Good post. I would also add the human bias for "loss aversion" as a contributing factor. Once you begin to be invested into something (even if it is a losing proposition) it is very hard to stop. Our brains are wired this way (and, apparently so are other primates). The more you become invested (e.g. time, resources) on something, the least likely you are to quit EVEN IF one realizes that it is a losing proposition. This bias is what keeps Las Vegas humming day and night. This is why people often screw up their investment and stock portfolio. It is also what may keep many people in the Organization from walking away.
StrongHaiku
JoinedPosts by StrongHaiku
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14
Normalcy bias keeps JWs from leaving
by zimunzucz ini have been frustrated by the inability of most jws to escape their bondage to the kh, despite repeated exposure to negative information about their religion and belief system.
perhaps it's due in part to something called normalcy bias- a definition i have found is:.
normalcy bias is part of human nature and, to some extent, we are all guilty of participating in it.
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The Verdict: God is Not Good.
by cappytan innot sure if this video has been posted before here or not, but it is a powerful scene.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dx7irfn2gdi.
i haven't watched the entire movie yet, but from this scene alone, i will be..
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StrongHaiku
Thanks for sharing, cappytan. I will look that movie up. Very powerful. I wished more people would have that moment of lucidity and introspection. I wish it would not require horrible suffering to realize we are better and more moral than God. We all are. -
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Things that make you go "hmmm"
by leaving_quietly ingot a phone call last week, but i didn't recognize the number, so i didn't answer.
no voice mail was left.
or so i thought.
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StrongHaiku
I agree with sir82. It is very likely that they are behind schedule.
However, one question that would make things a bit more clear to me is "what skills are they asking for?". That might help determine their rationale.
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Interesting RC Experience
by Blackfalcon98 ini recently attended the rc for my area.
while there, i encountered a old family "friend" who recently lost her jw husband.
as the interaction proceeds she relates that her grand daughter, who's around my age (early twenties) has "left jehovah".
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StrongHaiku
sparrowdown - If you do not educate yourself on WT history and policy you are in danger of returning later in life.
So true. Many who leave, don't get an adequate education on not only in WT history/policy but other topics (e.g. science, critical thinking). I find it a shame that people who wake up to the idea that they have been indoctrinated to be so sure of beliefs would not be able to take just take 5 minutes of their time to learn how to question all their beliefs. To me, these seem the most susceptible to either going back or ending up in yet another religion/cult.
That is what happened to my brother. In the time he was out (~10 years) he neither examined the problems with the JWs and with religions and Gods in general. He didn't fill his head with science and critical thinking, etc. He was never able to fill the spiritual/superstitious void so, he went back.
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Missed it by that much ----------23
by John Aquila ini almost had a freaking heart attack.
i even threw my coffee cup at the wall and starting yelling like crazy when i got the the 5th number correct.
i was checking my texas lottery ticket for this past saturday.
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StrongHaiku
Unlikely that my $5 bought me the winning ticket. But it did buy me 5 minutes of a fantasy where I take my winnings and set up a foundation to put ex-JWs through college. Priceless... -
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Change to dress and grooming rules for JWs in USA soon?
by RayPublisher inmy guy with the lurk account on jwtalk (where all the kool-aid drinking jws go to talk about how wonderful 'the twoof' is) sent me some more interesting threads, here's one:.
spoiler: starting new the new service year september.
"there will be new directives from the branch through the circuit overseer on dress and grooming that will disqualify one to be a congregation publisher.
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StrongHaiku
Soon, JWs won't be able to wear wool and linen together... Oh, wait... That's been done... -
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Missed it by that much ----------23
by John Aquila ini almost had a freaking heart attack.
i even threw my coffee cup at the wall and starting yelling like crazy when i got the the 5th number correct.
i was checking my texas lottery ticket for this past saturday.
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StrongHaiku
I went out and bought a few lottery tickets in your honor... -
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How long will it take?
by John Aquila inat some point in the future, it has to finally dawn on people that something is seriously flawed about the idea of jesus coming in the clouds to save everyone who believes- and kill everyone who doesnt..
will people still believe in jesus in another 1000 years?
will people still be saying in the year 5015;.
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StrongHaiku
John Aquila - The doctor tells him he has beginning signs of throat cancer.He either need to quit or face the consequences. The cognitive dissonance that was causing him to rationalize away the information that smoking is bad, it now out the window. Now he realizes he needs to do something or he will die earlier than he anticipated.
I totally hope that "Cognitive Dissonance" has its limits. I really, really, really do. And, I hope that there are large numbers of JWs who have limits and will wake up. You named a number of JW scandals that may have shaken some, which is good. But experience has shown me that there are people who, no matter what, will "ride that bus all the way to the end". My grandmother smoked even when she was in an oxygen tent. Some people never learn.
I really have no hope for my family. But I truly wish that there will be many who will run into limits of their cognitive dissonance.
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Has anyone had a jw hack into their email/tablet/phone etc to spy?
by purrpurr ini note stillin has had a recent problem with this.
i also know of two cases were an elder went through a brothers phone to get dirt on him.
and another were a sisters email was hacked into to get dirt on her.. in both cases apparently it was for their spiritual protection (!
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StrongHaiku
One thing to note, for your own protection, is that you can look at someone's text messages without hacking if it is a "family plan". A number of carriers have an online feature that allows the person being billed to look at ALL of the text messages under the same family plan. Just a good safety tip in case you are looking to keep your fading in the down-low...
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How long will it take?
by John Aquila inat some point in the future, it has to finally dawn on people that something is seriously flawed about the idea of jesus coming in the clouds to save everyone who believes- and kill everyone who doesnt..
will people still believe in jesus in another 1000 years?
will people still be saying in the year 5015;.
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StrongHaiku
John Aquila - At some point, Cognitive dissonance has its limits.
I really wish that someday we may eliminate a lot of knowledge gaps that God/superstition resides in. That eventually religions, supernatural, and other non-sense get relegated to a museum in the "This is how dumb we were..." exhibit.
I would hate to think that 500 years from now we will be fighting "holy wars" about "Who shot first? Han Solo or Greedo". I truly hope that there is a limit to Cognitive dissonance, as you stated. I truly hope that we manage to stay alive long enough that we will make a "brave new world".