I have given the strawberries to my daughter. With my love. She likes 'em.
I think it's also necessary family business to give shortcake and whipped cream to your daughter to go with the strawberries.
return of parakeet
JoinedPosts by return of parakeet
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Oh, wise one, answer me THIS!
by stillin ini bought a large container of strawberries.
my daughter is disfellowshipped.
may i consider it "necessary family business" to give her some of them to share with my grandchildren?
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Ripping a persons faith away, a heavy responsibility?
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return of parakeet
Seraphim: " One can have all the facts and evidences lined up neatly and it won’t do any good if communicated from the disposition of competition or pride, as the intended listener will stop up their ears. "
Absolutely no disagreement there!
As Talesin noted, anyone can get carried away and respond in anger (also guilty, Talesin!). It's because of the nature of the Internet. We don't have to face those we've dissed. We can just shut down the computer and pretend it never happened. It's like road rage -- people behave in ways they never would if face-to-face with each other.
But Seraphim, what to do when someone attacks you verbally online where hundreds of people can read it? I've never allowed myself to be bullied, not by my mother, not by the WTS, not by anybody. My instinct is to respond in kind if for no other reason than to disabuse the bully of his mistaken notion about my life and my beliefs (or my lack of beliefs).
But it doesn't hurt to be reminded now and then that the people typing their posts are real flesh-and-blood people and deserve common courtesy if nothing else.
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Trying to handle my JW mom
by KatyMomof2 inmy mom is a recent widow.
she, being a jw does not have means to support herself and does not seek higher education ( because that would take from her studies ).
so, she is living ( sponging off of ) me.
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return of parakeet
This is pretty drastic but maybe worth a thought --
You said you were raised a JW but left at 18. Were you baptized? If you were and "faded" from the cult, you could DA yourself officially, which would force your mom to have nothing to do with you. She might feel compelled to leave to keep away from "apostacy."
Don't know if it would work or if it should even be tried. Just something to consider.
When my dub mother goes into her drama queen act, I'm often tempted to do that very thing.
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Mouthy Grace is not well. Please send love.
by return of parakeet inin another thread, mouthy said she was "not well" and mentioned "kicking the bucket.
i believe she needs some encouragement and well wishes.. mouthy, you don't need to respond to this thread if you don't feel up to it.
just consider it an exceptionally long get-well card..
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return of parakeet
For Mouthy (to give you a chuckle) --
Emily Dickinson: "Hope is the thing with feathers"
Woody Allen: "Hope is not the thing with feathers. My cousin Heinrich is the thing with feathers. We are taking him to see a specialist."
Thanks for the idea, xwhyzee.
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Another Jehovah-Witness-supportive documentary
by A.M. Number 1 inhttp://www.dailynews.com/ci_21983668.
just its existence makes me mad though, so i don't know if i could contain my rage.
it might just be too much for me to handle.
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return of parakeet
No fool like an old fool.
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I wanted to punch this elder so bad!
by OneDayillBeFree inso i decided to attend the meeting last.
since i haven't gone in about 2 weeks, and i leave as soon as it ends, and elder decided to corner me at the end.
lately i've been through some very depressing family issues that are non-jw related so i haven't been my best at acting like i care about the org.
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return of parakeet
Cold Steel: " ... the LDS faith is allegedly based on apostles, prophets and revelation. If these claims are correct, then of course to choose a different path than one revealed from Heaven would be foolhardy. If our claims are bogus, we’re a cult big time. "
That is indeed the problem.
Amen, Brother Steel. Amen.
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Ripping a persons faith away, a heavy responsibility?
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OTWO: " Parakeet, your thoughts are very interesting. They do tend to rip my faith away, so please limit your swings with the club of facts on my head. But thanks for voicing your thoughts, even if they are a bit heavy handed."
I've never been accused of being subtle. Not in my nature. Although I prefer a Louisville slugger to a club.
"If that offends you, remember that the above is just my opinion on this narrow subject, and it doesn't automatically suggest anything about you outside of this thread."
After years on this forum, I've developed a hide like an elephant, despite my delicate-looking parakeet avatar. I've been called lots of things outside this thread.
"I could do this all day. BTW, so that you are not offended, I am joking and mostly agree with you. "
Not offended in the least. Keep them pitches comin'. I swing at every one!
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Ripping a persons faith away, a heavy responsibility?
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return of parakeet
Qcmbr -- the quiet voice of reason. Kudos.
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Ripping a persons faith away, a heavy responsibility?
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In my first post in this thread it was a call to balance not indifference to ignorance. I trust that clears up the confusion.
I wasn't attacking you, Seraphim. It is a very heavy responsibility to cause someone to question what they've always believed to be true. No one here takes that lightly.
Bringing in the heavy artillery to "rip away" a person's faith is a bad tactic. If the dub is an entrenched believer, nothing will pry him loose. If the dub is on the fence, TTATT bombs may knock him back into the enemy camp.
From ocean metaphors to war metaphors. I'm all over the place today.
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Ripping a persons faith away, a heavy responsibility?
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return of parakeet
I remember when I first began to realise the JWs world view was floored and wrong. It was devastation to me and my entire world view. It felt like being lost with no lights on to show the way.
Everyone who leaves a cult feels that way at first. My own metaphor was a raft drifting on the ocean with no horizon in view. It's a painful but necessary step toward freedom.
I would not want to damage someone as a result of carelessly kicking their rocks from under them and watching them drown ...
I'm plenty bitter about the WTS, mostly on account of the damage it did and continues to do to my mother and sibs. But I have never tried to pry them away from their beliefs. Whenever the subject comes up (very rarely now after all these years), I merely defend myself if attacked without attacking in return. If they had ever offered to discuss their beliefs with me, I would have been glad to speak up, but unfortunately, that never happened.
What about a realising that any world view can be wrong?
I agree that trying to force other belief systems onto others is wrong. But one does not have to push their own "world view" onto another in exchange for the cult's world view. The goal, if the cultist is ready to hear it, is to free them from their bondage and allow them to form their own opinions in a state of freedom. Getting to that point can be traumatic. But living as a slave is even worse.
I hope no one is offended by what I have written here.
No offense taken. However, whenever one sees others in a state of bondage, one wants to help. I find it hard to ignore the damage the WTS does to its adherents. That's why I find it hard to stay away from this site for any length of time. Every day newbies come here to ask for advice. They're already questioning the WT beliefs. It would be wrong NOT to help them.
Do you, Seraphim, regret leaving the WTS because it was a painful process? Would you rather have stayed and been content with lies?