Posts by Unstuck

10

Jehovah's Witnesses: DO THEY FACE REALITY

by TerryWalstrom in

article

1.the organization itself denies access to reality and substitutes its own version, interpretations, and meanings.

a.only watchtower approved publications are allowed.

Unstuck

Brilliantly written Terry - and well worth wading through despite the lack of formatting (don't you hate that when it happens!)

You have crystallized beautifully the thoughts tumbling around in my head recently. Yesterday, I had a long talk with a very active JW whom I had lived with in my much younger days. We had pioneered together and she had just heard along the JW grapevine that I was no longer attending meetings.

I had a very careful conversation with her (as I'm not d'Ad or d'Fd but feel the vultures circling) and I kept coming up against a lot of what you list above. To her credit, she listened, wasn't defensive (how can you be about the ARC for example - what's to defend!) but she was trying to reason with me and find positives about the ORG. I really had to try hard not to laugh when she said: "But the GB have never claimed to be inspired" - and you captured that little gem above too. I just remarked that the language from the GB is contradictory: on one hand: "we're not inspired", on the other hand: "we are the F&D slave and we provide food at the proper time from Christ and Jehovah" - I told her that you can't have it both ways, you can't claim to be God's channel for spiritual food and yet not be inspired. She didn't have a response.

Anyway, I won't bore you all with the details but reading through your post reminded me so much of the conversation I had with her. She tried, but she can't actually see where I am coming from as I'm introducing ideas that are not allowed to be considered. It's a wonder she didn't use the A word - although I'm positive she was thinking it.

Tick, tock, The days are ticking until my game is up, I'm sure. In the meantime, I will continue to act with dignity, poise and grace and to respect those JWs that still bother to speak with me, never forcing my views or trying to tear away the fabric of their indoctrination. I want to be able to hold my head high that no matter what provocation I will not behave in a manner that justifies their twisted opinions (although I'm not naive to think that no matter how admirably I act I won't be branded evil anyway). At least in my own opinion I will have conducted myself with honour and integrity.

Apologies - I kinda made it about me in the end didn't I! What I really wanted to say was THANK YOU for a very thought-provoking and well constructed post.

Love and light to all

Unstuck

16

Toxic Person?

by stuckinarut2 in

i read a fantastic quote that applies to the way the society treats those who choose to leave...:.

"when a toxic person can no longer control you, they will try and control how others see you".

just wanted to share....

Unstuck

Blondie - that is indeed a fantastic book. I read it a few years back as I tried to come to terms with my toxic parents and their impact. Might be a good idea to pull it out again and read it from a rather different point of view now.

Stuck just sent me another quote that is applicable to this post: "Never forget that walking away from something unhealthy is brave".

There are a lot of brave people on this forum and I am grateful to you all for what you share - it has helped me tremendously.

Love to all

Unstuck

7

"It is BECAUSE I value Truth and Honesty that I have chosen to no longer attend"

by stuckinarut2 in

yes, i used that line when questioned by someone as to why we no longer attend.. it needs to be used calmly and without any arrogance.

then this direct, yet simple comment can't help but make the person think!.

Unstuck

Agreed!

We are more honest now that we have left. We are not part of a dishonest group....

29

New "paradise" video preview? "Will you be there?"

by stuckinarut2 in

my wife (unstuck) just saw a new 2-3 min video in her ex jw facebook feed, depicting a "paradise" scene preview.. it was complete with aerial shots and slow motion montages, with moving music.. scriptures were quoted across the screen, such as rev 21:3,4. i shazamed the music, and it came from another "worldly" album called "world of dreams.future world music" (you should see the song titles from that album!).

is it an official wt video, or some private persons production?.

if it is official, they seem to have once again resorted to desperate emotional manipulation tactics..... anyone else know?

Unstuck

Deleted - sent link to Wifi to see if he can extract it and post it (Privacy issues...)

9

Thank you for helping me through the bad days

by doubtfull1799 in

i'm sure that whatever stage we are at with our journey in leaving the corporation disguised as a religion, aka the watchtower bible & tract society, we have good days and bad days.

maybe young ones who have managed to escape mentally do not suffer quite as much, or suffer in different ways, but after 40 years of indoctrination, what i now like to call the "machinery of reinforcement" it is unavoidable that you don't have days where your head is messed with.

yesterday was just such a day for me.

Unstuck

"part of the brotherhood of heretics"

no-zombie - love it!! Count me in as a proud member of the brotherhood!

Right - I know, I'm supposed to get back to work.......

9

Thank you for helping me through the bad days

by doubtfull1799 in

i'm sure that whatever stage we are at with our journey in leaving the corporation disguised as a religion, aka the watchtower bible & tract society, we have good days and bad days.

maybe young ones who have managed to escape mentally do not suffer quite as much, or suffer in different ways, but after 40 years of indoctrination, what i now like to call the "machinery of reinforcement" it is unavoidable that you don't have days where your head is messed with.

yesterday was just such a day for me.

Unstuck

Wow - thanks Doubtfull1799. So nice to read your post (while I munch on lunch during a busy day) although not so nice to see the challenges yesterday presented to you.

First - I'm so sorry to hear about your work colleague. When you leave being a JW, your work relationships take on a new meaning. I have found support at my place of work from the most unusual and unexpected sources - they try their best to understand and some of them show uncanny insight. I have become closer to my work colleagues and I imagine you have to and so you will feel your colleagues death particularly keenly. 27 is way too young!! And too the false teachings we were raised with re: resurrection etc make the experience more difficult in a way. How wonderful that funds were raised to get the widow's mum to the funeral! So called "worldly" people show more generosity of spirit, kindness, unconditional love and support than those who claim to represent God's Son. Go figure.....

Stuck told me about your day yesterday and about what the coordinator said to you. I really feel for you. Despite it all, allow yourself the time to grieve the relationship that was. It is his choice to reject you, and his loss, but your choice to allow yourself to close the door on it, in time, when you can. Hold your head up high that you stated your reasons clearly, you made your stand. He rejects that stand but again, it is narrow mindedness to see that as a choice - but that is what we are dealing with.

I so look forward to meeting you in person one day and I hope that day will be soon!

Much love & light (back to the grind, lunch munch over....)

Unstuck

28

Part of Growing Up - Saying Goodbye to Invisible Friends?

by doubtfull1799 in

i don’t remember having any invisible friends when i was a really little boy, i don’t know if such a thing actually exists, i’ve only ever seen it in movies?

of course it might have looked to others like i was talking to someone on occasions, but i’m sure it would have just been me talking to myself.

the thing is though, i got introduced to an invisible friend in my pre-teens, and i kept the relationship going well into adulthood.

Unstuck

I have been reflecting on this very subject recently. So I am fascinated to see you comment on similar lines doubtfull!

I'm still developing an opinion on this but thus far, it seems to me, that not praying produces pretty much the same results as praying.

During my years "in" - I prayed fervently for all sorts of things. Whether tangible like for a job or for personal development and growth. After praying I would be on the lookout for an "answer" and I could usually find one or convince myself of one. This apparent "answer" would anchor me more firmly to the religion and no one could dispute it because it was my personal experience.

Seven years back, for various reasons, I made a subconscious decision to stop praying. Just stopped - that was it. I did feel guilty about it (until I begin to realise TTATT) and each night before going to sleep I would think about Jehovah and think that I should pray but I couldn't bring myself to. (Yes, I know that means that I was "spiritually unwell" - whatever.) Anyway, I share that to state that my next comments are on comparing the years I prayed to the years I haven't prayed.

And I find there to be no difference. I have experienced just as many successes and failures, rewards and setbacks, commendations and complaints as I did before. And what I have learned is that THE ONLY PERSON these experiences were dependent on was MYSELF! By my hard work and effort, my mental outlook, my decision-making processes, I determined whether I experienced a success or not, whether I achieved a reward or not, whether I received a commendation or not. (Other factors are of course involved but I don't believe them to be of divine origin.)

Looking back, I now question the prayers I thought were answered by a hearer of prayer. One eg. when I was 16 and wanted to start regular pioneering I didn't have a part-time job. I prayed and prayed about it and at the same time I actively sought part-time employment. After three months, I decided to take the plunge and put in a regular pioneer application form anyway, even though I didn't have work. Guess what, got a job in the next week. Back then, I put that down to Jehovah. Now, I put it down to the efforts I had made in the three months prior of actively looking for work. I think the real test would have been not applying for any jobs and Jehovah delivering anyway. But then, aren't we taught that he will only answer prayers that we are working towards? Rather convenient don't you think?

I know the question about prayer is closely linked to belief in a hearer of prayer. So I do not mean my comments above to offend any on this forum who do believe in a hearer of prayer. For me, the jury is still out on that one. I am struggling to accept that a creator wants to be found and wants a relationship with individuals when he makes it so hard to find him and when so many organisations use mistruth, manipulation and deceit - all the while the creator is silent about that and let's it happen.

Anyway, there's my thoughts and I apologise for the length - I do try to by pithy!

Unstuck

24

My new answer to an annoying question we have all been asked.

by doubtfull1799 in

well new to me anyway, i'm sure someone smarter than me has thought of this before.

the next time i get asked the perennial (and tired old) question: “but you do believe that the gb are god’s channel of communication, the organisation he is using, don’t you?” or some variation thereof, i am going to reply with two verses and reason as follows:.

the matter to be established: have the gb of jehovah’s witnesses received divine appointment to act as god’s representatives and channel of communication on earth?.

Unstuck

Ha ha ha!!! Outlaw you crack me up!

Love it!

Doubtfull1799 - really like your reasoning. Stuck and I were debating the very same "do you believe the GB is God's channel" question last night and I fell into all of the classic pitfalls. I lost the debate - Stuck "disfellowshipped" me before the end of the conversation! It was an epic fail. I might try your line of reasoning tonight on him and see how I go!

Love Unstuck

12

My letter to the Australian Royal Commission regarding case study #29 Jehovah's Witnesses

by EdenOne in

someone suggested i would address a letter not only to mr. angus stewart, but also to the royal commission as well.

it merges the two subjects on the same letter (inactive status and shunning; two witness rule), and adds some things more that what i said to mr. stewart.

it's a bit long, please bear with me.. --------------------------------------- .

Unstuck

Brilliantly done EdenOne!

There is just one other item that I would have liked to have seen the ARC address and for your letter to perhaps have included:

What is the Watchtower policy on dealing with a crime that is reported to them? It seems to me that the fundamental problem here is that WT sees child sexual abuse as a sin first and then a crime by coincidence. Fatally flawed thinking. Why, then, is a light not shone on how WT deals with crime?

For example, if an adult sister tells the elders that she has been raped, what is the policy? Again, do they just handle it internally without encouraging and supporting reporting to the secular authorities? What about assault, theft, attempted murder, murder etc? How are all of these crimes handled? This could reveal the real problem - which as you have stated is the protection of reputation and assets and in effect, makes WT complicit to the crimes they are not reporting.

Of course, I'm not a lawyer and I'm most certainly not emotionally neutral in this case as I have a burning yearning desire to see WT get it's butt kicked - but there are my thoughts for what they are worth.

Well done on sending the letter EdenOne - it is well constructed and exposes the falsehoods that O'Brien and Spinks were spouting at the 10th March hearing.

Unstuck

12

"You know that the Memorial is April 11 right?"

by stuckinarut2 in

ah, yes, so mid-way through a conversation about work, a family member just had to say "oh, you know the memorial is tuesday april 11, so i guess you will have to schedule your work so you can make it right?".

i simply said "oh is it?

" and then went back to what we were talking about.. has anyone else had the pressure to attend put on them?.

Unstuck

I take it that was your father Stuck?? Really? He won't ask what's going on with us, doesn't really want to know, but has to remind when the Memorial is??

He better not ask me..... I'll tell him: "never going to another one!"