Posts by Disillusioned JW

8

Suicide rates jump 50% amongst young people number one cause.

by Yomama in

jw
friends

social isolation.

unloving shunning..

Disillusioned JW

minimus, though possibly none of the following are the source to the claim of "Suicide rates jump 50% amongst young people number one cause" they do seem to have basically the same message. They are:

- https://www.wsj.com/articles/youth-suicide-rate-rises-56-in-decade-cdc-says-11571284861

- https://www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/suicides-homicides-rise-young-people-n1067786

The NBC article says in the part the following;

'No one knows exactly why the suicide rates are rising among the young. But experts have theories. Chief among them is the heavy use of social media among children, teens and young adults.

Dr. Igor Galynker believes social media plays an important role, especially for girls. “It’s known that girls are bullied online more than boys,” said Galynker, a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine and director of the Mount Sinai Beth Israel Suicide Research Laboratory in New York City.

What’s more, studies have shown that the amount of screen time “is associated with increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation,” Galynker said.

Bullying isn’t the only destructive factor, said Caroline Oppenheimer, a suicide researcher and an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh.

“We know that the teenage brain is very sensitive to peer feedback and social valuation and now with social media you can check your social status 24/7: how many followers you have, how many comments your post has gotten and how many likes,” Oppenheimer said. “We know both girls and boys are heavily invested in monitoring social media. They get distressed when they don’t get a lot of likes or positive feedback.”

Not all teens are harmed by negative feedback on social media, Oppenheimer said: “It’s the vulnerable ones who are very sensitive to social evaluation.” '

- https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/youth-suicide-rates-are-on-the-rise-in-the-u-s

The PBS article says in part "Between 2000 and 2007, the suicide rate among youth ages 10 to 24 hovered around 6.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Then, the rate curved upward, reaching a rate of 10.6 deaths per 100,000 by 2017 — a 56-percent increase in less than two decades."

8

Suicide rates jump 50% amongst young people number one cause.

by Yomama in

jw
friends

social isolation.

unloving shunning..

Disillusioned JW

The topic thread's title of 'Suicide rates jump 50% amongst young people number one cause" does not single out JWs, but instead sounds like a general news headline of articles I have read. I am thus approaching this thread from that broader topic, rather than one related spefically to the effects of shunning.

I am puzzled why suicide rates have increased so dramatically among young people. Some articles seem to suggest that it is because so many young people today are non-religious and don't believe a god (any kind of god) exists, but I don't see why being non-religious and not believing a god exists would have that effect for so many people and lead to them committing suicide. Yes it means that they would not believe a god would come to their aid and solve their problems, but many seem to become so depressed from thinking that there is no purpose/meaning in life.

For me, disbelief in the existence of God (or a god) is empowering and it means that if there was no predetermined purpose/meaning assigned to me by a god/creator, then it gives me the freedom to decide for myself what my purpose will be and what meaning I want to get out of life. For me that is a relief and a pleasant/nice idea.

75

Misquotes, Lies and deception in Watchtower Publications

by jwfacts in

i have just finished an article misquotes, deception and lies and would like your comments, proof reading, and any other examples that you think are important to add.

most of these already appear on jwfacts.com within specific articles, but it is more powerful seeing them included together.

there have also been a number of requests over the years for such a collection.

Disillusioned JW

Phizzy, in the one I have the footnote (regarding Dr. Cleland) is on the bottom left corner of page 6. My copy is probably one of the earliest ones since it does not have the pattern that people can scan with their smart phones to go a website. The copyright page of my copy says "2010 Printing", which is the same year as the copyright date. Mine says "Made in the United States of America" instead of "Impresso en Me'xico". The bottom left corner of the back page says "WWW.WATCHTOWER.ORG" and the blue "JW.ORG" logo is not in/on the brochure of my copy.

I also strongly dislike it when the WT chops up quotes and when they rearrange the order of the sentences of the quotes that are from the same page of the quoted source!

137

Masks Are Coming Off

by minimus in

jw
friends

a number of states are allowing people to not wear a mask.

some think this is disastrous!

what’s your view?.

Disillusioned JW

Though some people say and fear that Covid-19 vaccines alter human DNA, from my research of the Covid-19 vaccines (from sources I consider authoritative on the subject, such as the CDC) I read that they do not alter human DNA. The body receives a harmless fragment of mRNA virus instructions which causes the body to make a harmless portion of the virus, which then causes the body's immune system to recognize that fragment of the virus and to destroy it. The body also destroys the mRNA virus instructions it received.

When we get infected with any virus our bodies begin manufacturing the virus, until our bodies eventually destroy (or otherwise defeat) the virus (or until we die, which is usually many years later and due to other causes, which ever comes first).

After reading about the Covid-19 vaccines and thinking about what I read about them I decided to take the vaccine.

75

Misquotes, Lies and deception in Watchtower Publications

by jwfacts in

i have just finished an article misquotes, deception and lies and would like your comments, proof reading, and any other examples that you think are important to add.

most of these already appear on jwfacts.com within specific articles, but it is more powerful seeing them included together.

there have also been a number of requests over the years for such a collection.

Disillusioned JW

https://xjwfriends.com/2018/02/22/weighed-wanting/ has an excellent post/article called 'Weighed and Found Wanting – A critical analysis of “The Origin of Life” and “Was Life Created?” ' While exposing the problems of the two WT brochures it also makes an excellent case for the biological evolution.

46

Complexity, Evolutionists Biggest Problem

by Sea Breeze in

recently, some scientists modeled one of the simplest known cells - that of a bacteria.

it took an army of 128 computers running for 10 hours to process the data required in the 25 categories of molecules that are involved in this "simple cells'" life processes.

think about that for a moment - 128 computers running for 10 hours just to compute the data, not actually do it mind you; but just to model the known processes in one of the simplest known cells, which is many orders of magnitude simpler than a human cell.

Disillusioned JW

https://xjwfriends.com/2018/02/22/weighed-wanting/ has an excellent post/article called 'Weighed and Found Wanting – A critical analysis of “The Origin of Life” and “Was Life Created?” ' While exposing the problems of the two WT brochures it also makes an excellent case for the biological evolution.

28

Announcement December 3, 2020 FOR CONGREGATIONS

by pixel in

announcement.

december 3, 2020. for congregations.

1. covid-19 vaccine information: several covid-19 vaccines may soon be approved and.

Disillusioned JW

From my research of the Covid-19 vaccines (from sources I consider authoritative on the subject, such as the CDC) I read that they do not alter human DNA. The body receives a harmless fragment of mRNA virus instructions which causes the body to make a harmless portion of the virus, which then causes the body's immune system to recognize that fragment of the virus and to destroy it. The body also destroys the mRNA virus instructions it received.

When we get infected with any virus our bodies begin manufacturing the virus, until our bodies eventually destroy (or otherwise defeat) the virus (or until we die, which is usually many years later and due to other causes, which ever comes first).

After reading about the Covid-19 vaccines and thinking about what I read about them I decided to take the vaccine.

66

Jw spokesman Says door to door preaching not coming back!

by nowwhat? in

https://youtu.be/uaaztatkhkg.

hope link works.

Disillusioned JW

JW's (from a "foreign" language congregation/group) out in field service came to my door recently as in 2020 (but before Covid-19) and/or 2019. The ones from the main language group of the local congregation (of whose territory I live in) stopped coming a few years ago because I asked people from that congregation language group to put me on the "do not call list". I think now the foreign" language congregation/group that meets at the same KH now has me on record as being on the "do not call list".

Regarding meeting attendance on Zoom I wonder if the actual attendance is much lower than the number of people who log into the meeting and get counted in the attendance. Since people can have the camera off and since some people use land line phones and other phones lacking a camera, a person could simply log into the Zoom meeting and walk away without watching or even listening to the meeting. That would be an easy way for them to avoid meeting attendance while still being counted as attending the meeting. What do you folks think of that?

66

Jw spokesman Says door to door preaching not coming back!

by nowwhat? in

https://youtu.be/uaaztatkhkg.

hope link works.

Disillusioned JW

Vidiot, though you are right in saying "the D2D work and in-person KH meetings were the two most effective forms of tribal bonding", when I was an active JW I strongly disliked (other than the opportunities for socializing) the field service work (both by door to door and by "street witnessing"), the listening to the meetings at the KH (and in the in-home congregational book studies) and at the assemblies/conventions, and the studying for such. I wanted to do other things than attending and participating at religious meetings, attempting to evangelize for religion, and studying religion at home. The religious activities (with relatively few exceptions for me) were extremely boring for me, but while I was active I begrudgingly did them because I thought it was my duty to Jehovah God to do so.

It was a huge waste of my of time to have been active as a JW. That time would have been better spent studying science, engaging in interesting hobbies, not hindering the development and use of my critical thinking abilities, and studying the stock market more (so as to do much better in the stock market and become rich as a result and thus be able to retire early from work and focus on living the kind of life I most like).

I think a big reason the WT had for the in-person field service/ministry work and KH meetings is not for bonding but rather for keeping JW's minds on the JW religion (including being controlled by the WT and the governing body). With those activities now being done remotely, the number of active JWs will likely shrink dramatically and rapidly.

3

Is old Watchtower literature being preserved by any particular entity?

by Etude in

i read a recent post from mickbobcat about how expensive some of the old watchtower literature for sale is.

is there a group or entity that is working to digitize or somehow preserve the old literature, giving others the ability to research them?.

Disillusioned JW

There are a number of websites containing digital copies of various old WT publications. One is https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/historical-publications.php and that site has links to some other sites which have copies which can be read online.