Brock Talon

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Posts by Brock Talon

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  36

  Today I got a review that left me scratching my head - what do you make of it?

  by Brock Talon in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  as a published author on amazon, i'm used to getting negative reviews from time to time.

  it goes with the territory and i'm ok with it.

  writing is an art form, so no art is liked by everyone.

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  Brock Talon

  Outlaw, yes, I noticed that too. We probably have hundreds of years of JW experience between us who have written these books and written supportive reviews of these books and written these articles, etc. and this lady's "5 years of study" with the JWs trumps that. She knows better than all of us. Sheesh.
  
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  36

  Today I got a review that left me scratching my head - what do you make of it?

  by Brock Talon in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  as a published author on amazon, i'm used to getting negative reviews from time to time.

  it goes with the territory and i'm ok with it.

  writing is an art form, so no art is liked by everyone.

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  Brock Talon

  berrygerry, Yes, I noticed no other reviews by this person, but I just don't see this as a simple Troll post. My take on a typical Troll is that they post just to stir up trouble or discord for their amusement. I see this person as being sincere. That's what makes me sad actually.
  
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  36

  Today I got a review that left me scratching my head - what do you make of it?

  by Brock Talon in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  as a published author on amazon, i'm used to getting negative reviews from time to time.

  it goes with the territory and i'm ok with it.

  writing is an art form, so no art is liked by everyone.

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  2. 
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  Brock Talon

  As a published author on Amazon, I'm used to getting negative reviews from time to time. It goes with the territory and I'm OK with it. Writing is an art form, so no art is liked by everyone. Got it.
  

  But today, I got a review that left me scratching my head. I've never brought this kind of thing to this or any other forum before, but for this review, I'd like your take on it. Is this a review of my book, or every book or article ever written by an ex-Jehovah's Witness? Do you think the person who has written this can be helped? You see, this review made me sad. Sad for her and especially sad for her daughter.

  This is it: Head scratching Amazon review of Escape From Paradise
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  20

  Do US JWs Still Knock on Doors?

  by cultBgone in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this may sound like a silly question, but do jws even door-knock any more?

  the few i know only speak of "manning the cart" at some public location, and because they get defensive if i even ask an innocent question like this i thought i'd ask it on the forum.

  thanks!.

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  Brock Talon

  Two ladies knocked on my door yesterday and left a tract when I didn't answer it. (I didn't feel like engaging them in chit chat as I sometimes do.) They were not somebody I knew before I faded, so they probably didn't know whose door it was.
  
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  31

  A poll of sorts: How long have you been a "fader" for?

  by SecretSlaveClass in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i'm curious about the following:.

  1) how long have you been a fader for?.

  2) how often do you still get pressure from congregation members and/or family to return as an active witness?.

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  Brock Talon

  I faded 15 years ago and I have never stepped into a Kingdom Hall since that time.
  
  I faded then because I thought I would want to keep speaking with JWs, but since then, found I really don't want to be around them much. I get contacted here and there by JWs I know, but as time goes on, this is less and less. (My last contact from someone out of the blue was just last week as a matter of fact.) I have minor chit chat with them still and it is pleasant enough if I happen to run into most of them around town. My parents and immediate family themselves faded many years ago, so that's a moot point for me. So, fading worked for me well in that way. I was able to wean myself away from the religion without having to feel total abandonment during that time.
  
  I stay faded now because I like having taken the power away from them. I feel I am beating them at their own game. They can't outright shun me as a DF'd or DA'd person, but of course many "mark" me as a weak person. Still, there is no reason for them NOT to talk to me and I sometimes force the issue to see where it will go. It's fun watching an elder I didn't particularly like squirm to pretend to be friendly to me because he "has to", but would rather not be around me at all. If a get treated rudely by someone, I ask them why they are being that way. "Is that any way to treat a weak brother who needs the spiritual help from a mature Christian? I need your love, not your judgement..." Of course, these people never really loved me when I was in, so I know they certainly don't now. But I enjoy seeing how they will react to the corner they have painted themselves into by pretending to care about me. I feel I can convict them in their phoniness every time since I have never given them reason to treat me badly. I like this because in the end, I really don't care what they think about me any longer. It's sort of like what happens when you grow up and return to the school you left, where the teachers there no longer have any power over you. It's fun just being yourself to people who used to control your life, but now have to respect you on their own level.
  
  So being faded gives me the power, and gives me an opportunity to speak a mild version of TTATT to individuals who I think can take it. It's my way of witnessing to the Witnesses. This is the main reason I stay faded and remain anonymous on ex-JW boards. This is especially so since I have published two books about my life as a JW, and as a Bethelite.
  
  I write about the issue of fading in my book "Escape from Paradise" and how difficult it can be to pull off. But unlike Paul Simon's "50 ways to leave your lover", the are only 4 ways to leave the JWs:
  
  1. Disfellowshipping
  2. Disassociation
  3. Fading
  4. Death
  
  ...and for some, death may be the easiest way.
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  9

  A must read for all JW's and Ex-JW's

  by iwasblind in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi guys.

  i am about 60% through the book exiting the jw cult: a healing handbook: for current & former jehovah's witnesses .

  i bought this book because of a post about it last week so a big thank you for that.. i must say that everyone on this forum should consider giving this book a go.

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  Brock Talon

  iwasblind,

  It is great that you shared this book with us in the forum, especially since it touched you personally. I think I will check this one out myself now that you've pointed it out.
  

  If you haven't already done so, please make sure to write a nice review for the book on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk (wherever you bought it). This is the best way to recommend an author, as well as to get more readers for her since that review will have many eyes for quite some time.
  

  Remember: you can do the review anonymously if you need to.
  

  -Brock Talon
  
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  18

  Books by Former Witnesses

  by GiftsinMen in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am interested in reading books published by former jws which detail personal experiences of their time with the organisation.

  i know of coc, exiting the jw cult, mamas club, 30yrs a wt slave, and told ones were written by otwo, punk and terry.

  i'd like to spend some time making my way through them so titles, authors and links would be really useful.

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  Brock Talon

  One of my favorites is little known book: The Armageddon Cult, by Daniel LeEarl Hall.

  http://www.amazon.com/Armageddon-Cult-Daniel-LeEarl-Hall-ebook/dp/B00N7LVWH4

  It is a great mixture of personal memoir (at the beginning) followed by a scathing rebuke of all Jehovah's Witness doctrine and dogma.

  Daniel has a very interesting history as an ex-JW, as he was known to be a very successful business owner that employed hundreds of JWs. He was not always liked by all JWs back then, and he acknowledges his mistakes in the book. I didn't know him at that time, but I do know him now, and I find him to be a gentle and sweet man who has in his golden years set up a ministry to try to help others escape from the clutches of the Watch Tower. Over all and amazing story of redemption that I found inspiring.

  Brock Talon
  
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  25

  Will the resurrected marry/have children?

  by davidmitchell in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have just finished reading 'brock talon's' two books.

  in one of them, entitled journey to god's house, pub.

  he comments on how the wt's pictures of the post-armageddon world do not agree with their doctrines, namely that those who are physically resurrected will not marry/have children.

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  Brock Talon

  Hey Introvert 2,

  When Big Tex comes back in the resurrection, this is probably what he'll say:

  YEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!
  
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  25

  Will the resurrected marry/have children?

  by davidmitchell in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i have just finished reading 'brock talon's' two books.

  in one of them, entitled journey to god's house, pub.

  he comments on how the wt's pictures of the post-armageddon world do not agree with their doctrines, namely that those who are physically resurrected will not marry/have children.

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  Brock Talon

  I just found this thread and wanted to add to it that the main reason I wrote about marriage and the resurrection in my book Journey to God's House was because it was a pretty important topic when I was a young man at Bethel.

  Most of us believed that if we died and were resurrected, we would never be able to marry and to have children, and of course never have sex. Some of us were twenty-something virgins that never had sex to begin with, so the prospect of remaining virgin for eternity was very disconcerting. The Aid Book at that time promoted this belief. All of the elders and Bethel "heavies" promoted this... except one GB that I mention in my book. (He always seemed to have a mind of his own and didn't hesitate to state things his own way, which I also found very interesting.)
  

  I want to make this clear: this issue was IMPOSSIBLE to ignore as a young JW 30+ years ago. We might be able to look back at this now and laugh about it, but this was not a small deal for me as a young JW. It wasn't for most of my JW friends either, especially us Bethelites who were mostly thinking of remaining at Bethel our whole lives and had a limited prospect of getting married as long as we stayed there. The sacrifices we made to be at Bethel then were not just for this life, but potentially a sacrifice of no sex for eternity! Heavy stuff that, especially if you were as oversexed as I was then.
  

  For those that notice, my books are mainly about the way the JW faith affected my life and the lives of people around me. I don't focus on doctrinal issues because frankly, most doctrinal issues didn't affect my life. Is God a Trinity or not? How many people go to heaven? Is the soul immortal? Is the GB the Faithful and Discreet Slave? And so, on... these things didn't affect my day to day life one bit. Frankly, they still don't. So, I wrote about the way that the JW teachings and behaviors affected my life. As a result, I realize my books are not as enlightening as many of the excellent ones out there, like those from Franz and Penton, etc. They fill a need that I cannot because I don't have their experiences or qualifications.

  But what I wanted to do was to write about how things affected me personally, and hopefully have that resonate with others who had similar experiences. As a result, my books then don't really try to give answers - they are designed to make you think and come up with your own.
  

  By DavidMitchell's posting here, I can perceive this: mission accomplished.

  Brock Talon
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  10

  The Great Apocalypse is Coming in July - Here is a Preview

  by DT in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  trailer for the first book of the sparlock of the multiverse trilogy.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouvwf1mncog&feature=youtu.be.

  here is a recording of the prologue:.

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  Brock Talon

  Very creative. I like your website too. I wish you well with your endeavors. - Brock