I was going to mention NYC too. There are always one or two popping up every now and then.
scratchme1010
JoinedPosts by scratchme1010
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9
meet ups or support ?
by lonliwon inmy wife and i have been long time lurkers here and are now members .
we were wondering if anyone is aware of any groups or individuals that meet periodically within ( or a short drive from ) connecticut ?
we aren't looking to bash the past ... just to connect with others who understand and move on .
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The Brain May Be Able To Repair Itself With Help
by Brokeback Watchtower ini think we are going to see some very good advancements in the medical field in dealing with brain trauma.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d6oq0zggmw.
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scratchme1010
Thanks. Now that I work in the medical industry, I have come to appreciate these advancements. The amount of research and work behind understanding neuroscience is incredible.
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Sometimes it's the little things....
by dubstepped ini'm listening to a podcast where a former elder describes how another elder conducted the watchtower study about hyperbole.
the elder called it hyper-bowl.
soon the whole congregation called it hyper-bowl.
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scratchme1010
I agree. Something that I actually fight about the negative influence of the WT is that I never related to the blindly obedient follower. Instead, I used to identify with the selfish, yet charismatic leader. That's part of the reason I fight tooth and nail against let that organization shaping who I am.
I remember once I did an experiment like that. It was in a HIV/AIDS prevention forum. People were talking about they typical ways of infection and the most impacted communities. Purposely, I mentioned heterosexual men, bisexual men, gay men, and then I added "trisexual men".
People started and continued using the word "trisexual" in the conversation without a second though! I could not believe that once I established myself as a respected source of information, I could get away with mentioning anything I wanted and they wouldn't question it.
When people are conditioned to accept the words of a charismatic leader, rarely do they feel the need to question, sometimes even if it's something totally illogical or off-the-wall.
I have known of things that other cult leaders have talked their people into doing, some are simple and funny, but some have come at the cost of other people's lives.
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Janet Jackson music award, she gave credit to which God for her success?
by James Mixon inin her acceptance speech she made her stance on the me too movement, and thanked god for her artistic career.
she stand with women and with those men equally outraged by discrimination who support us in heart and mind.
rebbie and mom (both jw) front row seats when she gave credit to her father for their success, no mention of mom and jehovah.
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scratchme1010
It would have been weird to thank Jehovah after she had just sing "Nasty Boys". LOL
Maybe because the WT and the JWs aren't part of her life? Why mentioning something irrelevant? She has also managed to shine as a star on her own without getting into any of her families controversies.
Also, she is a talented artist, which helps her career hold on its own. She has managed to become a name on her own.
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I went to a meeting at my old congregation last weekend
by hoser init’s a three for one deal.
about 10 years ago they merged 3 struggling rural congregations into one in the largest town.
at the time there were about 75 publishers.
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scratchme1010
hoser, just being a little of the Devil's advocate, why does it (seemingly) matter to you to keep up to date with what they do?
I ask since when I walked away from them I decided that nothing that they do from that point on matters to me, unless it is in relationship with my still in JW family, and my dealings with them. I wonder how does that make a difference in the people who do follow up.
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Public Talk invitations ....Next to .Zero Attendees
by smiddy3 infrom my conversion at the end of 1959 to my leaving the j.w`s about early 1993 i remember especially in the first 20 -30 years or so giving out invitations to public talks that were to be given at our local k.h.
every time i went out in the service witnessing from door to door week in week out i would leave these tracts at not at homes or whoever would accept them .. and in my personal experience i cannot recall more than five worldly / non j.w.
people , if that , who came to a public talk as a result of the invitations given at the doors in our witnessing work in the 33 years of my being an active jehovah`s witness .. and none of them ever became a jehovah`s witness .. was it just me ?
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scratchme1010
Was it just me ? or do you have similar experiences to share .
I think that it was a common thing. The WT is made of a bunch of inexperienced, unprofessional, undereducated, yet, cocky, crass and confident about knowing what they are doing.
They have absolutely no clue about strategy, organizational development, technology administration, not even basic financial planning.
Long ago, some JW idiot decided that that's the most effective way of reaching out to people. No one seem to have ever question it, so they have gone along with it for over a century.
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Material such as the film at the end of this years convention confirms that I was right to take my kids out the religion
by jambon1 init’s quite affirming to see the horrific material that they’re serving up at the convention this year.
aside from blatant homophobia, the scenes at the end of the convention that are discussed on another thread stoop to new levels of fear mongering.
it seems to occur to nobody inside the organisation that this kind of material could trigger fear, deprsssion, anxiety, stress.
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scratchme1010
Aside from blatant homophobia, the scenes at the end of the convention that are discussed on another thread stoop to new levels of fear mongering.
You did do the right thing in keeping your family away from them. The homophobia thing is what many of those religions use as an easy way of getting people to agree with them. There was a time where almost every single Christian religion was united in that one thing, which was, hatred for the LGBT. That seemed to be the only thing that they all agreed on.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I know that they can make others think twice before endorsing the fear mongering and hatred in the name of a "loving god".
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Good Advice in the August 2018 Study Edition WT
by neat blue dog ini've heard numerous people here say something like, 'the best revenge is living a good life'.
well, apparently the wt agrees, in the august study edition:.
at times, people maysay unfair or critical things about us.
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scratchme1010
I don't see anything different, other than manipulation and keeping their people under their control. What they say is a good practice. The problem is that what they call living "in such a way that no one will believe that lie", is what they tell their people it is.
That and they just cannot change facts and history.
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We just enjoyed a wonderful experience! Richard Dawkins live.
by stuckinarut2 inwe just enjoyed a wonderful evening seeing richard dawkins live in sydney.
it was an event to promote his latest book, and was another opportunity to expand our "god given" brains!😜.
https://thinkinc.org.au/dawkins/.
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scratchme1010
Very interesting thoughts and video. Personally I don't need to follow people who think like me, as I have a mind of my own, and I'm confident of what I believe, but this can speak to people who need some kind of figure to follow.
Thanks for sharing.
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"World conditions have never been as bad as they are now"
by Sour Grapes ini went to a funeral yesterday and ran into a jdub.
of course, he approached me and it didn't take more than a minute into the conversation for him to get into the jdub gloom and doom mode.
he said that world conditions have never been as bad as they are now.. i looked straight into his eyes and said, "i think that world conditions were a lot worse during world war two.".
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scratchme1010
The look on his face was priceless. It was like he knew that was true and never thought about it before.
The rationale is that JWs expect people in a situation like a funeral, and its corresponding mood, to be vulnerable and consequently, more easy to prey on with their proselytizing. Hearing an answer like this one (which I believe is quite on point), not only makes them rethink what they believe, but also disarm them from their techniques.
This catastrophizing of our current way of living, to me is the signature of nonsense. Bad things happened, bad things happen, and bad things will continue to happen. In fact, getting sucked into a cult while looking for comfort after loss is one of the bad things that happen.
Thanks for sharing.