Posts by peacefulpete

20

I hate the way they talk.

by Riley in

what is with the jw cadence when they speak.

do they think they are teaching people ?

they sound like pro wrestlers doing promos or shakespearean actors.

peacefulpete

You mean the mechanical, canned responses they present instead of genuine thoughts, opinions & emotions?

I think that is the sum of it. The sound of (in)sincerity - ScienceDirect

46

if you once were fully pimi and truly believed jw doctrine to the core like i once did, when you come to the reality that it is not the truth at all it can be extremely devastating.. i think only other ex jws could ever understand.

i wasted my entire life i thought the real life was yet to come to wasted the best years knocking on doors.

now i’m so angry.. i can understand why so many top themselves when they realise it was all lies..

peacefulpete

Healthful choices. Fact is, most everyone wants to have a successful family and get along peacefully with others.

The fly in the ointment with religions like JWs is the measure and method of control. The use of shaming and shunning destroys happiness every bit as much as the supposed destructive lifestyle they wish to control.

Of course, we also have issues relating to the psychology of apocalypticism and isolation.

45

List of main points from 2023 AGM

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

1. doctrinal changes how new light comes about.

the gb raise questions then talk about it, unless it’s unanimous they wait, then years later talk again if it’s unanimous it then gets announced as new light.. 2. the gb are imperfect and sometimes make mistakes.

they are not to apologise or even admit they were wrong.

peacefulpete

BTW....when did they change from 2/3rds vote to unanimous for doctrinal changes? Or do I have that wrong?

45

List of main points from 2023 AGM

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

1. doctrinal changes how new light comes about.

the gb raise questions then talk about it, unless it’s unanimous they wait, then years later talk again if it’s unanimous it then gets announced as new light.. 2. the gb are imperfect and sometimes make mistakes.

they are not to apologise or even admit they were wrong.

peacefulpete

It kind of sounds like they may be going back to the 70's teaching about Romans 2 (I suspect from Ray Franz). For a brief time they said, some might be judge favorably based upon their conscience.

The 2 references have been removed from the computer files long ago but it was there as I discussed it at length with others.

14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

46

Nobody else understands

by ElderBerry in

if you once were fully pimi and truly believed jw doctrine to the core like i once did, when you come to the reality that it is not the truth at all it can be extremely devastating.. i think only other ex jws could ever understand.

i wasted my entire life i thought the real life was yet to come to wasted the best years knocking on doors.

now i’m so angry.. i can understand why so many top themselves when they realise it was all lies..

peacefulpete

Similar story, lots of years of tilting at windmills. A word of advice. Go on a few former Mormon sites for a couple days. There are many, many people in a similar place as former JWs. I have dear friends who were kicked out of Wisconsin Synod Lutheran church, Disillusioned Baptists and even 2 ex-nuns. Oh and another that was in a sex cult that kept her pretty much a prisoner.

Santa?

by peacefulpete in

this rare phenomenon occurring above storm clouds 40-70 miles above the earth has only been observed scientifically a few times previously.

the link above is the first real time video of it occurring.

now some science obsessed people might try to dismiss this as some boring physics display, but we know don't we......... it only stands to reason that his magic sleigh would require periodic maintenance and practice runs.

peacefulpete

red-sprite_Davis-camera-video_ISS_ESA_1big.gif (551×643) (earth.com)

This rare phenomenon occurring above storm clouds 40-70 miles above the earth has only been observed scientifically a few times previously. The link above is the first real time video of it occurring. Now some science obsessed people might try to dismiss this as some boring physics display, but we know don't we......... It only stands to reason that his magic sleigh would require periodic maintenance and practice runs. How wise for Santa to do this above the cover of thunder clouds.

30

Who will be killed at Armageddon?

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

if the current doctrine is that only baptised witnesses are going to survive and everyone else burns them what about this new update new light that some from before the flood and sodomites will be resurrected?.

but didn’t he mention at the agm something about there is no point jehovah killing them and then resurrecting them again?

it seems they are confused about what they teach and that’s why brother jackson joked about “is this what we used to believe or what we believe now?”.

peacefulpete

So from what I understand is that the ‘noo light’ is that even if you die before Armageddon, if you rejected the WTBTS at any point (whether you slammed the door or you were born-in and left) you will die.

Don't know what has been said in last 20 years but they always said that people who had 'sufficient opportunity' to enlist but didn't, would not be resurrected. It was part of their last days=judgement period package of 1914 doctrines.

8

Bathwater

by peacefulpete in

many who have become disillusioned by some particular recent wt offence, separate from the church physically but retain the indoctrination the wt installed in their brains.

a familiar trope is often used,.

"don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!".

peacefulpete

Rattigan...Do you mean the JW doctrine you were taught to believe or those of 100 years ago? How about the doctrine of 100 years from now? Is it maybe possible that your determined viewpoint was influenced by your time with the JWs?

8

Bathwater

by peacefulpete in

many who have become disillusioned by some particular recent wt offence, separate from the church physically but retain the indoctrination the wt installed in their brains.

a familiar trope is often used,.

"don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!".

peacefulpete

Many who have become disillusioned by some particular recent WT offence, separate from the church physically but retain the indoctrination the WT installed in their brains. A familiar trope is often used,

"Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!"

Implying that the interpretative belief system that identifies the church might be worth holding even if the people that created it are unworthy of allegiance. In fact, I have concluded after 22 years on this forum that this might be the default position for a majority of those leaving. Maybe it's natural. Maybe it's rationally defensible given the situation. Maybe it's just an understandable first step in a longer process.

A lot seems to depend on the whys and hows of a person's exit. Someone who suddenly finds themselves outside the church against their will, is surely more likely to cling to the past than someone who leaves tired of intellectual dissonance. Be that as it may, people leave for many reasons, the question now is:

"How much was bathwater?"

I'll ask this. Can a person really say they left the control of the WT if they presume most of what they said was accurate? For groups like the JWs, control is not necessarily physical, but intellectual and emotional. Therefore, the control might be a lifelong sentence if a person never challenges every aspect of the indoctrination they experienced.

Questions such as, "How do I measure my worth?, How do I measure the worth of others? How do I live a purposeful life?" These require a fresh examination. In the church, the answers were simple, obedience to the church.

The answers to other pragmatic questions such as: "Do I believe the future is a potential or a predetermined outcome?", will have great effect on your choices. An exiting JW's answer to that question is likely determined by their conclusions about the Bible or other forms of soothsaying.

Bathwater can be mirky and difficult to peer through. We might be trepid about dumping it. Perhaps the wise course is to pour off the water little at a time. If we get to the bottom and find it was bathwater all the way, we have lost nothing but an imaginary baby.

Real "babies" (causes, and people) can now have our much-needed attention.

24

We’re getting out.

by MissDaSilva in

jw
friends

been in for 20 plus years but decided to get out with my son.

can’t do this anymore.

never seen such hypocrisy and clickyness anywhere else.

peacefulpete

Take some time to breath. Be resolved not to make new commitments for some time. Be willing to question everything. Seek good research not just search results. Leaving a high control community like the JWs is not a small thing yet millions have done it successfully, in fact billions have left other similar churches and belief systems. That is a singularly important epiphany to make. You are not alone and the JWs are not unique.