u/Background-Bit-7676

Ok this could go very wrong. But it might be the perfect opportunity for me to lose my "privleges".

At the shepherding call, I plan to mention the blood changes and how they've really stumbled me. Then I say how I can't in good conscience keep doing all these parts in the meeting because I don't feel like someone the congregation should look up to.

"I've done my research (on the website), but I just can't seem to accept it right now."

I even have a Health Care Directive (that I "forgot" to sign) so I can say it wasn't always a conscience matter.

I know arguing with the elders never goes well, but I'm not trying to argue. Just explain that I am stumbled and would like to step down until further notice.

What do you guys think?

I'm trying to find it but to no avail. I understand that Shrouded Mages sell it but I have not seen level V yet. I'm level 33, wondering what level it begins to show up in shops.

I want to just stand in one spot spamming skills. No dodging, no guarding, no moving, no timing, just hit buttons. Maybe occasionally walking out of a deadly aoe. I understand it probably won't work for every boss but as long as it works for most I'm fine with it.

or what's the closest you can get to it without being a full on tank

So I had this JW friend I fell out a while back with. And honestly, it was for the best. At the time I was extremely people pleasing, and my life was literally about making her happy.

When we stopped being friends, it was like I finally woke up from a dream and realized, hey, this is my life, I can do what I want and what I like instead of just doing what they want me to do.

Sunday comes around and she asks if I'm going to be at a JW party. I say no, because I genuinely have better things to do on my Sunday afternoon (dance classes), and then the questions start coming.

She asks why. Why am I not coming? What are you doing instead? Are you hiding something? Is it bad?

I used to think that when someone starts asking questions like this, they care about you. They want to know who you are. What you do for fun. Why you do it. If you're okay.

But now I realize that she was just being incredibly nosy. She was trying to find out if I have a secret girlfriend and stuff. I genuinely didn't want to share what I was doing ​because I don't consider her a friend anymore and don't want her being all in my business. It's not like I was doing anything wrong (according to jws), I was literally just doing my OWN things on Sunday afternoon. ​​

So yeah, that's about it. We might be going to the same convention this year. It'll be awkward if she brings up this convo. But hey, I'm not telling her what I'm doing out of principle at this point. Why does she have to know? Why does anyone have to know? Its MY LIFE.

So we have a batch of white rice that was just made in the rice cooker that did not have enough water (and ended up dry and crumbly). It's unappetizing to eat as a side, but I don't want it to go to waste, so what can I make with it? I know there's fried rice but also looking for other ideas.

I fucked up with my earlier post. I didn't realize that I invalidated a bunch of women's experiences with the organization while I was venting about my own frustrations. Sorry for that

So I may as well use this as a teachable moment for myself. Please help me understand better what women go through as a result of joining or being born into this wicked cult. I would love to hear your experiences.

I want to be a better person than what I was raised to be, and this time I don't want to be ignorant of what women go through.

Because when you're a brother, you have to do so much free shit for the borg that you get tired of it and eventually want to leave.

Women can skate by doing absolutely nothing. No one will bat an eye.

But if you're a young brother who doesn't aspire to be a MS? Elder? CO? They think something is wrong with you. And they still try to pressure you into doing shit.

Like recently, and elder told me I couldn't be a MS because I never comment at meetings anymore. So you're saying all I have to do to not get promoted is to not answer? Sign me up!

I think this is why women stay. They don't have to put up with giving free labor to the org cause they're not allowed to have privleges. They can be lukewarm Christians and still get away with it.

They also don't get to see the "privleges" for what they really are: unpaid labor. Its just like doing laundry, cleaning, and cooking for the family, all without appreciation and reciprocation. And the more you give, the more they will take.

I feel like this is a big thing for a lot of younger people in the borg.

Because WT heavily made parents afraid to send their children to after-school activities or any place where their children could be influenced by worldly thinking, a lot of people grow up without any hobbies, interests, and passions. I know for a fact that I was told not to go to after-school in elementary (because it could have a worldly influence).

Ironically, this makes a lot of young people addicted to their phone, video games (often violent ones), and social media (where there is much more potential to see exjw stuff), because they have literally no other opportunities to do interesting things.

There are a few "acceptable" talents that JW's are ok with, most likely because they can be used to promote the religion itself, and they don't involve you associating with worldly people. Being into music or playing an instrument means you can play original songs. Being into art and drawing means you can draw depictions or paradise or Caleb and Sofia. Sports are ok but only with the friends. Gardening is ok because its seen as natural, probably. But even these hobbies can be seen as bad if you take them too seriously, like trying to start a band or playing more professional sports.

A lot of hobbies would not be seen as positively. Dancing, for example, is something I LOVE to do. But if I were to tell some JWs that I meet with worldly people to dance, if the dance style looks even slightly sexual, or if I did partner dancing with the opposite sex (not that I do this yet, but looking into it), I would probably get in trouble. Joining martial arts would definitely get you in trouble, despite teachers often teaching to use violence as a last resort. Let's say you want to do public speaking or toastmasters. It would definitely be discouraged, even if it made you a better speaker on the KH stage, simply because they "bad association".

This does not even consider the fact that we are told to not spend a lot of time on recreation, so we can instead focus on the ministry.

​

When you consider all of this, its no wonder why so many JWs grow into one dimensional beings. They don't really know what they like or who they are. ​They don't look happy. They spend all their times on their phones, even the elderly people, because they have nothing interesting to do. They are just zombies, holding onto life, waiting for a paradise to come so that then they can finally start doing the passions and hobbies. Its dumb. Imagine waiting until the paradise to pursue your painting hobby, only to find you don't even like it that much. Anytime the topic of recreation comes up at the hall, some ppl give answers like "I'm waiting until paradise to do it", and I just feel sad for them because they can literally do it right now.

Dancing for me has completely changed who I am. I've developed confidence. I'm more ok with showing my emotions and having fun. I have a craft that I like to work on to get better at it. I spend less time on doomscrolling and whatnot just so I can practice some dancing. And I've gained a sense of real community by joining a dance class on the regular.

For me, the difference between who I was before and who I am after I was allowed to pursue my hobbies and passions is night and day. To me its genuinely evil for WT to prevent people from developing normally by heavily discouraging them from pursuing their actual interests. It turns them into a shell of the person they actually are.

P.s details are changed

So I need a bit of help to help one of my friends.

She believes she is one of the anointed and yet, he doesn't want to be. ​She lives a lifestyle that no anointed person could live (worldly). But she says she still feels a "light" or a "fire" deep down. She wants to throw the "anointing" away.

She asked me to prove that she's not anointed.

Funny thing though, it's still a secret that I am PIMO. No offense to this girl, but she talks a lot and not sure she can keep a secret. I'm not quite ready to strike out on my own away from my PIMI family so I don't want to directly out myself, and this POMI person also has PIMI family that I know personally. So if beans get spilled, it could potentially be my problem.

Whats a good way to convince her that she isn't anointed? I know the org is fraudulent but is there a way I can show that without blowing my own cover?

Seriously, we can't go ONE MEETING without there bring some kind of interruption. A phone rings, someone's tablet starts repeating what the speaker is saying, or someone starts playing a video max volume.

Every meeting is started with a "please silence your devices", how do people not know how to do such a basic simple thing. The secondhand embarrassment is real. And everyone just waits for the problem to solve itself.

People don't talk like this! What is the point of having "parts" in the theocratic ministry school when a real life conversation will NEVER be like that?

The basic script is always:

- A person or JW asks the beginning question or starts an informal conversation

- The householder says something along the lines of "life is so hard, something bad happened, I'm suffering, etc"

- JW says something like "You know where I go for reassurance/comfort/hope? THE BIBLE." 🤮

- JW reads scripture

- Householder says something like "You know, I never saw it like that/I never thought of that/that makes me feel better."

- JW says "Glad it does. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE/WANT A BIBLE STUDY?"

- Goodbyes said

This does not emulate a real life conversation at all.

They're so convinced that everyone in the world is suffering horribly somehow and that the Bible is what will fix all their problems. If it actually did, everyone would be Christian.

I don't think a PIMI JW can comprehend a normal conversation that does not involve the Bible somehow. Or, if someone actually​ can comprehend a normal conversation, they realize its just how weird it is to bring up a scripture when someone is actually grieving/going through a hard time.

I think a lot of PIMI's struggled and still struggle with "starting conversations" instead of placing literature, and yet we were all trained to use scripts to place literature.

Now we keep doing these dumb "scripted" parts even though we're supposed to focus on having a conversation, which can't really be scripted? It's not improving anyone's actual preaching skill. It's just JW talent show now. Except its just repeated boring slop. 😒