This is my first post (page 4)

ruderedhead

Welcome! You sound like a person with great integrity!

snowbird

Welcome, courageous one.

Thanks for joining us.

Blessings.

Sylvia

jgnat

Congratulations for standing for integrity and right. I predict you will sleep a lot better at night than those elders. My best wishes to the victim as well.

Around 1965 I was being exposed to the Jehovah's Witnesses. My older sister was being called on and started studying. At the same time my parents were having problems and eventually divorced. After studying for several months with the witnesses my father asked me to not make any decisions about religion until I had more experience. That was reasonable to me so I stopped the studies. Went thru high school and decided to start studying again. Looking back I can see that as a high school graduate that was not enough experience to make an informed decision about religion.

During my youth a lot was going on in the world that formed my "experience". Vietnam, Kennedy assination, Cuban missle crisis, 6 day war, and cold war. Other versions of religion caught my attention. I did a Bible study with Herbert Armstrong's group through the mail. Today I have learned that what influenced me were religions that were despensationlist, premillinarian, and determinist. Even my involvement with the Boy Scouts contributed to my decision to become one of Jehovah's witnesses. Weird isn't it?

In 1971 I was baptizied. Many years that I spent as a witnesses were very happy ones. I was a co-worker with God. Able to do more for a person than a doctor because what I did could help them to have everlasting life. You could say I was whole-souled and loving it. Looking back at the years between 1971 and 1980 I experienced a kind of "bubble". My witness world was similar, but a little different from the experience of others on this forum. My mentors were able to freely debate the end of the world in 1975. Three in particular would reason with me on the subject. One was adamant that 1975 would be the end. He retired and pioneered two years before 75 and two years after 75. A second elder was adamant that no one can know the day or the hour. The third represented a position that no matter what happened we needed to stay loyal to Jehovah because we did not dedicate our life with a date in mind. I combined the, "you cannot know the day and the hour" with "we do not serve for a date" viewpoint. 1975 came and went without slowing me down as a zealous witness.

In my recent journey of discovery I have compared my experiences with other witnesses. Two close friends, still active so will not talk to me after the announcement, related to me their experiences with 1975. They were not "all in" at the time. More distracted with the opposite sex kind of thing than serious about the "truth". However they have clear memories of their C.O. visits going something like this. "24 months to armageddon brothers", then on the next visit, "18 months to armageddon brothers", and so on. They just did not really care and brushed it off. Today a younger than me might say, "whatever".

One kind of funny but sad experience is when "Star Wars" came out many of us would joke: "I hope armageddon does not come before the next Star Wars movie comes out"

I am getting ready to go to work now. If I can answer any question before I leave I will. If not I will do so this evening.

Thank you all for your great comments.

jgnat

LOL, you have already discovered the addiction of the board, a quick, intelligence response. This board moves fast enough to have some great conversations. Look forward to hearing more.

snowbird

Your experience is similar to mine.

I began studying right out of high school because I was disillusioned with my church and life in general.

Though the hype surrounding 1975 was somewhat muted down here, I knew about and believed the statement of Jesus of Nazareth at Acts 1:7.

Therefore, I was not disappointed at all when nothing happened.

Later on, when I found out about the cover-ups, failed past doctrines, and the mangling of the Holy Scriptures, I was out of there.

Again, welcome.

Blessings.

Sylvia

wannabefree

Welcome Make Lemonade. Thanks for joining and sharing. Looking forward to you participation.

Loveyourneighbor

Welcome... Thank you so much for your courage and bravery in standing up for the victims. So glad you were not intimidated and did the right thing standing up for victims of abuse. Are they going to appeal this unfavorable decision? Or take it to civil court?

Please let us know if they decide to appeal and if we can do anything to help (write letters to judges or DA, or if close enough and welcomed by victims to come sit behind them in court. Seen cases in TV and real life where Cong is sitting behind pedophile and victims sitting by themselves. ).

I am still myself considered an active jw. But am not regular at meetings and service to me is just informally at sharing my love and belief for God. (No distributing w&a lol) But I stand behind any victims of abuse no matter the consequences to myself (that may come soon as well).. It is simply the right thing to do.

Make Lemonade

The case will not be appealed. Simply not enough funds and the lawyers felt the judge took his time and sited extensive case laws. The combination makes moving forward not practicle.

Do not conclude that the debate on child abuse reform inside the WTBS is over. I personally have had many heart to heart conversation with many friends. Perhaps another "bubble", but in my world today their are many people inside the watchtower disturbed by the actions of the leadership. For all those I have talked with, and know that I was involved in an abuse case, the anouncement with have to raise their awarness. Not as drastic, but like watching an innocent person be executed for a crime he did not do.

In this struggle it can be said: "the more you tighten your grip the more will slip through your fingers".

LOL. I must be tired. The Star Wars quotes just keep coming

Peace and have fun

KateWild

Thanks for the background ML. Well it seems like you are in for a huge change after you get DF'd, but it also seems you are prepared for it and have been preparing for a while. Glad to see you are still holding down a job and working, throw yourself into work while you adjust. I wish I had a job.

Kate xx

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