Posts by problemaddict 2

180

What is the most bizarre counsel you received as a JW, from a JW?

by Funchback in

there were many addressed to me.

for example, i once had a sister tell me i was gambling because i liked playing skill crane (the machine where you have to try to pick up prizes like stuffed animals) at the arcade.

i then fired back a her: "you saw the r-rated movie 'backdraft.

problemaddict 2

My friend was told by a CO's wife to not boil their water (in a third world country), because it would "kill the vitamins". Not really counsel......but clearly nuts.

34

Physically In, Mentally Out

by James Jack in

7 years ago i was this "ultra spiritual elder".

you name it, i was visible all over the region.

i was the coordinator, on the convention committee, rbc, had a talk at every convention and assembly, regular pioneer, etc.

problemaddict 2

You were taught that to look inwardly, and think independently were bad things.

Really they are necessary for our development.

Even as a JW I had sort of a morbid fear of death (and maybe being killed by God). As an awake out person, I still can't shake it, and its not good. Through some real reflection and research, I figured that processing death, and you living your one and only life (at least in the state you are currently in...if you happen to have a religious faith), happens in per-adolesence.

But I WASN'T GOING TO DIE. I got to walk into the new world riding a lion. So......I never processed the idea of ceasing to exist as i was.

It took time......self reflection....and being open to anything to get that.

Give yourself time. So what is right for you and your family, and while it sounds like a buzzword, take back your integrity. It will make you feel whole again, even if you have more questions than answers maybe for the first time in your life.

25

I Give Up!

by pale.emperor in

im giving up guys.

i've reached the end of my patience and now i finally refuse to waste any more time on part-time witnesses.

i've text all of my active jw family members and told them to delete my number from their phone and never contact me again.

problemaddict 2

Nah. Don't give up! Haha.

For real, you are still int he best position to be able to help if there is a real opening. Cutting yourself off from them, is doing their work for them.

The person who helped me wake up online, probably thought he was beating his head against a wall. 7 years after our "talks" I found him and thanked him. I have helped a few people out, so you could say his time cost the branch about 12 members and their donations thus far.

So......do whats good for you, but don't let momentary frustration get you down. Being kind, making yourself available......it works!

30

Bible pssssges that are immoral - Lot offering his virgin daughters to be gang raped by homosexual males

by jambon1 in

jw
friends

.

tell me me more about your just & loving god..

problemaddict 2

The more I woke up, the more the Hebrew scriptures in particular read like an ancient nomadic desert dwelling tribe justifying their crazy actions through their God.

David committing the grave sin of counting people, and the people paying for it to the tune of something like 17,000 deaths definitely comes to mind.

In judges, when they are to slay a neighboring tribe, but spare the virgin women who have not gone through puberty. That was pretty rough. When the soldiers come back with infants and little children that are not virgin per-pubescent girls....Moses is all like Yo!....I thought I said kill all the boys? So I imagine them being ripped from their older sisters arms, and their throats cut. Jehovah doesn't say or so anything at all about it.

Yeah......really being honest with myself started with those things.

45

What did NOT get you out?

by problemaddict 2 in

i realize this is odd, but a "how you woke up" thread and the personal stories that are told which i know we all enjoy, made me think of this.

in helping my wife and a couple others get the ball rolling, i realized the thing that resonated with me, didn't even move the needle with them.

i wanted to rail on and on about blood, because that was my conduit to waking up, but for my wife it was about shunning.

problemaddict 2

I realize this is odd, but a "how you woke up" thread and the personal stories that are told which I know we all enjoy, made me think of this.

In helping my wife and a couple others get the ball rolling, I realized the thing that resonated with me, didn't even move the needle with them. I wanted to rail on and on about blood, because that was my conduit to waking up, but for my wife it was about shunning. 2 of my friends, one still in the process......for them it was about 607 and "administrative BS".

These had no effect on me for some reason.

Apostates with signs (the angrier, the more i felt they were just fullfilling prophecy)
Christians with signs (they were usually rude, and talking about the Trinity......next)
UN scandal. I didn't care.
Old friends trying to get me to think about why I wasn't allowed to go to college or play sports
"bad" Elders. I actually grew up around and with some really good guys. Guys I felt really believed, and tried their best to be balanced and extend mercy.

I am a firm believer that the best you can do to get through that wall in a JW's mind is to just loosen one brick. You have to do so gently. Once that brick is out, its up to them to poke around, look through to the other side, and see if there is anything that resonates with them.

Everyone has their brick. The rest of the wall could be stable.

Thoughts?

41

What woke you up?

by MrRoboto in

for me, i think it was just the right time as i was starting to wake up on other fronts as well (anyone who had went through these will know what i mean).

but it started when i was looking for what info goes on a publisher card, which led to me reading one person's story (ex bethelite) which was pretty crazy to an all-in jw but who trusts those apostates...?.

then i started watching videos on cults, as if my subconscious was trying to tell my concord mind something... when i saw a particular one about a young man in lds getting ready to start their 2 year preaching campaign, including a school, social activities etc, i realized that i couldn't tell the difference between the folks of this mormon cult and the jws (save for some religious differences) .

problemaddict 2

I love these type of threads.

I was serving in a foreign country as a young "need-greater" (which means my wife and I funded ourselves....quit our jobs.....big level of commitment). I had 19 bible studies and my wife 20. Sheesh.

I was learning a language, so i honestly got kind of bored and just wanted to communicate in english. I somehow stumbled upon a web site called "scriptural truths" which was ran apparently by some JW's. Also a forum called "touchstone". This was ran by an elder out of the UK. I loved that there were apologists defending the tenants of my faith, so i joined up. I was an active online JW apologist in the golden years of this (about 10 years ago or so). I met a LOT of brothers who were very intelligent, and put together decent defenses. (many of them are now out).

But in engaging with some apostates online, there was one in particular that while he could be a bit of an ass, I knew was telling the truth about his experience, and he ended up just kind of being for lack of a better term....NICE to me. It made me take into consideration some specific questions. The one that stuck?

BLOOD.

It seemed grey. Our policy made no sense. If it WAS grey, then it should be a conscience matter......but it wasn't. So was their bloodguilt to go around?

I didn't care about the UN, old predictions, or what I regarded as conspiracy theories. Blood to me became the single most indefensible doctrine there was. When we returned from foreign service, we were rock stars. I was an idealist, and thought I could change things. I got frustrated because you know how that went. I made the classic mistakes by sharing my frustration, which led to inquiry, loss of friendships, my wife thinking I'm insane (she is out now as well), and more.

___

I am a firm believer that the best you can do to get through that wall in a JW's mind is to just loosen one brick. You have to do so gently. Once that brick is out, its up to them to poke around, look through to the other side, and see if there is anything that resonates with them. My wife got out. She didn't care about blood even though that is what I pushed on. For her it was shunning. My buddy got out. I pushed blood......for him it all started with 607.

Everyone has their brick.

20

What Did You Imagine Jehovah To Look Like?

by pale.emperor in

what did you imagine jehovah to look like?

i always pictured him like this:.

.

problemaddict 2

The following is what I actually remembered imagining God in my head to be like.

A white guy, with dark hair, and keyhole aviator glasses (I know.....odd). Honestly.....just like the king of all elders.

Crazy.

41

Some prayers really annoy me

by stillin in

i realize that prayer is a really personal thing, but representing a group in prayer has become so full of cliche's that i just want to vomit sometimes.

co week almost every prayer has the phrase "special week of activity" in it.. then there's "please look after the sick and afflicted.".

not so much anymore, "please bless this food and the hands that prepared it.".

problemaddict 2

"We leave today in your care and keeping"

Seriously.....every single time.

234

Suicide - How many do you know within the JWs

by Lady Lee in

thw wts likes to play games with their statistics.

one interesting but truly tragic is the number of jwhovah's witnesses who commit suicie.. now i suspect that if a person commits suicide shortly before or after they are disfellowshipped then the elders would say that person wasn't a witness or that they had done something so terrible that they were too guilty to admit it and by their action of committing suicide they pretty much declared they were no longer a jw.. yup fancy talk to make sure any crap didn't fall on them.. so my question.. do you know of cases like this?

if so then can you answer a few more questions.. had this person been dfed or in real danger of being dfed or whatever the equivalent is if they were never baptized?.

problemaddict 2

I never knew anyone, and I lived in a very high density area in southern CA. Maybe the sunshine helped offset some of the culty type feelings? Not saying this doesn't happen or is a problem, but I never heard of it. Particularly with anyone disfellowshipped.

15

An E-mail Exchange with an Elder

by Saename in

ever since i had become an atheist and started to listen to podcasts such as the one by sam harris or shows like the atheist experience, i began to think that it is my responsibility to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible.

in order to ensure that my beliefs are rationally justified, i started to follow logic, reason, and evidence.

i cannot say that all my beliefs are true, but i can definitely say that i make the efforts to ensure that they are at the very least reasonable.. i also became willing to debate people.

problemaddict 2

So may I ask, how are you coming across these willing elders to engage in debate with a former member? Unbaptized publisher means you were never baptized of course....so there is the rub.