Just discontinued studying with The JW's, but find myself suffering from anxiety. in Tell Your JW Story Board Forum

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Just discontinued studying with The JW's, but find myself suffering from anxiety.

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nycbuzz22	Just discontinued studying with The JW's, but find myself suffering from anxiety.	Lead	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 16 Jan 29 12 6:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi, I was never baptized as a JW but have studied on many occasions with them only to find myself walking away from it for one reason or another, I recently discontinued my studies once again after roughly 3 months or so, during my time of studying I would find myself both feeling good and feeling wrong because of slowly isolating myself from my friends and family who are not in the truth and how I would need to stay away from those who are worldy and what not, the studying part was nice learning about a paradise earth and nomore sickness, death, etc. I even introduced it to my nine year old daughter and I would read to her from The Learn from The great Teacher book, and then I was noticing how they would use terms like, "we need to do what is right in Jehovah's eyes, don't we? or I even read "Angels will have a work to do and they are going to do it soon, God's time to destroy wicked people is near" or "All those who do not worship the true God will be destroyed", pictures of Armaggedon and seeing people running away in fear from fire coming down from the sky to me left a bad taste in my mouth and have since stopped reading to my daughter, it has been 2 weeks and now all I think of is how I will soon die and how I am throwing away any chance of living forever, I could use some help in this matter on how to cope while I try to get this guilt away from my mind, that is how I think they make you feel.
AndriaSyxx		#1	[-]
Posts: 28551 Jan 29 12 6:28 PM Forum Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hello and welcome to the forum Buzzy Before you do anything else honey ... you must try and keep in mind that you are NOT guilty for anything at all. It is not your guilt but the guilt put into your psyche by a group of people who have been similarly loaded with guilt they've 'inherited' from whoever introduced them to 'the truth'. I was born into the religion 49 years ago and left when I was legally old enough to do so. I was nearly 19 and fought similar feelings to you for a while ... then realised I was scared because I'd been trained and programmed to be scared. Prior to going to school the whole death and mass destruction thing never really sunk in ... but once I started Year 1 and realised that the little friends I'd started to make would most certainly die at the hands of Jehovah, it made me feel deeply sad. That sadness crept into all parts of my life from then ... and by the time I was 12, all I wanted to do was leave the religion. I developed nightmares about the end of the world and have been an insomniac for so long now that I no longer worry about it. For the sake of your lovely 9 year old little lady ... stay away from this doomsday religion. You'll be happier and she will be happier too. If the religion is 'the truth' as they claim ... it would not include a god who is out to destroy anyone in his path who doesn't believe in him. There is no such thing as a paradise on earth where sickness and death will be no more ... and given I've been out of the religion myself for over 30 years now ... the end is no closer than it ever has been. Take some time away from these people and have a read through the forum. You'll find lots of people have felt and still feel the way you do right now and it's normal to be frightened given you've been slowly but surely worked on with fear. The average jdub lives in fear ALL the time ... 24/7. They never feel they are good enough and are never encouraged to think for themselves. You're a thinker ... which is why the religion doesn't sit too well with you. Once you've shaken off that inherited fear and guilt ... you'll be able to see, think and live more freely Buzzy. It's lovely to have you here with us Feel free to ask as many questions as you like ... "Walk your life without fear. Walk strong." ~ advice from Rafaela of the Raramuri - Mexico ~
Locutus		#2	[-]
MVP (Most Valuable Poster)++ Posts: 1993 Jan 29 12 8:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hello and welcome Nycbuzz22! From what you write it seems like you are still accepting the lie that the JW faith is The Truth. No offence. I get it, I lived it for many years too. The JW's present themselves as The highest scriptural and moral authority in the world, and suck people into their vortex of indoctrination with their endless studies. Some people accept their claims of "truth" and then have a hard time living up to all the demands of the religion, so they fade away and try again later, all the while having all the doomsday anxiety and fear and self loathing for failing to become a proper 'witness' tearing them apart. It's not a healthy cycle. It would be best if you did some independent research. Look up the belief timeline history of the Jehovah's Witnesses, (there is some really crazy stuff in the early history! Early teachings included dates calculated from pyramidology, and to this day dates are still accepted! ) , look up all the other millenarian cults of recent history. The JW's are an offshoot of the Adventist movement, which itself is an offshoot of the Millerites. See also Moonies, Hare Krishnas. Jonestown Guiana .... Many generations of my family have gone to their graves after wasting their lives waiting for the 'new system', which they all believed would come in their lifetime. Free yourself.
Tartin		#3	[-]
Gold Level Member Posts: 116 Jan 29 12 10:57 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I just want to echo that doing independent research would really help you prove to yourself what they say is not true.
punkofnice		#4	[-]
Posts: 5370 Jan 30 12 1:52 AM Forum Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Welcome to the forum buzz. Woah. Hold on there. Just relax. Breath and take your own sweet time. The watchtower are masters of propaganda and 'logical fallacies'. They induce guilt, fear and phobia into a person to prevent them from leaving once they're 'in'. The have 'loaded the language' to make normal words trigger responses in the brain. I won't get technical but here's a small sample of 'loaded language': the truth theocratic apostates true christians ministry bible study I'll just take one and perhaps you can think about how the others make you think in JW terms. 'the Truth'......wow when we say 'we're in the truth' how powerful is that to decieve the mind that the JW religion is the correct one?!?! I have it on good authority that the Mormons also refer to their cult as 'the truth'. The anxiety you feel may well be Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Without giving an essay on it, it's the 'fight or flight' response we all have. In a difficult situation our brain goes on the alert and we have to decide if it's better to run away or stay and fight. None of the negative feelings you are having are in any way 'Christlike' or originating with love. It's the watchtower's scare tactics to make you fall in line. Yes. I know the prospect of living in a 'paradise earth forever' is appealing beyond our wildest dreams. But that's just it. The watchtower offer this carrot..........but then you've got to turn your back on all your non JW friends and family and slave for the 7 leaders in Brooklyn......AND YOU'LL NEVER FEEL GOOD ENOUGH...................AND THEY'LL NEVER LET YOU FEEL GOOD ENOUGH...........you've just got to give all your time, energy and cash to these slave masters. Sorry if this is a bit of a 'war and peace' but I have so much to tell you that proves the watchtower to be a high control group, a pyramid scam and/or cult it's untrue. Keep chatting to us. It's all part of the healing. Oh, and a PS. If you stop your 'study', notice how the JWs will try to get you back by inducing guilt and fear!! Let me know how it goes. Regards Paul (MDA - Mentally diseased apostate)! *Just remember. Neither The Watchtower(TM) nor the elders(TM) nor anyone in the 'truth'(TM) have any authority over you. Once you accept this you're well on your way to living!* Paint jobs on some familiar magazines and 'dublications' of the washtowel are kept here >> http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com/topic/17962/Some-Familiar-Publications-given-the-paint-job Join me on FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002619536657 Join me on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/PuNkOfNiCe?feature=mhee
Cadwaladr		#5	[-]
Silver Level Member Posts: 84 Jan 30 12 7:34 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi, nycbuzz22. You're at a situation where I was many years ago. I studied and stopped several times before making the plunge. You've gone past the intial WOW! stage where you learned many most fantastic things aobut the 'true' religion and what it holds for you. Once past that stage becomes the reality of doing what is requried of you. I became a true believer very quickly but had trouble with the incessant meetings, studying, field service, and talking in front of people. I knew at some point that if I wanted to become a Jehovah's Witness, I had to give my all, regardless of how difficult that could be. You have a very important decision to make and, for it to mean anything, you have to do the research yourself. There are plenty here who will guide you along but the decision has to be yours. Just know one thing: The Jehovah's Witnesses have an answer for everything. No matter what you learn, if you discuss it with a JW, they will have some most fabulous explanation. Of course it will probably be bullshit but it may sound plausible. Just keep digging; you'll find the truth. We can tell you that the JWs do not have the true religion. We can tell you that the religion is a cult. But it is not going to have the impact on you as much as if you discover it yourself. NOW is the time to investigate. Once you're baptised, there's no going back. After the baptism you cannot question anything. You will have to follow all the rules, most of which you have never heard of. There are hundreds and hundreds of rules buried in the texts of the Watchtower, some of which makes absolutely no sense to a normal, intelligent person. Once you join, you will no longer be able to think for yourself. All your thoughts must be compliant with the Watchtower. Questioning the Watchtower is not possible. Before you join, find out how the apocalyptic dates came about. Who is Russell? Where did he get his information? What happened after he died? Where did the term 'governing body' come from? Why was a mansion built in California? Why was a pyramid placed in a graveyard to honor Russell? What did the great pyramids of Giza have to do with fortelling the second coming of Christ? Why did Russell change his apocalyptic date of 1914 to 1915? Why was it changed back to 1914 after Russell died? What did Russell believe was going to happen in 1914/1915? And why did that change many years later? Think about it: Who wouldn't want to live forever with true friends in a paradise earth? But to get there, what is required of you? Mountains and mountains of rules made up to keep you in line and mountains and mountains of assignments to keep you exhausted. Jesus didn't put all those rules on the backs of his followers; he condemned those who did.
nycbuzz22		#6	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 16 Jan 30 12 1:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi everybody, thank you for the support and responses. The JW which I was studying with would smooth talk me and would even tell me how it is "your responsibility to teach your daughter" meanwhile he has no kids with his wife because they do not want to bring any child into this world so they will wait for the new system. I brought my daughter to a meeting two weeks ago and for some odd reason I felt bad I did because I can tell she was not too comfortable being there for 2 hours, and oh once the meeting was over, I had like 8 different people stop me to introduce themselves to me which took up another 20 minutes before I could get out of there to go home. Some were very nice, some were robotic like, but hey who am I to judge anyone, the WT study bored the crap out of me after about 10 minutes or so, the talk was boring too that I felt so bad I let my daughter sit through it. The man I was studying with continues to still call me, I changed my home number and even have his calls blocked, yet he is still continuing, I am trying to just walk away respectfully. I have been having bouts of depression, fears and anxiety off and on since I stopped, its the fear mongering, "the time of the end is near" or "soon God will destroy this wicked system of things" , those words continue to be in my thoughts that it has somewhat affected my daily activities. They say how they go door to door out of love, that is a bunch of bs in my opinion, they talk about how much love they have for fellow man and what not. I respect their beliefs, the thought of a resurrection is appealing and is warm, as is a life without end, but I just cannot see myself continuing on and being robot like, because I was disassociating myself with friends and family, and even thinking to myself how I cannot have "bad association" with them. I have done research on this organization, I do not want to sit here and condemn for what they believe or do, but to me even while I was studying and reading, I felt good at those moments, but when I would go to work, I found myself trying to avoid my close buddies because they are "worldy" and can get you to do bad things, I just could not take it anymore. The best was during one study how my JW "friend" told me to "get rid of any Black Sabbath CD's" you might have because demons live in the music, even though you do not listen to it, they still dwell in there and can cause problems, hence I threw out some good cd's I used to enjoy, what an idiot I am.
punkofnice		#7	[-]
Posts: 5370 Jan 30 12 2:02 PM Forum Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi everybody, thank you for the support and responses. The JW which I was studying with would smooth talk me and would even tell me how it is "your responsibility to teach your daughter" meanwhile he has no kids with his wife because they do not want to bring any child into this world so they will wait for the new system. This is so sad. They employ guilt, fear and phobia and prove by their own life this brainwashing worked on them effectively. Sad, so, so sad! I brought my daughter to a meeting two weeks ago and for some odd reason I felt bad I did because I can tell she was not too comfortable being there for 2 hours, and oh once the meeting was over, I had like 8 different people stop me to introduce themselves to me which took up another 20 minutes before I could get out of there to go home. Some were very nice, some were robotic like, but hey who am I to judge anyone, the WT study bored the crap out of me after about 10 minutes or so, the talk was boring too that I felt so bad I let my daughter sit through it. Yes. It’s all just one big ‘sales seminar’ for the ‘placement’™ of the watchtower rags. Bums on seats means $$$$$$$$$$ for the 7 leaders I Brooklyn. The man I was studying with continues to still call me, I changed my home number and even have his calls blocked, yet he is still continuing, I am trying to just walk away respectfully. They count ‘time’™ on their monthly ‘report slip’™ and are judged on how many hours and ‘studies’™ they note down. I have been having bouts of depression, fears and anxiety off and on since I stopped, its the fear mongering, "the time of the end is near" or "soon God will destroy this wicked system of things" , those words continue to be in my thoughts that it has somewhat affected my daily activities. Look up ‘cognitive dissonance’ and ‘Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome’. I’ll wager you’ll see your own symptoms! They say how they go door to door out of love, that is a bunch of bs in my opinion, they talk about how much love they have for fellow man and what not. We were judged on how much door knocking we did. It’s not out of love so much but more out of fear of being murdered lovingly by the brand name god of the watchtower SOON! I respect their beliefs, the thought of a resurrection is appealing and is warm, as is a life without end, but I just cannot see myself continuing on and being robot like, because I was disassociating myself with friends and family, and even thinking to myself how I cannot have "bad association" with them. Run like the clappers from the watchtower for your own sanity. Please! I have done research on this organization, I do not want to sit here and condemn for what they believe or do, but to me even while I was studying and reading, I felt good at those moments, but when I would go to work, I found myself trying to avoid my close buddies because they are "worldy" and can get you to do bad things, I just could not take it anymore. Excellent. Start to live again. Come back to the real world. You saw what robot zombies the watchtower produces. Run like the wind from it. Protect your daughter from it too. The best was during one study how my JW "friend" told me to "get rid of any Black Sabbath CD's" you might have because demons live in the music, even though you do not listen to it, they still dwell in there and can cause problems, hence I threw out some good cd's I used to enjoy, what an idiot I am. JWs are some of the most superstitious people I’ve ever known. Demunz everywhere! Demons live in music? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Priceless. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! What a crackpot notion! That’s so funny yet so sad someone believes such nonsense!! Black Sabbath are cool! Mate, run as fast as you can from them. Even if you have to threaten them with a 'cease and desist' order. Let us know how it goes. Regards Paul (MDA - Mentally diseased apostate)! *Just remember. Neither The Watchtower(TM) nor the elders(TM) nor anyone in the 'truth'(TM) have any authority over you. Once you accept this you're well on your way to living!* Paint jobs on some familiar magazines and 'dublications' of the washtowel are kept here >> http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com/topic/17962/Some-Familiar-Publications-given-the-paint-job Join me on FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002619536657 Join me on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/PuNkOfNiCe?feature=mhee
Rubadubdub		#8	[-]
MVP (Most Valuable Poster) Posts: 776 Jan 30 12 2:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	nycbuzz22 wrote: The man I was studying with continues to still call me, I changed my home number and even have his calls blocked, yet he is still continuing, I am trying to just walk away respectfully. I have been having bouts of depression, fears and anxiety off and on since I stopped, its the fear mongering, "the time of the end is near" or "soon God will destroy this wicked system of things" , those words continue to be in my thoughts that it has somewhat affected my daily activities. and welcome buzzy! If you think the stalking is bad now, take the plunge and see what happens! Walk, no run, away! You will only be subjecting yourself and your little one to a lifetime of "bouts of depression, fears and anxiety". Trust me I know! I studiedtm with the dubs and was baptized pre-1975, and the end is still near? Kindness (Stanza 3) Before you know kindness /as the deepest thing inside, /you must know sorrow /as the other deepest thing. /You must wake up with sorrow. /You must speak to it till your voice /catches the thread of all sorrows /and you see the size of the cloth. /Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, /only kindness that ties your shoes /and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread, /only kindness that raises its head /from the crowd of the world to say /it is I you have been looking for, /and then goes with you everywhere /like a shadow or a friend. Naomi Shihab Nye (1953-) http://www.wussu.com/poems/nsnkind.htm
Rubadubdub		#9	[-]
MVP (Most Valuable Poster) Posts: 776 Jan 30 12 2:08 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	punkofnice wrote: I have been having bouts of depression, fears and anxiety off and on since I stopped, its the fear mongering, "the time of the end is near" or "soon God will destroy this wicked system of things" , those words continue to be in my thoughts that it has somewhat affected my daily activities. Look up ‘cognitive dissonance’ and ‘Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome’. I’ll wager you’ll see your own symptoms! Mate, run as fast as you can from them. Even if you have to threaten them with a 'cease and desist' order. Let us know how it goes. Diagnosed with severe recurrent clinical depression and PTSD. Just sayin'. Kindness (Stanza 3) Before you know kindness /as the deepest thing inside, /you must know sorrow /as the other deepest thing. /You must wake up with sorrow. /You must speak to it till your voice /catches the thread of all sorrows /and you see the size of the cloth. /Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, /only kindness that ties your shoes /and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread, /only kindness that raises its head /from the crowd of the world to say /it is I you have been looking for, /and then goes with you everywhere /like a shadow or a friend. Naomi Shihab Nye (1953-) http://www.wussu.com/poems/nsnkind.htm
2true		#10	[-]
Platinum Level Member Posts: 437 Jan 30 12 3:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi Buzz. Just gonna echo what Punk said above. The language and the structure of the language that JWs use is very very persuasive. It is almost the same structure that NLP practioners use. This kind of rhetorical quesioning - "we need to do what is right in Jehovah's eyes, don't we?" is classic WTBTS speak designed to elicit a specific emotional response. How many times has a WT study article asked "how does this make you feel about the coming New System of Things?" or "Does this not make you rejoice and want to do more in the ministry?". Like anyone is gonna put up their hand and say 'well it makes me feel pretty fuckin' angry actually'! JWs rely heavily on the guilt mechanism, just like the Catholics, but a lot more narrow minded and arrogant. What is most disturbing for me as an ex pioneer and MTS graduate is that I used to use all these techniques to attempt to wash people's brains from the uncleanliness of the world . The classic armageddon pictures that you mentioned make me feel quite queazy now as well. I remember as a child having the door slammed in my face in the field ministry and saying 'well at least they'll be destroyed at armageddon' that is pretty fucking disturbing thing for a kid to be saying about innocent people. The mind control that the WTBTS uses is like a malignant cancer with spreads throughout your entire subconscious and effects every thought process until you cannot think for yourself and you are a puppet to their deluded dreams. Buzz, we have a name for the kind of ruler who kills people that disagree with him - it's called a Dictator. Paradise or not, I have no intention of spending any of my life living under the thumb of such a ruler - how about you? You know, I'm sick of following my dreams, man. I'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with 'em later. — Mitch Hedberg
nycbuzz22		#11	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 16 Jan 30 12 3:45 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I agree 100%. This all started for me between 1995-1996. I would study on and off and then gave in due to family persecution, etc. I started again in 2001 right after 9/11, at the time my ex wife was pregnant with my daughter, we studied for about 2 months, it didn't sit right with her, I felt the same and gave in once again. FF summer 2011, I run into the JW i was studying with while I am working, long story short, he asks me for my number, originally I was going to give him a wrong number, but I didn't, I gave him my number telling myself I will not answer his calls, I work for the DSNY in NY as a sanitation worker, so the minute I get back into my truck to drive off, he already called my phone. 2 weeks or so pass, he calls me and leaves me a voicemail, I did not return his call, a few days pass, same thing, finally I give in and text him back telling him I was sorry for not answering. I do this because I am a decent guy with a good heart and do not like ignoring people, he tells me "I just want to be a friend" or "no pressure". I finally agree to meet up for lunch, what does he bring me? The book entitled "what does the bible REALLY teach?" and A Bible. I slowly read into this book but did not call him for a while, I even introduced it to my current fiance, she likes it too so we begin reading it together. The JW tells me "You cannot study the bible on your own because you won't understand it", so I give in and agree to do weekly bible studies with him over the phone. The whole time i am asking myself "I thought he said no pressure" but anyway I continue with it, I slowly feel myself disassociating myself with friends and family, fighting myself not to wish anyone a happy birthday or Merry Christmas, which btw, I did not celebrate this past year, I felt horrible inside because not only did I celebrate with my kid, but I even go tell her that there is no such thing as a Santa Claus, she cries, I feel horrible, but yet inside I believe I am doing the right thing. Time passes, and I just look at everyone and everything as if they are foolish people who will not gain life because they are "hardhearted" or "worldy". I feel myself secluded inside having my own studies, preparing for the WT studies, avoiding tv because it is run by Satan, avoiding getting together with my friends, etc. I feel alone but all is well, I am heading in the "right path" as im told by my conductor. A few weeks ago I am reading to my daughter and there is a chaper on how the angels left heaven and had "sex relations" with the women on earth, etc. I will find more quotes from this book on my next post, but the one that frightened my daughter and just looking at her when it said "All those who do not worship the true God will be destroyed", it broke my heart looking at her scared face and how quick I had to explain to her what it meant.
cangie		#12	[-]
MVP (Most Valuable Poster)+ Posts: 1149 Jan 30 12 4:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Welcome nycbuzz22 to our group. Our heart goes out to you for the fear and anxiety introduced into your life by the JW's. I was raised a JW, until (other than a number of years when I was disfellowshipped and then went back for 2 years) I left about 6 years ago. I was still mentally tied to them though, until I found this forum last April. We all understand the paranoia they introduce to you, and that is no life for either you, your fiance, or your child to live with. It wasn't until I began to research the ideas that were introduced to me by the ones on this board (and then the final "mind-blowing" event---reading "Crisis of Conscience" by Ray Franz) that I began to heal, recover and let go of the ever-pervasive fear that they teach. Please know that everyone on here can relate in some way to the experiences that you have had with them, and that we are willing to be a support to you and anyone who comes here, battered and bruised and limping in pain, from the effects of their teaching. You will be fine...feel free to stick around, and hopefully, you will begin to feel the freedom that we begin to see breaking through. Sometimes we resort to healing tears, but much of the time, we have laughter and happiness as things get better! P.S....I'm in NY, too!
AndriaSyxx		#13	[-]
Posts: 28551 Jan 30 12 7:14 PM Forum Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Ahh Buzzy ... you were overtaken by the zealous over friendly nature of the religious ones you've been in contact with mate. It's that open friendliness that is used ... usually without malice ... to get people into the religion. It's a case of look at us, we're a lovely bunch of friendly people who TRULY care for your welfare ......... then they start indoctrinating with the WBTS doctrines and 'hope for the future' stuff. The darker side of actively preying for Armageddon to 'come soon' and the knowledge that ALL non-jdubs and those against the religion are to be destroyed en-masse is played down very effectively. The average jdub may not admit to wanting to be part of the mass destruction scene ... but they ARE a part of it and they perpetuate that active role every time they drag the dangling carrot of eternal life on a paradise earth. It's a doomsday cult plain and simple. It is rather ironic don't you think ... that a religion professing to be one of love and 'the truth' ........ are quite happy to isolate people from their own family members and friends, and then push the guilt and fear onto little ones. I grew up with that fear of impending death and doom ... to the point I had horrific nightmares when I was little and would jump and be frightened at loud noises, storms of any kind and even people fighting. I lived in absolute fear that if I went to sleep and someone crept in the house at night ... we would all be killed because of the religion ..... so I learned at an early age to keep myself awake for as many hours as I could once the rest of the family went to bed. That's NOT a good way to raise kids. Hopefully you'll be able to shake of that fear you've been smothered with. The world is not ending any time soon and as much as the average jdub would like you to believe that they are 'no part of this world' ... they are VERY much a part of this world and many of them go along to meetings out of habit rather than out of love for their religion. Enjoy your freedom mate and don't frighten your little lady anymore ...... she's a kid and doesn't need to have added fear and guilt tossed her way. "Walk your life without fear. Walk strong." ~ advice from Rafaela of the Raramuri - Mexico ~
redheadsquaddie		#14	[-]
Platinum Level Member Posts: 387 Jan 31 12 2:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	A choice is a gift that YOU bestow on any subject person etc and it is or at least should be exercised freely otherwise its not a choice its BLACKMAIL moral or emotional or both I went through that with them BUT I am blessed with shallowness be shallow stuff em its great being shallow and you don' drive yourself mental as well so its all good Welcome Buzzer me old mucker Red xxx
Rubadubdub		#15	[-]
MVP (Most Valuable Poster) Posts: 776 Jan 31 12 2:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	redheadsquaddie wrote: A choice is a gift that YOU bestow on any subject person etc and it is or at least should be exercised freely otherwise its not a choice its BLACKMAIL moral or emotional or both. Well said, Red! Kindness (Stanza 3) Before you know kindness /as the deepest thing inside, /you must know sorrow /as the other deepest thing. /You must wake up with sorrow. /You must speak to it till your voice /catches the thread of all sorrows /and you see the size of the cloth. /Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, /only kindness that ties your shoes /and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread, /only kindness that raises its head /from the crowd of the world to say /it is I you have been looking for, /and then goes with you everywhere /like a shadow or a friend. Naomi Shihab Nye (1953-) http://www.wussu.com/poems/nsnkind.htm
nycbuzz22		#16	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 16 Jan 31 12 9:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hello guys, hope everyone is doing well. Thank you for the support, and am starting to feel a little bit better. I will now post some quotes that are in the book titled "Learn from The Great Teacher", now this book is aimed for young children, my guess is the age range from 6-10. "He was telling us that since we know that Armageddon is near, we do not want to delay in taking action to prove we love God by serving him. If we delay, it may be too late for us. So we would be just like those at the time of the great Flood who heard Noah but did not get inside the Ark", pg 249. "We want to be among those whom God will keep alive, don't we?__Wouldn't it be wonderful if our family could be like Noah's so that God would save all of us?___If we are to survive the end of the world, we need to understand how God will destroy it and bring about his righteous new world. Let's see how he does this. Pg 242. My opinion is children should DEF not be reading things like that, that is definitely mind controlling and very very threatening. "Now, remember, Jesus said that what happened to those people is a lesson for us today. What lesson can we learn?__Well, people were destroyed not only because they were bad but because many were just too busy to take the time to learn about God and about what he was going to do. We need to be careful that we are not like them, don't we?__" Pg 241. "We don't want to spoil our friendship with him, do we?__So we must be careful to make friends with only those who love God" -Pg 231 "We need to obey all the things that Jesus taught. Jesus said that we should be "no part of the world". Pg 237. "Do you know what they may do to get pleasure for themselves?__Well, they may try to rub your sex organs, Or they will even rub their sex organs against yours. But you should never let anybody play with your penis or vulva. Not even your own brother or sister or your mother or father. These parts of your body are private" Pg 171. These are some of the things that I have found, I will find more and post them. I am so glad I stopped reading this book to my daughter, some of it is very disturbing to say the least. Please feel free to add your feedback and opinions on some of these things written in this book.
auth		#17	[-]
MVP (Most Valuable Poster)+ Posts: 1057 Feb 1 12 1:05 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	You're doing the right thing in my opinion. RUN don't walk. The isolation from your 'worldly' family and friends is the start of the association control. Your meeting attendance and getting to know other JWs is the second part. That's why you had so many introductions at your first meeting. They're trained to welcome 'newly interested ones'. The cult practice is called 'love-bombing'. What you may not comprehend yet is that if you get baptized and violate certain organizational rules you may be 'disfellowshipped'. The very moment the announcement that you're 'no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses' is made all your JW associates will stop speaking to you. They will not even say 'Hi' to you or acknowledge your presence if they see you on the street. They'll view this as part of their service to God. Keep in mind that this is after you've already made life-long 'worldly' friendships and family ties lapse due to the organization's teachings. Many people will find being disfellowshipped to be so alienating that they'll try to get 'reinstated' even when they'd rather leave. So the guilt and phobia that they were already inculcating in you was only the tip of the Iceberg. If you got 'dedicated and baptized' you'd be in deep doo doo. That's why they start pressuring studies to make that commitment. RUN! Don't walk away. RUN! As for that 'learn from the great teacher' book: I seem to recall something relatively innocuous in it that really ticked me off. An example was given of a child that saw another child's toy and then asked his parents for one like it. They said that was 'wrong' because it was covetousness. I thought that was complete bullshit. Way to go. Make even the little ones feel bad about every human emotion. Last Edited By: auth Feb 1 12 1:11 AM. Edited 2 times.
punkofnice		#18	[-]
Posts: 5370 Feb 1 12 4:34 AM Forum Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm just going to take 1 paragraph that you copied here Buzz and just show the logical fallacies and propaganda techniques that I can spot. There are probably more and I might ahve go some mixed up wit others but here we go.............. "We (This is called the 'Preacher's WE' and makes you responsible and part of the argument even if you shouldn't be) want to be among those (US vs: THEM ie. JWs are the only good people on Earth everyone else is scum) whom God (Appeal to authority) will keep alive, (Appeal to fear) don't we?(Preacher's WE) __Wouldn't it be wonderful if our family could be like Noah's so that God would save all of us? ('What if' propaganda technique. Proposing a false premise then making it seem real. We could ask 'What if he doesn't?' None of it actually PROVES anything. Noah = appeal to the common man. God= appeal to authority. Save us = appeal to fear) ___If we (Preacher's WE) are to survive the end of the world, (Appeal to fear) we (preacher's WE) need to understand (Obey the Governing Body, straw man) how God (Appeal to authority) will destroy (Appeal to fear) it and bring about his righteous new world. Let's see how he does this. Pg 242. ...now who wants to dissect one of the other paragraphs? Regards Paul (MDA - Mentally diseased apostate)! *Just remember. Neither The Watchtower(TM) nor the elders(TM) nor anyone in the 'truth'(TM) have any authority over you. Once you accept this you're well on your way to living!* Paint jobs on some familiar magazines and 'dublications' of the washtowel are kept here >> http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com/topic/17962/Some-Familiar-Publications-given-the-paint-job Join me on FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002619536657 Join me on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/PuNkOfNiCe?feature=mhee
Pretoreus		#19	[-]
Gold Level Member Posts: 176 Feb 1 12 5:36 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hi Buzz, I wanted to reply to you because I also identify with what you are going through up to a point. Actually I really can't improve on what has already been said, I especially enjoyed Cadwaldr's comments. You will never feel comfortable with your situation until you are convinced that Jehovah's Witnesses absolutely do NOT have "The Truth". It sounds to me like they have sewn a seed in your mind and that seed is neither growing or dying. It's eating away at you that maybe, just maybe, Jehovah's Witnesses are right and that this is your opportunity to live forever in paradise on earth and for you and your family to have eternal life together. Although you like that idea, you don't like a lot of other stuff that you are hearing....on the other hand not liking something does not make it necessarily wrong... You're confused. For that reason I would advise you to try to take emotions out of the equation, it doesn't matter what you do or do not like about Jehovah's Witnesses. Take some time to really read the Bible and to pray about it, and analyze whether what Jehovah's Witnesses teach are really from the Bible or from the Watchtower. I remember well when I went through this process, one of the things that struck me is how few hands would go up in the Kingdom Hall when we were asked to explain how the date 1914 is calculated. It is an incredibly complicated process of jumping from one end of the Bible to the other, making pretty wild assumptions as to how many "times" "A Time and Times and half a time" are, not to mention the assumption of how long "a time" really is. For Goodness Sake! A degree in Maths should not be necessary for worshipping God! Anyway, in a way this is a process you have to go through on your own, drawing your own conclusions. I wish you well with it, I used to check in on an exJW forum on the internet almost every day when I was travelling that particular path (the internet had JUST become widely available at the time)...I didn't agree with everything I read but it was good to know that others were on the same path or had already travelled it. Hope we can give you some help along the way.
nycbuzz22		#20	[-]
Registered Member Posts: 16 Feb 1 12 1:13 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I just realized when I went to a meeting last month, I was getting dirty looks from the "boy" doing the reading, I say boy because he has to be around maybe 21 years of age at best, because I was whispering in my fiances ear and giggling. The best is he was introduced to me after the meeting, definitely looked like he was a zombie with glasses on.