My two week consulting trip to Bethel (the beginning of the end) Part 5

by seven006 105 Replies latest jw friends

  • rocketman
    rocketman

    Agreed dr.....their "encourage" is often nothing more than a disguise for "rule"

  • joelbear
    joelbear

    I agree that you bring the reality of JW life out very well. If I hadn't seen how Bethel was for myself and hadn't seen the problems in marriages similar to your own, I probably wouldn't believe it. But unfortunately, for many, it is their life. We should thank God everyday that we are free. Take care Joel

  • UpAndAtom
    UpAndAtom

    Seek and you shall find. Weird, but this is exactly the kind of stuff I've been seeking (and as you can see by my newbie status), I have found it. I agree with one of the other posts; a collection of short stories such as this would probably sell well.... say 10,000 prints for starters. Here's some book titles to get the ball rolling:

    "A Talking Snake, a Naked Chick and some Fruit - It's not what you think!"
    (The illustrated front cover of this book could sell itself!)

    "My brown shoes can talk. - Stories from a former Jehovah's Witness"

    "Don't raise kids in Cults - Stories from former Jehovah's Witnesses"

    "Armageddon for Dummies - How to Survive"

    "Dummies guide to leaving a Cult"

    ...other ideas anyone?

  • Simon
    Simon

    Damn, now you made me get all emotional and I have to do that "cough, oh, I've got something in my eye" thing that blokes do.

    Thanks for sharing your story with us, it's very moving.

  • Prins Vaillant
    Prins Vaillant

    Thank you for sharing your experiences in this well-written way. I really enjoyed it. Can I translate your book in Dutch for the Netherlands and Belgium?

    Greetings,

    Prins Vaillant

  • Perry
    Perry

    Dave,

    As painful as it is to read, the similarity of my experiences has me addicted to this series. Outstanding writing. Thanks for your candidness.

    You are fully illustrating the devastating and tragic effects of institutionalized ignorance in everyday life, as well as the high regard and esteem to which that stupidity is held in the minds of JW's.

    Perry

  • Fe2O3Girl
    Fe2O3Girl

    Dave -

    Thanks so much for taking the time to share this with us. Its brilliantly written.

    It is a peek into another universe for me. As a girl growing up in England, I had about as much chance of flying to the moon as getting the insights into the guts of the Watchtower organisation that you had. Fascinating. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of the story.

    Rachel

  • Aztec
    Aztec

    Damnit! I'm crying at 9 in the morning. The part about your two sons in heart wrenching! What a mature 5 year old you had!

    "They never seem to want "the truth", they just wanted "the answer"."

    Don't I know it? I still have to watch what I say around my father. He asks me when I'm going to come back (as the only one of his 6 children who bothered to get baptised) and I always say "I'm not sure" when I really want to say "never"!

    Thank you so much for puttting this down!

    ~Aztec

  • DannyBear
    DannyBear

    Dave,

    ****girl who had subscribed to Bride Magazine for years and her wedding day consisted of her mom, her disfellowshipped step dad, my JW room mate, me, and some Elvis wannabe rent-a-preacher. I looked at Korin and saw the tears flowing down from her eyes and I almost put an end to all of it right then. But, I couldn't. We both begrudgingly said our "I do's" and on a day that is usually the happiest day of any young bride's life we both felt like shit.****

    Geez that was depressing. Not to mention you couldn't even drop a nickel in the slots, without a shit load of guilt. What a way to kick off a marriage. Very sad story. But one that is repeated often Iam sure.

    Your account of leaving your two son's crying in the driveway was de ja vu for me. In my case it was a 9yr and 4yr old daughter. Both crying their eye's out, calling DADDY don't go. The biggest cry of my life. I hopped in my pickup (sorry no porche) and drove to Vegas........what happened there Iam not telling right now anyway.

    Dave your story should help many lurkers get a handel on their lives as jw's. It is a fact that many go through their lives as jw's blinded by the obvious. Your efforts here may well help them break free.

    Thanks for going through the gut wrenching exercise of trying to put down in words, the essence of your life.

    I knew I loved ya for a reason.

    Danny

  • TimeOut
    TimeOut

    In these few paragraphs you have managed to capture the essence of a “normal” JW family life, particularly for ones “raised in the truth”. Those of us who have been there can relate and share your pain. Thank you for sharing your experiences; hopefully your excellent writing may help others to see the real truth before they share the pain.

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