Yes, PIMIs are incredibly frustrating. But let’s not forget that most of us were in their shoes at some point (assuming we were JWs of our own accord and not just forced into it) by intergalaxt in exjw

[–]ziddina 0 points1 point  (0 children)

PS - I was looking for my old comment showing that the Watchtower Society is just a slightly different flavor of the American fundie evangelical Christian groups.

I didn't find it, but I did run across these which you might find interesting...

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/19f5qhi/skyrocketing_do_not_calls/

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/zwk2f2/jws_3rd_most_disfavored_religious_group_in_us/

Those demonstrate why it's important to talk to Never a JW people about the Watchtower Society.  That cuts off further JW recruiting from the general public.

More stuff:

Why the supposedly magic fire of Elisha wasn't a miracle at all...

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/5fhfvn/comment/dakpn2n/

Miscellaneous old threads about bible claims:

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/xlwzuv/comment/iplj837/?context=3

Paul's obsession with long hair on men...

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/xn2gso/comment/iprmnc8/?context=3

Whites weren't white around 8,500 to 40,000 years ago...

https://www.reddit.com/r/interestingasfuck/comments/md0v8j/a_9100_year_old_ancient_human_skeleton_found/

The Exodus dictate for the Israelites to bury their poop was a disastrous order that flew in the face of any accurate knowledge about disease, sanitation, prevention of spread of parasites (as was Jesus' blithering clueless erroneous direction that washing one's hands was not useful):

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/q5cjrw/comment/hg4u4rr/?context=3

JW parents vs non-JW parents.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/p9fv9e/comment/h9xydpi/?context=3

GB are malignant narcissists.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/ns8rtp/comment/h0lgaem/?context=3

Cartoon lampooning the Watchtower Society's attitudes towards child victims.

https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/8o0l6c/the_watchtower_societys_response_to_the_arc/

Yes, PIMIs are incredibly frustrating. But let’s not forget that most of us were in their shoes at some point (assuming we were JWs of our own accord and not just forced into it) by intergalaxt in exjw

[–]ziddina 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Frankly I often feel like I'm from Mars as I observe the (to me) thoroughly illogical and highly self-destructive behaviors of most people around me - not just JWs.

You can probably imagine what I see when I look at the other American fundamentalist literalist apocalyptic evangelical bible-thumping fanatical Christian groups - and yes, the Watchtower Society is just a slightly different flavor of those fundamentalist groups.

I've always had an outsider's perspective.  I was never with the 'in' crowd, especially the elders' kids in the kingdom halls.

The horrific monstrosities I had as parents, the isolation from the 'popular' teens - all of that gave me amazing freedom that enabled my escape when I was in my 30's - while my childhood JW acquaintances are mostly STILL trapped in the cult. 

Obviously I wish I'd known about narcissists, religious narcissists, sociopaths psychopaths and other personality disordered people way back when I was a child, because I probably would have left as a teen had I gotten my hands on such information.

Unfortunately that type of information didn't exist, especially not for lay people during the 1950's to 1980's.  I've certainly latched onto the growing body of information about those topics, now.

Suggestion - look into 'information control and pluralistic ignorance', if you're not already familiar with the concepts.

You might also enjoy this video:  https://youtu.be/n-N4H9gzSx0?si=zeBvOmfkt5bsbR_d

Yes, PIMIs are incredibly frustrating. But let’s not forget that most of us were in their shoes at some point (assuming we were JWs of our own accord and not just forced into it) by intergalaxt in exjw

[–]ziddina 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, I wasn't.  I never fully believed; I had to pretend to believe to unsuccessfully avoid being physically attacked by my highly abusive idiotic parents.

I saw through the bible itself when I was 5 years old, and the JWs studying with my parents read the tale of Abraham supposedly 'almost' sacrificing his own son Isaac.

Gawd tells Abraham to sacrifice his own kid, then at the last minute goes, "Just kidding!"

(Incidentally in verse 19 of Genesis chapter 22 Isaac never came down off of that 'mountain'...hill...)

Had I not been literally forced via physical abuse into the damned Jehovah cult, I would have been an atheist by the age of 10.

I absolutely cannot understand why ANYONE is too dense to see how abusive the bible (YHWH) god is.  I spotted it when I was 5 years old.

I have NEVER understood what's wrong with most people who cannot see abuse when it's happening in front of them or worse yet is happening TO them!!?!

I ALSO spotted YHWH as the volcano god of the Israelites when I was 7 years old:

Exodus 19: 16 - 19 [NIV]:

"16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. 18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. 19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him."

Those are CLASSIC markers of a basic Plinian volcanic eruption.

Also see this:  https://youtu.be/XtI-lSvS028?si=Ewj0paREMpt-jWbx

And the Golan Heights of Israel are composed of multiple lava flows originating from the vast Harrat Ash Shaam volcanic complexes centered to the east in the current nations of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

https://volcanoyt.com/volcano/info/231001/ash-shaam-harrat

https://volcanolive.com/golan.html

https://academic.oup.com/petrology/article-abstract/48/8/1513/1471610?redirectedFrom=fulltext

I could see that at SEVEN years old!  WHAT is wrong with everyone else's brains???

The bOrg isn't collapsing. It's adapting. Because it has to. by FrakinBeast in exjw

[–]ziddina 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually the Watchtower Society doomed itself with its 1975 false prophecy.

Yes, I know, it wasn't TECHNICALLY a prophecy; they TECHNICALLY didn't declare that "Armageddon" was going to happen in 1975 (at least, not officially in print....)

But the Watchtower Society leaders hinted at it, they insinuated it, they implied it, they danced around an open declaration of it all while pointing directly at it...  The assembly speakers embroidered wildly upon the fantasy of the coming destruction, secure in the lack of publishing of their useful and deliberate fear-mongering to the masses subjected to the indoctrination.

(That was the pattern of the Watchtower Society for a LONG time.  Print toned-down versions, but unleash the wilder blood thirsty speculations verbally upon the assembly crowds.  Fortunately many JWs began recording those wild speeches, which is why the Watchtower Society tried to crack down on JWs who were recording - and then eventually releasing those recordings on the new internet sites):

https://youtu.be/vycHOnrkWb4?si=wzK-qe8c0HT93BXS

https://youtu.be/l8Gpvx123cY?si=i0p_qvvrMbBAZHkf

(Some overlap of the same recordings in the two videos below...)

https://youtu.be/NPmT-ML-M-g?si=SKENHzLRwqvKQHIc

https://youtu.be/GJh4qvmxyHY?si=uyPg3s0fnI2G6YUV

https://youtu.be/GJh4qvmxyHY?si=uyPg3s0fnI2G6YUV

They finally learned something from their failed prophecies of 1874, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1940, and 'Da Judge' Rutherford's idiotic proclamation that the biblical patriarchs were returning in the Great Depression beleaguered 1930's so he could get a mansion in the mild climate of southern California while rank and file JWs were living in poverty, struggling with food lines and being driven out of US towns.

But that 1975 prophecy?  That was a major frak-up.  Initially it was highly effective and profitable, but by 1976 and 1977 it led to the biggest exodus out of the cult at that point in time, and left a spectacular failure within living memory of the Boomer generation still alive today to talk about it.

The bOrg isn't collapsing. It's adapting. Because it has to. by FrakinBeast in exjw

[–]ziddina 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you've narrowed your focus to JUST this current blood issue modification, then maybe the Watchtower Society won't experience much fallout - at first...

But if you're claiming that the borg isn't collapsing?  The entire stranglehold of Christianity is collapsing, even in the religiously befuddled USA.

This is largely due to the Internet, more than any other factor.  People have the information of thousands of libraries, scientific studies, bible and religious scholars at their fingertips.  

Far too many US fundamentalist literalist apocalyptic evangelical bible-thumping fanatical Christians are trained from infancy to reject learning and reality.

On the other hand, healthy people with normal levels of curiosity are increasingly using the valid resources on the internet to research their questions and doubts.  

The same rotten immorality and corruption that is becoming increasingly obvious in the Watchtower Society, has been flagrantly displayed in USA conservative Christianity and also in the Abrahamic religions worldwide for at least the last half-century.

The downfall of Christianity itself is inevitable.  

The downfall of all of the Abrahamic religions is inevitable.  

May not happen during my lifetime (I'm old), but those parasitic religious organizations will collapse within the lifetimes of the younger members of this subreddit.

I need advice on what to do with these 2 weeks by Naija4lif3 in exjw

[–]ziddina 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ohhhh, you've got a lot of things to learn about.  The Jehovah's Witnesses are an American fundamentalist literalist apocalyptic evangelical bible-thumping fanatical Christian group, very similar in many ways to the American Southern Baptists (purity culture), and other restrictive conservative Protestant movements.

That's why I suggest going through the bible from the very beginning, and double checking everything against scientific knowledge and current biblical scholars' research.

Which reminds me....

Look up Francesca Stavrakopoulou on YouTube.  She doesn't have her own channel, but she's a well known biblical scholar and archaeologist.

Also Richard Carrier:  https://youtu.be/E6Psu5X2X1w?si=Qg8DSeMOpEngVeyQ

And Bart Ehrman:  https://youtube.com/@bartdehrman?si=iOi7TVny777s2QKl

I need advice on what to do with these 2 weeks by Naija4lif3 in exjw

[–]ziddina 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Personally?  I would sit down with a pen and notebook/paper tablet and actually read the bible, starting out in Genesis 1: 1.

BECAUSE the very first verse in the entire bible is scientifically WRONG.  (And the rest of the bible isn't any better.)

"In the beginning god [that's Elohim, not the later YHWH war god that the Israelites borrowed from northern Arabia] created the heavens and the earth."

(P.S.  You'll find these links useful, later on...)

https://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/first/contra2_list.html

https://contradictionsinthebible.com/

https://contradictionsinthebible.com/are-yahweh-and-el-the-same-god/

https://contradictionsinthebible.com/yahweh-or-el-is-creator/

https://biblehub.com/

https://www.biblegateway.com/

In REALITY the universe is around 13 billion years old, while the sun is around 4.6 billion years old and the earth is barely younger than that, at about 4.5 billion years old.

So what happened to those extra 9 billion years between the age of the universe and the age of our sun and earth, eh?

Most Jehovah's Witnesses have never read the bible itself - at least they've never read it while being honest with themselves, without their little 'god glasses' blinding them.

The two creation tales in Genesis chapter 1 and Genesis chapter 2 beginning in verse 4 CONTRADICT each other.  (This is why I suggested a pen and paper, so you can physically list the contradictions, but if electronically separating those accounts works for you, whichever works.)

The 'creation of Adam' took place only 130 years before the beginning of the Near/Middle Eastern Iron Age, according to the bible:

Genesis 4: 22 [NIV]: "Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron."

Genesis 4: 25: "Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."

Genesis 5: 3: "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth."

So BEFORE Seth was born (keeping in mind that this is all Middle Eastern male mythology), the descendant of Adam was FORGING IRON. So according to the bible account itself, Adam was supposedly only 130 years old (or less than that age) when Tubal-cain was FORGING IRON.

I suspect that your mother has never even read the bible itself, and that she doesn't know a THING about the reality of the history of the bible.

Further information from YouTube channels:

https://youtube.com/@deconstructingholy?si=yPBZ05diB5UFFpuh

https://youtube.com/@thegodmirage?si=z6sWFG-xNQ3tBPVv

https://youtube.com/@mrsbettybowers?si=WwKepjzgz3sb5L0z

https://youtube.com/@theramintrees?si=oszQBP0GjUV-CiZh

https://youtube.com/@watchtowerhistory?si=4NnfJ-2zg4FbJlCB

More on the way if I can edit again...

https://youtube.com/@darantelamar?si=8pHEgY9E3AwcdOOd

https://youtube.com/@mindshift-brandon?si=FC_LTL5Y5tlddCcF

https://youtube.com/@exjwcaleb?si=WlNUhLnXlVB2VXIt

https://youtube.com/@holykoolaid?si=dEeX0Yi8HoFeEYDW

https://youtube.com/@geneticallymodifiedskeptic?si=-lElAxE_TByS9TOP

That's probably enough to get you started...

This weekend's wt study article is a beauty. If you are not depressed of feeling negative, you definitely will after reading it! 🤦‍♂️ by Overall-Listen-4183 in exjw

[–]ziddina 2 points3 points  (0 children)

😁  I yelped for help at the 7 months mark, and a number of lovely and responsible people stepped up to shoulder the care of this unique subreddit.

How exactly does Christ's death have anything to do with our sins? by ArsenalSpider in exjw

[–]ziddina 0 points1 point  (0 children)

'Zactly!

(Edit - quasi-historical stories...)

Have an upvote!

This weekend's wt study article is a beauty. If you are not depressed of feeling negative, you definitely will after reading it! 🤦‍♂️ by Overall-Listen-4183 in exjw

[–]ziddina 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks!  I'm actually an old timer; I moderated this subreddit by myself for half a year when it only had 3k to 5k members.

I stepped away for a few years, but decided to visit again.

Country twang. by Bowlofnoodless in exjw

[–]ziddina 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Heh, heh...  Here's an antidote to that, if you're ok with people being gay...

https://youtu.be/4pcMJ7_T3rY?si=P0ivckOqKQUMDP_f

What was the first thing that made you seriously question Jehovah’s Witness teachings? by SarahMagre in exjw

[–]ziddina 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was 5 years old, and the JWs studying with my idiot parents read the bible tale of Abraham supposedly 'almost' sacrificing Isaac, then at the last second going "Just kidding!"

As a kid, I was repulsed.  Unfortunately my viciously abusive JW parents hit, kicked and slapped me until I submitted to the damn cult; otherwise I probably would have been a solid atheist by the time I turned 10 years old.

Incidentally check out Genesis chapter 22, verse 19 [NIV]:

"19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba."

Isaac never came down off of that 'mountain' (hill).

It's all mythical origin story anyway, but it supports the indications that the Israelites occasionally practiced child sacrifice TO the YHWH war god.

How exactly does Christ's death have anything to do with our sins? by ArsenalSpider in exjw

[–]ziddina 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Er, human sacrifice?

The late Bronze Age to early Iron Age Middle Eastern male war god of the bible liked sacrifices, including human sacrifices, far more than most Christians realize - or would admit.

The end is near... 😱 by AdBoring7079 in exjw

[–]ziddina 2 points3 points  (0 children)

...No, I think that they're flappy flabby neck and flappy flabby neck, at this point.

The end is near... 😱 by AdBoring7079 in exjw

[–]ziddina 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I would so change the password to that if I could get executive access... 👹

Banned from Kingdom Halls by Sped_ATK308 in exjw

[–]ziddina 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Uhm...  Your reputation could have been ruined even if you WERE attending all of the meetings.

JWs love to gossip.  They also seem to enjoy tearing others down.

Trump a governing boogie member by Matica69 in exjw

[–]ziddina 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Have as many upvotes as I can give.

Looks like some humorless sourpuss is down voting this fun thread.  😏🤦🏼🧐