Posts by Markw1509

19

answer at the hall "its all illuminate!"

by purrpurr in

i probably havnt spelt that right but anyway the other week a bro at my hall answered up saying that he had done research into the lives of these "rock and roll" stars and that he had discovered that they all belonged to a demon controled, satan worshipping secret cult called the illuminarte!

therefore we must steer clear of popular music because of the secrect demonic lyrics that it contains!!.

of course everyone nodded in agreement and the study conductor thanked him for his "fine" comment!.

Markw1509

I remember a sister in my old congregation saying that she wouldn't listen to Carlos Santana because his surname was an anagram of 'Satan'.

i asked if, on that basis, she wouldn't eat sultanas, and she had no reply.

brainwashed twaddle!

36

Why JW assemblies NEED to change

by kneehighmiah in

jw
friends

the assemblies would be get better results and get more people to come and be inspired if they were more encouraging.

instead the assemblies are a giant guilt trip.

don't go to college, don't get a good job, dont buy things even if you can afford them, don't play violent games, don't flirt.

Markw1509

I remember assemblies as being events where young witnesses would fill their social calendars with events and parties before having to endure mind-numbing sessions that would test the patience of Job, before flirting again with other young witnesses.

it was the only thing they could do to eleviate the boredom. If the society had one iota of emotional intelligence, they would understand how humans are unable to concentrate for more than 15-20 minutes without a change or break, or different form of input.

someone has to tell WT that hour after hour of lecture is not conducive to learning. All it does is numb the brain receptors and turn the person into a robotic automaton.

Ah...so there's method in the madness!!

31

What is / was the first thing(s) you looked forward to doing once you were out for good?

by SecretHeart11 in

jw
friends

one of the things that keeps me going is thinking about the things my family and i will be able to do once we are all out, together, and free at last.

(and we will be out together, i'm staying positive!).

i soooo look forward to christmas.

Markw1509

What I looked forward to was the non-judgemental attitude I could at last foster.

i hated "having"to judge others. It felt so wrong to condemn other people because they didn't have my belief system. Just because they didn't believe what I did, they were going to die a horrible death by a vicious god.

And I thought that fundamental Muslim terrorists were shocking!!!

i now have peace of mind, out of the BITE control of a sect that I couldn't see at the time.

it's a very rich form of freedom.

I love my new life.It's like being born again without the religious ties.

65

Disfellowshipped but still forced to pay maintenance or alimony

by Markw1509 in

can i ask for your opinion?

i have been disfellowshipped and divorced for a few years.

my ex-wife and my daughter have cut off all contact from me.

Markw1509

Thanks, Blondie.

Your points are well made, and as you have experience in this field, your advice is pertinent.

You say that a loving father would want to support his daughter financially. Of course I would, and I did. She was 17 when I left the religion, and the courts only asked me to pay maintenance to my ex. I am continuing to pay my ex (have done for the passed 11 years) and I'm not wanting to make an issue out of it now. I won't stop paying, as my ex would take me back to court if I did.

no, the issue has nothing to do with my daughter. She's grown up, married, living her own life.

I suppose I just wanted to vent my frustration about someone who is told by the GB to shun her ex husband and have nothing to do with him, yet still take his money each month. Am I wrong to think of this as double standards? I KNOW I have to pay, and the issues about law and morality are separate, but it just frustrates the hell out of me that the religion says have nothing to do with him, but still take his money.

I suppose the deeper question here is 'How far does shunning go? Does shunning mean a complete cut-off, or only as far as you want it to be.'

It just seems over-convenient to allow someone to except money from a shunned relative. My ex lives in a 5 bedroomed house on her own, completely paid for. She's not in poverty or struggling. She works and still takes my money.

maybe it's just me being hard. Maybe I'm just weary. Maybe I shouldn't even raise it as an issue, as I'm out of it all and living a very happy, fulfilled, blessed life away from the controlling forces of the WT.

Of course, I could start a new thread...exactly what does shunning mean? No contact whatsoever? Make out that the shunned one is dead? Or only shun up to the point where it affects you financially?

Again, thanks to all who have given advice on this thread.

46

What are the buzz words or trigger for JWs?

by UBM101 in

i read steve hassan's book and he mentioned about buzz words or triggers that call out the cult personality of a victim of mind controlling cult.

when you were in, what triggered you?.

Markw1509

Yeah, 'new light' always grated with me.

'the light is getting brighter' always puzzled me too.

if you go into a dark room, the furniture is still there even though you can't see it.

As you increase the light, the furniture that was already there is made clearer.The furniture doesn't change.

Same with the 'increasing light'. If what the WT says was true, the changes in teachings would be making previous ideas clearer. Instead, the teachings change exponentially. The ideas are different to what we knew before. So the explanation of 'brighter light' cannot be right.

The object that was a table in candlelight doesn't change into a chair when the light is switched on.

Yeah...that expression 'the light getting brighter' always did it for me.

65

Disfellowshipped but still forced to pay maintenance or alimony

by Markw1509 in

can i ask for your opinion?

i have been disfellowshipped and divorced for a few years.

my ex-wife and my daughter have cut off all contact from me.

Markw1509

Thanks Blondie. Great post.

the law is similar in the UK regarding alimony and child maintenance. I definitely take on board your thoughts of taking it back to court, although there have been no changes in circumstances since the court order was made.

Naturally, I understand that my grown daughter has every right to shun me. She's still a JW. She has to shun me. She has no choice.

Similarly my ex-wife. She shuns me to the extent that I was not even told about my daughter's wedding until 10 months after the event.

My original question still stands. How hypocritical is it for my ex to shun every contact from me, but still accept my money?

i will still continue to pay, because the law tells me to. But I can't help but see the double standards of this religion.

everyone's thoughts here have been very useful; thank you all.

65

Disfellowshipped but still forced to pay maintenance or alimony

by Markw1509 in

can i ask for your opinion?

i have been disfellowshipped and divorced for a few years.

my ex-wife and my daughter have cut off all contact from me.

Markw1509

Judges rarely award alimony; this holds true for the U.S. and Canada. If a judge chooses to award alimony, it usually means that the judge has determined that there is not enough marital property to award to the wife to compensate her for contributions to the marriage. If there were enough marital property, the judge would have likely just awarded her that, and you two could be done with each other. Therefore, she is recieving what a judge felt she was economically due, again, for her contributions during the marriage.

Thanks Justitia.

The judge stated the amount I had to pay (common here in the UK).

I wanted to walk away from a loveless JW marriage and the WTB&TS. Hence, I gave her everything from the 25 year marriage. The house, the furniture, everything. I left with my clothes, books and car. I paid the mortgage for another 2 years, hoping that my daughter would still have something to do with me.

I'm grateful for your thoughts, but, seriously, her contributions to the marriage can't really justify me having to pay her £10,000 ($16,000) per year for the rest of my life. Even though she and my grown-up daughter won't have anything to do with me. And she lives in a 5-bedroomed house fully-paid-for --- on her own!

I will still pay. Caesar tells me to. But I can't stand the hypocrisy of the organisation that says 'yes, punish him for life for being an apostate!'

No, I'm not bitter, really!

65

Disfellowshipped but still forced to pay maintenance or alimony

by Markw1509 in

can i ask for your opinion?

i have been disfellowshipped and divorced for a few years.

my ex-wife and my daughter have cut off all contact from me.

Markw1509

Thanks for everyone's comments on this.

it's been interesting to see your thoughts, ideas and opinions.

i have paid my ex for over ten years now. My daughter has grown up and got married. I wasn't allowed to know she got married, and I don't know if she has children. Here in the UK, laws are slightly different to the US and Canada, and it's difficult to get court orders rescinded.

I will naturally continue to pay the money. The reason I posted was to get your opinions on how morally acceptable (and Christian) it was for someone to accept money while claiming to have nothing to do with the payer.

Personally, it's not about the money. It's the principle of accepting money from someone who should be shunned. Is accepting money acceptable if you should be shunning?

thanks for all your interesting thoughts, folks. And thanks for the different opinions. That's the beauty of this site...we can share ideas freely and can have our own opinions without fearing whether we will be disciplined for not agreeing with a particular line of thought.

Refreshing, to say the least!

65

Disfellowshipped but still forced to pay maintenance or alimony

by Markw1509 in

can i ask for your opinion?

i have been disfellowshipped and divorced for a few years.

my ex-wife and my daughter have cut off all contact from me.

Markw1509

LOL Adam

Thanks for that. Though it might be fun to try it once.

I still pay 300 GBP per month (by bank transfer, as she is 300 miles away).

I will continue paying because Caesar told me too, and I don't want a court order against my name.

Just wondered about people's opinions on her still taking on the money, yet rejecting any other contact, as it's 'unscriptural'.

38

"Building 1.5 Million Square Feet in 4 Years will NOT Happen Without Jehovah's Spirit"

by Yan Bibiyan in

a quote from the latest jw video pimping the warwick project.

link below, quote @7:30 mark.. http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/activities/construction/video-world-headquarters-jehovahs-witnesses-history-warwick/.

i call bullshit!.

Markw1509

Hi emeth

the point being made here is that, just because a large building complex was put up by people who are following a cause, it doesn't naturally follow that the God of the Universe has blessed it.

Saying it is 'evidence' of God's blessing is a step too far for many people.

Many other religions have completed bigger projects and the WT will say they haven't had God's blessing.

Simply saying something doesn't make it true. It's the can't-be-proven claim by the GB that has caused so many of the comments here.