After having a less-than-positive discussion regarding something 'truth'-related, my wife told me sometimes she feels like she's living with an apostate.
I said I think I'm more of a heretic.
She just laughed. Amazing what words/labels can do.
breakfast of champions
JoinedPosts by breakfast of champions
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33
What's the thinking behind calling yourself 'Apostate'?
by Essan inseems to me that we're playing into the society's hands here.. 'apostate' is the most evil and vile word for jw's.
i suspect it's even more of a terrifying trigger word than 'satan' or "demons", for them.. the society gives us that label which they have negatively loaded in order to make it impossible for jw's to hear us or have anything to do with us.
the word is associated with other words like "poison" and "toxic", "disease" and "filth".. so what sense does it make to use it and allow the society to have it's way?.
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Could a Cult personality be someone's Authentic Personality
by cantleave inwe all know theory, that a cult personality masks the authentic.
but after reading some of the cult indoctrinated posters here , i am beginning to think that they are showing their authentic personalities.. they don't appear to show any true human emotion or demonstrate any independant thinking ability, ony what they are told feel and think by the cult.
is it possible that some people are born to be cult members in order to survive?.
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breakfast of champions
I'm not sure you would call it an 'authentic cult personality', but there are some truly 'psychopathic personalities' in 'the truth' who find it quite a comfortable spot from which to control and manipulate others with guilt and fear. Creepy.
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The effect we are having on the Watchtower is HUGE
by jwfacts ini was inspired by a recent thread i know i aint gunna crumble the wt, but a girl can dream to look at the effect we as individuals are having on the watchtower society.. 3dogs1husband quoted a story to show that even helping only one person is worth it.. it is encouraging to note that the one person you may have helped has lead to millions being helped, due to the power of compounding growth.. compounding growth is well illustrated by the rice on a chessboard problem.
if you start with 1 grain of rice on square one, and double it to 2 on the second, 4 on the third, 8 on the fourth, by the last (64th) square there would be 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 grains of rice.. likewise, if you help one person out of the grip of the watchtower this year, then next year you help one more and they help one, in a few years that is going to have a formidable result on the number of jehovahs witnesses.
look at the following statistics.
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breakfast of champions
JWFACTS - I like your point about the '19-wha???' factor.
I think in the next 5 - 10 years we will see the confluence of at least 3 factors:
1) Anyone 'born-in' during the 21st century who is 'coming of age' is going to say "Are you kidding me!?" when presented with 19th/20th century 'evidence.' Irrelevant is a good word.
2) Anyone with half a brain on the outside will immediately google 'Jehovahs Witness' if they are at all interested in the religion and see it for what it is.
3) In the post 2014 world, I have to wonder for how long sincere persons will put up with the "How happifying it is to be 100 years into Christ's millennial reign. Only 900 years to go!" rhetoric they've already started.
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Who has NOT read Combatting Cult Mind Control or Crisis of Conscience?
by Mad Sweeney ina lot of people here have read and highly recommend ccmc by steven hassan and coc by ray franz, myself included.
i don't know how i would have handled leaving the borg without that knowledge.. so thinking that got me to wondering, who here has not read them (or has read one but not the other), and how are you coping with exiting the borg?
did you get counseling?
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breakfast of champions
MAD SWEENEY - YES! Please check out 'Brunists'! A good read from any perspective. Consider this my 'pimping/shameless plug'
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Ultimately, Are You Happy That The "Truth" Is Nonexistent?
by minimus inunless you're still searching for "the truth", are you happy to know this "truth" is not even out there?.
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breakfast of champions
To me, "the truth" meant that all of the injustice and suffering ever experienced by humankind would be eliminated forever - who wouldn't want that!
This was probably the hardest thing for me to get over. I could care less about the pandas, houses, mountains and all of that bullshit. I personally didn't even care if I myself lived forever.
I just thought it would be great if in the end everything got sorted out by god and made right. I really did wish this was true.
But...
I am certainly content in knowing I figured out 'the truth' that I was raised in is a bunch of crap and not reality.
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Who has NOT read Combatting Cult Mind Control or Crisis of Conscience?
by Mad Sweeney ina lot of people here have read and highly recommend ccmc by steven hassan and coc by ray franz, myself included.
i don't know how i would have handled leaving the borg without that knowledge.. so thinking that got me to wondering, who here has not read them (or has read one but not the other), and how are you coping with exiting the borg?
did you get counseling?
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breakfast of champions
HAVE NOT read 'Combatting' but looks interesting...
But I HAVE read Festinger's 'When Prophecies Fail', Lifton's 'Thoguht Reform', and one of my personal favorites who NO ONE has ever read, Robert Coover's 'Origin of the Brunists' (which is fiction, but eerily realistic and well written!)
I have also read 'Crisis of Conscience' which I found totally unsurprising but a great read. He totally debunks the myth of the "arrogant, self-serving apostate" with his calm, humble and quite pleasing manner. This book only really served to confirm what I already suspected, but was still instrumental in my 'mental freedom'
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TWENTY FOURTEEN (2014) proves something if you pay attention...
by Terry infrom the 2nd century until now christianity has postponed something purported to be the most important of all important happenings.. the coming of the messiah?.
the jews are waiting on that event.. the coming of christ?.
christians believe jesus came already.. the 2nd coming of christ?.
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breakfast of champions
See! It's just that simple.
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Please give me your ideas to beat the cost of internet/phone/cable package...
by FlyingHighNow indamn comcast .
please tell me how you beat them and the pros and cons of your ideas.. i am thanking you in advance and will be forever beholdend to you.
i know we have had threads like this in the past, but technology marches on and maybe there are new things to use these days..
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breakfast of champions
It's not available where I live, but people who have FiOS LOVE IT and they sometimes run specials. Just a a thought.
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TWENTY FOURTEEN (2014) proves something if you pay attention...
by Terry infrom the 2nd century until now christianity has postponed something purported to be the most important of all important happenings.. the coming of the messiah?.
the jews are waiting on that event.. the coming of christ?.
christians believe jesus came already.. the 2nd coming of christ?.
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breakfast of champions
I do not believe there is another circumstance in life- whether waiting for a movie, train, bus- where people would apply the same patience in waiting for something as with waiting AN ENTIRE CENTURY for god's kingdom to 'take full effect.'
From what I heard at the DC, the new spin is that we're already 100 years into the kingdom, only 900 years to go!
How happifying!
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breakfast of champions
Now I see you..
It DID help them... JWs were the 'anti-religion' religion. Though practically born-in/raised in a 'divided household' this is why I chose them.
Now with all the information freely available on the Internet, they seem 'out of touch' at best, if not downright 'kooky.'
As some have expressed on this board already, if you have access to the Internet and STILL find your way into this religion, you have no one but yourself to blame.