ok...i have new smurfs that are looking for good apostate homes.
the first smurf to go will be anonymous smurf, as i can't tell which one he is.
i'll keep the rules nice and simple:.
I pick 25 ... for no particular reason.
I was a kid when the uproar happened over smurfs. I had to throw all my smurf toys away! :( All thanks to those damned smurfs talking to those JW kids ... lol.
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
an ex-jw get-together has been in the works for almost a year now!
it will be held in kansas city, missori on march 22-24. please visit http://www.exjw.info for all the details.
we plan to have a blast!
No, Farkel, and you won't have to move through hallway corridors like herds of cows, either! There will also be no prior study articles on what is appropriate dress. How's that for progress!
Karen
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
admittedly it's been a long time since i've read an awake and i can't remember much about what's in it but doesn't it contain a bunch of superficial articles with a general interest theme?
like a poor mans readers digest?
i was recently wondering what the purpose of the awake is?
The purpose of the Awake!? ... subtle brain washing.
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
an ex-jw get-together has been in the works for almost a year now!
it will be held in kansas city, missori on march 22-24. please visit http://www.exjw.info for all the details.
we plan to have a blast!
Tom,
The primary purpose is not a social gathering, but of course it will be that also! Many attending have made friends over the internet and will be meeting them for the first time at this event.
This is more of a support group type gathering. The groups will be facilitated by Timothy Campbell, who has been working with ex-JWs for quite some time. He is flying down from Canada. The event will be quite flexible, so no one has to attend something they don't want to if they just want to catch up with an online friend, but Timothy will be having support groups and discussions throughout the event.
To give you an idea of one of the formats, this is what will be posted on the schedule. (which will available in another day or two.
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FOCUS SESSION FORMAT
The Focus Session is similar to the Study Group but is less structured.
A Focus Session starts at the top of the hour, with a 5-minute break
after 25-30 minutes. Each Session is divided into segments, and the
change from one segment to the next is determined by the Chairperson,
depending on the natural flow of the proceedings. The segments are as
follows:
1) Selection of the Focus Volunteer -- Top of the hour
The Focus Volunteer is somebody who agrees to talk "off-the-cuff"
about their thoughts and experiences.
2) Reflections -- 10-20 minutes
This is the segment where the Focus Volunteer speaks.
To make this easier, here is a proposed list of topics to cover, and
some recommendations about how much time to spend on each item:
- How I became a Witness ........... 2 minutes
- My first doubts ........................ 2 minutes
- How I left ............................... 2 minutes
- How my departure affected me ... 4 minutes
- My steps towards recovery ........ 4 minutes
- Moving on ............................... 4 minutes
This list is merely a suggestion; you need not follow it. However,
you will note that the list is arranged in chronological order. If
you use it as a general guide, you will find that speaking is actually
quite easy. Once you get past the first few moments of nervousness,
the words will come to you naturally, as you are talking about
something that you know very well indeed: your own life!
As in the Study Group, participants are asked to remain silent, even
if the speaker is struggling for words or says something incorrect. If
you have any comments of questions, please note them down and bring
them up during the One-on-One segment.
3) One-on-One -- 5 to 10 minutes
This gives the attendees an opportunity to ask the Volunteer questions.
This segment is moderated by the Chairperson to avoid distracting
cross-talk.
4) Discussion (Moderated) -- 5 to 10 minutes
In this segment, people can ask questions of each other -- such
questions typically stemming from topics raised earlier in the
session. This segment is moderated by the Chairperson to avoid
distracting cross-talk.
5) Free-for-all -- 5 to 25 minutes
This takes up any remaining time up to ten minutes before the hour.
This is only lightly moderated by the Chairperson.
6) Break -- 10 minutes
The Chairperson will insert a 5-minute break about half-way through the
proceedings, even if this means interrupting a segment. Because of the
timing of the segments, though, the break will typically follow the
completion of the One-on-One or Discussion segments.
Nobody is in any way obligated to attend the Focus Sessions. If you have a
more interesting discussion going on elsewhere, by all means carry on
with it! However, please do not join a Focus Session once it is in progress.
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Of course, all of the above will be flexible, but for those who want to know what the basic structure is, this shows you step by step what Timothy has in mind.
Any questions ... email me. [email protected]
There is already quite a crowd that has confirmed attendance, so it is looking like this will be quite a success!
Karen
-------------------------------------------------
Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
an ex-jw get-together has been in the works for almost a year now!
it will be held in kansas city, missori on march 22-24. please visit http://www.exjw.info for all the details.
we plan to have a blast!
An Ex-JW Get-Together has been in the works for almost a year now! It will be held in Kansas City, Missori on March 22-24. Please visit http://www.exjw.info for all the details. Any and all ex-JWs are welcome. We plan to have a blast! It will be a bit bigger than some of the other informal gatherings, so there will be plenty of people to meet! Hope to see you there!
Karen
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
i need help for a friend.
he is in the midwest and very much alone.
i flew to st louis missouri last summer to visit.
I am a little bit closer and I would be glad to be any support I can. I live in Kansas City ... about a four drive from St. Louis. I have met some other ex-JWs in my area and sometimes we connect and do things. Tell him to email if he wants to connect or something. [email protected]
Karen
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
i want a "normal" family.
i want to go to my mom's home on christmas.
i want to fight with my husband about whose house we are going to this year - his mom's or mine.
ME TOO!!!!!!!!!! Doesn't it SUCK?!? :( :( :(
Karen
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
what do you regret not doing before you left the "truth" for good.. some of us who have families still in have our hands tied as to what we could have done.. is there anything you would have done differently looking back.. also those who are dissasociated do you now wish you werent so you could have more accsess to friends and family?
All of my family is in, so I really could not have (would not have) done this. But I wish I could have gone to the memorial and when the wine was passed, drink the whole glass, followed by a loud "Aaah!"
:) Karen :)
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Come to the Ex-JW Get Together! Visit http://www.exjw.info for more details.
i remember that when i was a witness, seeing certain phrases would trigger the response: "aha, this must be from an apostate!".
those words and phrases included:.
"the watchtower society"--because the brothers would usually just call it "the society" and because this was, of course, merely a legal instrument the brothers used to advance the preaching work.. "the governing body"--because despite the power they may wield, the governing body does stay in the background personality-wise most of the time and has done so pretty much since the days of knorr; therefore, i regarded any attempts to point to them as personally important as suspicious (and can recall being charmed in an odd way a few years ago when a brother giving a public talk was unable to recall the name of the society's current president).. "the rank and file"--obviously this was insulting because jehovah's witnesses have no clergy-laity division!
Red Flag Apostate Phrase:
"Why don't you use two brain cells and think for yourself, dumbass!"
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"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one
another." -Jonathan Swift
i've been thinking why a few here buy into things such as the illuminati conspiracies, or secret alien takeovers of our society, the masons taking over the world, and other far-fetched ideas.
i'm sure there are an abundant number of reasons for this, some of which apply to people in general.
but i think there are factors that are unique to those who have left high-control groups such as the wts.
I think that people who were raised in the organization are taught to be paranoid. Paranoid of the government, "worldly" people, and god knows what else! When they leave the organization, the paranoia stays. Maybe it's just a learned that gets thrown in the other direction. Now that they do not trust the society, they are paranoid of them!
I am paranoid of the society. But not of them being taken over by aliens or run by the masons or anything else. I am paranoid that they have so much power over my family that they will do anything in the name of Jehovah ... even kill if so deemed by the omniscient governing body.
Do I think they're possessed? No ... but I think their brain cells could use a workout, seeing how the gb does all their thinking for them.
"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love on
another." -Jonathan Swift
