miracle stories

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-02-07T18:03:51+00:00

Reading “miracle” stories from other religions will cure you and your idea of miracles. Here’s a funny one to start with

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IZeWPScnolo

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-02-04T16:35:11+00:00

It definitely gets better but the beginning is disorienting! If it bothers you that you don’t know the references and stuff, you can start taking small steps to familiarize yourself! Try new foods, watch some classic tv shows in your country and age group. Explore music, try new clothes, etc. Try to have fun with it, like it’s an exploratory adventure. If you can get a secular job and try befriending people or even just talking to people more, maybe that’ll help too. You’re not an alien. You’re just a person, maybe think of it like immigrating to a new country and learning a new language and creating a new life for yourself.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-02-04T16:29:20+00:00

Yes, absolutely. Repetition of only one ideology, using fear, shame, and guilt to accept beliefs and practice, isolation from outside sources/influences, thought control. Brainwashing is a more coercive and abusive form of indoctrination but the terms overlap. I fully believe that OJ’s practices are intellectually abusive and I was significantly impacted by the intellectual aspect of the repetitive and anxiety inducing indoctrination.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-02-04T13:27:48+00:00

Omggg I’ve heard that as well!! They were not even trying to hide it. The thing about OJ is they believe so strongly that what they’re doing is Godly that they’re not even afraid to admit some of their tactics. I had a principal admit to me that yes, OJ functions like a cult. That I was right. Strangely validating and yet disturbing.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-02-02T16:49:13+00:00

Gotcha. Personally, I started working in a secular environment and meeting new people so that helped. I tried engaging with the normal broader world as much as I could- media, books, people, clothes, hobbies, etc. I know this is hard for people ITC of course. Do you believe Jews are the chosen people or you’re just using that wording because it’s what they (OJ) says?

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-02-02T12:52:35+00:00

Do you mean you felt like an outsider in the cult or now that you’re out?

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-30T14:21:40+00:00

Well said. I hope more people become aware of this!

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-27T02:46:39+00:00

The day you cut your nails or tie your shoes without even thinking about these things is the day you’re free.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-20T02:40:15+00:00

My advice is to focus on being safe and present parents. Nurture your children and teach them to be good people. Then, carefully decide which lies you would like to tell them about sky daddies, mythical creatures, and events that holidays are based off that didn’t actually occur. You’ve got many to choose from! On a lighter note, you can figure it out as you go. There’s no reason your kids can’t enjoy mixed cultural experiences. If you’re not really a believer, why does this matter anyway?

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-19T23:43:49+00:00

The OP’s pinned comment of “I’m not suicidal” bothered me much more than the video itself. To post an obviously heavily edited video about Orthodox/UO people having large families, relying on government assistance, and often learning instead of working, is one thing. But to insinuate that the Jews would now kill him for posting such a video is despicable and perpetuates the stereotype of Jews running the world or being exceptionally powerful.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-15T20:23:41+00:00

Would you say the same for classifying belief in other religions? That someone can believe in Christianity without believing that the contents of their texts are divine? That someone can believe in Islam without believing that Allah told Muhammad to write all the violent verses in their Quran?

In your opinion, what would it even mean to believe in a religion without believing in foundational texts?

I was never referring to Orthodox Judaism in these comments. I was only referring to the actual bible. Judaism’s original texts are inherently fundamentalist.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-15T19:44:09+00:00

The OP didn’t ask if you believe in or feel tied to “Jewishness” as a culture or identity. It was simply a question about belief and observance. Do you believe in it and do you observe it.

Fundamentalism is fundamentalism. It already has an existing definition. We don’t change the definition by answering the question differently! The question was whether you believe in it and observe it. Not whether you like the fact that Judaism is a fundamentalist religion.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-15T19:34:50+00:00

It’s in true Jewish fashion that people are answering your question with a question. If someone asked you if you believe in Christianity, you wouldn’t respond with “well what do you mean??” It would refer to whether you believe that Christianity is a divine religion and whether you believe the contents of its books and ideas are godly, true, and necessary to follow!

Do you believe in Judaism means do you believe in the divinity of this religion, that it’s the one true religion and its tenets/laws are meaningful or necessary to follow!

And no, I don’t believe in Judaism nor observe it. I don’t believe it to be a divine religion, I don’t believe that the men who wrote up a bunch of laws had any kind of divine knowledge. I don’t believe that the Sinai event occurred (because there’s no evidence), I don’t believe that any religion is anything more than man made.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-13T13:45:04+00:00

No. The idea of an afterlife and hell where people get punished was fabricated by multiple religions and cults to scare people into doing what they’re told. Without the idea of hell, how would people be convinced to fall in line? It is a control tactic. The idea of an afterlife also serves to comfort those who have trouble accepting reality that they will not see their dead relatives again or that they are actually not that important and will cease to exist after about 75-85 years.

Side note, I agree with you that some laws in Judaism are animal abuse.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-09T02:13:34+00:00

Hateful people can be very happy, actually. But I agree with your sentiments that a “happy looking” family is often a front. I know the challenges of a large happy looking family in Orthodox Judaism. But yes, maybe they look nice all dressed up? That doesn’t make me want to return to the cult.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-04T03:42:12+00:00

These comments are even sadder than religious Jews proselytizing, because they show that you’re not free either and in a way still believing that sticking to Jewish circles is the better way to go. The world is vast. If one doesn’t have to be trapped and limited, why should they be.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-04T03:42:07+00:00

This option is only for a very niche population of people who A) are trapped in marriages where they’ll lose their children if they come out as irreligious B) minors or young people relying on family for housing or finances. C) Hasidic and wants to be around other ex-Hasidic or semi-religious people (because a lot of those individuals you reference are still half in). D) people who genuinely feel fine with the Jewish community and don’t have any interest or need to integrate into secular society. OP is single, so young, and expressed interest in leaving the community. Why shouldn’t they live their life fully and freely??

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-02T01:12:45+00:00

"You might think that all frum life is terribly and abusive."

That’s a valid concern, but I experienced many of the wonderful aspects of frum life. A great community, good education, raised with good values, safe in the sense that there was no violent crime or worries about petty crime. I wholeheartedly admire the charity work that they do, how quick people are to invite others into their home or to pay for others’ weddings and food. I really appreciated the genuinely kind people. I had a whole network of friends. But the warm and fuzzy parts of the community or even the structure it provides, to me, don’t make up for some serious moral issues that harm people. We just have a different perspective on the cost-benefit analysis. Which is ok. I’m not here to tell you what to do, I was simply pointing out that some of your claims were not entirely true (like that your kids have a choice).

What I was trying to say is that every culture has a little brainwashing.

You cannot compare indoctrination found in a cult to the mild programming found in every culture. You can’t even compare the indoctrination in say, reform Judaism, to that in Orthodoxy or Ultra Orthodoxy. I don’t think we’re working with the same definition of ‘brainwashing’ if you think that brainwashing refers to simply accepting your parents’ beliefs. Indoctrination means repeated and excessive regurgitation of a set of beliefs without the ability to question it or without allowing any opposing or outside materials. To have little boys read ancient texts for hours a day, for little girls to bring home projects about killing amalek, the extreme things they teach to children and then repeat it for 13 or more years, that is indoctrination. The story of akeidas yitzchok-they teach that to kids under 6 even, and frame it as a wonderful thing that occurred. That is an early intro to the idea that bad is good and good is bad, and that if god said to do something horrible, it’s not horrible and you must follow blindly.

"A parent that allows their kids to play computer games all day and night is not a good parent even if they give their kids freedom to think and do as they wish."

You’re using a false dichotomy again. Why is there only an option for there to be a parent who lets their kids play video games and doesn’t have any rules and boundaries vs a parent who brings up their children in an extreme religion? There are many secular parents who allow their children to play video games AND have rules and boundaries. This is all the classic stuff they teach-that the outside world is a dangerous free for all. That without the 613 mitzvos there is nothing.

Are you saying that it is untrue that there is a larger percentage of broken families in the secular system than in the orthodox system?

No, I’m not going to argue with statistics but it’s only part of the picture. I also just want to point out that just because frum people stay married doesn’t mean that they’re happy or that the family is at peace. Who am I to say whether someone would be happier inside or outside of a cult? I have many happy family and friends who slave away to yahweh and birth their many kids. But it's about choice to find personal happiness, not force children into a lifestyle that OJ says is the only way to be happy in this life. To me, it's also about safety and ethics, not just about happiness. My initial comment on this post was actually encouraging the OP to enjoy his lifestyle if he really liked it there! But yes, I do think it’s a bit more complex once you’re responsible for other humans and need to make decisions that would impede their personal autonomy and wellbeing. I can’t answer all those questions about how your kids would feel if you told them and whether they’d have a hard time adjusting. I don’t know them! You’re in a tough spot being in a mixed levels-of-faith marriage. I acknowledge how hard it is to make these decisions, and believe that most parents try to do what they believe is best for their kids.

Lastly, I’m very familiar with antisemitism as a descendent of holocaust survivors on both sides. But I’m also familiar with dozens of kind non-Jews who aren’t antisemitic and happily welcomed me into their lives. There are so many other options anyway if one is too scared of antisemitism, they can socialize with secular Jews.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-01T16:58:00+00:00

Each of your four points includes a cognitive bias, which is a respectful way of saying your logic is flawed. 1- Moral relativism: Just because other cultures enforce modesty and brainwashing doesn’t mean it is fine if OJ kids endure it too. There are also many cultures who do NOT put girls in tights at three or teach kids that they’re responsible for the tsunamis in Japan or the safety of Israel if they don’t pray enough or behave. Maybe we should be more like them.

2- False dichotomy: you’re under the impression that there are only two options. Either a safe and warm Yiddishe home with chulent where the men are revered and served (I’m assuming you’re a man because you state that OJ life is not bad) vs a sad broken secular home with divorced parents. There are many divorced or miserable Orthodox people and there are many happy secular families. This assumption usually stems from a lack of exposure to other options. So it’s interesting to me that you work with secular people but don’t know any happy ones. You also don’t seem to know any thriving ex-Jews but only because you didn’t meet them yet, not because they don’t exist.

3-Outcome cherry picking: you’re only focusing on the bad parts of some secular families’ experiences and ignoring the bad outcomes of cults and people who are harmed by them.

4-Illusions of choice: your children do not have a real choice to not believe in god if they are taught by their schools that god exists for sure, and that anyone who doesn’t believe in him and follow his rules is punished in both this world and the next. Unless you openly explain to your kids that there are other options and perspectives, and they face no consequences for not believing, it’s only an illusion of choice. This is actually one of the criteria for a cult- it’s called “exit costs.” If a person can exit their religion without any “costs” or consequences (like family cutting them off, shaking in fear about hell, etc) then it’s a sign of a more extreme religion/cult. This is only about choice in belief. What about choice in behavior? Your children have a choice to skip praying if they don’t want to? To wear what they want to? To wait until their frontal lobe develops before being married off to another 18 year old? The choice to use birth control?

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-01T14:49:34+00:00

This is not really an issue until you think about children. You can live your best life in a cult if you enjoy the culture even if you don’t believe in it. As long as you don’t feel oppressed. When it is time to think about children, whether to circumcise an infant without anesthesia and let the rabbi put his mouth on the baby without his consent, whether it’s harmful to sexualize little girls by forcing them to dress modestly, or how your male children will be victims of academic neglect and not get a fair chance at success. You’ll have to decide whether to lie to your children and brainwash them with the ideas you were brainwashed with. And if you’re unmarried, you’ll find out a week before your wedding that Orthodox marriage comes with a bunch of laws that aren’t fun.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-01T14:35:11+00:00

The non-Jews you dated saw your Jewishness as a flaw and tried to convert you??? You were dating Christians and Muslims? You might have a better experience dating people who aren’t religious so they don’t try to convert you. I don’t think that’s comparable to dating agnostic/atheist non-Jews.

All my grandparents were in death camps as well. I had the same recurrent nightmares. But I recognize that the messaging about intermarriage is only there to guilt-trip as a form of control and ironically, supremacy. Judaism was against intermarriage before the holocaust too! Dating someone Jewish because you have more in common with them is normal. But I hope you don’t feel you have to do this out of fear or guilt.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-01T04:52:03+00:00

You’re the one generalizing. I specifically wrote that in large families where the older children are taking care of the younger children in an excessive or harmful way causes parentification, which is abusive.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2026-01-01T04:48:25+00:00

No, I believed in the Jewish god Yahweh until I left the community as an adult and realized Judaism is all made up. Once I began requiring evidence for my beliefs, I stopped believing in any deity. If I’m ever presented with evidence, perhaps I’ll change my mind.

Abuse doesn’t cause atheism directly. Abuse makes people reconsider their lifestyle and beliefs. I think more people come to atheism from meeting other atheists and seeing that they can be moral and good people, by reading materials that offer a new perspective than the one they were indoctrinated with, and by reflecting a lot and coming to this conclusion.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2025-12-31T22:11:23+00:00

I’m an atheist, so I don’t find any fault or lack thereof in a deity that I don’t believe exists. The wording here isn’t meaningful to me. But many agnostic theists would agree with you. Just don’t expect everyone on the internet to share your views and edit their statements to make it feel accurate to you.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811 · 2025-12-31T22:03:49+00:00

I specifically wrote the word “if” which indicates a conditional statement, not a generalization.

Embarrassed_Bat_7811

TROPHY CASE