as a former wt member, would you say the wts intentionally abuses it's members in the form of gaslighting?.
gaslighting or gas-lighting is a form of mental abuse in which information is twisted/spun, selectively omitted to favor the abuser, or false information is presented with the intent of making victims doubt their own memory, perception and sanity.. sociopaths frequently use gaslighting tactics.
sociopaths consistently transgress social mores, break laws, and exploit others, but typically, are also charming and convincing liarswho consistently deny wrongdoing.
cut the cord.
sever all ties.
start new.. and she's right.
took the magazines in the waiting room and dumped them in the trash.
was a great feeling.
to think many witnoids wont dare throw out the surplus magazines they have in stacks around the house is amazing.
took the magazines in the waiting room and dumped them in the trash.
was a great feeling.
to think many witnoids wont dare throw out the surplus magazines they have in stacks around the house is amazing.
i find that when talking people who say they "used to be a jehovah's witness" they say words that show they have in fact, never been one.
it's like a man that worked for the post office for 30 years in a main major urban hub like chicago or new york... and you ask him, "in your last position, what was your rdo?
" and the man says "whats an rdo?".
I've made a deliberate effort to discard JW-sanctioned terminology as part of my personal recovery. I say:
"left the watchtower" instead of "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses"
"church" instead of "kingdom hall"
"door-knocking" or "proselytising" or "evangelizing"
"converted" instead of "learned the truth"
"indoctrination" instead of whatever ridiculous explanation for following the FDS is in the latest WT
"propaganda meeting" instead of Congregation Book Study
"recruitment training" instead of Theocratic Ministry School
"tent revival" instead of Circuit Assembly...
See how that works? I refuse to abide by their terminology.
One last point: Independent Thinking is now a badge of honor.
right now, i feel like my mind is at war with itself.. on the one side is reason, logic.. on the other is tradition, hope and fear.. reason and logic are challenging life-long beliefs.
they are telling me, "is this any more believable than the story of the lord of the rings?".
certain doctrines of my belief system are crumbling.. my mind still wants to hold on to the belief in a creator, his son jesus and the bible.
wanted to send this to my "active" sister in hopes of awakening her, comments welcome.
she thinks i am a heathen apostate.... losing my religion.
preface.
It's beautiful. But if she is a devoted supporter of WT, this is going to be way above her paygrade. What you've written is heady stuff, and while it may perfectly express your passion on belief, if your intent is to open the door to discussion with your sister, you need to figure out what HER passion is on belief.
To do that, you need simplicity. Her spiritual maturity level is similar to a toddler who hasn't yet learned to see grey areas or spot lies. You cannot teach a toddler with a treatise, as lovely as it is.
And yet, your simplicity is threaded through the letter, and that is love. So imagine you are having the conversation with a very intelligent child - who if given enough simple ideas, can develop a complex understanding.
i have been wondering lately if guy pierce did not approve of all these changes like jw broadcasting, the new jw kingdom halls and the direction that they are currently moving in.
i know that some changes happened while he was alive but a lot of these changes seemed to be pushed right after his death..
for example, jw broadcasting almost sounds like it was rushed out within 2 months.
It was almost as if Guy Pierce wasn’t in favor when one or a few really wanted a JW Broadcasting type thing.
Doubtful. Pierce was always really pro-technology. If anything, if he were involved in that project, it might have been held up because he would want them to "get it right," which would probably have included not using such a boring old drone for the roll-out video.
so i have gotten into arguements with my wife in the past about this cult.
now a days after reading steve hassan books...i just try and avoid anything jdub with her.
try to keep her in authentic mode..(not sure she really has one).
I think this is one of the things that keeps JWs locked in. They have absolutely no comprehension of the concept of Grace. They truly believe that they can never be worth of God's love, but at the same time, God expects them to earn his love - the love that they can never be worthy of, even when they are working hard to earn it. Etc, etc, etc. It's the most pernicious example of circular reasoning, and I believe it derails their ability to think critically.
It's not unique to JWs, this subversion of Grace, most of the high control groups teach the same or similar, that you must prove your devotion and earn your salvation. It's quite incompatible with the concepts of Christ-centered christianity, although wholly in line with Pauline Christianity.
in the long winter nights you need some good tv shows to watch while you wait for the eternity between seasons of game of thrones.. we've watched marco polo (pretty good) and have just started watching orange is the new black which is not at all what i imagined (didn't know it was funny!).
house of cards is on the list too as we've heard good things about that.. anyone have any others that are worth seeing?.
