Posts by Muddy Waters

15

How the Present G.B. Deceives its Followers/Readers....................

by The Searcher in

............into believing that inferred "statements" are actual facts, while never stating anything!

w07 1/1 p. 28 pars.

11,12 "the first resurrection"—now under way!

Muddy Waters

Wow.... such fantasies.... To think I believed these jerks so completely, for so long. Good grief.

I did learn from them, however, the art of deflection and obfuscation. Not that this is anything of which to be proud. But it did come in handy one time during a business conversation, where someone was asking me questions and at the time, I didn't quite know the answers.

I was saying things like, "well, while that might be possible, we can't say for sure that blah blah blah... However, in other circumstances, it has been shown to blah blah blah...." To my amazement, they went with our company. Thankfully we came through and did a great job for them. I guess the point made was that though there were no guarantees, we would do the best job we could for them. We were professional of course, but I felt so bad for all those wiggle words! I learned from the masters of double talk.

Next time I will say, "I don't have the complete answer for that, but let me find out/do some research for you, and I will get back to you."

54

where have the demons gone?

by aboveusonlysky in

jw
friends

does anybody remember some of the sensational demon stories jw's would tell back in the day?

i was a kid in the early 80's and i remember a few times hearing of people having real life encounters with demons.

for example, one sister claimed that before she became a jdub she would regularly talk to demons and they would even fix stuff like her washing machine!

Muddy Waters

When I was a JW, had frequent night terrors and sleep paralysis stuff, which of course, I attributed to demons. It was terrifying to go to sleep at night. I would pray and pray for Jehovah to help me find the demonized object...

.... good grief.

Now, none of that shit happens to me any more. The mind is a powerful believer.....

27

Are you sad or angry?

by raven in

after exiting the org, i mean cult, how have each of you felt personally about the lies you had been taught, the hurt from feeling betrayed by these people, actual hopes of once believed false teachings, rose colored lenses of seemingly just and right doctrines that turned out to be a bunch of horse $#!+, the shunning of family and friends?

right now i am going through the motions, i've just moved to a new home, which means hopefully no more elders searching for me at my previous address.. i can't help but feel sad though right now because of the fact that although i am not df'd ( maybe the elders will do it in absentia assuming i've been avoiding them and the 2 jc's they've invited me to as well as the last handwritten letter at my door before i moved ) my mom treats me as though i am dead to her, she says " i am living the life of a disfellowshipped person, and until i come back to jehovah this is how things will be because this was my choice to leave jehovah " ok i get it, but i don't- everyone has free will, so yes this was my choice but it is also her choice to shun me, especially after the "shun unrepentant wrongdoers" talk at the rc, funny how they come out with these talks to reel members back in.. she claims that she has an obligation to jehovah of which she promised to him after she was baptized not at 11, 13, or 17 ( young ages ) but fricken 26 years old.

i absolutely hate this organization and everything that it is, it's taken away my family and most importantly my own mother.. i always thought that a mothers love was to be unconditional, but hers for me is only conditional.

Muddy Waters

I am now in my fifties, began studying when I was 20 (and circumstances at the time were a very low time in my life), and so the most vital, healthy years of my life are behind me, as well as income earning potential. All squandered away toward the org and its never-ceasing, always hungry, agenda....

Raised our children in this cult, but thank god/gods/spaghetti monster, they never took to this religion. They've told me they thought I was a "lifer", as I was *Very Indoctrinated*, very "zealous", the whole crapola. I am so different now from that JW person, they are telling me that it feels like they don't even know who I am, and that it even feels like they've entered an alternate universe.

Yet it also feels the same for me, that I don't even really know my own children (adults now), as so many years were spent trying to suppress their dear personalities and make them conform to WT borgification.... And I see that they are wonderful people who are going through their own terrible (psychological) journey from being raised in that climate of fear, suppression, subjugation, and sublimation.

I feel both sad and angry that I was so taken in and for so long!!

When I first discovered and learned that we'd been lied to, I had awful dreams. In one dream, I vividly remembering wandering the streets and alley ways, crying my heart out, and calling, "Jehovah, where are you??" When I woke up, my pillow was wet.

In other similar, and repetitive dreams, we would be trying to get to an assembly, and either getting hopelessly lost and feeling anxious about losing our way... Or getting to the assembly/convention, and then being unable to find any seats, walking around and around and around... lugging our bags and books and coats and lunches, and everybody staring coldly at us (so terrible to be late you know!) - yet nobody helping. Had many dreams like that! So weird.

I still feel a little lost, and very weighed down with the knowledge that: WE are to be the masters of our fate, we should be the ones deciding our destiny, and taking control of our life and try to make it be the best and happiest and healthiest we can be, that we are all in this together... that family is everything, and that community and politics matter, and that this life is all we most likely have....

26

Visual Methodologies and Watchtower Illustrations

by slimboyfat in

i have been reading a fascinating book about various strategies for studying the meaning of images: visual methodologies by gillian rose.

various approaches covered include compositional analysis, content analysis, psychoanalysis, semiology and discourse analysis.

it struck me how ripe watchtower imagery would be to such scrutiny, and how subtle trends in ideological emphases may be identified through the visual iconography that may be less apparent in the overt expositions of watcthower written texts.

Muddy Waters

I have never seen this picture, thank you for posting it.

It struck me that *everybody* in this photo is hunched over, bent over, leaning over, stooping, or looks to be about falling over. Well, all except the dead girl, newly resurrected, but it looks like she's going to be falling over in a moment, too.

Nobody is, erm, "standing erect". They all have postures of continuing to be burdened and weighed down (or submissive?)

24

WT Study - 28th Aug 2016 - “Do Not Let the Faults of Others Stumble You”

by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

in paragraph 2 of this study, the gbojw evidences once again that they are sticking to the absurd 1914 doctrine – “when the last days of the present system began...”.

i noted that as 2014 approached, the gbojw became somewhat reticent about making reference to revelation 12:12 – the “short period of time” scripture.

so this study is the first one in a long time in which both the 1914 doctrine and revelation 12:12 are mentioned in the same study.

Muddy Waters

Yes, the whole WT/GB are very big on the lowly rank and file to "not speak abusively of glorious ones..."

They place themselves in the seat of Moses and then say that any who disagree with them are like the rebellious ones of Korah's day....

7

Is Obedience to JW BoE / GBoJW a Christian Requirement?

by Nicholaus Kopernicus in

in this discussion, we will be examining three precepts on the part of the gbojw which they use to claim that we should be obedient to them and their boe.

these precepts are.... - the bible instructs to be so.

- boe are appointed by holy spirit.

Muddy Waters

Really appreciated your post, NK. Liked your research and damning quotations! Always nice to turn the WT words on them and catch them out!

For me, what helped open my eyes to the ridiculousness of a "Governing Body" was reading the first few chapters of Galatians.

I don't think the Bible is God's word anymore but I do appreciate using scriptures that show the GB/WTS to be full of bunk!

4

How the Revised, Revised NWT COULD Look Online....

by The Searcher in

there must be an abundance of scriptures just waiting to be reworded by the magnificent seven in brooklyn.

here are a few i'd offer.

i'd love to hear suggestions for other "revisions" by my fellow contributors here.. (psalm 110:4) "jehovah has sworn an oath, and he will not change his mind: "you are a priest forever in the manner of melchizedek, but you will be joined by another 144,000 melchizedek-type king/priests.

Muddy Waters

(Acts 10:34) - "... God is not partial, but the one who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him, as long as this person is a baptized JW..."

6

What The Org Teaches: #1 DEALING WITH SINNERS

by The Searcher in

to help those who are fading and those who visit this site anonymously - due to org-induced paranoia regarding "evil apostates" - i'd like to offer some examples of doctrinal teachings for them to examine closely.. hopefully it will provide a bit of comfort for some, to see that their doubts are fully justified.. i'll post a few - one each day - to demonstrate that "the truth" of the org is not what j.w.

one or two previous topics will be repeated for the benefit of new friends to the site.. what the org says: .

if a sinner is found to have committed a serious sin, they should be confronted by a witness who has first-hand knowledge of the offender's sin.

Muddy Waters

Nice work, research, and "reasoning from the scriptures", ha.

24

Calling Frank Toth (fjtoth) -- we need your Bethel expertise, please!!!

by FatFreek 2005 in

frank,.

we are trying to complete the names of those folks from bethel who are on the cover of the infamous 1984 watchtower.

some people who know you have the feeling you may know them.

Muddy Waters

Those are very good 55 reasons. Thank you from me as well, Blondie.

57

Mark Sanderson Talk re Belgium visit

by Listener in

the degradation of the governing body members continues on.

mark sanderson gives a talk regarding his visit to belgium for the memorial this year and was travelling from korea to munich to brussels, belgium on the day of the belgium terrorist attacks.he cannot wipe the smirk on his face as he relates his experience, with no regard whatsoever of all those unfortunately affected by the attacks.

in fact, he personally found god's hand affecting him personally, allowing him to attend the memorial as planned and a kh dedication.he is that privileged during his flight travels that internet was available to him, enabling him to catch up on current news and to contact branch's.

Muddy Waters

Wow. They care only for their own agenda. Nothing else matters. Nothing and nobody else matters.

And they would even see these "worldly" deaths as a good thing because these people will get a resurrection, yay! Another moment or so later (soon, though!), if Jehovah kills them at Armageddon, they would not be resurrected.