Some might think of a "cult" as being a high-control group, that tells you what kind of pants men can wear...
http://youtu.be/HfIAvuaQ9Mw (GB member Anthony Morris, talks about tight pants on men - from Cedars YouTube channel)
Faithful Witness
JoinedPosts by Faithful Witness
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49
JW. org: "No, we are not a cult. We do not look to any human as our leader."
by Faithful Witness ini know this has been rehashed, time and again, but i saw this interesting blip on jw.org last night, and did a little thinking about it.... jw.
org answers the important question that so many have... are jehovah's witnesses a cult?.
jehovah's witnesses do not look to any human as their leader.
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My JW mom is coming to visit this Friday!!
by Faithful Witness inmy parents are recent converts to jw (both baptized).
i was never a jw, but did study with them for a long time.
after doing research, my husband and i quit going to meetings and stopped the bs.
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Faithful Witness
Carla: I appreciate that thought. I am not afraid to read the literature, and I share my perceptions of the articles, on occasion. Some of the things I say and ask, are actually making her think. She knows I am in an in-depth study of the book of Matthew with BSF right now, and always perks up her ears when I share a tidbit of something I read.
I want her to know that I am well aware of the things she is reading and parroting from the WT magazine. She asked me if I was still getting the mags, I suspect, because I had not made any comments about current issues. I think there is at least a little part of her that still wants to get a reality check once in awhile. She knows something is not quite right, although she hasn't said so directly. Her remarks give her away. There is still an awake person inside there, fighting to get past the controls being placed on her by the WTS, my sister and my dad. I would like to be her safe place, and if I understand what she is going through a little better, then she feels she can make express herself to me, hopefully someday. I won't tell the elders.
I told her how happy we were that she came to visit, and that I don't want to say anything that will make her think I am "bad." I am doing what I can to keep her closer and trusting me, even if it means being willing to listen to their false information. I'm keeping myself informed of what is happening inside, as much as possible for an outsider.
If my agreeing to accept magazines, will get her to come over and spend the night (which means skipping field service the next day)... it's worth it to me. My kids will never buy into JW deception.
Knowing that she will be bringing me the literature, I can do my "homework" ahead of time. When she gives me the mags, I will actually look inside and notice something interesting, comment on something no one has said inside the KH... maybe even something she was thinking, but knew she would not be allowed to say to anyone. This could be an opportunity for me to let her know more explicitly that I am here, and that she can trust me with her doubts. Like I said, I won't tell!
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3 years of study, Just found out!
by impala63rag inhello friends, .
i would like some advice from those that are inpartial, and are familiar with the teachings of jw.
i studied with a wonderful jw couple weekly for 3 years.
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Faithful Witness
I asked my mom yesterday, if she believed that the Governing Body actually speaks for God, and she immediately said, "Yes. I do."
My mother, who used to be a Bible-believing Christian, now follows the doctrine of the faithful & discreet slave, and their leadership over all.
She is currently awaiting their instructions, although she does deny that she would commit suicide with the group.
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My JW mom is coming to visit this Friday!!
by Faithful Witness inmy parents are recent converts to jw (both baptized).
i was never a jw, but did study with them for a long time.
after doing research, my husband and i quit going to meetings and stopped the bs.
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Faithful Witness
We had a nice visit with Grandma. She really enjoyed visiting with the kids, and my son even got her to play Mario Kart racing, which was pretty hilarious. She made rubber band loom bracelets with my daughter, and was very patient and sweet to both of them.
I did ask her how many visitors she had when in the hospital. She told me she had told Dad not to tell anyone she was there, so none! She liked it that way. That fits her true personality, and it also tells me that she does not have any friends at the KH that she really enjoys spending time with. She claims to like going out in service, and "wanting to get back into it... it's just been so cold!"
She is coming back in 2 weeks, and is planning to spend the night next time. That will be fun. She said (as she always used to), "You know me, once I get here, I never want to go home!"
While at dinner, she brought up a question about whether I get magazines anymore. It turns out, she meant the WT and Awake (duh). She said, "You're scaring them off." I told her i just have too many questions and they don't want to answer. They keep saying they are coming back, but then they never show up. Then I told her the example of the question I asked the last lady, about their time cards and reporting their good deeds to men for recognition, quoting Jesus in Matthew 6:1-5. I didn't pose the question to my mom, but just anecdotally. I wanted to give her something to chew on before she heads out in service this morning.
Last fall, I had sent an email to her and my dad, about the article they finally studied last month, about "obeying instructions." She said that hadn't come up yet. I asked her what she meant, and she said, "They haven't given us the instructions yet." I asked what kinds of comments people were making during the study, and she said they kept hearing about reminders to be obedient during talks, and there were some articles about obeying the elders, but no instructions yet. We talked a little bit about this, and I did pose the question, "So, do you think the GB speaks for God?" She did not even take a breath before saying, "Yes. I do." Scary. Oops. i found the switch to her cult persona, but we quickly got back to normal dinner conversation and visiting with the kids. Much more fun.
I look forward to seeing her again in 2 weeks. She is planning to bring me some magazines.
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JW. org: "No, we are not a cult. We do not look to any human as our leader."
by Faithful Witness ini know this has been rehashed, time and again, but i saw this interesting blip on jw.org last night, and did a little thinking about it.... jw.
org answers the important question that so many have... are jehovah's witnesses a cult?.
jehovah's witnesses do not look to any human as their leader.
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Faithful Witness
Oubliette: I dug deeper, and found that the link to the original list I took on that website went back to University of Berkely, from an "Open Computing Facility." It appears to be a forum or facility for students at UC Berkeley, as well as other individuals and groups. I was unable to find the credentials or name of the person who actually compiled that list of cult characteristics. I used it, in comparision or addition to the lists I had seen before. Sorry I couldn't find more to back up the source! It appears the article is no longer on the site.
The thing I found interesting, was that jw. org brought up the question itself. "Are JWs a cult?"
Using the term "cult" can have different meanings to different people. I found that particular list interesting, as I did other lists on the site. So much has been written about cults, and the topic is pretty subjective.
There seems to be a concensus that people who are dedicated to high-control groups, do not realize they are being controlled and manipulated.
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Planting seeds of thought with my JW doctor
by Faithful Witness ini have hesitated to post anything about my recent encounters with our jw doctor, because i don't really want anyone to insult her or me, for continuing to rely on her for medical care.
our family doctor is a jehovah's witness.
we were referred to her by our former bs conductor.
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Faithful Witness
valkyrie: I agree with this assessment. She coordinates our care, and knows us all pretty well now.
She listens and cares about us as real people. We are not treated like "numbers." We have what seems to be a relationship of mutual respect. She likes the fact that we homeschool, and enjoys talking to my kids.
She refers us for all treatment needed, and is able to write prescriptions.
I do not believe that all JW's are fools.
I was interested to talk to her about her family on our last visit, and it was her idea to schedule a monthly appointment to see my mom. I'm hoping it will stick, for both of our sakes.
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JW. org: "No, we are not a cult. We do not look to any human as our leader."
by Faithful Witness ini know this has been rehashed, time and again, but i saw this interesting blip on jw.org last night, and did a little thinking about it.... jw.
org answers the important question that so many have... are jehovah's witnesses a cult?.
jehovah's witnesses do not look to any human as their leader.
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Faithful Witness
I think we all know that JWs really are not a cult... just ask them.
I actually find jw. org an entertaining website. It is full of so many interesting links! The last JW that came to my door was delighted to tell me how I could go to the blessed website, and it will answer "ANY question I have about the Bible or about JWs!!" I nodded my head, but already knew better.
My dad is gleeful when he talks about the wonderful new JW app on his iPhone. I have it on my iPad, and have seen its many uses, and many limitations. It's funny how every time I waste my precious time exploring it, I find more evidence about why one should never join this group. I am completely convinced we made the right decision when we walked away from the idea.
I can only hope that someday, I can say something that will cause my father to open his eyes and start taking a look at what he is doing.
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49
JW. org: "No, we are not a cult. We do not look to any human as our leader."
by Faithful Witness ini know this has been rehashed, time and again, but i saw this interesting blip on jw.org last night, and did a little thinking about it.... jw.
org answers the important question that so many have... are jehovah's witnesses a cult?.
jehovah's witnesses do not look to any human as their leader.
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Faithful Witness
Sorry for the delay. Here is the website where I found this list. It also has lists that were compiled by several other "cult experts." Steve Hassan's list is also on this site.
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My JW mom is coming to visit this Friday!!
by Faithful Witness inmy parents are recent converts to jw (both baptized).
i was never a jw, but did study with them for a long time.
after doing research, my husband and i quit going to meetings and stopped the bs.
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Faithful Witness
Crazyguy: I already tried that, and I was too late! It only convinced them to avoid me.
My parents are both baptized. My father is fully indoctrinated. My sister has stopped speaking to me because she believes I not only "turned away from Jehovah," but have been "attacking the Witnesses."
They belong to a cult, and unfortunately have become convinced that "Satan" and his army are now using me to try to draw them away from the flock.
I have been spending the last 18 months, trying to regain trust and a real relationship with my family, my mother in particular. She used to be like my best friend, and I could tell her anything. I told her too much about the JWs, and she stopped visiting. She used to visit us and routinely spend 1-2 nights. Then she didn't visit us for over a year, and came over once for 3 hours. This is going to be visit #2 in 6 months.
My kids really miss Grandma. My husband's parents are dead, so this is a special relationship to them.
I am really hoping we can just have a fun time and create some memories today.
The war against the Watchtower continues, but in a much more subtle way. She knows I have done research. She knows where I stand, and that I am also paying attention to the abuse my family is under by the WTS. Our once "happy enough" family, has been ripped in half by the JWs. My mother and I are both peacemakers by nature, and this is upsetting her. I hope she brings it up, but I don't want to spend all day focusing on the pain, fear and abuse.
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Moustaches vs. beards - one of the contributing factors to losing my cognitive dissonace
by Pacopoolio inas a little background - i was born-in to being a witness, back in '79, in detroit, in mostly black and poor congregations.
baptized when 10-ish, stayed around, was on the fast track to ms, but faded when i moved out at 24ish.. there was a combination of a few things that got me on the road to "freedom" from the cognitive dissonance that kept me "in the truth" for so long.
the main thing was, being an artist and studying marketing, my thinking was patterned to constantly question if i was doing something "correctly," as constant improvement and questioning is what facilitates artistic and mental growth.
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Faithful Witness
I know a JW who has a full beard.