Posts by Tempest in a Teacup

11

Nature of the Word "Spiritual" Amongst Witnesses

by freemindfade in

even as an atheist i consider myself spiritual, always have, metaphysics and spiritual discussions about enlightenment and so on i find interesting, even if belief in a yhwh is not in me.

i want to propose this simple definition of the word "spiritual" among jehovah's witnesses.. spiritual = indoctrination or indoctrinated.

i have been told how i'm "just not a spiritual man".

Tempest in a Teacup

For JWs, "spirituality" = "how much do other people observe you performing certain acts approved of and/or required by the Watchtower Society".

comments at meetings by slightly rewording printed sentences, but who beats his wife, never prays, watches porn, and plays sick & twisted video games in the privacy of his home, is viewed as a sterling spiritual example for everyone.

On point! I'd add: In short, doing to perfection what you know is expected of you, and making sure you're watched doing those. If they're not watching you, devise ways of attracting their attention and make sure you are within earshot of others to make "spiritual comments"

Clean the hall after meetings
In ALL conversations, remember what this brother said in a talk 5 years ago, or what an obscure bible aid said about it 7 years ago.
Generously and often poke up jw traditional comments such as: "the Org is doing so well", "this system this, this system that", "the new system this, the new system that", "Jehovah this, Jehovah that";
Hold up your watchtower so that everyone could see how you have used 3 colors to highlight the answers, meaning that you have studied it 3 times and filled the margins with observations/bible verses.
Generously and often poke up comments about how many hours you did in fs during the week and how many bible students you were blessed with.
Comment on how you left work tired and panting and yet made time to go visit that one bible study.
Comment on how you help brother x or sister y do this or that.
You know bible versed so well that you can poke up any at any time in a conversation or in fs
Comment on how "rewarding and sweet" today's ministry was.
Comment on what you gathered from today's text, or yesterday's, or even the one from 10 days ago.
As faithfully and boldly as possible, give a comment explaining and supporting beyond measure that obscure and far fetched doctrine which has everybody raising an eyebrow.
Make comments which show the others in the hall that you consulted 5 heavyweight-and-not-easy-to-research "bible aids" and old watchtower edition when preparing you WT article.

Will come back if I get more. Cathartic!

64

Shutting down the Judicial Committee "invite".

by kairos in

jw
friends

judicial committee invitation comes, with be there or be square consequences.. ( come or we will df you ).

what are the sure fire, tested and true tactics that will keep the elders off your back?

( for good ).

Tempest in a Teacup

A note from a therapist saying you are too emotionally fragile at this time.
(I heard the Org tells elders to back off if they think suicide is a possibility).

Thinking about it, how truly pathetic jw life is! Basically it is as if he's in school or at work, having to show a note from the Doctor to the Big Daddies just so he could be left alone

That said, I'm keeping the idea too, for the cloudy days ahead for me.

10

Elder Using Innuendos at Every Single Opportunity

by Tempest in a Teacup in

there's this elder in my hall.

in his comments and talks, he loves to include the kind of details that would leave listeners wondering who his comment/talk is about.

he seems to see himself as a jw behaviour expert and drops titbits whenever he's behind the mic.

Tempest in a Teacup

There's this elder in my hall. In his comments and talks, he loves to include the kind of details that would leave listeners wondering who his comment/talk is about. He seems to see himself as a jw behaviour expert and drops titbits whenever he's behind the mic.

With his wording and 'insider details', totally unnecessary (often unrelated to the topic being discussed but which he always finds a way to force in) he loves to generate 'suspense' and mystery. IMO some of the things he talks about could have happened long ago yet he'd present them as fresh issues. For example he'd go like:

"When we're told to do............, some of us rather reason that..........,and do......... instead." etc etc etc

I mean he does this systematically for reasons best known to him...sometimes I wonder if he isn't just cooking some of it himself.

14

Opening the Eyes of JWs Wasting Their Lives Away in Prisons Because of...Nothing

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

is there any practical way to let these people see the light?

has anything been already done to get the valuable information they need to them?

if yes, what has been the outcome?.

Tempest in a Teacup

I put two likes on island man's posts. These persons might be in prison not because of specific wt indoctrination, but a deeper felt conviction to abstain from the MAD madness, at the infra- atomic level.

"MIGHT BE" right? Maybe you'll be in a better position to share likes if you do a little bit of research about the topic first.

I love your madness comment because that can also be used to explain whhy people choose to be jws in the first place.

btw, Thank God for 'likes' :)

14

Opening the Eyes of JWs Wasting Their Lives Away in Prisons Because of...Nothing

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

is there any practical way to let these people see the light?

has anything been already done to get the valuable information they need to them?

if yes, what has been the outcome?.

Tempest in a Teacup

In my opinion, some JWs are actually better off not knowing TTATT. They include:
~ Elderly JW parents who let their child die by refusing them a blood transfusion. Such persons would be utterly devastated to know they essentially killed their child for a lie.
~ Very sheltered adolescent JWs who are curbing rebellious, self-destructive tendencies, due to Watchtower indoctrination. Such persons are prone to go over-the-top, living very reckless lifestyles of drug abuse and sexual promiscuity once they find out that Watchtower is a lie.

WOW! Can't find words anymore.

Let me revise my statement. It's not that these people don't deserve to know TTATT. It's just that you have to be very careful in how you share TTATT with them and offer them help to counteract the devastating psychological or behavioral ills that may result when the Watchtower mental shackles are taken off.

Alright, this can be a collateral which of course needs attention. But should it stop truth to be told?

I can imagine Ray Franz reasonning this way and not publishing CoC!!!

14

Opening the Eyes of JWs Wasting Their Lives Away in Prisons Because of...Nothing

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

is there any practical way to let these people see the light?

has anything been already done to get the valuable information they need to them?

if yes, what has been the outcome?.

Tempest in a Teacup

Island man: these people are in prison because they are jws. If they discover the religion to be fake they'll take a decision for themselves. Just like all of us here.

In case they don't wish to remain jws there's no reason for them to kept in prison any longer.

To learn that they're in prison for a lie could utterly devastate them and lead to a mental breakdown or deep depression and suicide.

This would be the most extreme reaction. All humans don't react the same way to things so we can't predict scenarios as facts. The normal reaction of a human deprived of his freedom would be to regain it. In any case, it's better to be damaged and physically free.

All I'm trying to put forward is that these people who are cut away from the world should also be given the information we have access to in order to make their own decision, like all of us.

In all honesty I believe we can't pre-decide for them if we ourselves have never been imprisonned for being jws.

This is worth pursuing, even if it will free ONE PERSON.

Blondie: great idea. The only challenge will be to get it to them.

14

Opening the Eyes of JWs Wasting Their Lives Away in Prisons Because of...Nothing

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

is there any practical way to let these people see the light?

has anything been already done to get the valuable information they need to them?

if yes, what has been the outcome?.

Tempest in a Teacup

Wf & d o c, I would not equal the two groups, given that one group has access to the information and the other one doesn't. To say the least.

SAHS: I think that would be a good start.

14

Opening the Eyes of JWs Wasting Their Lives Away in Prisons Because of...Nothing

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

is there any practical way to let these people see the light?

has anything been already done to get the valuable information they need to them?

if yes, what has been the outcome?.

Tempest in a Teacup

Is there any practical way to let these people see the light? Has anything been already done to get the valuable information they need to them? If yes, what has been the outcome?

Nowadays most ex jw materials have shifted from hard support to essentially online content. These people may not have free/easy access to computers and the internet. Is there a way of compiling objective, relevant and pertinent information for their attention? Could this be a collective project to embark on?

Here are some stats from jw org:

WHERE?	IMPRISONED
Eritrea	52
Korea, South	599
Nagorno-Karabakh	1
Singapore	18
Turkmenistan	9
Total	679

List of those imprisoned as of November 12, 2013

T in a T

24

Education, education, education....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

an update on my life post education..... as the governing body continue to denounce higher education, reality continues to prove their words ignorant, ill informed and blatant lies.

i am proud and astonished to say i have just been accepted for a university teaching hospital post.

i have a seriously sought after, senior house officer job in intensive care, endocrinology and clinical pharmacology.

Tempest in a Teacup

It is not ego that motivates me in writing this, though I am proud, it is the hope that someone decides to also pursue their life goals, because we only get one chance at them!

I love how you said it. Thanks for sharing this and wishing you all the best for the future!

9

What I Like About This Forum...

by Tempest in a Teacup in

jw
friends

...is that it gives me insight into jw circles i'd otherwise never know.. my mother loathes gossip and derives a personal pleasure in shutting jw gossips up.

as a family, we belong to that boring side of the congregation which never hear any of the juicy stories on the going-ons in the hall.. this forum however makes it possible to have a real panoramic view of the whole thingy.

from the gb to bethel, to the elders and their families, to the ninja-pioneer army, and many other cliques in the congregations.

Tempest in a Teacup

I will warn you from personal experience if you wish to remain in the religion with a clear conscious then this may not be the best place for you. I thought I could have the best of both worlds. 18 months latter I walked out of Hall for the last time.

Hi Joe,

I fully get your point. I've lurked on this forum for years and yes... It does damage quite a few things jw-wise. You know, because I never bought into it totally even in my best jw years, having the best of both worlds has become a second nature for me. Whatever will happen will happen. For the meantime I'm enjoying my newly found serenity and calm amidst after so many years of tormenting myself.