Posts by flipper

19

How successful are others at getting ex-dubs together?

by dubstepped in

jw
friends

for my first shunniversary i reached out to the local ex-dubs that i know.

i invited 11 total to join me in a little get together at a local restaurant, then back to my house to hang out.

one friend asked if he could invite others, and i encouraged him, and all, to do so.

flipper

Hey, Dagney! Hope your hand is healing well.

Dubstepped, You may really enjoy Tahoe. Hope you can make it.

Maybe it's because this forum has so many members it's a good place to find good friends. Some people really do bond, and have a lot in common beside being ex-jws.

We have some very dear friends in your area. There are so many people on this board that I'd love to meet, unfortunately we're talking distance - Europe, Asia, Africa, India, Australia for instance.

Have fun in Austin. A happening music town.

Mrs. Flipper

7

Posted 3 months ago "After 15-17 years daughter coming for a visit". No word since.

by James Mixon in

the wife told me it was more like 20-22 years since i seen or talked to her.but since that visit we.

we have not spoke to one another, not a word.

my family members (not jw) ask me have i called.

My ex- jw stepson is a really kind hearted and honest person, intelligent and fun, who I totally trust and always enjoy his company. He's been out about 15 years. His 2 sisters are still jws and shun him and his dad (Flipper), except on rare unpredictable occasions. The jw's can be fickle for sure.

I used to look forward to getting to know his sisters thinking they would be like him. Now after 10 years being married to Flipper and seeing so many examples of crazy (and rather mean) behavior from the jw family, I kind of dread having much to do with any of them.

Flipper loves his daughters and misses them terribly - but I wonder what kind of people the cult has made them into. Would that change if they got out? I hope so - but I have learned to keep manipulative people out of my life after being traumatized by some pretty bad treatment years ago. Sometimes you have to be careful.

There is always hope to rekindle a relationship, it's worth a try. But not if it's going to be destructive in the long run.

Sure do wish you the best with this.

14

The shunning has started and... I like it!

by oppostate in

so not having turned in a time-slip in a loooooooong time and making fewer and fewer meetings, and from time to time attending a local church service... the majority of local dubs are overtly shunning me.

there are those who i talk to and who visit our home from time to time, but this last meeting i went to hardly anyone made eye contact, when i greeted folks passing by me, they ignored me.

it actually felt good.. i was surprised at my reaction.

flipper

Interesting thread. Yeah, I agree at times. At least I don't have a bunch of Witnesses constantly calling me, or dropping by trying to convert me anymore. They haven't called at our house since 2012 ! I've been out since 2003 and I think they are either scared or weary of me because when I have seen JW's I tell them about the criminal conduct going on in their organization - so they've either been instructed to run away from me on the street ( which one " sister " actually did leaving her teenage son standing there ) or they just avoid me. These days if I'm busy I just leave it alone- I've got too many other things to do. Occasionally I'll talk to one on the street though. Just to see if I can get them to think for once. Usually doesn't happen

19

How successful are others at getting ex-dubs together?

by dubstepped in

jw
friends

for my first shunniversary i reached out to the local ex-dubs that i know.

i invited 11 total to join me in a little get together at a local restaurant, then back to my house to hang out.

one friend asked if he could invite others, and i encouraged him, and all, to do so.

flipper

DUBSTEPPED- Sorry you've experienced this. Out here in California we have a big group get together out in South Lake Tahoe the weekend after 4th of July every year for the last 9 years straight ! Lots of folks from the board and elsewhere from all across the United States. The last 2 years we've averaged about 50 people for a couple days camping on that weekend. I know another ex-JW friend on the board and she gets people together every 2 months or so in the Northern California area for lunches , dinners, or picnics at various places - we've been there when about 15 to 20 folks showed up. These events have been lots of fun.

Just keep on trying - perhaps you might start a private discussion only thread and ask if there are ex-JW's in your approximate geographical area in your location who would like to meet up. One way of doing it. Good luck to you. If I was in your area I'd love to meet you folks ! Take care, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

9

Melita Jaracz

by hirotaka in

jw
friends

don't read or post here very often anymore.

have moved on from all things jw from my former life it seems.. just an announcement to whomever it may concern that melita jaracz, surviving wife of form governing body member theodore jaracz, has finished her earthy course passing away yesterday.. simon, i don't know if you're still involved, but this site was invaluable to me when i was leaving the org.

some years back.. thank you and all the others who have me guidance that i needed at the time.

flipper

HIROTAKA- Thanks for the information concerning her death. I hope life is treating you well my friend. Take care, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

18

VERTIGO: 'My head is moving through space where, in reality, it is not.'

by compound complex in

jw
friends

greetings, fellow posters:.

wishing you well and offering my sympathy if you've ever experienced vertigo.

my neighbor is a physical therapist and told me about the epley maneuver, which i am now researching.. have you ever been through this hell of total incapacitation?.

flipper

CoCo- I've had this twice. Once really bad in 2004 with nausea, vomiting which lasted about 4 hours and I was dizzy for 10 days straight. Had to have my son do my jobs in my business for me during that period as I couldn't even drive. It finally subsided after 10 days. Then again another attack in 2012 and it put me on the ground hugging the cold toilet for a couple hours and my wife and niece dragged me on a quilt out to the living room couch - as I could not even walk. I recovered in about 4 days the second time.

In other words- I empathize. Been there, felt the pain. No fun whatsoever. My doctor told me I had bi-lateral vertigo and it was caused by calcium deposits crowding your nerve endings inside your ears blocking the signals to your brain that tell you when to move your eyes in harmony with the rest of your body. Thus the spinning motion which makes you feel like you're on the worst spinning carnival ride of your life - or a bad LSD trip gone awry. First time I experienced it - I thought I was having a freaking stroke at age 44 !

The exercises folks here mentioned helped me as well and I haven't had any reoccurrences. I wouldn't wish vertigo on my worst enemy . I hope you get to feeling better CoCo. Hang in there. Best wishes to you, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

18

Undeserved kindness

by life is to short in

just a side note that i found interesting and sort of upsetting, the wt that the jw's will study on sunday the 18th of september has the words undeserved kindness mentioned 50 in just 19 paragraphs.

really they need to beat it into their people that they are very worthless and do no deserve anything from god?

so much so that they use the words over and over, don't they.. lits .

flipper

Jeez - I can just see all the heads bobbing along with the words. Getting that stuff washed into their submissive brains.

What's really tragic is that it's being drilled into kids in their formative years.

Mrs. Flipper

6

Peruvian JWs lose custody of 2-year old son

by Calebs Airplane in

the peruvian government intervened on behalf of this child whose ignorant jw parents left his life in jay hoover's hands.... http://eltiempo.pe/?p=139873.

flipper

Caleb, I'm not surprised that they wouldn't give their own lives - it is astounding to me how many jw's will shun their own children for years rather than give up the "paradise". I don't buy that it's a "loving provision" - that's just one of their excuses for bad behavior.

Most parents would do just about anything to save their children. Cult members, not so much.

Mrs. Flipper

11

Shunning vs. Silent Treatment

by raven in

i was thinking this morning in context with the shunning practice- which we all know is a degrading and abusive routine carried out among all brainwashed jw's to those who have sinned/left the org etc.. so with that in mind, how does shunning differ from the silent treatment to jw's?

both are similar in definition... silent treatment.

: an act of completely ignoring a person or thing by resort to silence especially as a means of expressing contempt or disapproval.shun, shunning: persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through antipathy or caution.based on jw teachings which i stupidly accepted back when i was asleep and under mind control, i didn't give it two thoughts on how both acts are related.. i do remember an article in a wt which spoke of how the silent treatment is a harsh and abusive form of discipline, but then they twist it back and claim that shunning is a loving provision?

flipper

RAVEN- Very good thread. I agree with you there is no difference in shunning and giving the " silent " treatment. And WT leaders are so hypocritical that they'll condemn the " silent treatment " in an Awake article concerning men and women or couples giving each other the " silent treatment " saying it's wrong- but WT leaders don't condemn themselves doing the same thing and teaching JW's the same thing in shunning non believers or ex-JW's. Very hypocritical. WT leaders NEVER admit to fault and they NEVER take responsibility for wrong views- because in their minds they consider themselves" legends". God's chosen leaders to keep " the flock " in order and under control.

And by the way- you are a very smart woman. You were never " stupid " - you and me and others were just deceived and fooled by an unscrupulous , dishonest organization run by criminals intent on using us for their own financial needs and purposes." How can we blame ourselves when we know they told us lies , when people we're supposed to trust bring this big surprise ? " I put these words in quotes as they are words from one of my new songs titled " Mirage in your Mind " on a new album I'm making . LOL. But think about it- it's really THEIR fault they deceived us - what were we to do ? They betrayed our trust and lied to us- and that can happen to anybody in this life- it doesn't determine if we are " stupid " or " smart ". We actually are VERY smart for having escaped and gotten out of the cult. Give yourself a pat on the back and give yourself credit for escaping while you are still young- at least you didn't spend 40 to 50 years in it like some of us did before we woke up !

Feel good about yourself. Part of WT leaders deceiving us was to rob us of our self esteem and put ourselves down. Now that we are free of them there's no longer any need to do this. It takes time but gradually we rebuild our love for ourselves as WT robbed us of that and told us to consider ourselves a " lesser one ". take care my friend and please know that we are here for you and always on your side, O.K. ? Peace out, your buddy, Flipper

16

CNN doc 'Holy Hell'

by Worldling9 in

i just saw the documentary 'holy hell' on cnn, about a cult called buddhafield.

it was a small group but has existed since the 80s and still has a few followers.

classic cult stuff, much of which i found eerily familiar.

flipper

Good thread. My wife and I watched this on CNN Saturday night and it was really creepy. There are so many psychological similarities between cults like this one and the JW cult it's not funny. The thing that pissed me off was how this down and out actor used manipulation and mind control to hoodwink and become a legend in his own mind as well as his cult members. And it really irritated me that the guy is still walking around scot free duping more unsuspecting people in Hawaii . Really ridiculous. Governments and authorities need to take a harder stand and arrest these assholes before they take everyone's money that succumbs to the mind control scams.

I felt sad as well for the people who wasted many good years of their lives slaving for this guy- yet happy for them that they finally got their freedom after waking up from their mind controlled stupor. They were able to go on living successful lives afterwards