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Sometimes we forget how scary it might be for a Jehovah's Witness to visit a website that they think is an "apostate" site - one lurking with dangers and bitter people. The following are posts from a familiar discussion board (JWD) that reminds us of this: I remember when I first found this site. I was doing my own independant research on JWs and beliefs of the Bible. It was important to me to find info about the subject that wasn't "apostate". I didn't want to read criticisms from disgruntled ex-members. I had the typical view of apostates as we were programmed to have. Evil, demon influenced haters of Jehovah. But my Internet research kept bringing up links to this site among other "apostate" ones. I quickly left everytime I came, thinking it was a den of vipers. But over time I started lurking a bit. Some of the posters made very good points. Some were logical and plain speaking with little bitterness or anger. I learned pretty quick that there were some hurt, angry and bitter people here though. But I learned over time that they had a pretty good reason. I eventually just started reading and reading all the experiences and essays. I came to not be so scared just reading. But I finally felt the need to post. Even then I was still confused. Even though inactive and on my way out, I was trying to, once and for all, find the good and right in the religion. I was scared poopyless when I hit the "submit" button of my first post. The indoctrination of the WTS was very strong. Amazing how we can be scared of the silliest things. other comments:
I used Anonymizer because I was afraid to be tracked. I was very nervous but also very curious. I never understood why the Society was so afraid of apostates. I couldn't understand how we encouraged telling other people how their religions have twisted the scriptures but we were to stay away from apostate material because they have twisted the scriptures. I didn't understand why the apostates' twisting was so dangerous and the others weren't. With that being said, I was still scared of apostate material because the Society said it was against God. I came and left quickly many times before I felt comfortable enough to stay around. I was in a bad emotional state when I found this place. I had just awakened. I instantly felt right at home and started posting like crazy the first week. My wife and dad turned me into the elders when she found out my user name and password! I was hoping to p___ Jehovah off--and it felt like the lights came on. Well, I was a little worried at first. But, like some here, I was an emotional nightmare in the begining. I was having marital problems because of it. I was looking for a support group or a place to vent or for sympathy, who know's. It all started at Randy's site and it lead me here. The more I read the better I felt, I found that I was not alone. I opened my first post and spilled my guts and one thing lead to another. Soon, I found that all my suspicions about the WBTS were true and found much pleasure in it. |
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I would estimate the number of ex-Jehovah's
Witnesses who are as yet disaffected and debilitated
from their experience to be in the millions. I do not as
yet see many practical non-religious recovery
solutions. I aim to change that. Part Three in the story
of Free Minds is about simple recipes for healing and
recovery.
Free Minds is about to become a place for tried and true self-help techniques to aid those who desire to improve their life. It is my personal belief that once most persons have the basic necessities of social interaction, such as kindness and friendship from others, they will seek a better, healthier state of mind and heart. While most seem to prefer to continue searching for God or the supernatural, others do not. We will not be critical of their religious choices. In my 28 years since leaving the Watchtower headquarters, I have spoken in dozens of churches, taught classes for pastors in Northern California, Australia and Japan, and have planted or help to plant several evangelical churches, including my own. As assistant pastor of Hope Chapel in Venice, Calif. during the 80s, I helped start a halfway house for the homeless who lived on the beach in Venice. I had my own church, Hope Chapel Manhattan Beach for three years before resigning to continue this full-time work. While a few churches are enthusiastic about ministering to those lost in cults, most seem to be more concerned with demographics, building funds and domestic family projects. A church is above all a business. Most churches begin nowadays with an analysis of the crowd they hope to minister to, including income level, community status, funding prospects, and salaries as part of the overall planned budget. Few monies are ever set aside for helping those who are victims of high-control groups like Jehovah's Witnesses. I believe this is to their shame. I believe that God is calling the average person to fill this need, where the churches have failed. Why have the churches neglected those who do not want to join their camps? I believe that it goes back to Jesus' illustration of the good Samaritan. It is hard to show love to someone not like yourself. They are bleeding, and cold, and hungry. "But they don't believe in [whatever]." Furthermore, if you cannot get them to join your particular "club" or theological preferences, it seems they are hardly worth the time! I'll just walk on the other side of the street. Don't want their mess on my mind! How do you relate to strangers? Do they threaten you? Will you only seek to help those who fit into a certain mold? Do you use your religious preferences as a guide to who you will help? Perhaps it's time to reconsider your approach. Free Minds - Act One
In 1980 I left Watchtower headquarters, with a fresh love for the Bible, an amazing experience, and a positive desire to help others trapped in cults. My first area of concern was naturally, "What does the Bible really teach?" I spent over 10 years writing articles and doing church seminars, starting churches and getting to know the evangelical scene. I had a most wonderful time! The churches are wrongly maligned by the Witnesses. In most countries of the world, there are a great deal of choices for those who wish to worship God in community. I greatly admire the work of pioneers such as Chuck Smith and John Wimber, and the long trail of next-generation Christian pastors that have walked with them and beyond them. My own faith is based on the words of Jesus and the beliefs of the early Church more so than any 19th century theological or philosophical approaches to Christianity. Having spent years of research and hands-on experience as a Christian pastor and church-planter (Foursquare International/Hope Chapel), I am as well-acquainted with theology as I care to get. I am suspect of much in the way of "revealed truth" of any ecclesiastical structures beyond that early moment in history. Perhaps I am no longer interested in matters of theology, other than as a pedantic exercise in man's covert beastliness. That being said, I believe that the evangelical churches today most closely resemble what I see in the time of Jesus, separate individuals with one common trait (meme), that of the worship of Jesus Christ. This worship of Jesus (not "Jehovah") was above all the defining experience of the early church, not some Gnostic charter of intellectual abstracts. Theology often has one purpose: to deselect those you do not care to associate with, pretty beastly if you ask me. Free Minds - -Act Two
In the early 80s, we had Walter Martin, Ed Gruss, Bill Cetnar and a few others out there warning people about the Watchtower. Their primary message was that of the theological corruptions of the Watchtower. Although doctrine was and still is vital, the further issue of cult mind control had not yet been studied. The Jonestown/Patty Hearst/Nightstalker headlines of the 70s and 80s highlighted certain writings from Robert J. Lifton, who studied the effects of Communist propaganda agents in the treatment of their prisoners of war. This theory was later incorporated into the methodologies of Margaret T. Singer and Steven Hassan, as well as others in the field of cult intervention therapy. Having a great interest in such matters, I began to associate with counter-cult organizations such as the original Cult Awareness Network. Most of the people associated with such groups were Christians from widely diverse church organizations. Some were even (gasp!) JEWS! And atheists! The amazing thing is, we all got along without any problems. We had a common goal in our assemblies - to counter the propaganda of the cults. Secular goals and religious goals can, indeed, be kept separate among friends. Among those who I became acquainted early on was Steven Hassan, author and world-renowned intervention therapist. Although a non-Christian, Steven taught me valuable information that I would incorporate into my ministry. Simple, effective, non- religious techniques used by intervention therapists of all kinds. In turn, I helped convince Mr. Hassan that Jehovah's Witnesses are, indeed, a cult. Our friendship over the last 20 years has been most rewarding, though we rarely see each other any more, as I no longer perform interventions. But what I learned in my association with the experts in cult intervention therapy has equipped me to move forward into the third phase of my personal ministry-teaching others how to help themselves get along better in this life. |
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Free Minds - -Act Three We are about to launch a new portal at Free Minds. A loosely-knit team of 20 top-notch writers will be writing on all matters Watchtower and cults in general, from different perspectives simultaneously. The ones chosen have one thing in common: to counter the effects of authoritarian organizations that abuse. Our focus is primarily with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses). Our goal is not to attack or destroy such organizations, but to present to the members an intelligent OPTION. Freedom and dignity. The next ten years of the Free Minds' program will involve the emerging concepts of memes and social structure as applied to the Watchtower religion, and will naturally encompass more than just the Watchtower in its scope. I believe that the newly- emerging fascination with memes will soon revolutionize our current understanding of group social behavior in the decades ahead, as human and animal behavior studies are merged into massive databases, and mined for valuable information. Certain previously-unknown trends will be revealed that drastically simplify certain areas of intervention therapy. Why not walk along with me and see for yourself? I am a strong believer in free will, a free market, free societies, and the power of social networking and the evolution of the species. I am not a humanist, however. I believe that man is little more than a beast, but for the grace of God. With THAT IN MIND, all therapy can be centered on the beast part, in order to bring the person to a state of mind where they are ready to ask deeper questions. It is not actually necessary for the process of rehabilitation to include spirituality. Free Minds is a non-profit educational organization. Our charter has always focused on the recovery mechanisms involved in helping people to make more intelligent decisions in life in order to move on from spiritual and physical abuse experienced as a result of their past involvement. We invite you to join us in this vision. |
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Although I feel I have learned a lot over the last few decades, my personal understanding of the Bible has not really changed. Some find it surprising that I believe in macro and micro evolution of species, and an old earth, or that I don't subscribe to the current evangelical theory of Biblical inerrancy. Yet I have stated or implied such for years. My statement regarding inerrancy was made in 1992, and was met with an immediate attempt by a well-known Christian counter-cult leader to shut off all financial support to me for my "heresy." My views of science and life on the planet have not significantly changed at all since before the time of the Watchtower experience. Perhaps my fascination with dinosaurs as a child was my great downfall. I am no stranger to controversy. I am outspoken, and I do not subscribe to cronyism. Often I will play the "devil's advocate" in order to make people think and to teach them critical thinking skills. While appearing different in approach to Christians in ministry, I am no more of a heretic than C.S. Lewis or G. K. Chesterton. I don't believe I have to rewrite any previously-written articles due to a shift of understanding. To this day I believe that all the articles on theology I have written in the past are still valid Biblical exegesis. I had some excellent teachers in the evangelical world, and learned a lot in my travels in the Holy Land in the 80s. So if you read my treatises on the Trinity or on what the Bible says about Hell, I still believe they are the most accurate interpretation of the history and experience of the early Christian church available in layman's terms. Otherwise I would delete the articles! Like Margaret Singer, I am a social worker, not an evangelist. I am a born-again Christian. That, however, is not my "job." I chose to live a life fully focused on my work many years ago, and I see no immediate ending to my joy and lifelong work in this field. It has been my experience that sometimes the smallest act of kindness to another can be the first step in kick- starting a new chapter in their life. I cannot really hope to do much more on my own strength. I know from practice that networking with others on the internet will revolutionize the recovery process. This is the final act in the vision of Free Minds. Perhaps it's what I haven't yet written that will surprise you the most, on issues of the nature of man, his quest for truth, and much more from a psychological perspective. Wait and see! |
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Sincerely,
Randall Watters
Free Minds, Inc.
email:
randy@freeminds.org
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