Posts by VirusHead

1

Original JW Jokes Collection is back

by VirusHead in

the original jw jokes page is back up at http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/jw-humor/ and http://www.virushead.net/exjw.html

VirusHead

The Original JW jokes page is back up at http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/jw-humor/ and http://www.virushead.net/exjw.html

13

Bible quote joke

by Simon in

a new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners.

at one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.

therefore, he took out a card and wrote "revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.. when the offering was processed the following sunday, he found that his card had been returned.

VirusHead

The page is back up http://www.virushead.net/vhrandom/jw-humor/ and http://www.virushead.net/exjw.html

23

Does our language betray us?

by Mysterious in

jw
friends

has anyone else noticed how you can tell who is new or fading, who was a long timer, who was never really into it, etc just from the way posts and language are structured?

i think it struck me when i heard someone say they did their utmost to leave the organization..do your utmost..not a common expression in most people's worlds so it still twigged a jw connection.

reading steve hassan's book on mind control reminded me of just how important language is in cult group membership.

They actively change the language from time to time, so that current JWs are confident in recognizing one another - and outsiders or spies are kept away. It took years for me to lose some of the phrases. I got very interested in language as a result, which was a very helpful thing in my graduate studies. My faves: Satan..the Devil (as opposed to Satan the Donkey?) Jehovah God (as opposed to... Jehovah Hamster?) Slave class, overseer, etc - the language of slavery, not service "Grey area" - to talk about "matters of conscience" where the "guidance" wasn't mandatory, but still served as a community signal. I associated the development and use of my personal sense of ethics as a kind of leprous dying thing for years.

13

Bible quote joke

by Simon in

a new pastor was visiting in the homes of his parishioners.

at one house it seemed obvious that someone was at home, but no answer came to his repeated knocks at the door.

therefore, he took out a card and wrote "revelation 3:20" on the back of it and stuck it in the door.. when the offering was processed the following sunday, he found that his card had been returned.

VirusHead

Hi it's me VirusHead (Actually, I'm a woman named Heidi!)

You can still get the jokes at http://www.virushead.net, I've just hidden them a wee bit to discourage the hateful ones (grin).

Here's the link - it's a file in pdf format:

http://www.virushead.net/jwjokes.pdf

Best,

Heidi

2

hate site?

by happysunshine in

jw
friends

i think the author of this site has a lot of good advice.

: http://www.virushead.net/exjw.html.

however, she draws a distinction between "compasionate healing" and "hate".

VirusHead

To answer your question...

It is as you say sometimes difficult to distinguish a line in the continuum between a site that is critical and concerned about healing and a hate site. For me, a hate site is not respectful of other's decisions and well-being. You can use wit and humor to establish a critical distance without being a hate site. I am very critical about certain destructive tendencies that the witnesses seem to engender across the line - but I don't claim that they are evil per se. Hate sites, in fact, fetishize the object of loathing in a direct mirroring of the unquestioning loyalty that is cherished when the object is loved beyond reason. I try to break free of either dynamic my offering what insights I have gained in the intervening years and through discussions with very many affected people. I deeply respect all JWs as human beings - and do not catagorize them in any way that would imply a subhuman status. But I am also critical of the ways in which this organization as a whole does not grant full human status to its members. When members become ex-members there are a host of issues that arise - I simply try to address some of them in a way that doesn't continue the same dynamic. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments about my site, I am always willing to address them. I am very open to ways to improve it - after all, I'm only one person, and my perspective is only one perspective.

Anyone here can feel free to visit http://www.virushead.net and write to me at [email protected] or [email protected]

All best,

Heidi L Nordberg