Welcome afs and yes it certainly is.
I refused to force my son to obey the wbts.
Adults should be wise and make the tough choices for the family.
There are a lot of cults in the world.
Good luck (oops)
Blown away-- where to go from here
by All for show 83 Replies latest jw friends
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All for show
Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and advice. I realize I need to be careful at home and with family. I have mentioned somethings at a family gathering and while we can complain about people and spiritual politics, 'theres no where to go' and 'this is the truth' stand strong. You know that line we know not to cross as a 'born in'. All the unspoken rules we live by.
We dont fit in anywhere, we don't buy in to the JW life 100 percent and yet try to be balanced and limit our 'worldly association' and our involvement with things that aren't spiritual pursuits. We feel Unhappy either way. So why keep trying? Yes, that's the question. The cycle of not being good enough or doing enough gets so old. As you all know... It's exhausting.
The most shocking now is seeing they have cherry picked scripture to their held beliefs while condeming 'false religion' for doing it. How did they get so off base? Where do it go wrong? Were they well intentioned and they got too much power? My thoughts are everywhere. wow...
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disposable hero of hypocrisy
It's a revelation for sure to realise you've been deceived for all your life, but it gets better matey, hang in there and take it slow. Very tempting to blurb it all out but along with that comes the real possibility of scuppering your future chances to talk again as they'll retreat into their tortoise-like shell humming listen obey and be blessed...
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Hairtrigger
Welcome. Enjoy the journey. And go where your dreams take you.
Thanks simon for the site.
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Finkelstein
There are a lot more halfas in this faith than you think . All for One
Mostly to the fact of those entailing doctrines of the world coming to an end and god is only going to save JWS from destruction.
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One thing that should be realized is that men particularly religious charlatans can maintain their status of power and position by enforcing strict loyalty
and obedience by believers toward themselves, as well keep any pertaining financial donations given to them.
There is no policy over religious leaders to return money by dissatisfied people who feel they've been ripped offed.
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That is why the main question asked at most JC is .... " Do you accept that the GB of the JWS is god's solemnly chosen ones (FDSL) directed by god ? "
and you can assume this happens by the many other religious faiths out there.
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Its been said by people that religion is just a crutch to help support themselves upon, if that is so
the WTS. supplies crutches that are made of plastic made to look like steel.
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And yet the WTS proclaims that all other religions are false religions and that god only approves of their Faith in practice, thats why JWS are held
into this religion by fear and ignorance, propagated by the inherent corruption of the WTS's own orchestrated leaders.
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bohm
Afs: How did they get so off base? Where do it go wrong? Were they well intentioned and they got too much power?
i would say around rutherford, however it was never very good. Why not download a really old wt and read aN article on your own to form an oppinion?
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Apognophos
The question of whether the Society is sincere has been debated many times here. It's difficult to say, but those of us who were close to the power base usually side with "sincerely self-deluded". Need it be a scam if the Society cherry-picks scriptures, when the other churches also do so? People find very creative ways to only see the facts that align to the beliefs they already hold.
Even the most suspicious of the Society's acts can be rationalized as "We're preserving God's earthly organization" or "We're doing what's best for the flock even if they would be stumbled if they knew", even though those acts also coincidentally serve the purpose of protecting their comfortable lifestyle and cherished beliefs.
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flipper
ALL FOR SHOW- Welcome to the board my friend, nice to have you here ! Many of us here were born-in JW's as well ( as you've noticed by people's posts ) myself included. I was born into the JW's and exited 11 years ago at age 44 finally. I just stopped attending, no DFing , no dissassociating, just stopped due to the lack of compassion, lack of love, and injustices I saw others experiencing and myself from elders giving their own opinions as counsel- not even following the WT Societys advice ! That's when I knew that there was a " short circuit " in the holy spirit somewhere.
I know it's a bit overwhelming at first when you start researching the WT Society and you begin finding out MANY things that were kept from us information wise- but be patient, be kind to yourself and don't judge yourself too harshly or feel too much guilt about what you are doing. We as JW's were programmed, trained, and led to believe that we could NOT trust ourselves, that in turn gave us a low self esteem of our own reasoning abilities. If we had doubts or questions it was because our " faith was weak " not because we had legitimate questions that needed answering. If the WT Society came out with new information that we didn't understand , i.e. the " overlapping generations " it's not that WT leaders got it wrong, it's just that we " didn't understand " and it was presented as " new light " to us. So we were conditioned as a JW to accept at face value ANYTHINg and EVERYTHING the WT Society said without questioning it. Which in the real world- is very dangerous to do.
Some books that really helped me to understand what I experienced for 44 years as a born-in JW were written by Steven Hassan dealing with mind control. I highly recommend anybody considering their options of exiting the Witnesses to read his books. His website is : www.freedomofmind.com. Reading a couple of his books titled " Combatting Cult Mind Control " and " Releasing the Bonds- Empowering People to Think For Themselves " definitely helped me to understand what had happened to me for 44 years inside the Jehovah's Witness organization. So be kind to yourself, patient with yourself and your hubby and children, it takes time to get access to information to realize where you've been in life and where you are going. We will be here as a support to you in your journey. Many of us have done the same journey and come out on the other side feeling good about life. You will too. Just give it time. We are here for you if you ever want to talk just send me a PM or anybody else here and we'll talk. O.K. ? Take care, Peace out, Mr. Flipper
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Finkelstein
The most shocking now is seeing they have cherry picked scripture to their held beliefs while condemning 'false religion' for doing it. How did they get so off base? Where do it go wrong?
The only truthful answer to that is they were running and operating their own publishing house, so engaging doctrines were created by exploitation of the basic
established belief in the bible by the general public.
Cherry picking Scripture as they pleased and avoiding scripture that would not support their own expressed interpretations.
.... ie. Jesus explicitly told his followers that no one will know the time of his return toward establishing his kingdom and that its not for anyone to try and guess and make
a time ... making a calculation exactly like the WTS did. (1914)
The return of the Jesus Christ was a main stay doctrine they used by many religious charlatans all the way back to the early 1800's., all endeavored for various reasons.
Just about all of these religious teachers/thinkers had one thing in common among themselves, they all had printed publications to offer to the people and gave public talks
to support their theological assertions. ... uuummm ????
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cha ching
IF I could go back in time......
I definitely would take the path of some very smart people (Like Billy the Bethelite, I wish I c/find the thread... He asked a simple question... "oh, this guy asked me about kangaroos.." "What did he ask you?" Ah, never mind, it's too dumb..." "How they got from Australia to the ark..." then it goes on to "Then he asks, how did htey git back? etc, etc...
BIlly made the other person intrigued, and the other guy pursued the questioning (while Billy seemed all nonchalant) & who approached subjects from an innocent angle... "I met someone in service (or work, or teacher) who asked me....." then, "I don't know what I should say?"
Ask questions from the "I don't know what to say to them" side... Not "I can't find answers, I've looked everywhere.." or "Do you know what the WT said?"
No, approach it from the "someone asked me in service" that way you look as if you are defending the organization. Making people provide the answers, instead of answering it for them, will help their brains to start the puzzle solving process. It will be their conclusions, not yours.
I also think that having an established network of friends (clubs? sports teams? etc, etc) and acquaintences will help. Missing more meetings will make it easier also... Your brain has more time to think, your body can rest, you get out of "the routine".. I wish I had just 'time to relax' while going to school, instead of "do homework, eat, go to the meeting, go to bed, get up, go to school."
Breathe, just breathe, and smile, and come here and talk to get your ideas out of your head, to give yourself time to just really think!