Freeandclear

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Posts by Freeandclear

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  15

  "Reproach on Jehovah's name"

  by Phizzy in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  the longer i am away from the cult, the more very childish and downright silly it seems in many many ways.. just another example of the childlike way they do not think things through is their obsession with "not bringing reproach on jehovah's name", that concept was used to stop jw's doing all sorts of stuff, a lot of it quite normal.. but the worst aspect of this concept is that they cover up the evil within their org any way they can.. yet they only have to look back on all the cover-ups of the past, by other religions, by politicians etc etc to see that an open acknowledgement and an open dealing with the situation at the time is far better.. cover-ups get exposed in the end, and leave you looking far worse than if dealt with honestly..

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  Freeandclear

  Yes that phrase is ridiculous. It's ridiculous because in reality it's not bringing "reproach upon Jehovah's name" at all, it's "bringing reproach upon the Watchtower Society's name"

  smh.....
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  83

  what buzz word from the jw's do you hate & why?

  by Sabin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so my hubby has been on a bit of a roll about the jdubs, we were talking a lot about them & he said the buzz word he hate's the most is "worldly" why?

  because he say's "with that one word they have condemned (according to their believes) a person as being worthy of nothing but death.

  ".

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  Freeandclear

  Privileges - code for "more menial work for you brother!"

  There is a brother (whom I dearly love and respect) in my old hall who is the PO of BOE and he conducts the WT and now that it's so dumbed down he no longer really brings out any points. I can remember back in the day the WT discussion was lively and full of interesting things, extra research by others etc.... now it's just read, ask the question, get the stock answer and move along.... Anyway, this brother used to be a very fine teacher. Now when I listen to the meetings it's like he's a robot just moving the meeting along, no extras... Well all that above to say this, he has a stock phrase he uses WAY too much, he says it after almost every answer is given, I swear the bOrg has replaced him with a genetic clone....he always says "Isn't that so true?" "Isn't that soooo true?" I've heard it so many times it makes me cringe...... Sad.

  The Organization - this never really set well with me. Now it's even worse. Nowhere in the Bible is the word Organization presented like that, and it's worshiped. Current JW's view the Org as profits and leaders under the direct hand of God....again, sad.
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  78

  Animals were created without needing Toilet Paper ... but not Man ... Why???

  by RubaDub in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  my dog and other pets do their "business" and run away and are happy.. man does not have that luxury.

  any thoughts on why animals were created with the "poop and go" capacity while man has to go through more steps?

  was this perhaps an additional issue that god added on when adam and eve sinned (such as eve having significant more birth pains)?

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  Freeandclear

  I haven't read the entire thread but here's my .02

  If you 1. eat a true human diet, lots of fresh fruits and veg and some occasional meat, nuts, berries, etc.... and 2. you squat all the way down when you poo and 3. drink plenty of clean water: your poo will come out like you've never experienced before and there will be virtually nothing to wipe.

  When I was in Prague the toilets there are very low to the ground and they have a very wide rim and a really thin little seat. The bowl is very deep. When you sit on it your butt hangs down into the bowl and you are in a squatting position. When I was there I was eating very well (as described above) and when I would poo it was glorious. I mean it, I looked forward to a nice dump every single day. It's an amazing difference to poo in the proper position. It just slides right out and if you're eating right it's a nice well formed bm. When I was done it would be one wipe and nothing left on the tp at all. I could have forgone the wiping but it just didn't feel right being so used to it.

  When I came back to the US I looked all over the internet for this kind of toilet. I'd grown so very fond of it I had to have one. Well there was nothing on the market here at all.... The only thing even remotely close was the Squatty Potty, it's just a simple stool you keep around your toilet when not in use that you pull out and put your feet on. It elevates your feet and puts you in the proper human squatting position when you poo. Works. Try it. If you eat right and squat no tp needed (I still use it but again, one wipe and done.)
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  10

  The Accounts Report or lack of one

  by OnTheWayOut in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am pretty sure it's still the same since i stopped attending almost 10 years ago, but this is something to think about:.

  at the kingdom hall, there's an accounts report.

  they say they gathered in an exact amount of money for both local expenses and worldwide work and that it exactly went to these exact expenses and this amount was sent to watchtower.

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  Freeandclear

  I have been to many many assemblies over my years when I was a J dub and yes, at every single circuit assembly I always remember them saying there was a "deficit" in contributions. Every single time.

  The last few times I went, last year in fact, I remember thinking how odd that was and also noticing how much they talked about money and "giving freely" now. In the past, back in the 90's and 2000's I don't really remember them harping on about it that much, but now it's very different.

  Also back then in the 90's and such after they said "there's a deficit" I can remember right at the break people would be lining up almost to put in more donations in the boxes, like there would actually be lines. The last circuit assembly I went to (it was a 1 day thing, not even sure if they call them CA anymore?) there were no lines. In fact I rarely saw anyone putting any money in. I didn't either.

  Funny how Jehovah was always supposed to support the work right? I never thought about or saw this side of the bOrg before and it's quite eye opening.
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  14

  Jehovah's Witness Teens 13 and 10 Commit Suicide in Wisconsin

  by Tenacious in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i found the following story while researching the jw mindset and subsequent behavior due to their weekly exposure to mind control techniques.

  the story is a bit old but it does speak volumes in terms of the mental anguish the average jw teen must endure as a jw.

  links to website and original newspaper follow:.

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  Freeandclear

  Such a very sad story, and I'm sure it's no where near unique. The TWS really does ruin lives with their ridiculous teachings on education and staying poor. How many lives would have turned out differently for the good if we'd not been sucked in? Most likely all of us.
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  20

  KM 2005- Society discourages brothers from donating to Tsunami victims $$$$

  by Witness 007 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  sitting in the hall i was shocked when i read this article.

  kingdom ministry 2005 nov {after the tsunami and new orleans desaster witnesses sent millions to help brothers in these areas marking their envelopes "for the tsunami victims" etc.

  the society realized since there are few witnesses in tsunami ravaged countries this money would be wasted helping muslims.

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  Freeandclear

  I distinctly remember that KM as I was an uber dub at the time. Never even crossed my mind what their real motivation was at the time....wow.
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  4

  Conversation on FB with a witness who doesn't know me

  by Peony in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so on my facebook feed this morning pops up a picture with the words 'jehovahs witnesses the happiest people on earth' i have no idea why i can see this must have come from a friend of a friend!

  anyway i take a quick peak at the comments, about 30 of them all saying the same jw propoganda.

  then ,non jw, makes a comment about a terrible person she knows that is a jw and that jw's break up families and listen to man and not god.. jw replies: just because someone says they're from a certain faith doesn't mean they're living it.

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  Freeandclear

  Nice job. They have taken the red pill (or was it the blue one?) and you can never wake them up from the matrix. But all you can do is try. It's very sad how deluded they are and how they shut their minds off the minute anything is said that disagrees with the WTS. I was there once myself as I'm sure most of us in here were....... Too bad they are wasting their lives. Then again, which is better? The steak in the matrix (Paradise just around the corner) or the gruel in the ship (the real truth about life, that there are no real answers to the big questions and well just have to wait and see?) I prefer to think of myself as that one young man on the ship that was enthusiastic about the nourishing gruel. He viewed it as a great thing, and I prefer to look at the mysteries of life as a great thing too. Either something else is out there or it's not and we won't know anyway. So that free's me to live the best life I can NOW and hope for the best at the end.
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  36

  Gay ex-Bethelite

  by Chip Williamson in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  just now finding this web site and have enjoyed reading the comments.

  i've never written down my story and it could be a jerry springer episode but here goes.

  i was raised as a jehovah's witness from as early as i can remember.

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  Freeandclear

  Congrats on finding your way out and finding your happiness in life. What more could anyone in this world want than to see others happy and thriving?
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  8

  A simple question among other things...

  by megaboy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i would like to ask a question freely to anyone, just to get a feel for those i eccounter in life and be able to meet with them through empathy.. those who spent time with this organization, did you ever feel any sense of wisdom coming from it at all?

  when i mean wisdom i mean in a truly sensible manner not the illusion of it.. were there any teachings that would manifest in you respecting your self and your thoughts, as well as others, being able to detect reasonable behavior and detect teachings which promote moderate actions with others?

  anything to harvest justfying thoughts are behaviors with others?

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  Freeandclear

  Great question.

  When I was in I found most congregations to be warm and loving. I would travel around a lot as a youngster and visit many different halls. Only a time or two did the hall feel cold or unloving. I got to go to an international convention in Prague in 2006 (back when I was an uber dub) and it was a wonderful experience.

  I had many friend in the hall and would spend at least an hour after meetings talking and socializing, for me it was warm and loving.

  I never thought any of the information presented was particularly full of wisdom, certainly not wisdom from God, merely wisdom from man. What I mean by that is all the stuff in Proverbs and such is just human wisdom acquired by simply living life and observing how to and how not to treat others. I don't think anything in the bible is special knowledge or from god.

  However, from a personal standpoint regarding my overall feeling at meetings, one word comes to mind. Guilt. Okay two words; negativity.

  Very much harping on how bad the world is, how evil satan is, and how bad worldly people are. And as for the guilt. It was a serious dichotomy. On the one hand we were told to "do your best" "do as much as you can" etc...but then there was the "You must always be improving" "Keep reaching out" etc etc etc..... So even though you WERE in fact doing your best and being the best imperfect human you could be it was never enough. You were always brow beaten and made to feel worthless because you weren't doing enough.

  That's how I felt there anyway. It's also why I left. Thankfully I found jwfacts.com and came to learn the real truth about the organization and that has helped me alleviate my fears that I would die at Armegeddon. I am free now from slavery to the borg.
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  53

  How did you feel when they eliminated the Con. Book Study?

  by Freeandclear in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  years ago when i was "in" i loved the book study.

  it was my favorite meeting by far.

  mainly because it was a small group.

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  Freeandclear

  Years ago when I was "in" I loved the Book Study. It was my favorite meeting by far. Mainly because it was a small group. We were close knit and had a lot of fun at mine. The family that hosted always had snacks and refreshments after and everyone always stayed an hour or more after and socialized. It was a great time for me, and I honestly did more prep-ing for that meeting than any other.

  I can remember all the hub-bub about how near the end it would be our CBS group that would be so important to us all. That we would be like a small family and help each other, etc.....

  I found it to be the warmest of all the meetings.

  Then out of thin air they just up and vanished it. Gone. No real explanation at all other than to simplify things and to make it easier on us due to the pressures of the world, and to get a family study night started to strengthen the family. Well for me as a single male with no family in the Troof that didn't really do me any favors.

  Just curious here...how did YOU feel when they eliminated this meeting? Happy, sad, relieved, indifferent?

  Thanks.