Posts by TTATTelder

64

What triggered your doubts / awakening?

by Tornintwo in

i am sort of new here, used a different username for a while but things got 'difficult' at home so i've since been lurking.... what i would be really interested to know, if you don't mind sharing, is what it was that triggered your doubts and initial research which led to awakening, was it a bad experience, injustice, changed doctrine?

for me, it was seeing mistreatment of young ones in the congregation, they're under so much pressure and as soon as they go even slightly astray they are shunned, either informally (as bad associations which pushes them further into the 'world') or formally - with elders dying to throw the book at them so they even lose their family.... ...then reading about child abuse issues in the press.... ...which led me to silentlambs.

...then jw facts, this forum and coc, wham!

TTATTelder

What's almost worse is the amount of people being born everyday into a situation of injustice and death. Yet most Witnesses want to believe this isn't the case yet can't work out why this makes a mockery of the "warning" work. - Konceptual99

Ain't that the truth. I just want to scream when I hear "Jehovah is being patient because he does not desire any to be destroyed."

First of all using "destroyed" is a bit over the top - wouldn't you say?

Second, how is letting the population grow faster than your organization saving anybody?

Third, if God really wants to not "destroy" people, then how about just not destroy people. There's a thought.

Lastly, ever since I was a child I thought this: If Jehovah sees the future, then why doesn't he just save those that would have "come into the truth" eventually .....or better yet just judge everybody's current or future heart condition and save anybody with a snowball's chance? It's not like there isn't the "last test" as a backup plan if you let too many in.

And these people have the "truth" of all the universe..... wow. if this is truth I hate to see lies.

-TE

64

What triggered your doubts / awakening?

by Tornintwo in

i am sort of new here, used a different username for a while but things got 'difficult' at home so i've since been lurking.... what i would be really interested to know, if you don't mind sharing, is what it was that triggered your doubts and initial research which led to awakening, was it a bad experience, injustice, changed doctrine?

for me, it was seeing mistreatment of young ones in the congregation, they're under so much pressure and as soon as they go even slightly astray they are shunned, either informally (as bad associations which pushes them further into the 'world') or formally - with elders dying to throw the book at them so they even lose their family.... ...then reading about child abuse issues in the press.... ...which led me to silentlambs.

...then jw facts, this forum and coc, wham!

TTATTelder

About three years ago or so, I was dealing with frustration for the umpteenth time over "bad" elders. I mean like seriously rotten people that anybody would consider of low character. I had seen these men in positions of authority regularly my entire life in the organization. I was trying to rationalize it with lines like "This is God's organization", "Jehovah lets things happen" "Wait on Jehovah" and that whole mental pretzel. I finally used the same criteria for the organization that I would for a normal company. If corruption is allowed in the lower ranks, then there is corruption all the way up the ladder. The management of a company dictates the culture. So for the first time I looked at the GB with suspicion.

From there I dabbled into some youtube videos and some sites like JWfacts. I only went so far at first and then backed out of the rabbit hole. I had made some new JW friends at the time and didn't really want to go there all the way.

Well about a year later I ran into some more frustration with the hierarchy of the organization and went back down the hole.This time I went all the way. I listened to jwstruggle's committee meeting on youtube. Read just about all of jwfacts. I found C.O.C. in a pdf online and read it. I joined this site. Everything clicked. Bubble burst.

Like OneEyedJoe I wasn't moved so much by 607 or the UN thing. I too was most disturbed by the misquotes and quotes taken out of context in publications like the Creation book and the Trinity brochure. I guess it was more personal. I had done major school reports using that Creation book! I felt personally lied to.

I also was bothered by this pic and others like it:

It was obvious to me that the organization used bogus hyped claims to lure people into their books and subscriptions. It is not a heritage to be proud of.

I fall into that typical story though - something had to anger or upset me in the organization for me to start questioning things. Once I did of course, the internet with the popular sites like jwsurvey, jwfacts, and this site fed me all the info i would ever need to see through it. Thanks to all responsible for that. The truth hurts, but that's because we believed lies before.

-TE

22

More Young Indoctrination

by freemindfade in

not sure how wide spread this is, but from my social media land i saw 2 separate videos, from two halls in completely different towns featuring their kids having a demonstration on the service meeting (i am guessing last night as i didn't go).

these kids are really young!

maybe this was just a coincidence at first i thought it was the same video then realized theses people live hundreds of miles apart.

TTATTelder

Yeah at our hall it was a 5 year old that did the demonstration.

-TE

32

I think the WT believed their own "growth" statements - Financial Trouble Thoughts

by thedepressedsoul in

we've all read, heard and have seen in the videos where jw's and their leaders talk about the "huge" growth that is taking place.

they've talked about how many kh they needed, branches etc... .

our co last visit he mentioned how quickly the organization is speeding up and the huge growth they are seeing.

TTATTelder

As far as "growth" goes, I look forward to seeing the 2015 numbers. After the flash-in-the-pan that 2014 was with its 100 year anniversary/embarrassment, I expect to see plateauing numbers if not decline in coming years.

-TE

1

Alternative 10 Commandments - Commandment #10

by TTATTelder in

jw
friends

i stumbled on this wikipedia page giving alternative 10 commandments:.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/alternatives_to_the_ten_commandments.

this was #10 on a list by bertrand russell (british philosopher 1872-1970).

TTATTelder

I stumbled on this wikipedia page giving Alternative 10 commandments:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternatives_to_the_Ten_Commandments

This was #10 on a list by Bertrand Russell (British philosopher 1872-1970)

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

It made me think of Jehovah's "Happified People". Lol.

I am trying to let go of anger toward the religion and see some humor in it (not easy). The truth is there will always be people skipping around in a fool's paradise.

Here are all 10 on his list; I think you will find them interesting considering our JW background:

Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.
Do not think it worth while to proceed by concealing evidence, for the evidence is sure to come to light.
Never try to discourage thinking for you are sure to succeed.
When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband or your children, endeavour to overcome it by argument and not by authority, for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.
Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary authorities to be found.
Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do the opinions will suppress you.
Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.
Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent that in passive agreement, for, if you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement than the latter.
Be scrupulously truthful, even if the truth is inconvenient, for it is more inconvenient when you try to conceal it.
Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.

-TE

55

Should I Make My Wife Watch the May Broadcast?

by TTATTelder in

jw
friends

for some background, i am still in.

still an elder.

very much awake.

TTATTelder

So to give a quick update... the wife watched it. She basically said she understands where I'm coming from with my complaints about the money focus and deceitful tactics, but...... She went straight to "well if there are problems then jehovah will reveal them in time... There are many examples of problems in Jehovah's organization in the past blah blah"

very frustrating - it's like she could see my points to a certain extent but then the indoctrination kicks in.

-TE

29

Mark Sanderson Background and Warwick

by TakeOffTheCrown in

mark sanderson - here is some insight on his background taken from this site:.

http://e-watchman.com/congratulations-mark/.

congratulations, mark!.

TTATTelder

I got a good laugh out of that one Watchtower-Free.

-TE

29

Mark Sanderson Background and Warwick

by TakeOffTheCrown in

mark sanderson - here is some insight on his background taken from this site:.

http://e-watchman.com/congratulations-mark/.

congratulations, mark!.

TTATTelder

What does intelligent look like?

Not like that.

-TE

25

Jehovah's Witnesses---From Walking Tall To Living In Shame

by minimus in

jw
friends

i remember the days when jws were proud of their religion, they walked tall and carried their big stick, their bibles, proudly.

now, it's embarrassing for a witness to admit their faith to others.

the average witness can't explain their beliefs, as they have changed so many times.

TTATTelder

Yeah it's easy to see now that it was a publishing company that sold books because of its anti-religous-establishment stance. They were basically the religious shock-jocks of back-in-the-day. They caught a lot of eyeballs and sucked in the disenfranchised. It grew a cult following that actually turned into a cult.

Today they are lost in space. The GB are managing a cult built before their time in power. The GB are just cult followers themselves that inherited the company.

They look foolish, but I agree, the new shiny things will keep the masses distracted.

-TE

26

Watchtower Society now PROMOTES using Social Media / Networks?

by FusionTheism in

jw
friends

have you seen this?.

http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/teenagers/whiteboard-animations/social-network-smart/#?insight.

TTATTelder

About 10 years ago, we had a local-needs-of-the-circuit talk that said all social network accounts needed to be shut down. That was the "world" and "satan".

Oh how times change.

-TE