@stillin - lemme know how my blog compares!
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JoinedPosts by passwordprotected
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new blog - The Watchtower Teachings Blog
by passwordprotected innow that i'm 'out' i've decided to start a blog where i'll try and explore some of the wts teachings in a non-aggressive way.. .
please check in;.
http://jehovahswitness.tumblr.com/
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new blog post - Shunning; a look at the 2nd letter of John
by passwordprotected inas with my other blog posts, i've tried to keep a non-aggressive stance towards wts teachings with the view of trying to reach jws who may be a bit shaky in their wts faith.
in this blog post i look at 2 john 10 and discuss the practice of shunning.. .
feedback and comments on the blog are much appreciated.
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As with my other blog posts, I've tried to keep a non-aggressive stance towards WTS teachings with the view of trying to reach JWs who may be a bit shaky in their WTS faith. In this blog post I look at 2 John 10 and discuss the practice of shunning.
Feedback and comments on the blog are much appreciated. And if you think this non-confrontational approach would be helpful to a friend or family member, please feel free to pass the link on or print out the posts to use as you see fit. -
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new blog - The Watchtower Teachings Blog
by passwordprotected innow that i'm 'out' i've decided to start a blog where i'll try and explore some of the wts teachings in a non-aggressive way.. .
please check in;.
http://jehovahswitness.tumblr.com/
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Thanks, insearchoftruth, I'm glad you get what I'm aiming for!
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If you were DFd: How did you feel at first? (for my book project)
by Awakened at Gilead ini am starting to write a book about survival/recovery for exjws or questioning jws... i hope to have an impact on the jw community.. .
in my first chapter, i discuss the negative effects of dfing and shunning.
the wts presents dfing in a positive light and indicates that jws should feel no compassion for those that have turned their back on jehovah.
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I wasn't DFd, I DAd, but the after-effects are exactly the same.
When I look pragmatically at the doctrine of shunning, it angers me that if the WTS were to publish an article in the WT tomorrow stating that, actually, it's more Christ-like and loving to have some fellowship with DFd/DAd relatives (much like what was published in '74) then my family members, my wife's family members, Serena's mum etc etc, would all suddenly feel ok about talking to us.
So, I get angry at the proclamation of only doing what the Bible/God requires, when in actual fact it's nothing to do with the Bible, it's to do with what a publishing corporation wishes it's followers to do...at this moment in time.
Also, when you choose to leave the WTS and live a new life and worship God according to your own Bible-trained conscience, you're DAd. You are then treated the same way as an unrepentant fornicator. That's hurtful because it's implied that you're an unrepentant wrongdoer (by WTS) standards.
My wife was shunned by her sister last week in the supermarket. She said that you could very easily spiral into a depression believing yourself to be one of the most horrible persons on the planet, someone completely unworthy of love, someone who doesn't even deserve life.
I know of 2 DFd individuals locally who still believe the WTS are the true religion and as a result are borderline suicidal due to being cut off from God's love and being shunned by their families.
That's not very nice. -
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new blog - The Watchtower Teachings Blog
by passwordprotected innow that i'm 'out' i've decided to start a blog where i'll try and explore some of the wts teachings in a non-aggressive way.. .
please check in;.
http://jehovahswitness.tumblr.com/
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Strong JWs won't venture onto my blog, nor into this space. It's not strong JWs who can be affected by open, honest discussion of JW teachings; they simply batten down the hatches and securely fasten their blindfolds.
However, shaky JWs, those with a nagging feeling of unease will have a poke about the 'net to see what's what. There are a lot of sites that attack, sometimes bitterly, the WTS and JWs. In my experience that approach often turns a JW off what's being said.
My plan is to approach, in a fairly non-confrontational way, the big issues the WTS is facing and has created. -
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You can effect a Tipping Point.....
by sweet pea inplease prove to me i'm not posting in the graveyard shift....... besty and i were talking about password protected and family's exit this last few weeks.
we are full of admiration for the way that they have left with dignity and obviously made many think.
they have not faded, they had a good repuation until the very last moment - mark was an elder - but they stopped and made the decision to be up front and face the elders in a meeting.
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I know that locally we haven't reached the tipping point yet. Gail and I came to this late in the game but we moved very quickly once we 'woke up'; it's transpired that there are several families locally who are on the edge and have been for quite some time. We simply didn't piss about - once we were convinced the WTS were false prophets, etc, we left. We didn't find Christ until a couple of months after we left.
I believe that, again locally, there are more to come out. Whether our leaving the Org will or won't contribute to that, I've no idea.
Where it gets tricky for those still in, but who have faded completely away, there's still the WTS sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. I was recently talking to an ex-JW who left and faded about 10 years ago. 8 years into her fade she was spotted smoking. The BoE came after her and DFd her. As she said to me, it doesn't matter how long you've been away, they'll still get you.
It's a personal thing, as I'm sure we all agree. For us, we'd moved on with our lives but it's hard with young children to 'hide' your new life and lifestyle choices; you can never guarantee that a child won't blurt to a grandparent about a birthday or the like and get you into all sorts of hot water with the Org. So, letting our new lifestyle, our new friendships, our new choices be known publicly by telling our parents, we deliberately put ourselves into a position where we'd be DAd. This meant we could simply move on and not be looking over our shoulder. We live in a fairly small town, it'd be impossible to hide our activities for any length of time. We simply didn't want to have that perpetual knot in our stomach waiting to be busted for normal, everyday behaviour.
We've lost friends, Gail's sister shunned her in the supermarket last week. Big deal. We're able to hold our heads high and know we're not controlled by a publishing company who, with one magazine article, could completely reverse the shunning doctrine and 7 million JWs around the world would suddenly feel good about talking to family members again. -
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You can effect a Tipping Point.....
by sweet pea inplease prove to me i'm not posting in the graveyard shift....... besty and i were talking about password protected and family's exit this last few weeks.
we are full of admiration for the way that they have left with dignity and obviously made many think.
they have not faded, they had a good repuation until the very last moment - mark was an elder - but they stopped and made the decision to be up front and face the elders in a meeting.
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As I was mentioned on this thread, I think it's important to point out that dignity is something that's afforded you by others and possessed personally by you.
I've no doubt some of the JWs who were very good friends with us are running our name through the mud right now. And why wouldn't they? We left the Org, 'the truth', Jehovah etc. They have no valid explanation for our actions (asides from the fact they choose not to ask us for our reasons) so they need to put us in a box and label us as evil.
I have no doubt, though, that some are greatly troubled inside themselves by our leaving and it has perhaps consolidated years of doubting about the Org seeing 2 people they knew well up sticks and leave.
So whether we are being affording dignity by those we've left behind, I don't know. Like I said, some may be running our name through the gutter, others not.
But that does not change the fact that we've left possessing dignity. We have dignity. We have refused to have that stripped from us by a publishing corporation. And that's someone all of us are capable of achieving, whether we choose to stay or leave.
None of us can influence how people view us, the opinion they have of us. If they want to view us as dog crap, there's not a lot we can do about it other than keep our heads high and move on with our lives. Their views of us, their slander of our name... well, big deal, it happens.
Their friendships and love were conditional. If they choose to walk past us in the street, who's lacking in dignity then, them or us?
As St Ann pointed out, we've been greatly aided in our exit by having each other.
And I second Besty request to see photos of slim boy fat's aunt. She must be a belter! -
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God gave FREE WILL...WT does not ALLOW IT.....and a ???
by oompa inhaving experienced the shunning of nearly all my old friends, i realize that although wt can not stop you from expressing your own thoughts (free will), they certainly do have enough control mechanisms in place to make you less likely to do so.
i was an open apostate for awhile, not on purpose, was just expressing myself to anyone who would listen about how we had been duped.....lied to about certain things.
i chose to shut up and shut down for the most part since i knew a full df would be even harder on my wife and our marriage.
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@ scully - without a doubt, one of the best posts I've ever read on here.
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Because they believe they'll be dispensed "fine spiritual food". They won't. They'll be dispensed Satanic propaganda. Sorry.
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Ah, memories. I used to, as a pioneer, cash in my meal ticket allowance and spend the cash on decent food from the nearby stores.