Posts by OnTheWayOut

13

Local JW mom among the victims of the Vegas shooter

by TTWSYF in

rhonda lerocque attended the kingdom hall of wilmington, ma.

my brother and his family were part of that cong back in the day, although i don't know if they knew.. a mother, wife, sister, daughter, etc, etc.. please pray for her and all of those involved..

OnTheWayOut

I doubt I will run into any JW's spouting how such a tragedy shows the need for God's Kingdom, but if I do......

.....I will say, "God would have killed all of them and billions more if his kingdom arrived."

86

JW Rumor: End of the Traveling Overseer

by Edison Trent in

a friend of mine has contacts to a family with several circuit overseers and special pioneers.

they have good connections to bethel.. he told me that the latest rumor from bethel states that the cos should be abolished in their present form.

they have also recently begun to take cos back to bethel.. over the same channel i have already heard of the car fleet program and that the dos should be abolished.. has anyone else already heard of it?

OnTheWayOut

...oh, and a detailed personally tailored report from WTS simply has to include totals and "They need to give more."

86

JW Rumor: End of the Traveling Overseer

by Edison Trent in

a friend of mine has contacts to a family with several circuit overseers and special pioneers.

they have good connections to bethel.. he told me that the latest rumor from bethel states that the cos should be abolished in their present form.

they have also recently begun to take cos back to bethel.. over the same channel i have already heard of the car fleet program and that the dos should be abolished.. has anyone else already heard of it?

OnTheWayOut

When I left over a decade ago, the C.O. spent a great deal of time during a visit on the quality of the recruiting work. That was when "selling" literature was still their main thing. He examined the books and compared the incoming literature to the placements and to the donations to worldwide work.

I am sure a super elder working for free can easily examine the books...and Watchtower already knows what a cong gets and what they give, so a report created in 10 minutes from HQ can be provided. They won't need to care about the recruiting efforts. Watchtower can make service overseers feel more important by saying they won't get much oversight.

All the guy has to do is read the report and audit the books.

And yes, the C.O. has been important to keep elders in line. Mother will encourage all to just fly straight because they cannot afford that oversight anymore. And I am sure there will still be an overseer (R.O.) to run assemblies and for elder snitches to snitch to.

32

Watchtower Study Today from August 2017 issue " Wait Patiently"

by BluesBrother in

theme scripture , james 5 v 8 abbreviated to " you too, exercise patience".

(i guess we know what to expect now) .

" how long?

OnTheWayOut

To paraphrase: "Don't leave Watchtower because the end hasn't come. Just keep waiting. "

To be more accurate: "Don't leave, we need your money."

23

BREAKING NEWS out of Canada

by Newly Enlightened in

jwvictims.org has another breaking news article out of canada: https://jwvictims.org/2017/10/02/breaking-news-66-million-class-action-suit-request-filed-against-jws-in-canada/.

OnTheWayOut

While the amount may seem light, this is a class action suit filed against an organization that did not commit the abuse, but fostered the hostile environment toward accusors and contributed toward the problem.

More money for a single victim would require separate filings and a heavier burden of proof that Watchtower was more instrumental in causing the particular abuse. This burden has been the situation in the cases we have heard about previosly.

I feel for the victims. Many have been victimized again by Watchtower after the abuse, and the vast majority would never have a day in court or any attempt at some justice without a class action suit like this.

14

Not A Day Goes By Without Me Thinking About Watchtower

by pale.emperor in

although i consider myself completely "cured" from watchtower brainwashing, guilt tripping and propaganda, i realised today that there's not a day that goes by without me thinking of the cult we left.

i think of my former family and what i'd like to say to them, what i'd try to explain and how i'd say it without them switching the "ignore" button and running away.. today on my instagram account my little step-brother "liked" a picture i posted.

i didn't even know he was still on my friends list.

OnTheWayOut

So you see I can't ever not think about Watchtower, not while it's still influencing my former family and reminding me all the time that it still has them.
Not a day goes by...

Yes, so true. My wife is an active JW and Watchtower is the elephant in the room that we don't talk about. My mother is an active JW, but it's not something we talk about. My mother-in-law and many in-law family are JW. It gets awkward sometimes.

While I am pretty free to pursue an ex-JW lifestyle with Christmas and birthday gifts and whatnot with non-JW family and friends, it's always a bit on the quiet side because of my wife.

Still, I am so glad to be out, I am so glad to be able to think for myself all day everyday. I may have to deal with the subject for years to come, but it is not such a big part of my daily life now.

26

Planning Your Exit

by minimus in

jw
friends

did you have a plan to leave the organization?

i did.

it took a couple of years but we did leave and never had a desire to go back!.

OnTheWayOut

I was not sure what I was going to do for a long time, but as I gave Jehovah a last chance to reveal himself to me, and that failed, I developed a plan.

I took too many years to figure out that it was not "the truth." I wasn't going to waste away in it for a few years to get out once I was sure. So first, in order to not "chicken out" of progressing my fade, I went to my closest relative that was not a JW and talked about how it was a cult and that I would have to get out. My dad said, "Just walk away." While that is excellent advice, and I highly still recommend just that to many, Dad didn't understand how I could not just do that. I had a wife, her family, and a mother in the JW's.

So I set goals each month. First, I had to get removed as an elder. Various ways to do that, but to save time, I simply said I had doubts and couldn't do it anymore. There are many other ways to shake off "privileges," primarily health and financial reasons. Whatever way you ultimately choose, it's huge to get rid of assignments. With "doubts," I was also able to resign from the Theocratic Ministry School. Hey, it's an all-volunteer organization. Do as little as you want.

Also, I went into fake service hours. I didn't do any at all, but I reduced the number I was turning in each and every month until I turned in "one hour" then "zero hours" the next month. I actually wrote that out, otherwise they would assume I forgot to turn it in and maybe write in "one" for me.

Another goal- I missed one, now miss two of those meetings next month, then three. You might not go at it as fast as I did, but don't ever go back up to attending more than the month before. At least stay at the same number of missed meetings until you can miss more than that.

Break away at some point. That's the hardest one for some reason. I got to be barely attending and wasn't going to just STOP. Damn, it's a cult- it holds me. That's a load of crap. Dad was right that I just should have walked away at the beginning. But now that I got my family used to my hardly being there, don't be there at all.

Last, and extremely important- All along the way, learn to say "I am fine. I will call if I need you." Say that especially to elders, but to any concerned ones outside of your family. As for family, well- you will have to figure out what to say. It's tough. I was pretty honest, but only offering so much to my family. They stopped asking, so I stopped saying. But definitely, do not agree to meetings with elders to help you back. Better to just say no thanks.

117

Why the NFL Protest Is a Massive and Insulting Failure

by freemindfade in

i think everyone has the freedom to protest, they also have freedom of speech, these are two fundamental things that make america amazing.

but thinking rationally about what is going on with the nfl, therefore, i have an unfavorable opinion of the league, and the players, not their right to free speech, but their motive and execution of it.

constitutional freedom to protest ends at the workplace door too.

OnTheWayOut

Their message is lost. That is somewhat because of the media and the way it's covered, as if people's opinions about the protest are part of the protest. It's also been lost to "the flag" and disrespect for veterans and the country, which is not what any of it is about. Add in Trump's comments and many will now protest HIM personally, so it was not the issue but it is now.

I appreciate that people are putting their careers on the line and bringing attention to THE ORIGINAL ISSUE about police brutality toward blacks. Sure, you can argue about it. That's what so great about this country.

I wear a uniform at work, work for a local government, and don't make millions. I am not willing to get fired for some kind of protest in uniform. But I also understand that you have to provoke in order to be heard. I wish people would remember stuff like that- understand WHY they do it in that way in that place. You are free to disagree with them, but at least try to understand fully. That's what brings attention to the cause and allows us to discuss it.

11

Counselling

by jhine in

does anyone know of an online site for jws who have been sexually abused in the wt ?

where someone who is in a relationship with someone who has been abused can talk to others who have had the same experience and maybe their family members ( if they are supportive obviously ) .

a friend of mine is in that situation and would like some insight into how to help their partner .

OnTheWayOut

One of the greatest resources I have discovered are the books by Bonnie Zieman, a former JW who is now a psychotherapist. She is working with https://www.openmindsfoundation.org

I believe part of their mission is to help ex-JW's (or other former cult members) to find and help their therapists to understand what they are going through.

I could suggest contacting them with your questions, and maybe they know of some people who can help.

6

NEVER SAY DIE

by compound complex in

some men would despair to be in my place.. i am immobile; this would seem an irreparable blow to what i have always perceived as the defining characteristics of manhood: taking risks, conquering new territory, marching forward with confidence toward a future of assured promise and prosperity.

however, this injury to my legs has become the final blow.

over the years, my once sturdy frame has been weakened by chronic illness.

OnTheWayOut

Write on. Write on.
Thanks for inspiring us.