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For The Disfellowshipped, The Bad Associates, And The Disowned: You Really Do Have A Choice

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Whether you’re a former Jehovah’s Witness who has been disfellowshipped1 or an atheist who has been disowned from a deeply religious family, take heart. This doesn’t have to be a soul tearing rejection from the only family you will ever get. Far from it.

Here’s what you need to know: no matter what you’ve been told, you can choose your family. Only your relatives are determined by genes and blood. Family is different. Because family is about relationships. If your relatives are bad news…or reject you because they think you’re bad news…you can choose another family based on any criteria you like. Realizing this can put you back in charge of your own life. Even if that means striking out on your own and leaving your old, dysfunctional family behind.

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  1. Disfellowshipping is like being excommunicated with a huge dose of shunning iced on top. None of your Witness relatives or friends will even speak to you once you’ve been disfellowshipped. Of course, many ex-Witnesses are shunned just because they’re seen as a bad associate. But that’s another story. ↩

News and Links: Christopher Hitchens Has Died

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Christopher HitchensI knew that Christopher Hitchens had been ill for some time, but was surprised when I learned of his death on the morning news just a few days ago. Without realizing it, I somehow thought he could beat anything, including the Terminator, Godzilla, and cancer. If only it were so. Christopher Hitchens will be missed by many, especially those atheists who saw him in action during debates, interviews, or read his book “God is Not Great.”

If only everyone felt that way.

The very fact that his death has caused a stir among believers as well as nonbelievers says something about the Hitch. Maybe he’s just a love him or hate him kinda guy? Many fundamentalist believers have shared their reactions online, including this brilliant thread at JWD entitled “Notorious Asshole Christopher Hitchens Thrown Into Eternal Flame of Gehenna.”

The first time I heard of Christopher Hitchens was today when his named was mentioned multiple times in the comment section of a YouTube video. After reading a brief summary of his life, it became clear that this guy was a complete douche-bag. A very arrogant sarcastic bigoted f**k who looked down on everyone who didn’t share his beliefs. It’s always nice to see someone who deserves to die actually die, rather than the usual innocent victim. Hopefully the grim reaper can rid us of two more a**holes by coming for Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins next.

Hitch with cancerYes, very witty. I knew nothing of the poster before that day, but trust me, Philadelphia Ponos made an impression. In fact, he (?) originally created two threads with the same name as the one above because one thread just wasn’t enough to express the joy P.P. felt about the death of a man he claims not to have even heard of a day before. I remember a similarly brilliant comment that was posted here when I announced the death of Raymond Franz by someone calling them self Opheliagrneyes.

So he died, huh? Well…..

….he ain’t coming back 🙂

See what I mean? I can practically hear Opheliagrneyes chuckling to himself at the death of a man who stood up for his principles and suffered for them. Good times, eh? I can see that the New System of Things will be filled with good people if they’re anything like Opheliagrneyes. Glad I won’t be there to see it.

HitchensI think both comments are amazing tributes to the kinds of people and ideas both men sought to oppose. Not only because they reveal the true character of the people who hated them, but because they give the rest of us the chance to show our mettle.1 There are at least 4 pages of reactions to P.P’s. comment about Hitchens on JWD as you read this. Some of them would have made the Hitch proud.

So, in honor of the Hitch’s memory, here are some links of interest. Some will make you laugh. Some will piss you off. What could be a more appropriate tribute to a man like Christopher Hitchens than that?

VIDEO: UK Channel 4 Tribute | Daily Hitchens

Hitchens fought dogma’s delusion

Is Christopher Hitchens about to convert? « » Print The Daily Caller

Note the date on this last one. It came out shortly before he died.

New Statesman – Preview: Richard Dawkins interviews Christopher Hitchens

25 Ridiculous Reactions To #GodIsNotGreat

The 20 Best Christopher Hitchens Quotes | Unreasonable Faith

Christopher Hitchens quotes: the writer’s most memorable bons mots | Books | guardian.co.uk

Christopher Hitchens – Godless Quotes

Christopher Hitchens’ Greatest Hits

VIDEO: Christopher Hitchens – The Best of the Hitchslap – YouTube

  1. My original response to Opheliagrneyes ended with: “…neither are you.” ↩

Witnesses for Atheism: Cool Podcasts for Ex-Witnesses Turned Atheists

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Normally, I’d include this with my news and links updates, but I’m lazy and didn’t want to wait. Witnesses for Atheism is a pretty sweet podcast for those hungry masses of ex-Witnesses that want to hear more podcasts from…well, ex-Witnesses! I discovered it through Twitter, which I finally joined about a week or two ago.

The podcasters grew up as Jehovah’s Witnesses and start out by telling us how they went from believers to atheists. Please encourage them to do more and let them know we’re listening.

The Watchtower Society’s Writing Style: Their Literature’s Most Effective Techniques

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literatureAll ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses know that the Watchtower Society is more than a religious organization. It’s also a publisher of books and magazines,1 which are–for all intents and purposes–a central part of worship for Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Society uses its literature to hand out its spiritual food (“the truth”) to its adherents, including counsel from the governing body. Most Witnesses will probably tell you that the literature rocks, that it’s very informative, well written, and expertly researched. But the literature also has its critics. Like me. (Sorry.)

In my last post, I mentioned that the Society’s authors use techniques that make the literature feel both convincing and informative. I also told you that the literature isn’t nearly as informative or convincing as it feels. In this post, I’ll tell you how their authors keep convincing readers that they’re right, even when they’re dead wrong. I’ll even tell you why Jehovah’s Witnesses (and maybe even you) keep falling for it. For former Watchtower adherents who still have lingering fears about Jesus and Armageddon, the repetition of it all will blow your ex-Witness minds. It’s all disappointingly simple.

Now let’s see how they do it.

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  1. Ever notice that the Society provides the product–it’s literature–AND the demand all at the same time? Witnesses need the literature as part of their worship, which they’re expected to donate for. That’s a pretty sweet deal if you make your money from the publishing bizz, eh? ↩