talesin

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Posts by talesin

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  91

  Just wondering ....

  by talesin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there are many new posters here, and i'm very interested to learn why you chose your screen names.. .

  one book i read, the mists of avalon, was very important to me.

  among the main characters was merlin, who in the book, was called "taliesen".

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  talesin

  Hey, Van. You are in PQ? I am only a few hours' drive away....... I know it will never happen, but would love to meet you. xx tal

  PS to SIMON- (and I'm sure this will be DELETED, are you happy with your new role as censor?)

  Tried to send this PM to Cofty, but you have disabled my PM.............. thanks, after over 10 years of being a member,and flagging trolls, and having your back.

  YOU are being a real ARSEHOLE.

  Here's the messageI I was TRYING to send to your "new friend", who has lied and stabbed you in the back .. but I guess that's okay, since you're both Brits and both ex-ELDERS .............

  I hope you are happy. We could have shared space,and helped a lot of people. instead, ,you persist with your agenda of hate. I feel sorry for Simon,that he has fallen for your lies, after all the things you said behind his back.

  SHAME ON YOU!
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  91

  Just wondering ....

  by talesin in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  there are many new posters here, and i'm very interested to learn why you chose your screen names.. .

  one book i read, the mists of avalon, was very important to me.

  among the main characters was merlin, who in the book, was called "taliesen".

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  talesin

  What's your handle, and what does it mean?

  Si many new members, and so little time! Tell us, what does your screen name signify? : )
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  14

  shunning

  by zeb in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in the awake!

  of 8th jan 1947 it states that shunning is a pagan practice and is "all together foreign to bible teaching".. hope this helps some..

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  talesin

  I know that my grandmother (whose parents were IBS) is rolling over in her grave, re the shunning practice. It's unimaginable to me, that my own father is practicing this, only recently ... does he not remember? How can this be? "HE" was never shunned, in spite of his reckless youth.

  Thank you Zeb. It is some comfort, if it's only that I know that others understand. The Watchtower organization is like all other corps - they lie and decieve - all that matters is the bottom line. We are nothing more than collateral damage. *sighs* : (
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  19

  Critical Thinking-is that phrase a stigma?

  by PaintedToeNail in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i first heard the term 'critical thinking' it was as a teenager during a watchtower study.

  the study went on to elaborate how we shouldn't be swayed by critical thinking.

  there was no explanation that the term didn't mean 'to criticize' thoughts and words, but rather that it means 'to objective think and to evaluate thoughts and words'.

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  talesin

  talesin-I wasn't saying that JWs can't or don't use critical thinking, but when we use that phrase when speaking to them, it automatically sends alarms to their brains not to listen to us.

  
  

  Umm yeah, that was my point. Did you even read my post?
  
  *** why am I here? Goodbye *CLICK*

  
  
  
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  18

  FYI My JW mom and Alzheimer's

  by scary21 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  one year ago today my mom passed away.

  she was 91 years old.

  it has been really hard on me because i never expected what happened, to.have happened.

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  talesin

  Thank you, Sherry. I am going through it now, and what with the shunning, crazy tearful calls from my mother who has always hated me (formerly shunning, now ridden with guilt via Alzheimer's), it's hard to wrap my head around and deal with it on my own. I so appreciate your OP. (( )) xo tal
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  3

  Gord Downie - No Mention ??

  by berrygerry in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  with the loss of music greats in 2016, i'm somewhat surprised that gord downie hasn't been mentioned here.. the hip make such good music, and put on a good show.

  saw them here about 4 years ago, and gord brought his young son out on stage.

  with his health news, it makes that memory so much more touching.. whenever we lose a talented entertainer, we feel such loss, wishing that their talented gift to us did not stop.. for him to give, what can only be described as, a self-sacrificing good-bye tour, leaves me absolutely speechless.. http://www.torontosun.com/2016/05/25/final-tragically-hip-tour-dates-announced.

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  talesin

  My flatmate told me about this a few days ago........... so SAD. :'( Brain cancer .. I don't even want to go there again.

  
  

  Darn, half my post didn't post ........ 

  
  Wanted to say, for those in other countries, I'll post this vid.  Gord Downey was singer for the Tragically Hip, a much -beloved Canadian band.   The word "iconic" comes to mind.
  
  We are with you and your family, and your music will live on forever.  xx 

  
  

  .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAZUsCONjIQ
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  28

  I'm getting disfellowshipped

  by raven in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  hi everyone, a bit of an update here on my continuing disaster of a situation.. (refer to my previous posts for the full story) my mom met with me yesterday for dinner, it was nice.. however, she brought up the fact that because i live with my boyfriend and how everything has gone down, i will be disfellowshipped.. i think the elders basically have enough proof of this.. due to the anonymous tipper (still have no clue who it was, i live in another town 100's of miles away from my old congregation territory), and my mom telling them.

  i'm not sure when they will announce it, or if they will contact me prior.. at this point i feel so emotionally dead i don't care- on the other hand, i don't want to be disfellowshipped because i do not want to loose a relationship with my mom.

  that is the whole reason i tried fading out.. .

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  talesin

  Hi everyone, a bit of an update here on my continuing disaster of a situation.. (refer to my previous posts for the full story) my mom met with me yesterday for dinner, it was nice.. However, she brought up the fact that because I live with my boyfriend and how everything has gone down, I will be disfellowshipped.. I think the elders basically have enough proof of this.. Due to the anonymous tipper (still have no clue who it was, I live in another town 100's of miles away from my old congregation territory), and my mom telling them. I'm not sure when they will announce it, or if they will contact me prior.. At this point I feel so emotionally dead I don't care- On the other hand, I don't want to be disfellowshipped because I do not want to loose a relationship with my mom. That is the whole reason I tried fading out..

  raven Your mom turned you in. That is a very difficult thing to know (imo, speaking as a daughter who was betrayed by her mom).

  I feel that LisaRose had some good advice, and I would like to mirror that. Scroll up, if you will, and read her post again, and I think you will find it helpful.

  Don't spend the rest of your life trying to gain Mom's approval. It will only bring pain. You are worthy of all the good things in life - personal fulfillment, self-awareness, and bliss, to mention a few. Your mother has little to do with that - make your own path. She is not worthy of you. Your story touched my heart. We do NOT have to bend to our narcissistic mothers' will! Rise above her mental hysteria, and have a good life. xx
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  43

  Freedom of speech?

  by The Rebel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  attending my boys parents evening it was mentiond they were to study the " diary of anne frank".

  ( he is 10 years old) i pointed out to the teacher that having read the book, in my option the book was not written entirely by anne frank, and i would educate my boy on why i believe this to be so.. in my mind this was a totally reasonable responce by me, but it has resulted in the head-master of the school wanting to meet with me.

  i think it wrong that an educational system will i suspect meet with me and presumably suggest my options on the " anne frank diary" constitute hate speech, as nothing could be further from the truth.. freedom of speech is never absolute, but at what point do you think it reasonable and justified?

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  talesin

  The Rebel ,

  I would wager a guess that you are from central Canada, perhaps Alberta. There is good reason why the teacher would want to meet with you, considering the history of your province re: the Holocaust.

  As for your assertions re The Diary of Anne Frank, you have already been proven wrong (as well as others who agreed with you as to the veracity of its critics), so I will not address that issue.

  As to Canada's history with holocaust deniers and hate speech, I offer you these links as a form of education Read them if you want, I care NOT. If you wish to join the ranks of Keegstra and Malcolm Ross, so be it.

  http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/jim-keegstra-notorious-canadian-holocaust-denier-dead-at-80-1.2674372

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Ross_(school_teacher
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  15

  Baptized niece crowned prom queen. Could her dad loose his MS appt?

  by StarTrekAngel in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so my niece (not thru my brother but rather my wife) had been talking about going to her prom.

  the family had privately been somewhat doubtful that she would be allowed to go.

  the problem was that they kept promising she would be allowed but history has shown us that her parents tend to get her excited about things and then drop the denial on her at the last minute.

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  talesin

  Your daughter is lucky to have you as a parent. Screw the elders - as Oscar Wilde said, "The best revenge is to live life well." Leave the WTS behind, enjoy freedom, and never look back. Let her know that 'it's okay to be YOU'............. love her madly, deeply, truly, and without reservation.

  "SNAPS" to her, and to you for supporting her. : D

  
  

  I permitted my daughter to attend her end of high school dance etc .(2008)
  7 months later we were both selected to partake in a drama and I also had a DC [RC] part on the same DC- some arse-hole complained that I had done this - re the dance [he actually wanted his daughter to have the part on this Drama ] and I received a phone call one night from the CO - 2 weeks before the DC telling me that both my daughter and I had been summarily removed from the drama and that my 15 min assignment on the DC would be handled by A.N. Other - My elder body knew that I had permitted her to attend the Prom and had not seen any issue in the matter ........???
  My daughter subsequently removed herself from the Borg and interestingly another sister who was her counterpart in this Drama, DA-ed about 4 months later !
  I still have a punch in the teeth lined up for the arse-hole in question - It will happen one day !!!
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  19

  Critical Thinking-is that phrase a stigma?

  by PaintedToeNail in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i first heard the term 'critical thinking' it was as a teenager during a watchtower study.

  the study went on to elaborate how we shouldn't be swayed by critical thinking.

  there was no explanation that the term didn't mean 'to criticize' thoughts and words, but rather that it means 'to objective think and to evaluate thoughts and words'.

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  talesin

  Fantastic thread!
  Thanks for starting it.

  Critical thinking skills mean one is being 'analytical' or constructively looking at all information.

  We use critical thinking skills each day as we are bombarded by media and advertising.

  We use it when shopping at a store. If we didn't, we would all drink soft drink and think it is healthy because the bottle says so....etc...

  The society has stigmatised the expression to make it a negative thing.

  The suggestions in the opening post about using different terms is a great one! That breaks down the barriers that a witness puts up...

  
  

  Well said, SIAR2. It's a term that has become standard in JW-speak. I wish to add my personal opinion on this matter, and hope that no one finds it offensive.

  Trigger phrases are not useful when attempting to de-program cult victims, and in fact, by their very nature, are destructive to any meaningful dialogue with a 'believer'. Critical thinking is applied to many parts of our lives (as SIAR2 stated in her/his post). Lack of education, and brainwashing by the cult, definitely inhibits critical thinking - it's important to realize that many JWs employ this skill in their everyday lives in other areas that have nothing to do with religion.

  I would speculate that this is especially true in cases of JWS who are still in the cult because of family. It seems to me that many of these folk have not examined their belief system beyond a superficial level, compared to [rest of] the 'world". Protection from harmful practices such as addiiction (and I must pause at this moment to metaphorically clear my throat *cough cough* alcohol *cough cough*) and sinful, TIGHT PANTS *grins* are ridiculously overblown, and this, along with the protection of pedophiles, may be the way by which many people see TTATT.

  When the 'cult personality' is triggered, all reason flies out the window. If we employ this term, 'critical thinking' as a label on all JWS, and infer that all JWS never use critical thinking, then we could be pushing some lurkers away, at their very first contact. Consider this: In a roundabout way, we are telling them "You are incapable of any reason or logic, and essentially, stupid." Is that the message we want to send to those who are seeking truth, and may be fragile, especially when they are clearly at the risk of losing their families?

  Food for thought.  : )
  
  
  Edit,,, and food is a wonderful thing!