Posts by ABibleStudent

10

Following Hassan's Book: Chapter 1

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

i think to the benefit of all, i will write my comments of steven hassan's latest book, freedom of mind: helping loved ones leave controlling people, cults, and beliefs.. you can purchase the book in amazon.com, there is a kindle version which is very handy since you can read it wherever you have internet connection, or if you have an iphone, an ipad, android phone, etc.. you can get it here: .

http://www.amazon.com/freedom-mind-helping-controlling-beliefs-ebook/dp/b008haiwiw/ref=sr_1_1_bnp_1_kin?ie=utf8&qid=1384750710&sr=8-1&keywords=freedom+of+mind.

the first chapter talks about determining whether a particular group is a cult.. "destructive cults are distinguished by their use of deception and extreme influence.".

ABibleStudent

Hi ILoveTTATT, I'm glad that you are reading Steve Hassan's book. He has a lot of good ideas and rereading his books can help people to understand even more.

I'm curious why you wrote JW's are a cult. Dangerous cults like to use cult speak so that words can have multiple meanings. I prefer to refer to the Watchtower organization as the WTBTS and to individual Jehovah's Witnesses as JWs. The WTBTS would probably like that JW's refers to Jehovah, the organization, and to individuals so that JWs feel there is no difference.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

167

this site sucks! its just a buncha athiest on soap boxes.

by crossquestions6995 in

jw
friends

this site is not a healthy forum for discussion or healing.

its an arena for jaded athiests to bash anything christian or god related.

yes, i know the jw's lied to us about god and the truth.

ABibleStudent

Hi crossquestions6995, Not everyone on JWN is an atheist. I'm a christian.

If you don't like other people's opinions then ignor them just like the WTBTS teaches JWs. I on the otherhand appreciate discussions about differing opinions to gain a greater understanding of what is factual and/or the truth.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

27

Do not talk about GAWD in Cracker Barrel on Sunday

by confusedandalone in

so this morning the wife and i went to cracker barrel for breakfast.

my lovely sister watched the kids for us last night so we have to pick them up later.. anyway a few minutes later the family sits at a table next to us.

their food comes and they begin to pray.they all join hands and he begins praying out loud.. very loud.. so out of respect my wife and i stop talking... they eat and we eat no biggie.

ABibleStudent

Hi confusedandalone, No, you handled as wel as could be expected. Some people believe that everyone should feel the way that they do - narcissit is a narcissit whether they are a christian, atheist, theist, jew, muslim, JW, or whatever belief.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

P.S. - There are a lot better restaurants then Cracker Barrel that serve much better food.

32

NNew member...1st post

by Oh Gawd in

jw
friends

new guy here so i thought i would make a brief introduction.. my exposure to the jw's is indirect, as i have never been a member; however my wife of 22 years grew up in a jw household.

her dad is the grand-pooba or whatever level of "elder" you call it for his kh.

her mom, sister, brother, and their spouses all died in the wool witnesses.

ABibleStudent

Oh Gawd - Actually my FIL is a really smart guy. So smart that it surprises me he could fall for this bunk. I suspect one of the reasons he consistently spars with me is due to his own self doubt. Either that our he's a masochist.

Hi Oh Gawd, Welcome to going down the rabbit hole and entering WTBTS Wonderland. Please do not confuse being smart with being immune to BITE control techniques. Anyone can be susptible to BITE control especially if they are born-in to a dangerous cult. i do not know why your wife was able to break-free, but feel very, very blessed that she did because you love her and your children.

Best of wishes to you and your family.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

32

NNew member...1st post

by Oh Gawd in

jw
friends

new guy here so i thought i would make a brief introduction.. my exposure to the jw's is indirect, as i have never been a member; however my wife of 22 years grew up in a jw household.

her dad is the grand-pooba or whatever level of "elder" you call it for his kh.

her mom, sister, brother, and their spouses all died in the wool witnesses.

ABibleStudent

Oh Gawd - Actually my FIL is a really smart guy. So smart that it surprises me he could fall for this bunk. I suspect one of the reasons he consistently spars with me is due to his own self doubt. Either that our he's a masochist.

Hi Oh Gawd, Welcome to going down the rabbit hole and entering WTBTS Wonderland. Please do not confuse being smart with being immune to BITE control techniques. Anyone can be susptible to BITE control especially if they are born-in to a dangerous cult. i do not know why your wife was able to break-free, but feel very, very blessed that she did because you love her and your children.

Best of wishes to you and your family.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

32

NNew member...1st post

by Oh Gawd in

jw
friends

new guy here so i thought i would make a brief introduction.. my exposure to the jw's is indirect, as i have never been a member; however my wife of 22 years grew up in a jw household.

her dad is the grand-pooba or whatever level of "elder" you call it for his kh.

her mom, sister, brother, and their spouses all died in the wool witnesses.

ABibleStudent

Oh Gawd - Then loud enough for him to hear, in the next room I ask my 15 year old, science whiz, daugther to please teach grandpa about the Cretaceous period so he stops making a fool of himself in public:)

Hi Oh Gawd, You have already admitted in your own post to help your FIL to critically think for himself. Critically thinking for himself does not mean your FIL and his wife would leave the WTBTS. They would be free to choose for themselves. If you would like to learn quickly more about Steve Hassan's BITE control model and how dangerous cults like the WTBTS victimize members, just watch the following video: Strategic Interactive Approach explained 2003 (1:23:23). Knowledge is power so what do you have to lose other than 1:23:23 hours of your life.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

32

NNew member...1st post

by Oh Gawd in

jw
friends

new guy here so i thought i would make a brief introduction.. my exposure to the jw's is indirect, as i have never been a member; however my wife of 22 years grew up in a jw household.

her dad is the grand-pooba or whatever level of "elder" you call it for his kh.

her mom, sister, brother, and their spouses all died in the wool witnesses.

ABibleStudent

Welcome Oh Gawd, People are people no matter how hard the WTBTS trys to indoctrinate JWs to conform and use the approved JW platitudes. If you want to have more fun with your JW relatives, please read Steve Hassan's books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control", "Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves", and (his latest book) "Freedom of Mind: Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs"), visit his website www.freedomofmind.com, and/or watch his videos on his website. After becoming familar with Steve Hassan's methods you can have fun either helping your JW in-laws critically think for themselves and become free of the WTBTS, or twisting them up in their in cognitive disonnance.

According to Steve Hassan's BITE control model, members of dangerous cults develop both an authentic persona and a cult persona. I would guess that your in-laws' authentic personas likes money too and they have to figure out ways to rationalize ways to overcome their cult personas and the WTBTS's rules to satisfy their authentic personas' desires. By the way your FIL's semi-schizophrenic behavior can probably be explained by Steve Hassan's BITE model.

Best of wishes helping your family to critically think for themselves.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

12

A little help from you Apostate friends.LOL

by jam in

jw
friends

a posted a topic a few days ago about my ex-brother-law who came.

by to visit me.

well he called and he would love to hear why i am not.

ABibleStudent

Hi jam, Why is your ex-BIL so interested in getting you to return to the WTBTS? Are you currently being shunned by JW family and friends?

If you do not care about being shunned by JW friends and family and talking with your ex-BIL, ask your ex-BIL to watch the following video by Steve Hassan and explain to you why Steve Hassan is wrong about his BITE control model: Strategic Interactive Approach explained 2003 (1:23:23). If he does try, he would also be trying to prove that Scientologist, Moonies, and other dangerous cults are not dangerous either.

If you want to debate about interpreting the Bible, ask your ex- BIL are Christians suppose to follow Jesus Christ or an organization? Ask him why did Paul praise the Bereans in Act 17:11 to see what Paul said was true and the WTBTS does not praise JWs who disagree with the WTBTS's interpretation of the Bible? Ask your ex-BIl where in the Bible did Jesus Christ foretell the coming of the WTBTS? Ask him where in the Bible did Jesus Christ foretell the coming of the Holy Spirit? Ask your ex-BIl where in the Bible did Jesus Christ tell his disciples to shun and/or avoid other disciples, prostitutes, tax collectors, canaanites, etc? Why didn't Jesus Christ tell his twelve disciples to shun those discriples that left him in John 6:60-70?

Do you know how to use http://www.biblegateway.com/ to quickly locate keywords in the Bible?

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

61

Have you grown detached from caring about JW family and old friends?

by tootired2care in

jw
friends

after being out of the borg for a year and a half, weve dealt with a lot of nonsense from local elders stopping by unannounced, well-meaning do-gooders trying to encourage us.

somehow weve managed to get through this without getting dfd/dad.

for me the worst part of it all has been that much of my family has shunned me, and stopped talking to me, as soon as they heard through the grapevine that i wasnt going to meetings.

ABibleStudent

tootired2care - Unfortunately I’m not planning any trips in the near future and have just been very busy with work and college, so there is not going to be much to share in the immediate future.

HI tootired2care, It might surprise you what your JW family and friends might be interested in seeing about what you are doing because their authentic personas do love and miss you. If you do post pictures on line about college life or what you are doing, try not to post pictures of drunken orgies. Future employers use FB to investigate activities of potential employees. I bet you thought that I was refering to your JW family and friends - Gotchya!!

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert

45

A mistake in fading 4 months ago is coming back to haunt me... HELP!!

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

so today, two elders from a congregation i was in two years ago came by the house.

they said they wanted to talk to me about things that they have heard, and that they want to talk to me very quickly, as soon as possible.

perhaps before this week ends.. i don't know what to do!!

ABibleStudent

Hi ILoveTTATT, Great questions to help your Mom's authentic persona to start to control her cult persona. Take it easy with her every now and then so that she doesn't feel too much cognitive dissonance or start getting suspicious. But, keep on asking her simple questions that help you to cause her to question the WTBTS propaganda in the future.

Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

Robert