Posts by nevermind

36

Is Stephen Lett an alien imitation?

by LoveUniHateExams in

i've been watching quite a bit of gb member stephen lett on youtube recently (no, i'm not thinking of going back to the jws).. i just find him compulsive viewing, like when people slow down to see a car crash.

i find his facial expressions and intonation spell-binding.. it reminds me a bit of john carpenter's the thing, a film where an alien life-form infects a host and imitates it, spreading throughout camps of remote workers in the antarctic.

if i were a bethelite living in close proximity to lett, i'd be thinking about giving him the blood test to see if he was normal, lol.. why does lett speak in public the way he does?

nevermind

Do you guys think that there might be a conspiracy theory behind why the WTS decided to lift the curtain and show the faces of these GB wackos to the public? Taken at face value, one might think that the WTS is stupid to broadcast these GB wackos, thereby destroying the mystery that had veiled the GB in the past. But then when you dig deeper into the effects of showing Tight Pants Tony and Lett to the public, you begin to see that the JWs with sense start to wake up and those "true believer" JWs drooling over these freaks. The conspiracy theory is that the WTS is deliberately doing this to separate the flock, getting rid of the JWs who are able to wake up from this spell. The diehard JWs can't be cracked of the spell they're under, not even with freaks like Tight Pants and alien Lett. That's how the WTS decepticon keeps crankin', even after over a century worth of stupidity. Its fuel is the stupidity of the rank and file and the formula is tested and proven

19

Is ignorance an excuse?

by stuckinarut2 in

i have always maintained that i hold nothing personally against individual witnesses, even those that have actively slandered our name and reputation based on the actions of some individuals.. i have often said that all these ones, (even the ones spreading gossip), are victims of the culture of the organization, and the directions of the gb.. but recently i have been rethinking this, and wonder if ignorance is really an acceptable excuse?.

i mean, with so much information now readily available about the society, its origins, its scandals, issues and conduct, is it simply ok for a witness to remain wilfully ignorant about the organization that dictates every aspect of their lives?.

is ignorance an excuse?.

nevermind

I have often said that all these ones, (even the ones spreading gossip), are victims of the culture of the organization, and the directions of the GB.
But recently I have been rethinking this, and wonder if ignorance is really an acceptable excuse?

Hi stuckinarut2,

I've been asking myself the same question too and rethinking whether or not the Watchtower should bear full responsibility for the actions of JWs. I came to the conclusion that all JWs who knowingly shove truth under the rug and refuse to deal with it are fully responsible for their actions. For example: it's a no-brainer that telling bold-faced lies and slandering others to tear down their reputation are behaviors that are frowned upon by anybody with a decent amount of moral capacity. It's common sense that children are taught from an early age to not lie and to be honest. Integrity and honesty are some of our most upheld and cherished values and form the backbone of civilization. So, if JWs are taught to lie when it makes the WTS look good, and these same JWs decide to still participate in this kind of environment and ignore their conscience, then the JWs are the ones to be blamed because they know deep down it's wrong, but they still do it, and eventually, if they do it long enough, they don't even think notice that it's wrong.

So my conclusion, JWs who choose to continue drinking the WTS kool aid despite noticing wrong conduct here and there, take full responsibility. I'm not talking about the awake JWs who can't leave because of the family dilemma. I'm talking about JWs who are in it because of lust after what they can gain from this religion, like power, status, prestige, etc.

14

Something that doesn't get discussed all that much...

by Vidiot in

...but i believe is relevant:.

just how much is the watchtower organization's "business model" dependent on its tax-exempt status?.

is it truly sustainable without it?.

nevermind

Man, it really sucks big time that the WTS religious scam is difficult to expose and prove to the gov't.

The only thing the JWs are known for is going door-to-door trying to get people convinced that if they don't become one of them then they'll get destroyed by Armageddon. LOL, how the WTS bs is continuing to enjoy charitable status and be tax-exempt beats all of us.

12

My older brother has stopped his bible study

by pale.emperor in

good news people.

my older brother has abruptly stopped his bible study with the witnesses.

he was part-time shunning me during his study and his behavior was beginning to change into cult mode but he was thankfully woken up.

nevermind

So that was that. He felt lied to and want nothing to do with them. He last line hit the nail on the head "if they were lying to me about that, how can i trust anything they say?"

Awesome!! Great news indeed!! Glad your brother thought about this and pulled out as soon as he realized that they were lying to him!!

69

What food are you grateful for?

by punkofnice in

jw
friends

i'll start: stilton cheese.. (it was a toss up between that and sweet pickled beetroot).. thank you folks..

nevermind

I'm grateful for these foods: flat bread, naan, curry, rice, kebabs, chili peppers, broccoli...Yum!!

27

Talked to a JW at a literature stand today

by nevermind in

guys,.

i need your help in trying to wrap my head around this strange experience i had today talking with a jw lady sitting at a literature table in a busy outdoor shopping center.. i'm a very shy person, but i always wanted to ask these jws at their literature stands questions to start them thinking about the validity of watchtower teaching.

i finally mustered my strength today to talk to this jw lady.

nevermind

Hey guys,

Thank you all for your insights, which really helped me better understand that the behavior of this JW is no surprise at all!

Gathering from all your inputs, now I see that any combination of these factors contribute to a JW's behavior when questioned about his or her beliefs:

* Theocratic warfare - such a strange concept will of course generate no less than that "strange" behavior

* Filter on - reforming beliefs to best suit what's wanted

* Ignorance of WTS history

* Believing in the lies of the WTS

* Cognitive dissonance

Chook - that's a great idea! I will ask hypothetical story next time I run into a JW about emotionally cruel practice of shunning.

ToesUp - I do feel like banging my head on the wall each time I deal with a JW who's still closed minded.

By the way, I never formally introduced myself to this board! I was exposed to the JW religion through a JW I met almost 10 years ago. Thankfully, because of the internet age, right from the get go, I knew the WTS is a false religion. Since then on, I've been trying to help this JW friend of mine realize and accept the TTATT. My latest attempt at trying to get him to question his faith on the WTS ended up him cutting off communication with me. By the way, he is blissfully ignorantly working at the Warwick Bethel now. Since he went cold turkey on me, I've been trying to understand why he behaved in such a way, and lo and behold, I found this forum! You guys have really helped me understand why JWs behave the way they due because of the mind control they are under. As you can see, my only extensive experience with a JW is with this particular JW friend. So, yesterday, when I met another JW at this literature stand, I was again shocked.

Thanks, you guys, you are very amazing, for helping me realize that this no surprise!

27

Talked to a JW at a literature stand today

by nevermind in

guys,.

i need your help in trying to wrap my head around this strange experience i had today talking with a jw lady sitting at a literature table in a busy outdoor shopping center.. i'm a very shy person, but i always wanted to ask these jws at their literature stands questions to start them thinking about the validity of watchtower teaching.

i finally mustered my strength today to talk to this jw lady.

nevermind

Typical WT robot she is.

But she sent her kids to college and still gets to be qualified to witness at a literature stand? This is big time double standard right there!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who boggles at this JW behavior, which is doubletalk, outright lying while maintaining a straight face, saying stuff like it's fact without first verifying. It's borderline mental I must say. But these mindless robots make perfect JWs.

27

Talked to a JW at a literature stand today

by nevermind in

guys,.

i need your help in trying to wrap my head around this strange experience i had today talking with a jw lady sitting at a literature table in a busy outdoor shopping center.. i'm a very shy person, but i always wanted to ask these jws at their literature stands questions to start them thinking about the validity of watchtower teaching.

i finally mustered my strength today to talk to this jw lady.

nevermind

Guys,

I need your help in trying to wrap my head around this strange experience I had today talking with a JW lady sitting at a literature table in a busy outdoor shopping center.

I'm a very shy person, but I always wanted to ask these JWs at their literature stands questions to start them thinking about the validity of Watchtower teaching. I finally mustered my strength today to talk to this JW lady. Well, the strange thing is that she outright denied everthing a JW is known to do. Being a shy person, I didn't want to seem confrontational, but I still asked her questions on the failed predictions the WTS made about the coming of Armageddon, the change on the WTS stance on blood tranfusions, the annihilation of those who don't join the WTS, etc.

She flat out denied everything that the WTS did and taught! Here is what she said to answer my questions:

- 1914 failed prophecy didn't happen. All Russel did was just say something significant happened.

- 1975 failed prophecy didn't happen. It was not the Watchtower's fault that JWs believed Armageddon was coming and sold their homes, so they ended up paying for their own mistakes.

- All her children went to college. JWs as a whole don't condemn higher education. It's up to the individual JW to decide whether to pursue higher ed or not.

- JWs are free to read anything they want and research is encouraged since they are taught to be like the Bereans.

- The events transpiring at and after Armageddon, like what's going to be destroyed, what's not going to be destroyed, the logistics of handling the resurrection of dead people onto the new earth, are just theories, so can't stump her on the details of WTS teaching on the new earth.

Basically, after the last point, I'm like what?!? This must be one liberal JW they chose to sit at that literature stand! But of course, I knew she was outright lying about everything. Perhaps she was just trying to gloss over the details to avoid the discomfort of the fact that her doomsday cult teaches horrible fate for those who don't become a Watchtower slave.

Can you guys shed some light of this type of behavior? Is it common for JWs to outright lie like this? Please help me understand this odd behavior!

5

I have to get this off my system, so here the WTS bashing comes

by nevermind in

hey guys,.

i'm glad we're all on here because we're all united in our realization and acceptance about the truth about the watchtower society.. i'm going to share my thoughts about the wts because i feel like this needs to go out there, if not just for the personal satisfaction of getting this out of my system.

so here it comes, and if you all have some indignation about the wts to get off your system, please share them by posting as well!.

nevermind

Hey guys,

I'm glad we're all on here because we're all united in our realization and acceptance about the truth about the Watchtower Society.

I'm going to share my thoughts about the WTS because I feel like this needs to go out there, if not just for the personal satisfaction of getting this out of my system. So here it comes, and if you all have some indignation about the WTS to get off your system, please share them by posting as well!

1) Tomo III belongs in a jump suit behind bars locked up in a federal prison for being a dangerous lunatic. Hey, you don't need to directly kill or murder people to be dangerous to the public. You can be just spreading dangerous practices that have no biblical basis at all that puts people's lives in danger because of your crazy beliefs. Tomo III is just as much a threat to the society as that crazy freeway shooter, it's just that his threat is subtle, disguised behind the name of religion. Check out JWsurvey article on crazy Tomo praising a ten year boy for refusing the medical treatment he needed to live - http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/21st-century-christian-martyrdom-tony-morris-praises-jw-boy-who-died-refusing-blood

2) I can't and will never be able to fathom at the selfishness of JWs who shun their own flesh and blood. I'm guessing that at the core of them buying into this whole crazy shunning their family is the greed to take a piece of that paradise earth, which they don't realize is just a sham. Greed to the point of cruelly shunning their own moms and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, etc.

3) A JW's arrogance has no bounds. To feel superior while one isn't is borderline mental.

4) The clowns that make up the Governing Body are just that - clowns. It's amusing, if not sad, at how these baffoons are practically worshipped by the JWs and are believed by the JWs to be future rulers in the new system. You can only imagine, well thank goodness, it's only imaginery, what the new system will be like with these baffoons running the show. Women in the new system wearing burkas covering their whole bodies from head to toe don't seem like such a far fetched idea!

5) If the new earth was true, which it isn't, then it will be much like the idiosyncratic nation of communist North Korea! No kidding!

11

How many JW's believe to their last breath . .

by nicolaou in

jw
friends

i can easily believe that thousands did all through the watchtowers glory years but especially after '95 the whole thing has been unravelling.

kidding yourself to maintain family relationships and social networks is *somewhat* understandable in life but on your deathbed?.

i think the demographic for jw's may actually get younger as time goes on.

nevermind

JWs these days are an easily frightened bunch. Can't hold an honest conversation with one for more than a few times before he starts digging his head deeper into the sand and refuses to discuss further. I guess I ruffled his ever sensitive feathers by just innocently bringing up those many failed prophecies of the WTS over the past century, and then his "apostate" alarm set off.

There are things like the whole overlapping generation and anointed class demoted to less glorious status that affect the older folks who've been JWs long enough to gauge the significance of these changes. But for those JWs who joined post-2000s and even more recent ones, it's hard to use these as punch lines to start awakening them to the WTS fallacies. I'm guessing they probably weren't in long enough to experience the status of the annointed class given by the WTS in the earlier chapters of its history. For one, jw.org is just the WTS attempt to rewrite its own history. With these challenges in mind, I'm not sure with whether a significant amount of the younger JWs (those that joined post-2000s) will be lifers or not. Time will tell how long this WTS decepticon can continue