Everyone has a chance to escape. I was born in and left in my teens and lived on my own. I managed to get two grad degrees, good job, etc. Followed and fullfilled my dreams. Everyone can do the same. He or she in any industrial countries can go to any welfare office in the city and ask for assitance. Many JW while despise this world live on public assistance, housing and food stamps and other type of welfare, so almost any JW is familiar with it. If anyone is really dedicated to escape abusive cult, he or she can manage to do so. It is never easy, but strong will, goal, and perseverence pays offs.
Posts by kaik
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15WHY MANY GET STUCK IN!
by ADJUSTMENTS infrom my experience as a jw i noticed that myself, and many young ones do not have a choice in the decision of becoming a jw or not.
from infancy you are indoctrinated, so by the time you become a teenager and just begining to reason on right and wrong and what you will do with your life it has already been decided.
so at this moment in your late teens you come to a cross roads... if you decide not to be a jw you will be mentally and emotionally beaten, threatened and oustracized bordering on abuse.
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My favourite JW books when I was a delusional.convert. Did you have any ?
by smiddy indid you have any favourite books by the society when you were in ?not that this book was my fav.
yet it was the first book i read learning about jw`s.
" from paradise lost to paradise regained " i know , it was designed for the young , however my mentor thought that since i had no understaning of the bible it was what i needed.
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kaik
I had a book, but I do not remember its name or how it was called in English. We studied it in the 1980's and was more or less about Old Testament line toward Jesus. It talked about promised seed and king and how the promise evolved throughout the ancient Isrealites. I liked that book because it gave me some basic understanding on historical succession of kings. Does anyone know what was the name of this book?
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Do Wills Ever Affect Shunning?
by Cold Steel ina man has several sons and daughters who are active jehovah's witnesses.
so was his wife, who died two years ago.
he has since lapsed into apostasy and has been openly critical of the governing body.
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kaik
Greed is a part of human nature and I had encountered in KH even among my relatives. When my father passed away, my evil JW paternal aunt asked me on the funeral what was my father's life policy worth. Her and her elder sons did not even ask me if we need help with anything. They had a gut to claim that my father was witholding items that belong to their childhood. Btw, my father wedding ring was stollen on the day of the funeral.
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Creation account in Genesis
by inbetween innew year, bible reading program starts again with genesis.. still being in, i have to "deal" with it somehow, but the first time reading the account with a free mind, this brought some thoughts:.
i remember, in some old creation or evolution book of the society, some scientist was qouted saying, that the order of creation in the genesis account is in line with science, that it could possibly not be of human source.. but when reading it myself, i thought, well it sounds kind of messed up.
for example, it claims, that the stars were made after even the plants were created:.
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kaik
Genesis is scientific nonsense. Writers in Bronze Age era would not understand the development of the universe from a Big Bang to explosion of supernova that was foundation for our present solar system. The same Earth was much bigger before it colladed with smaller object that became a moon. Are you aware that ancient Earth did not had 24hour day, but was spinning much faster, cca 18 hours or so. Around 500 mil years ago, the Earth had spin of 22 hour and the diameter was smaller as it core was much denser and hotter. Over the millions of years the Earth's spin had slowed down. Genesis cannot be taken by face value as people who wrote it would not understand it.
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This truly pisses me off
by Terry inhttp://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/asia/kyrgyzstan/court-ruling-for-conscientious-objectors/.
december 30, 2013 | kyrgyzstan.
kyrgyzstan court rules in favor of conscientious objectors bishkek, kyrgyzstanthe constitutional chamber of the supreme court of kyrgyzstan unanimously declared on november 19, 2013, that the countrys current law on alternative service is unconstitutional and violates the right of freedom of religion.
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kaik
In Czechoslovakia, JW had to face prison or labor camps for refusing to join military service. Later period under communism, the other option was going to coal mines, which was my choice as well. At that time hundreds of young men avoided draft and potential prison by going to Ostrava's coal mines. After the collapse of the communism in the 1989, JW got option to avoid military service by doing alternative civic service, mostly in hospitals, hospice center, and EMP. Borg had approved it and it seemed to be no issue. Couple years later after the collapse of Czechoslovakia, came a new light that invalidated previous approval. Organization had DFs retroactively men that were already in alternative civic service and ruined life of thousands more who had to choose between prison and faith. By 1996, WT in Czech Republic had expelled over 1000 JW men, which were crucial for further growth in that country, that peaked around 12000. A new light changed the opinion again, and JW in Czech Republic were not facing DF if they go to alternative civic service. However, the damage was done and WT had never recovered from the peak it had in early 1990's where on memorial we could invite up to 40,000 people and fill stadium at Strahov to 115,000. Flip-flopping doctrine like this had ruined many lives including mine.
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kaik
I would like to add that the decree against Slavonic liturgy was a result of split between Eastern and Western Church in 1054. Slavonic liturgy was not full translantion of Bible, but several books, mostly Psalms and parts of New Testament done by Methodeus and Cyril in 866-880 for Great Moravian ruler. Great Moravia was first Christian slavic state in Central Europe ruled by Mojmir Dynasty (796-907) that became foundation for Polish, Bohemian, and Hungarian kindgoms in early medieval times. Christianity was brought there by Irish missionaries when Charlemange uprooted Kingdom of Avars in Pannonia around 796. The first christian churches like in Modra, CZ and Nitra, SK were built by Catholics, and area was Christianized by 830. The local population had hard time to follow latin liturgy conducted by Frankish priests, and Rastislav had requested translation matching his language. This was fullfilled by Byzantine missionaries Cyril and Methodeus around 863-867 who had work in ecclestiacal area already under administration of Regensburg, Passau, or Salzburg that controlled Central Europe. This work was done before the East-West Schism, and was approved by Pope and Emperor.
The Slavonic liturgy, while influenced by Greek Christianity, was built upon Roman Christianity and controlled directly by Rome. The writting was not cyrilic as is incorrectly indicated, but glagolic script where Coptic writting served as model. After the death of Methodeus in 885, the Frankish church again assummed control, but this time, the bishoprics was established in Moravia (present Czech Republic probably in Olomouc or Uh. Hradiste back then Veligrad) and Nitra, Slovakia. The tensions between two groups ended with expelling of Methodeus's disciples from Moravia into Macedonia, but many had settled in Hungary and Bohemia where they had own community just outside Prague in monastery Sazava. There was the Slavonic literature preserved. The monks had widespread contacts with Greece, Bulgaria, Dalmatia, Macedonia, and Kievan Rus until 1096. There were probably other monasteries in Bohemia as well, but Sazava was unique because it did not fall under any monastic rule.
The split between West and East deemed this version of Christianity heretical. Bohemia was part of Holy Roman Empire and Latin liturgy dominated the Bohemian kingdom since its creation in 895. Prague was also one of the centers of the Catholicism which was exported into Poland and Hungary under missionaries of Radim, Anastasius, and Adalbert. Therefore, the was no attack of Papacy on Bible as it mentioned in the article. Papacy, Catholic Church, and the Emperor were against any diversion from unified Catholic liturgy and teaching as was held in Sazava. After the death of Vratislav, Slavonic liturgy was banned and the convent given to Benedictine monks. Because more than 200 years had passes from original Methodeus translation, the Slavonic language was already not understandable by ancestors of the Czechs, Poles, and Slovaks in 1100.
Therefore, the Awake is not correct, it does not really relfect what was behind the ban. They should have contacted Charles University in Prague or go to Sazava monastery directly to get their fact straight.
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15
Dissolving a congregation?
by bornintoit ini was a member of a congregation in brooklyn, n.y. prospect congregation to be exact.
in early 2000.it was dissolved.
i never found out why.
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kaik
I am not sure how is it in USA or elsewhere, but in my native E. Europe country the KH was a property of the local branch, but funded by members of the congregation. When I look into property tax register, the ownership is the branch office. The KH around E Europe have been in process of closing, merging, or dissolving. I remember that in the post 1975 some congregation had dissolved. But this was in time when they were underground so arrest of elder, or death would affect the local community.
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kaik
Televangelic religion is only successful in USA. It does not go well outside, and it wont do much there. The same goes to radio preachers, they were never successful outside USA. What made KH and WT successful in the 20th century was a huge involvement in German speakers at the beginning, welll before 1914. German speakers were detrimental for importing it from USA into Germany and from there into Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania and elsewhere. Somewhere I remember on studies in KH that if there was no Hitler, the Germany would be the main center of JW community, not USA.
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Yet another problem with GB = FDS
by leaving_quietly ini was pondering this teaching yesterday.
the claim is that jesus and jehovah came and inspected all the religions and in 1919, chose rutherford as the fds.
today, the claim is that the governing body is the fds.
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kaik
If you look into the WT publication (The Harp of God) from that era it says:
Jesus furthermore mid: "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14) In the year 1919 many of the Bible Students in different parts of the earth, emerging from army camps and prison dungeons, rejoicing in their privileges, again assembled together and with united action went forth to proclaim the messages of the presence of the Lord; and particularly the message, "The World Has Ended-Millions Now Living Will Never Die," clearly in fulfillment of the words of the Master in the text last above quoted.
Additionally
Furthermore Jesus said concerning the end of the world within the time of his second presence: "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." (Matthew 24:9) "But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils [courts] ; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten; and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them." (Mark 13: 9) "But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering yon up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And it shall turn to you for a testimony." (Luke 21:12,13) Literally did these scriptures have fulfillment in the years 1917, 1918, and 1919. The World War furnished the excuses for the world-wide persecution of humble and honest and faithful Christians.
So, the early publication identifies the Bible Students as Christians choosen by Jesus. There is no mention any GB.
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why is the org acting worried?
by Crazyguy inthe latest statistics from the year book seems to indicated that no great increase of leavers, so why is the org seem to be acting like thier worried?
more talks about apostates, more asking for money, more talks about loyalty, etc.
what's up?.
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kaik
OG, the biggest threat to organized religion is education, social welfare nest, and indifference. Catholic church lost power in Europe once states picked up the tab on providing social services, retirement, health care, and charity from established religion. People do not need to be a part of the congregation or church to get health care or food stamps. They only need to be taxpayer. The science undermines the irrationality of fundamentalism and providing explanation for many events around as. The education is the biggest threat to primitive religious reasoning, and for that reason, fundamentalists like JW are against education and science. Illiterate people are much easier to control. The last issue, the indifference, makes people oblivious toward religion. USA is the only country in the West, which went through four distinct Christian awakening. JW ride on this wave, but they failing to become a mainstream religion in industrialized world which is both Western and Eastern Europe, Anglosaxon states, and East Asia. Their only growth comes from the most impoverished societies in the world which do not have well funded education, established social nest, and people are hungry for any religious extremism that would give them any hope for better future.