This is my first post

by Make Lemonade 126 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Make Lemonade

  LisaRose: O.K. we found your letter to the Kingdom Hall. You have "been there and done that". Good job and thanks for the kind words. Especially from a person who has been thru so much.

  truthlover123: Thanks for the good advice to "press on". No one should disagree with that.

  Dynamiterose77: Thanks for the virtual hug. We found your experience. You have really set a good example. To encourage us even though you have been thru so much. One professional said it takes some 8 years to get over being raised a Jehovah's Witnesses. That made me feel better knowing it can take years to
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  Aunt Fancy

  Our therapist told us it takes on average one month for every year to heal from being in a cult. I can definitely tell we are doing much better but it sure is an emotional roller coaster.

  i have not read that case, can you tell me where I can get the info on it? I read a lot of the Conte case.

  You are right that the victim comes first but the others involved have a long road ahead too, it is very difficult to heal from all abuse.
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  Make Lemonade

  LisaRose:We missed your reply last night. Read it this morning. Great summary of your life. What I have noticed about myself recently is now I want more details. Like I had to watch T.V. in black and white. Having people explain what is and has gone on in their JW experience is like seeing a movie in color as compared to black and white. Or the difference between a picture of a forest in Maine during Autumn and then walking in that forest your self. Being a witness really does damage us in many ways. Many of us can study the facts like History, quotes, false teachings, "light gets brighter", etc.. You know the drill. These things are black and white. True vs. false. You believe it or not. I love the expression: "I used to believe that, now I don't".

  What takes more time is dealing with the deeper effects that you are not totally aware of. When I began to search for answers, I would not go to "apostate" web sites. I compiled a page of sites that I called nuetral. Internet Archive, Google Books, etc.. Now I do not care. Guilt, fear, shame are products of Watchtower evil. Ambient abuse and bullying are just words. Propaganda is just a word. These words are described in black and white on paper. It is the emotion that these things cause that is the color we need. When we can talk to a person who can describe the colors of their history, and we can see their experiences in colors, that is when we can start to shed the harmful effects of what the Watchtower does.

  Not saying that facts are not important. Like my meat thermometor. It says 185 degrees for Pork. I never could get the pork to 185, but still felt concerned that I could make someone or myself sick by not killing the "unseen" dangers. I might have had a phobia about Trichinosis. Now that the false information has been identified, I will enjoy cooking and eating pork chops that much more. Would it not be great if we all could find a formula just this simple and move past our Jehovah's Witness backgrounds? We quickly realize how wrong the Watchtower is when they use our family and friends as hostages to keep us involved with a damaging way of life.

  Happy you made it out. Happy you can share your experience.
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  Newly Enlightened

  Welcome!
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  Make Lemonade

  Aunt Fancy: Well I did bring up Campos didn't I? Even though I believe this case contains the most definitive facts of any abuse case I am aware of, it is also the most unsettling and disturbing. When I was in high school, we were required to watch movies about auto accidents. "Red Asphalt" was the title of one of them. The images of carnage are still burned into my brain to this day. Perhaps I am a better driver because of it. Whatever? Be warned that if you go down this rabbit hole, it can be a real shocker. Not being flippant or disrespectful to you when I say that you could find yourself discussing this with your therapist. If you know about the movie "The Matrix" it is the same as being offered the "red pill" or the "blue pill".

  This case has a "gag" order. The press has not got into much detail. As a result, the outrage is non existent. Briefly, channel 10 news in San Diego aired a video taped deposition of Gonzalo Campos. Included were comments from Irwin Zalkin and Jim McCabe. One thought that Jim McCabe expressed was that bad men slip into the organization. When and if you acquire the details I want to know how you feel about the word "slip". Does that really give a true understanding of the facts?

  O.K. enough of the warnings. We are adults who need to know the details of the evil. All you have to do is Google search: "Campos Abuse", "John Dorman", "Joel Gamboa", "Irwin Zalkin".

  One more thing for me to share about this case. The messages in Star Wars can be deep. Joseph Campbell influenced the stories of "Star Wars". His book, "A Hero of a Thousand Faces", is on my must finish list. Luke Skywalker is the "reluctant hero". He is the "hero of a thousand faces". Art imitates life or life imitates art? When you read the details of the case, I would like to know if you would agree that Manuela Dorman is a "hero of a thousand faces"? She could be "Princess Leia" in my opinion. Watchtower could be the evil empire. Her story is not fiction. It makes her a real hero to me. Knowing about her example helped me when I gave my deposition. I was in the room with the same men she opposed. How about that?!

  Enjoy your journey, Aunt Fancy. Let me know how you are doing along the way.
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  Make Lemonade

  Newly Enlightened: Thanks for the "repeat for emphases" LOL. I have enjoyed you and your husbands work.
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  Make Lemonade

  I have to make a correction. Jim McCabe did not use the word "slip". He used the word "Sneak"