?

scratchme1010

Prayers ,are they answered ? or is it just self delusion ?

Self delusion. Don't you notice that prayers get extremely, severely conveniently answered and ignored in the most contrived of ways? That should give you a clue.

How many people are right now praying in Cuba to get saved from the Hurricane? So if they are safe, is that because the prayer was answered? And if they are not safe, why would that be?

The whole prayer thing doesn't make sense from the logical stand point. For some reason, however, it does give comfort to people. It keeps some people calmed, and makes them trusting. From that point of view, prayer gives people hope, but nothing more.