Is it really just innocent words?

by lonestar63 36 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  jamiebowers

  Jamiebowers, i think you misunderstood my intent. I'm not interested in herding ex jw's, nor am i interested in censoring them. The anger they feel is understandable. I used to have the same anger, but i've let it go for the most part. What i am interested in is how helpful this sight was to me, and how it can and will be helpful to others. If a JW stumbles on here, how much better would it be if he read enough to become interested in learning more. I think some of the phrases used can prevent that from happening. Their cult trained mind will tell them to flee.

  No, I didn't misunderstand your intent, and if my response sounded unfriendly, it wasn't meant to be. The herding exjws comment means that this is one group of people who won't accept being told how to express themselves...we've been there, done that. If newbies are bothered by the language on this site, there are plenty of other places for them to go, (freeminds, jwfacts, etc). I wish them well.
• 

  StAnn

  How do I say this without sounding heartless? It's great if this site appeals to Dubs still in the Borg who have questions. But I think it is more important that this site is available for ex-JWs to vent, even if it's loud, obnoxious, rude venting. Where else can we who have been so wronged and so robbed go to find others who can understand us? Nowhere. There are so many Dubs who need to know that it's okay to be angry with the WTS! This site shows them that and lets them express their anger, too. This is the time and the place to let all that frustration out and stop bottling it up.

  The more someone has had stripped from them by the Borg, the louder they will be for awhile and that's okay with me.

  StAnn
• 

  Balsam

  When I first found this site, I was astonished at the pure raw anger in the words here. I had left the witnesses but the anger had not set in yet, that came later for me. I never tried to say a lot here though because I knew it would not help those who were still affected by the religion. It's a shock to the JW sense when they come to read here.

  Ruth
• 

  african GB Member

  Some of us are considerd DEAD already by our JW family, we don't really blame them for that, after all they get instructions from FDS.

  african GB member
• 

  avishai

  People are going to get offended on this site. Athiests offend Xtians, and vice versa. I've gotten offended by holocaust deniers, racists, and homophobes on here. Some of you are offended by the very existence of homosexuals. I got offended the other day by something that would have normally been merely annoying to me, but I was already in a foul mood. And I went off on someone I dig on here. But we made nice, and it's now all good. It's life, people. There's things out there that are far more offensive to be worried about. Genocide, child abuse, ecology, AIDS in Africa. So, if you are someone who is to thin skinned to realize that some things are going to offend someone somewhere, you should probably just stay indoors and become a shut in.
• 

  passwordprotected

  I agree that some of the terms used to describe Witnesses and their religion are going to be hugely offensive to them, regardless of the terms the WTS uses to describe Christians. JWs are incredibly myopic and easily offended.

  My view is that it's best to be as respectful to a JW as possible otherwise their apostate radar kicks in and their ears and eyes close down.
• 

  wobble

  I do agree that some of the things I found here shocked me,the anger,Homerovah The Almighty's name seemed blasphemous (is it?) and some of the terms used.

  But it did not stop me from reading,and many of the irreverent things made me wet myself laughing!

  I think if someone is not yet ready,then they will leave,but probably return when they are.I would hate to see the joyfull free- for -all panoply of opinions and use of language that we have on here curbed anymore than it is by the rules and the sensible work of the Mods.

  Keep on taking the Piss folks,I could take it when I was a Dub(there I go) so lets hope those coming on here for the first time have enough of their mind open to read and see how wonderfull JWN is and all you guys are,including Homie,bless him!

  love

  Wobble
• 

  Borgia

  Many witnesses do not have a problem with joking about other religions an rudicule other religious beliefs.

  Now they come to this site and find the same thing: other people ridculing their religious beliefs and defamation of their holy houses.......When I read The truth (TM) for the first time I really LMAO. It is a ridicule....but every witness knows it to be true, Gibbering body...hahaha...priceless. Every witness knows this t be true........Witchtower, Babble and trick society......LMAOROFL and that sort of thing. .....

  But the top layer of the JW sentiment is: they view their organisation as holy, a godly institution. No ridicule allowed for that is what enemies of God do. But here's the deal: The more they get ridiculed, the better they are able to think about it themselves, it lowers the treshhold........

  So please, keep on ridiculing and coming up with nice descriptions......many people don't stumble across this site.......they come here intentionally......out of curiousity or because it has been recommended.......

  Cheers

  Borgia
• 

  GromitSK

  Unless the intention of the site is to de-programme or counsel JWs then I think it is important that people speak their mind on forums like this. The world JWs live in isn't the real world, nowhere near it. In the real world people won't understand why JWs waste their time pioneering or tolerate the demands made by the organisation or show respect for their beliefs simply because they genuinely believe them. I would say that every individual should be respected, and they have a right to hold their beliefs (however ill-informed or ridiculous) however I don't think they have a right to have their beliefs respected, especially by people who know for a fact that it's a CoS.

  It seems to me that people come to a knowledge of reality via a number of routes. From my own experience (as most of us here I suppose) I was shocked by (amongst other things) how easy it was to effectively exclude all dissenting opinion. Why would a JW visit this website? Perhaps for titillation - 'ooh look at Satan's zoo', or maybe because they have doubts. If they have doubts then I dont think it takes a scientist to accept that people who feel they have been duped will be furious. I know I was for a long while. What would they expect?If they do have doubts then the honest thing to do is to think about those doubts and research. If prevented by fear in one form or another then not much progress will be made until that fear is challenged - it's a lesson in life I guess. to quote a line from Frank Herbert "fear is the mind killer".

  If they look closely though here and in other places I think they will find compassion after the anger has passed. It can take a long while to pass. If I had spent 30 years as a JW instead of 5 or so and was looking back at a life that was based on a pack of BS (and I don't mean Branch Servant) I would be mad. Mad at the organisation and mad at myself. I am sure some JWs will visit this site and think "what awful angry blasphemous people", some may ask "I wonder why they are so angry" and these latter are the ones ready to think for themselves and reach escape velocity. (I am not sure you can be blasphemous about a deity that doesn't exist however if he does exist surely he is big enough to deal with it him/her/itself? I see a lot worse than that happening in the world with no intervention).
• 

  LouBelle

  lonestar63: The truth of the matter is that we actually cannot help them. By our very words they would see that we were "apostate" and their walls would go up. They have to start the questioning themselves and have to do the research themselves to see the society for what it is, sure we can always help...if asked.

  This is a place where people are free to express the way the feel about the society - perhaps if a witness does stumble across here and sees the way people speak of the society they will enquire as to why....that could be the start of their journey out.