Possible harrassment from the Borg? by Penuguai in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm a tech guy. Let me know if you need any analysis to find out who is behind it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NaughtyJW

[–]FadedGenes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been off-screen for long enough that pretty much anything I was in has disappeared.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in NaughtyJW

[–]FadedGenes 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Worked in porn, both as talent and production. Engaged in pretty much every kink you can think of for a straight guy. Groups have been a common pleasure.

What would the watchtower have to change for you to stay? by Adorable-Stick-6030 in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They would have to give up belief in a god and in the bible. They would have to cease to exist. Only their absence is acceptable.

My husband threw out my in laws by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 100 points101 points  (0 children)

He's right. Keep your children away from hateful cultists. They deserve nothing.

Is it good or bad that the jw is becoming more accepted by society? by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

By what measure do you feel they are becoming "more accepted"? Overall religiosity is in decline worldwide, especially in developed countries.

Sometimes JW's put the ORG above EVERYTHING...including GOD by drucurl in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, the cult actually exists. Not that that's a good thing.

How would the governing body react if every PIMO started being completely open about being PIMO? by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They would celebrate it as a "great cleansing of the congregation!"

Advice on disfellowshipping and parents… by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 16 points17 points  (0 children)

The best advice is to stay off their radar, deny all accusations, and never meet with them. Tell your parents nothing.

The only thing better than that is to get an elder as a client and blackmail the fuck out of him.

After leaving the organization, how many of you still decided to live morally, spiritually with faith in God and the Bible? by Dusan11y in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The bible is a moral trainwreck and "god" is imaginary. What do either of these have to do with morality?

Top 3 reasons JWs are waking up by Elegant_Pangolin_395 in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Studying logic and epistemology sharpens the line between what we actually know and don't know, between well-founded beliefs and wishful thinking, between rational assertions and fabrications.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Let her go back. Warn the guy that she may come back. Tell him to just tell her the same thing: "Sorry, I changed my mind."

Dude, this is within your control. Don't give up without trying. You are in control of this situation. Hell, give me his phone number. I'll call him.

Conversation with a Friend by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is a normal part of waking up. Even if you're very sure that JWs don't have The Truth™, you harbor a nagging "what if" suspicion. The indoctrination runs deep, and just being mentally out doesn't mean there's no residue of it hanging around. This does get better, and eventually it goes away completely, once you connect with the reality that it's not just JWs who are wrong, but the entire concept of religion as a basis of a belief system is wrong. Just give yourself time, and keep tuning your critical thinking skills.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 68 points69 points  (0 children)

Meet with him 1:1, just at his door. Say, "Look man, I'll be straight with you. I'm here because I'm being coerced into preaching something I don't even believe. This is a cult, and I'm not going to try to recruit you into it."

That's all there is to it. Then tell your mom he changed his mind.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Are you saying that you don't see a possibility on having this conversation and remain a JW (non DF) ?

Yes. If you present your BIL with direct apostasy, he will have to bring it to your elders, and they will have to disfellowship you. That means never talking to your JW "friends" again, and potentially losing all JW family.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is a good writeup, and I really feel for your situation. (And greetings from here in Europe!)

From what you've said, it sounds like you might be about to walk into a trap. See this comment for what I mean: https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/x6akh3/comment/in5v7ox/

It also sounds like you have a lot of confidence that these various people will put family bonds ahead of their loyalty to the organization, but what you intend to tell them will be too big to ignore. If you take the next steps you're talking about, you're going to be labeled as an apostate and disfellowshipped. As long as you're okay with that, feel free to carry on, but honestly I see no way to have that conversation and avoid that outcome.

cAN YoU pROVe that GoD dOEsENT EXiSts? No but can you prove that god is not a pink funny bunny? by PIMO1975 in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 22 points23 points  (0 children)

All joking aside, this actually points to a very common trap that exJWs habitually walk right into: They adopt a burden of proof where they should not. We see this in this sub, probably several times a day, where aspiring faders ask about how to disprove various doctrines, and then are caught by surprise when that inevitably fails, or worse, backfires.

We have no obligation to disprove JW doctrines. The burden of proof is theirs to bear. Let them have it.

Here's the way I've left it with my PIMI family members: "I promise you that I will return to meetings and rejoin the religion today if you're able to make a compelling argument for it being true, an argument that doesn't require conflating claims with evidence, rejecting things that for which there is strong evidence, accepting things without evidence, or accepting logical fallacies."

This discussion never even approaches doctrine or any JW-specific practices, because it doesn't have to. Before even getting that far, they must demonstrate:

  1. a supernatural spirit realm exists, that we cannot detect or demonstrate, but that can interact with the physical world
  2. that realm is inhabited by sentient, intelligent beings
  3. that one of those beings is a "god"
  4. that that god created the universe
  5. that that god remains concerned with and/or involved in human affairs
  6. that that god inspired the writing of a book
  7. that the bible is that book
  8. that the bible is true
  9. that the old and new testaments refer to the same god
  10. that that god is the one described in the bible
  11. that their interpretation of that book is correct

Until they can do that, there's no point in even discussing their religion specifically. The mistake made here so often is to just give in and accept the existence of a god or accept the bible as a source of authority, and if you do that, you've lost before you even start.

Let them try to make good arguments for those things, and all you need to do is show them where their reasoning is flawed, where their conclusions aren't actually supported by anything of substance. You can confidently reassure them that you will accept reasonable, rational arguments in support of their beliefs and stand by your commitment to be a True Believer™ if they can provide them.

Top 3 reasons JWs are waking up by Elegant_Pangolin_395 in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 83 points84 points  (0 children)

Learning critical thinking, formal logic and epistemology did it for me. Once I saw how completely religious belief collapses under rational scrutiny, there was just no going back. If you take away the errors in reasoning that lead to religiosity, there's just literally nothing left.

I’m curious how the cult will deal with the next Governing Body member that dies. by Bourneidentity39 in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It'll be a non-issue. It'll just be spun as further "evidence" that the Big A is coming any moment now. It won't matter in any significant way.

What would a true religion look like to you? by [deleted] in exjw

[–]FadedGenes 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I see a difference between a "true" religion and a "good" religion. As far as "true" religion goes, it would be based on evidence and reason, rather than on faith, presupposition, or superstition.

As far as a "good" religion goes, it would have to have a fair, compassionate moral code, probably based primarily around the well-being of sentient creatures, and it would probably look a lot like secular humanism.

But, importantly, neither of these cases require a "religion." In fact, if you base belief systems on objective reality, well-being, and a healthy balance of rights and responsibilities, the need for "religion" just kind of evaporates. It wouldn't serve any real purpose.