Posts by Freeandclear

58

What's The First "Worldly" Thing You Did When You Exited The Cult?

by pale.emperor in

when you finally and officially exited the cult, whether it be by disfellowshipping, disassociating or fading - what was the first things you did that are considered "worldly"?.

for me, it was like crash landing on another planet that looked like earth but was completely different to the earth i knew.

i wanted to learn everything that i thought i already knew.. first things i did:.

Freeandclear

The very first thing I did was go out and get myself a girlfriend. Sweet relief finally. lol

66

When you were fully in, did you believe that you would not die?

by TTWSYF in

i know that it must seem silly to ask, but my brother and his family think that the big a will arrive before they die.

i tried to explain to my brother that everyone else who has ever lived in the past has died and only jesus has [physically] rose from the dead.. it is amazing that anyone could buy that line.

what crazy cult culture that could make people believe such nonsense?!.

I was 15 or so when I first heard the "good news" and about living forever in Paradise on Earth. So from that moment on I pretty much believed I would end up there, in Paradise. I didn't know if I would see armageddon or if I would even live through the GT but either way I'd end up alive forever in the big P.

When I became fully awake about a year ago now I had to face reality. I would indeed one day die, and not too far off either. Life is short and time gets faster and faster (from our perspective) as we age. I'm 44 now and I know that the next two decades of my life will simply seem to fly by. I don't expect to live much past 70 to be honest. I have a shitty lifestyle and don't really take care of my self....my issues..... so yeah, it's gonna happen. Everyone dies, it's that simple.

That was a hard pill to swallow for a while and I had an existential crisis for a couple of months, but I'm actually completely at peace with the idea now. It helps me to appreciate and enjoy each day that I'm alive and breathing. What happens after death is anyone's guess. We really don't know and we can't know. Chances are pretty good that nothing happens. It's just the end. Lights out forever. But the "idea" of something else happening is something that ALL humans cling to.

We are unique in one very big aspect, we can look ahead into the future and see how things will play out, to a degree. No other animals can do this that we know of. So HUMAN's have invented God because to see our own deaths and not think there might be something more is terrifying to say the least. The idea of our own eventual end is shocking and thus we created the idea of God and all the various religions along with it as a defense mechanism to combat this fear of death and to help us keep living our lives with some measure of hope and happiness. This is the conclusion that I've come to after many months of thought and research on this idea and topic.

We will die. We will probably be dead for real. BUT the idea of something more gives me hope (and yes, I know it's probably ridiculous but whatever....as long as it helps me get through life now I don't care).... lol

44

Why Do People Become Jehovah's Witnesses?

by minimus in

jw
friends

besides being raised in the religion , why do people become jws?

.

Freeandclear

My personal reasons: I was very young, about 16 or so. I'd just gotten my very first heartbreak and wanted comfort. I had no father in my life and my study conductor gladly stepped into that roll. I was a very nieve young person who trusted people at their word. All of these factored into me becoming a JW. Also it all made perfect sense to me at the time. All the answers were from the Bible which I greatly respected at the time and I had no way of verifying anything back then, no internet yet..... 1980's All these things added up to me becoming a JW despite none of my family being JW's and despite heavy family opposition. Crazy huh?

27

Are you sad or angry?

by raven in

after exiting the org, i mean cult, how have each of you felt personally about the lies you had been taught, the hurt from feeling betrayed by these people, actual hopes of once believed false teachings, rose colored lenses of seemingly just and right doctrines that turned out to be a bunch of horse $#!+, the shunning of family and friends?

right now i am going through the motions, i've just moved to a new home, which means hopefully no more elders searching for me at my previous address.. i can't help but feel sad though right now because of the fact that although i am not df'd ( maybe the elders will do it in absentia assuming i've been avoiding them and the 2 jc's they've invited me to as well as the last handwritten letter at my door before i moved ) my mom treats me as though i am dead to her, she says " i am living the life of a disfellowshipped person, and until i come back to jehovah this is how things will be because this was my choice to leave jehovah " ok i get it, but i don't- everyone has free will, so yes this was my choice but it is also her choice to shun me, especially after the "shun unrepentant wrongdoers" talk at the rc, funny how they come out with these talks to reel members back in.. she claims that she has an obligation to jehovah of which she promised to him after she was baptized not at 11, 13, or 17 ( young ages ) but fricken 26 years old.

i absolutely hate this organization and everything that it is, it's taken away my family and most importantly my own mother.. i always thought that a mothers love was to be unconditional, but hers for me is only conditional.

Freeandclear

At first I was pretty upset. Mostly because I no longer had all the answers to life's big questions. Then I got angry at all the wasted time. I have no family in the bOrg so my situation is different than some/most. Now I'm fine. I have made peace with the fact that I will die and that NOTHING solves everything, ie. the Paradise fallacy. I will live the rest of my days, however short or long, and I will die. At that point either I will find out there is more, or I will be truly dead and not know anything. Whatever the reality turns out to be I'm fine with that. It all changes as time goes on and you realize these essential truths.

46

"You will never grow old in this present system of things" -- some campaign tools

by FatFreek 2005 in

i am approaching 76 years old.

i can clearly recall that awake!

statement and similar during the pre-1975 hype -- "staying alive in '75", et al.

Freeandclear

This Organization is so insidious. They ruin lives. The influence major decisions of all their members, they keep them in slavery. I think it's actually much better with the mega churches, yes they also ask for and receive large amounts of money, but what do their parishioners have to do? Just show up and give. After they walk out the door their obligation is over. If they want to leave and never come back, no problem. If they want to live a life of sin and debauchery, no problem. It doesn't affect them at all. At least THAT is honest.

This organization steals the most precious thing a human being has. Time. Time and effort and energy and passion. It sucks the life right out of a person, and if you leave or disagree it also takes all your friends and in some cases family away too!

I didn't used to hate these people. And I don't hate any of the R&F witnesses at all but the elders, and the higher ups and especially the GB, they all have to know better to some degree that it's all a load of absolute horse shit. It is and they know it.

They should just change the whole format and make it like a more typical big church organization with no life disrupting penalties if you leave. But we all know that will never happen.

From here on out I will voice my opinion to any who are studying or any of my old friends. I don't care. They need to hear the truth about the Troof. What a joke. I still can't believe I was so snowed in by all of this shit...... sickens me.

I have a good life. Things turned out okay. I missed out on a free ride to MIT, so what? I make good money and I did it all on my own, but the years I wasted slaving away for nothing...that hurts. The loss of many good friends hurts too. Thankfully I had no family in the bOrg to lose..but I know most of you did and that angers me greatly.....

39

Mega-Church buys JW Assembly Hall property in Indianapolis

by OrphanCrow in

and yet another sale of watchtower property.... http://www.ibj.com/articles/59973-suburban-mega-church-expanding-into-downtown-with-big-purchase.

suburban megachurch expanding into downtown with big purchasea historic church building at the corner of 12th and delaware streets has been purchased by a large congregation expanding into the downtown area.. traders point christian church in whitestown is spending $2 million to renovate the 35,300-square-foot structure and should have it ready for worship early next year, rev.

james stanley said.. the neoclassical, limestone building has been used as a place of worship since it was built in 1912 and had been owned by the jehovah’s witnesses since 1978.. the location at 1201 n. delaware st., across from the benjamin harrison presidential site, will be the third for traders point.

Freeandclear

What a big load of horse shit this all is....the hypocrisy is just staggering.....

21

Describe your witness self, then describe yourself now.

by The Rebel in

jw
friends

my witness self :-very hollow, slightly lofty, characteristically judgemental, overwhelmingly convincing.. my non-witness self:- and in my imperfect way no longer taking the passive attitude to reality, and most importantly no longer feeling an outsider with my " true" friends..

Freeandclear

I was trying to think how to put the before and after versions of myself but Londo111 just above me said it perfectly. I wasn't high anxiety though, but def full of guilt, gloom and doom and repressed.

All of that is gone. I've made peace with my existential angst that I went through briefly and have no problem with the fact that I will one day die. I live each day to the fullest. And yes, I'm much much happier now.

24

Perfect Example of JW Dumbing Down

by thedepressedsoul in

just take a look at this video.

i think arguing or debating scriptures is the most pointless thing ever.

everything at their meetings are so basic with no explanation.

Freeandclear

I can't believe I was ever a part of this...... Watching this makes my skin crawl. It's all so absurd. All of it. The Bible, arguing with people at the doors and being so passionate about it.... It's just insanity to waste what little time we have here doing this shit. And that guy knew his way around his bible and his beliefs way more than those two "sisters". Shame. As you said, so dumbed down now.....

47

Is the Bible God's word? Help please.....

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

so real quick, i know this comes up now and then and i've looked over some of the posts from the past but here's the thing.. when i was a jw i drank all the cool aid, i was 100% and so i have all my own arguments (from the jw's) for why the bible is inspired.

i no longer believe this but i'd really like to read something that is pretty much 100% academic on this subject.

i want to read what scholars have to say about the authenticity of the bible and it's claim at being the inspired word of god.

Freeandclear

Hello everyone. So real quick, I know this comes up now and then and I've looked over some of the posts from the past but here's the thing.

When I was a JW I drank all the cool aid, I was 100% and so I have all my own arguments (from the JW's) for why the Bible is inspired. I no longer believe this but I'd really like to read something that is pretty much 100% academic on this subject. I want to read what scholars have to say about the authenticity of the Bible and it's claim at being the inspired word of God.

Do you have any suggestions for good books dealing conclusively with this subject? Or if you want maybe you can just put a list in your comments of why the Bible can not possibly be God's word.

Thank you so very much. This has really been on my mind lately.

32

God does not desire any to be destroyed?

by stuckinarut2 in

so if the idea is promoted that god doesn't want anyone to be destroyed, why does he make it so confusing for people to learn about him?.

why are there thousands of differing religions?.

why has "his only true organisation" even taught so many varying doctrines?.

Freeandclear

Religion is a scam and a racket. He got it right the first time all those years ago. ALL religion. If God wanted us to know the real truth he would make sure we all know. Simple as that. It's not Isalm, it's not Christianity, it's not Judaism or any other ism. It's all bunk. God might exist but he/she/it doesn't give a hoot what we believe or he would make us know. How can anyone really think anything otherwise? Puh-leeze.......