The Thursday Night Meeting

What do you have to lose, when you feel as though you've lost everything? Recorded some weeks ago, these were preliminary thoughts I had on what it feels like to encounter not feeling sure, secure, or certain in terms of "what you believe now" - after being in Jehovah's Witnesses (or: insert extreme/dogmatic/high control religious group here). It took me many years to feel there's likely some healthy balance between "knowing what you believe now" and actually being able to live fully, invest in relationships, work, and the good things in life - without needing to "cling" so much to a rigid dogma. For some, this might be quite easy. For others (me), it was many years of a bizarre back-and-forth complete with very strange mental experiences and often, a total lack of experience (a flatness, bordering on apathy, but not really depression per se). Excited as we explore these types of topics in greater depth in episodes to come. Thanks for being here!

In this (mildly) festive episode, we talk a little about what the holidays were like as a former member of the Jehovah's Witnesses - from not celebrating Christmas, to not celebrating birthdays, to not celebrating...Thanksgiving! Which most of us now gleefully do, perhaps ironically at first. Thanks for being here, drop me a line at [email protected] The fellow ex-JW podcast I mention which I've enjoyed is Surviving Paradise: https://open.spotify.com/episode/71hi12J6DkAI4MZSmE0RKd?si=14b72cb307e44484 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/surviving-paradise/id1667168726

This week we read a phenomenal piece from a Substack called The Living Fossils, by the writer Rob Kurzban. Looking at the title - you might think this is just about the current crisis going on in the Middle East; but that's really not it: It's about a wider view of the role of 'identity' (or, as I think of it, 'side loyalty') vs something like a sincere desire to see actions (especially actions we would universally decry) judged on their own terms. The podcast will delve into some great territory as we go along: From searching for the meaning of life, to understanding propaganda, mind control, and freedom - we're on that voyage for Self - after being in a cult, or extremist group of some kind. And yes - without question, learning about what makes the world of social media tick is part of the process. (*A note on a comment I make before the piece: when I said "almost no one over 30 uses the term 'woke' " - what I meant was no one *under* 30) Always welcome your comments and debate. Join my email list by shooting a message 'subscribe' to [email protected]. https://substack.com/profile/40594751-rob-kurzban https://thelivingfossils.substack.com/p/power-part-iv-who-sides-with-baby

Part 2 of our series reading an important chapter from Combating Cult Mind Control by Steve Hassan (links below). There's a lot here which we'll return to at times in terms of analysis, but even as we shift towards fascinating territory in the "post religious what do I do now" mindspace (it's a thing), it's just good to have our bearings straight and understand where we've all come from. It's a lot to take in, after leaving a destructive group, that this actually did happen, and yes, people prey upon others in this way using psychological manipulation, for their own narcissistic gains. I think we'll see as we go through some Philosophy discussions and think about issues in society and politics at large, that 'dogmatic thinking' is hardly the province just of religion, although it is much more extreme in cults. But you know something? The *advantage of really digging back into this stuff is being able to have a useful antenna as you navigate life and your own (new!) beliefs and being in a community, whether it's in person or online. It helps to have language around the tendencies and also know what makes for a solid, healthy, speech & freedom-respecting community, faith or otherwise. Appreciate you being here on the journey with me, as we're only just getting started. Feedback welcome. Shoot me an email at [email protected] Links: https://freedomofmind.com Combating Cult Mind Control - Amazon Outro song - Isn't it Grey? (wesley david) Never Late than Better (Bandcamp)

Geared towards PIMO and other folks newer to the experience of having left a high-control religious group, on this episode we read the first half of chapter 4 from Combating Cult Mind Control, by Steve Hassan. It's definitely a dense & interesting read (and the next half will be also), but early on I wanted to do at least one session where we go over nitty-gritty details of what really is unique about the 'cult' experience in terms of atmosphere and tendencies, vs just a more normal church or religious (or even social-political) group. The book is indispensable, and I highly recommend it and also Steve's great website with further resources. Amazon link freedomofmind.com Shoot me an email over at [email protected]

18+ years out from the religion of my birth, it all sometimes can still feel strange. Was that really me? Really my life? Really all my decisions, then and since? I spend an hour here talking about what led me out of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and taking a much-needed walk down memory lane. We get into some interesting questions, and especially: What is it that's so interesting about why someone leaves, and how long ago? I owe a lot of people a lot of gratitude, too many to name, but as promised in the show notes: -For excellent resources on mental health and leaving Cults and similar abusive groups (be they political or religious), Combating Cult Mind Control is a fantastic book by Steve Hassan. https://freedomofmind.org The (somewhat famous) exJW I reference is Randy Watters; no links as I am no longer sure what he's doing or his situation. The lifesaving author I reference is Greg Stafford; his book '3 Dissertations on the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses' is no longer in print that I am aware of, but we will read all or most of it here. As always, a quick rating here on Spotify or wherever you're listening would be enormously appreciated, plus a follow on any of my social links. My 90s inspired Rock 'n' Roll also available here and on all platforms. Drop me a line at [email protected] and join my email list to connect further. Thanks for listening.

An overview of all the madness we will talk about! Join me each Thursday for discussions about wading through the waters of post-religious life. The questions which come up are so, so many; the problems are multifarious - how should I live? What to do next, what about new faith and beliefs? Does life have any meaning? More than that too. After this experience (or even one similar to it; PTSD after war, or being trapped in an abusive situation) - questions of life and death come up. In Jehovah's Witnesses, the overwhelming focus is on 'making it to the Paradise', and eternal life there. So now, if you stop believing in that, and realize life is actually short (and precious) - how to live with great fullness; not paranoia. The questions there around death, dying, and meaning loom large and are not easy to dismiss, short of "jumping back into" another faith-system. The first so many episodes will focus on some core texts in and around the Jehovah's Witnesses, but thereafter we will work our way into these and other big issues with a view to not just commiserating - but strategies. I talk about my background here a little, and an overview of what's to come. Thanks for listening.

Hola and welcome to Thursday Night!! A take on the regular ‘church’ (Kingdom Hall) gathering I grew up attending (literally called ‘Meetings’ by Jehovah’s Witnesses), we’re going to delve into pieces by phenomenal authors and thinkers which helped me on my journey to leave an extreme religious upbringing behind and take on a new journey. On the way, we’ll have the occasional guest and go down some deep dark holes too: life, death, uncertainty, and how it feels to navigate the often overwhelming sense of despair and inability to trust new information or beliefs - since having “beliefs” are what you found yourself running from in the first place. It not only gets better - there’s an incredible journey waiting, albeit one where your past and the hard-fought lessons learned can pave the way for a new profundity, a new wisdom, and a new ability to understand our human tendencies and foibles almost from the inside out: You may not have asked for it, but you were given a rare (though insane) life experience, and it has value. We’ll talk about diverse subjects within this framework of “the aftermath” of that experience and how to move forward.