THE GLADIATOR

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Posts by THE GLADIATOR

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  16

  Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

  by THE GLADIATOR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

  a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

  im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Well as you ask trailerfitter...

  For some years after I left the org, my brothers family and my wife's family continued to see us. I even had my brother and his family along with the presiding Elder and his family all come and stay for the weekend, both all together and at separate times. Unheard with apostates as far as I know.

  I wrote a book about the Jehovah's Witness. I had not decided whether I would publish and be damned, knowing the problems it would cause. I told my wife not to mention the book to them. On one visit my wife, thinking she knew best, told them about the book, naively believing that they would not mind.

  It was like a bomb going off. After I was shunned I published the book. The rest is history, as they say.
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  16

  Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

  by THE GLADIATOR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

  a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

  im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Leavingwt – an interesting post. I remember you sharing this with us a few weeks ago. See I do read your posts.

  Sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. Good moves are usually planned. Tact, even apparent complicity, buys time while we plan to make the right move at the right time.

  Generals will allow sacrifice to gain an advantage in battle. Lawyers in court will hold back and play their cards close to their chest to gain maximum impact. Chess players do the same. Tactical patience is not surrender, whereas unconditional complicity is.
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  38

  Have you ever successfully persuaded anyone?

  by losthobbit in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've had many conversations with religious people and am always surprised that i am never able to get anyone to put their programmed beliefs aside and process the logic that proves how unreasonable their doctrines are.. so, i'm wondering, have you ever successfully persuaded someone to change their mind about something that they had been brainwashed with, and if so, how did you do it?.

  thanks in advance .

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  THE GLADIATOR

  How many psychotherapists does it take to change a light bulb?

  Only one. But the light bulb has got to really want to change!
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  16

  Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

  by THE GLADIATOR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

  a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

  im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  “I laid low when I could've stood high. I said nothin' when I should've asked why.
  I saw somethin' that I might've done and I didn't,
  A chance to speak my truth and I hid it. ”

  I’m a bit of a Jeff Bridges fan. Just ordered his new CD. These are a few lines from ‘Maybe I Missed the Point’ – from the crazy heart film. They struck a chord in me and made me think about my years spent as a Jehovah's Witness.

  Like many here I was compliant when I could have spoken up. I was afraid of being ostracized. It happened anyway. I finally spoke the truth and paid the price.

  Should've asked why sooner and wasted less years.

  Life is short. Be brave and be yourself.
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  29

  How Did You Get Rid of Your Bound Volumes?

  by Eiben Scrood in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my town will no longer collect old books like that as trash and they're pretty hard to burn.

  my solution has been to include one in every bag of used cat litter when i clean the cat boxes.

  i've gotten rid of around 30 that way and i'm about halfway there.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Mine were bound to be thrown away.
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  86

  I wish I was dead ...

  by talesin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  not much to follow that .... day-umn, life is hard sometimes .... .

  feel free to encourage me ... i need it.. .

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Talesin,

  How the face that I see in the mirror More and more is a stranger to me
  More and more I can see there's a danger
  In becoming what I never thought I'll be.

  Somedays are diamonds, somedays are stone Somedays the hard times won't leave me alone
  Sometimes the cold wind brought chill to my bones
  Somedays are diamonds, somedays are stone.
  
  

  Life can be a real struggle at times. When we are feeling low, negative feelings can take a hold of us. Think of the good times you have had and promise yourself that you will enjoy some more before your story ends. It really is always darkest just before the dawn.
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  40

  is it wrong to pray to die

  by needhelp101 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs
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  THE GLADIATOR

  exwhyzee ''Death is a permenant solution to a problem that may only be temporary.''

  This well said. Once we have accepted the inevitability of death, either now or through old age, we have nothing to lose. We can live without fear and seek out things that we want to do.

  The option of ending it all will always be there but by living one day at a time we can often cope better than trying to make sence of our past and present life. We all live through dark times but they do pass if we are patient.
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  20

  Is it possible to completely forget the JW experience.

  by mankkeli in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am wondering if it is possible to completely forget our jw experience after a long time, and live life as if we have never been one.

  no memories, no bitterness, no meeting up with ex-members, nothing connected to the jws in our feelings.. is this ever possible, could it ever happen, and how long possibly..

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Experience has a benefit including our Jehovah's Witness experience. To forget completely would amount to amnesia. We are the sum total of our experience and our experiences should be learnt from and celebrated.

  I am not referring to experiences that we did not consent to such as rape or other enforced abuse. We consented to be Jehovah's Witnesses but as we learnt and grew we moved on. Our experience was part of that process.
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  49

  "Who created the intelligent creator?"

  by mankkeli in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did the complexity of life arise spontaneously, or did it require a creator?christians believe that a creator is essential.

  scientists believe that the idea of a "creator" is pure mythology, and that the complexity arose through natural processes like evolution.

  you can actually answer this question yourself with a little logic.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  Sam Whiskey 'Why are some so enamoured with the need to disprove a Creator? I rarely see Christians so wrapped up with trying to disprove Atheism....'

  Perhaps you need to check out a few more posts. There is a huge pro Christian influence on this board. Nothing wrong with that and it creates a balance.

  'Let’s face it, if there is no God, then there is no sense of right or wrong…'

  Are you sure about that?
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  49

  "Who created the intelligent creator?"

  by mankkeli in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did the complexity of life arise spontaneously, or did it require a creator?christians believe that a creator is essential.

  scientists believe that the idea of a "creator" is pure mythology, and that the complexity arose through natural processes like evolution.

  you can actually answer this question yourself with a little logic.

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  THE GLADIATOR

  'I believe it is possible God himself doesn't know why he exists.'

  Good point WontLeave

  If a god existed, before he became a creator, what was he/she/it?

  Potential?