Posts by obfuscatetheobvious

32

Tech 49: the 3 F's...Fading, Field Service, and Friends

by Tech49 in

here we are, the family and i, moving along in our slow journey to freedom.

although they are unaware, for the most part, our ship is slowly veering off course.

not enough to cause attention, not enough to trigger alarm bells, but just enough.. since the summer dc, i have watched carefully, as the new releases remain on the coffee table, in plain sight, not touched, more of a decoration that anything.

obfuscatetheobvious

Hey Tech,

Very similar experience here. No one has said a word to me. I was very active both organizationally and socially and then I came almost to a dead stop.

Besides the lack of "spiritual care", I often wonder whether it makes people think. I know every time I heard that someone very active (or strong) had stopped or left, I always wondered why. I was never close to anyone of those that did so I never asked them. But if your marriage mate or good/best friend stopped doing something that presumably they loved doing previously, surely that would warrant a couple of thoughtful questions?

The only questions I've gotten are from my wife along the lines of "How could you?"

4

Catchng up....

by obfuscatetheobvious in

jw
friends

wife and girls are at the convention today.

hate this time of year.

while my wife tries to hide it, the inevitable post convention zeal pops it's head up.

obfuscatetheobvious

Wife and girls are at the convention today. Hate this time of year. While my wife tries to hide it, the inevitable post convention zeal pops it's head up.

While I have not checked in here for a while, glad to be able to do so today. I've read a few threads, had a laugh and will get on with the rest of my day.

My best to those whos journey is difficult and thank you to those who stay here to help!

Cheers, Ob.

153

The antidote to the myth that JWs are declining

by slimboyfat in

one of the most persistent myths on this website is that jws are already in decline, the rot has set in, and the descent of the watchtower is inevitable from here on in.

unfortunately the facts do not bear this out.

jws are still increasing even in most developing countries, and they are still growing worldwide at a faster rate than the general population.

obfuscatetheobvious

I hope that this post is not to far off topic. A fellow fader in my area and I have been wondering about the new FDS belief, the mediator belief, etc. The common thought here is that is that it is a power grab, will alienate any who have it brought to their attention, that it will lead to an exodus etc. I can see that point of veiw.

I wonder whether this conclusion is reached because it comes from the premise that the GB is trying to keep their grip on power, bad motives, wicked mind control cult and so on.

So together we tried to approach it from the other angle. What if the GB are trying to move doctrine to a more mainstream Christian view one that could easily be accepted by Christians of any other church?

The argument goes that the GB saw the increase in emblem partakers (particularly newer recruits that feel anointed because of their previous religious experiences) and realised that should the numbers keep growing they might face a forced change of doctrine (mediator/anointed) by sheer weight of numbers (thanks to the old doctrine that all anointed on earth are the FDS). So they consolidated power so that they could control the rate of change and so they didn't face a really damaging split.

They would still have to make doctrine change though. But it could actually have a big upside.

It is pretty clear that the mediator doctrine leaves a lot of people out in the cold. So the GB say that all witnesses are anointed. That fills a very big hole for christians (from what I've read on here and elsewhere) But if they change it, they need to change the 144,000 doctrine. No big deal, they could easily change the literal to figurative. Great crowd, they could say that the scripture says they are in heaven........and so on and so forth.

When it is all said and done (maybe over a 5-7 year period?) you might be left with a religion that says all JW are anointed, with Christ as their personal mediator, no class distinctions but that God will make all things better (heaven or earth, almost irrelevant). They stick to no Trinity, no hell, stake not cross, no celebrations to provide the points of difference. High moral code to appeal to the judgmental :). Preaching work, love, unity etc as proof that they are the one true org. Move attention away from a definite end date/period. 1914/19 simply marks the beginning of Christ presence with overlapping generations, Big A at any time helping to keep people on their toes. These changes make them almost mainstream, will have enormous appeal to other Christians who may be dissatisfied, dissaffected with their current church.

If the above senario took place, then the org could potentially have a massive explosion in numbers. Any thoughts?

Note - I don't care either way, I'm just trying to challenge assumptions and look at things from different angles.

PPS: My sincere apologies if this is too far off topic.

29

'We are all scallywags, but God loves us anyway' - My story

by Laika in

jw
friends

perhaps the most profound moment of my life occurred when i was sat in a car with my dad.

we were travelling home and having a very jw conversation on the paradise, at least, it was until my dad slipped in one of those rare moments of honesty in the watchtower world:.

that moment really hit me hard.

obfuscatetheobvious

Hi Laika,

Thanks for sharing your story. There is much that I can relate to, while the jump off point, journey and outcome has been very different for me.

I really like the way you presented your take on the prodigal son story. I think that many Witnesses would find a lot of comfort and joy in the interpretation that you have found or even in having a discussion that included your interpretation.

I wish you the best on your continuing journey and hope that this forum can provide you support as is required.

Cheers, Ob.

41

Newbie: Well I've been lurking enough and thought I should say hello.

by Adventurousone in

i really like this site and some of the comments i've read.

i was in the organization for 31 years and now i'm free!.

recently left the organization and am trying to rebuild my life.

obfuscatetheobvious

Welcome!

77

I just informed the parents about me and the TTATT... heart wrenching

by sosoconfused in

well first i want to thank everyone here for the good points etc... i have received over the last few months.

you guys have really been helpful!.

so the other day my mother wrote me a 3 page letter telling me how she was so scared for me because she could tell my love for the truth was gone etc.. so i decided i wanted to totally rip the band-aid off and get this matter over and done with.

obfuscatetheobvious

Soso - well done!

29

Looooooooooong Prayers...

by likeabird in

let's have a bit of a laugh.. .

who of you rolled your eyes when brother never ending prayers was called up to give the closing prayer?.

who of you then proceeded to tap your feet, fidget loudly or start doing balancing acts off the back of the chair in front of you while waiting for it to end?.

obfuscatetheobvious

Every cong has one at least!

I remember as a kid going to a special talk/day phone hook up about 2hrs from home. There was a venue close to home but my parents wanted to visit family that were going to this smaller venue. So there we were, me and my 2 brothers (one has a physical disability), my 2 cousins (boys), our parents and our grandmother. After the lunch break, our grandmother took all us boys aside and said she noticed us opening our eyes during the opening prayer and did we know how disrespectful that was and so on and so forth.

The day was long and hot. Us boys were just wanting to play and have fun and we were restless. The concluding prayer was given by Wally Baxter? (Aust branch) who was very old at the time. Our grandmother gave us the look so we knew that we had to behave, but the end was near! Or so we thought......

Wally's prayer went on foreeevveeerrrrrrr! Felt like hours, probably 10 mins but for small boys that was hell. My cousin was trying so hard to keep his eyes closed he started crying. My disabled brother was desperate to go to the toilet and ended up wetting his pants. Due to the ongoing drama around us, the rest of us boys opened our eyes. Boy did we cop it from my grandmother later!

Cheers, Ob

33

Anyone here tried the PALEO DIET?

by StAnn in

hubby and i are getting ready to start.

looking for some input, if you have any.

thanks!

obfuscatetheobvious

Hey Pickler!

Your Thai curry sounds great! Very simple and so quick, something similar is a favorite in our house. Another favorite is whole chicken in a thai red curry/coconut milk marinade with spicy cucumber ribbon salad. Literally takes 10 mins to prepare including the salad, 1 hr in the oven and is awesome. We have this at least every week and the leftovers are awesome for lunch the next day!

You're a Sydneysider? Love to know which CF gym you went to. I'm a Brissy boy. Really enjoy health/fitness, particularly interested in long term health/fitness. Been thinking about going to yoga, time is the main factor. I recently joined a Aussie Rules footy team (2nd oldest guy in the side) for the first time in my life, something I've wanted to do for a long time. The rhetoric is high at footy as well (examine the typical footy cliches) but the difference is that I am aware that it's rhetoric, I understand rhetorical fallicies and how they are used to convince and motivate. Something I wasn't aware of when I started Crossfit or when examining my religious beliefs.

LisaRose - cut up 1 large onion, 4-6 medium/large potatoes, 1 carrots, 1 stick celery into large chunks and place at the bottom of pot. Pour a 400gr tinned diced tomatoes or passata over veges. Use a knife to poke small holes in a butterflied shoulder of lamb and stuff holes with 3-4 cloves of garlic (cut garlic into small slivers) and rosemary sprigs. Place lamb on top of vege/tomatoes. Add 2 cups stock (or water with stock cube). Add to the pot more sprigs rosemary, bay leaves, dried oregano, dried chillies, season with salt and pepper. Leave on low for 8+hrs, turn meat about halfway thru if possible. The prep should take 10-15mins. To finish, remove and set aside lamb and potatoes. Use a barmix or blender to blend the onion/carrot/celery with sauce. Strain to make a rich, velvety sauce. Dice up a fresh onion, carrot, stick celery, zuchinni into small peices and gently fry for 5 mins. Add back to the sauce along some frozen peas (or spinich, cabbage, etc). Cut the lamb into large chunks and add back to the sauce. Taste sauce and season as required. Simmer gently for 5 mins until warmed thru. Mash the potatoes with some butter/heavy cream (if dairy tolerant). Serve some mash with sauce and lamb chunks and devour!

Paleopot.com (also on FB) has some great, easy to make recipes specifically for the slow cooker. Seems to be budget conscious as well.

Cheers, Ob.

33

Anyone here tried the PALEO DIET?

by StAnn in

hubby and i are getting ready to start.

looking for some input, if you have any.

thanks!

obfuscatetheobvious

Great tips Pickler! This is pretty much what we do. Slow cooker is our best friend in the kitchen. We also have a Betti Bossi vegetable twister which makes "spaghetti" out of carrots and zuchinni, etc (cost $30?). Good for the kids (they get heaps of vege in this way) can also help with your own food associations, which is a big hurdle for those trying paleo style diets.

Picklers tips for making it non paleo friendly are particularly valuable. That way you don't have to make a big announcement that "we only eat paleo". You can affordably provide options for others, that you simply refrain from eating.

Cheers, Ob.

33

Anyone here tried the PALEO DIET?

by StAnn in

hubby and i are getting ready to start.

looking for some input, if you have any.

thanks!

obfuscatetheobvious

Hi StAnn,

Yep, have been on a version of the Paleo Diet for about 4 years. Although I really hesitate to call it the Paleo Diet, for similar reasons brought up by other posters.

Its funny but the Paleo Diet is part of the reason I woke up! You see, I came to the Paleo Diet via CrossFit , which is an exercise program that my wife and I joined up to about 4.5 years ago. I kept on hearing it called CultFit by many other fitness professionals. One of the Cross(Cult)Fit "GB" members, Robb Wolf, was excomunicated, had his name basically wiped from all memory. All over the Paleo Diet. The way it was done, the rhetoric was so familiar to me. I had stayed away from reading negative CrossFit stuff until then but after that incident, I looked it all up. I couldn't help but make a direct comparison to my JW life. So funny what triggers the wake up!

Anyhoo, the Paleo Diet (even though we don't call it that) basically works for my family because my wife and daughters are coeliac and I am wheat intolerant, so a gluten free diet seems to work well for all of us. We eat meat from as free range, grass fed source as possible. Mostly beef, lamb, wild meats. Some poultry. We are not scared of the fatty bits, if it cooks off, we skim it off, if it stays on we basically eat it. As many vege as we can fit on plate/or eat. We used to limit fruit but don't anymore, we never have with the kids it's an open pantry. As a family our tummies don't seem to handle dairy well, so we limit dairy to butter and ghee. We restrict our sugar intake to honey and fruit. The girls have gluten free bread/wraps for school.

I suppose our approach now could be catagorized as gluten free first, "paleo" second. We are a lot more open minded then when we first started Crossfit as no one has the right/best/correct solution for anything - diet, exercise, religion lol! My advice for what it is worth is find the approach that seems to offer the goals that you want to acheive, follow the program outlined (Whole30 is an example) and then take some time to look back over the experiment to see what worked for you. Take the good bits, tinker with the bad bits (or get rid of them completely).

Hope that helps.

Cheers Ob