Posts by scratchme1010

9

Who helps the most - POMO or PIMO

by Ray Frankz in

i was recentely talking to my girl who is also awaken about if there were any chance of the org to lose at least its power and authority since i believe to expect a destruction of the org is unreal i came to the conclusion that the best way to help jws is by means of the pimos.. if we take the own jw logic (the world is bad but we need to live among them in order to bring them to our side) i think that if a good part of the people who left when found ttatt stayed in they we could have much more awaken people today.

when you are out it gets extremely hard to gain the trust of any jehovah's witness to begin with.

every totalitarian government had to fight rebels among them.. im not being numb to the causes of anyone who decided to leave.

scratchme1010

Im not being numb to the causes of anyone who decided to leave. In fact I recognize the personal benefits are totally valid. What I'm saying is that maybe this - leaving - is what is making the org able to remain powerful. Let's be sincere, we are not Ray Franz. A resignation or a speech of protest from us is like throwing a rock in a lake, it makes small waves and quickly fades. I really believe we should think of this alternative strategy.

I find your post interesting.

I also think that the part that you posted here might be the key. Whoever signs up to help other JWs becoming PIMO or POMO, can create any kind of strategy. They have to have commitment to do so. In that respect, being PIMO or POMO might not matter. As long as they come up with a good strategy, they can be helpful.

I know people who perform interventions to help people in cults and family members who lost loved ones to cults, and one of the things that they do before taking any action is inquiring what will replace the cult. What made people join the JWs, whatever need that is, has to be satisfied somewhere else, otherwise, there might not be possible to have people leave.

23

JW Elder quits & sends 900 emails

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

an elder in quebec, has just quit as a jw.

he did so by emailing nearly a thousand jw’s with the explanation for why he and his family are quitting.. i have spoke to him quite a bit, interesting guy.

he’s quite the loss to wt, he’s an elder with a serious career in chemistry, a professor no less.. catch his story here, apologies if this has already been posted;.

scratchme1010

An elder in Quebec, has just quit as a JW. He did so by emailing nearly a thousand JW’s with the explanation for why he and his family are quitting.

That's a great way of closing the chapter. No gossip, no speculations, everybody got the same message and from the right source.

Love it.

25

Medical marijuana

by Mikethegreek in

hey everyone.... i'm new to this but i would like to run my experience with medical marijuana past you.

i'm 48 years of age and have been in the truth for my whole life.. i suffer from ankylosing spondilitis and have for many many years.

it's a debilitating form of spinal arthritis and the symptoms of this auto-immune disorder affect more than my spine.

scratchme1010

Recently (3 years ago) I was prescribed medical marijuana by my doctors and I was reluctant on taking it. However I had given up on the OPIATES and the other addictive pharmaceutical drugs I'd been prescribed for many years and started with the medical marijuana. I don't smoke it, instead I take edible forms.

Without getting into the Jehovah thing, I'd suggest to educate yourself about the effects, benefits and harms that it may cause in your body.

Some people prefer not to use any opioids because they have what they call an "addictive personality", that is a propensity to develop an addiction to things. That can happen with any substance, not just medical marijuana.

Look for sound health care related, medical advice, and try to get as informed as possible to take care of your health the best you can.

Keep in mind that an entire line of pharmacology for the conditions that you mention exists, and most-to all of their components can cause the same addiction than marijuana. From that perspective, there's no difference between medical marijuana and other pharmacology.

80

Are we losing our way a bit at JWN?

by nicolaou in

firstly, i want to be crystal clear how grateful i am for jwn.

it's been my place of support for over seventeen years and it's the first online space i direct anyone to if they are taking steps out of the cult.

i am not bashing jwn - i love this place and appreciate the hard work and expense simon puts in to keep it going.

scratchme1010

Some people just want to shout their anti-Trump message...

I think that this kind f thing is precisely what you are complaining about. Please bear in mind that some people are still in cult mode.

I also believe that people can feel free to post whatever they want for as long as they comply with the rules.

In addition, people keep posting political things, which is not bad.

And actually don't think that posts have changed at all. My complain is the exact opposite of yours. Many people here want to connect the JWs to everything and anything they can think of, related to them or not.

10

The Sailboat

by compound complex II in

jw
friends

my tech guy made my original summery day at sea into a brewing tempest.

sort of like life, yes?.

.

scratchme1010

Love it.

12

Relative rates of mental illness

by Doug Mason in

a report produced 50 years ago by a psychiatrist at a west australian mental health facility ("asylum"l reported that the mental illness rate among jws was 3 times the norm of society.

other similar studies at the time concluded the rate was much higher.. i wrote to the psychiatrist at the time, asking whether the wts attracted people who were already susceptible to mental illness or if the situation was created after the person became a jw.

he responded that they did not know.. being myopically focused on the wts at the time, but more importantly belonging to an alternative eschatological apocalyptic body at the time, i did not think more broadly.. i think that today i would like to know:.

scratchme1010

Interesting topic. In terms of numbers, I may be as clueless as you are, and if I'd speculated about it, I think that I'd share the same thoughts that you stated.

I do know that the issue of mental health was my eye opener. I was depressed as a JW trying to comply with their Jehovah crap until I finally had it and got help. After that I started wondering and noticing how many others might be suffering in silence expecting for "magic Jehovah" to solve all their problems, or just waiting for their new order to make things better for them.

When I started noticing, and I mean, really noticing the JWs in that congregation in Rio Piedras, it was horrible, creepy, sad and angering (at that organization) noticing so many people with all kinds of issues, many of which can be treated with simple talk therapy.

I left decades ago and since then I don't follow anything they say, do or change, but back then there were elders who openly talked against getting any kind of mental health, claiming that doing service will make you better, or otherwise, it "has to be your conscience bothering you", so then you need to confess to something. It was sickening (literally).

5

Time to quit the church?

by eyeuse2badub in

i'm a pastor and i want you to quit church.

by chris sonksen | fox news.

(istock).

scratchme1010

Thanks for sharing this. There are many other sources that state that church attendance is in decline. My concern is what people are replacing church related activities with.

34

How to spot awake JW at a convention

by Akid48 in

i cant spot one to save my life, so i wanted to now if any one could me figure out how..

scratchme1010

I cant spot one to save my life, so i wanted to now if any one could me figure out how.

My guess is that it might be the same way that they may have a hard time noticing you. I think the answer is in your own behavior and attitude.

However, if for some reason you're looking to be friends, or having an active JW with whom you can really talk, I'm not sure that might work.

First, there are people here who have been out of the JWs for decades and still behave like they just left this afternoon. Some people never let go even to their own detriment.

Second, some people might be experiencing a crisis, and even though they might be awake, they might not be in a place where they can even talk about it, leave alone admitting it to another person. Remember, some people think that they are going to die because of waking up. That's no small thing.

Third, a lot of the support that (in my humble opinion) we need is outside the WT and the congregation, and as away from the JWs as possible. You can get quality help and real education outside the congregation.

Fourth, people change their minds. Some people wake up but it's too difficult for them to deal with it and rather convince themselves to stay, which means that they will tell on you as a way of reaffirming their commitment to that organization.

Fifth, it's actually more on the fourth and first, I have encountered JWs and ex-JW people outside the JW setting (like in a company event, a bar, or a park where gay men go to have anonymous sex). Even under those circumstances they still didn't even want to acknowledge me (one of them was to busy to do so, anyway). The negative influence of that organization is very strong in many individuals.

Sixth, a lot of people survive being in that organization by putting up a big show about themselves and who they really are (elders, anyone?). If you are still interested in spotting those people, you will have to start to get a lot closer to them, and if you are PIMO, will that be to your best interest?

61

Immigration: The Truth about the LIe - CRIME

by Wonderment in

immigration: the truth about the lie: crimecrime: do immigrants increase rates of violence?

there has been a lot of talk about how immigrants pose a threat to the safety of this country by increasing crime rates.

is there any truth to this, or is it "fake news.

scratchme1010

What do you think? Are these sources reliable? Or, are they "fake news"?

Looking at the little snippets of information in your post, it's difficult to determine the veracity of the information.

However, I don't need any outside source to prove to me that crime in USA is committed by people from every walk of life. Just spend a day watching the Investigation Discovery network.

I don't understand trying to demonize one culture or another. I know great people who are the most decent, fine people, all of them have completely different heritages.

One cannot say that people from a given country are criminal. That's just nonsense, and I don't need a study or numbers to back that up. Being human is enough proof.

44

Has Your JW Background Benefited You In Any Way?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i would like to think there was some good that resulted from our being a witness at one time..

scratchme1010

I would like to think there was some good that resulted from our being a Witness at one time.

Here's something that I found that growing up a JW shielded me from. In the city where I live, every other person is in therapy. You want to make it big in NY? Forget acting, become a psychologist.

As a young adult free of the JWs, I decided to throw my first Thanksgiving/Holiday party. I invited my friends, and to my surprise they loved the idea of spending what I thought was supposed to be a family-oriented day, with me and not with their families.

During the dinner, I found out why. Here are the things that I learned that some people go through during the holiday season:

At the time, there were more suicides during that season that any other month of the year
Lots of people have lots of resentments towards family members, unresolved conflicts, or downright traumas, so they feel forced to meet family when they prefer no to
Many people see that time as a day where they have to be forced to be in the right mood, and stop their lives to pretend that they are happy when they are not
Lots of people go to support groups, 12-step programs, or other forms of support during that time more than through the rest of the year
A lot of people are very angry and resentful feeling that they have to spend money, host people they don't really like, and pretend that everything is ok during those days
A lot of people get in debt, pressured to look perfect
Those who believe in keeping up with the Joneses submit themselves to even more pressure because they feel that they have to impress others or "top the year before"

I've heard so many negative and horrible holiday related stories, that it started making me feel glad that as an adult I can concentrate in what I believe the holiday season is supposed to be for.