Posts by flipper

32

Seeking support during confusing and stressful 'cognitive dissonance'

by LHS123 in

jw
friends

sorry for the long post but i need help.

ive been a jw for 20 years - still active and attending meetings, baptised at 18, i have recently become very dissillusioned.

a few reasons: ill treatment of my kids by a prominent 'assembly speaker' elder, then my son left the truth at 15 (not baptised) and was 'dropped' instantly, despite this community having been his whole life for 15 years.

flipper

LHS123- So many great points made by some very caring people here on the board ! A big hug and a welcome to you my friend from me and my wife ! I was born into the Witnesses and I stopped attending at age 44 over 11 years ago. It wasn't easy- but yet it was harder for me to continue living and believing in a lie than walking out of that kingdom hall the final time. Freedom of mind is priceless - a beautiful thing - a rare commodity in which we are ALLOWED to use our open mind and critical thinking ability to make INFORMED , intelligent decisions. And that's the thing about having been in the Witnesses- we were never ALLOWED to research or have access to information outside of the WT publications. But with the advancement of the Internet - WT Society cannot really keep their secrets or skeletons in the closet anymore . Which is a good thing.

The advice you've received here has been fantastic. I agree with virtually all of it. Keep researching, keep informing yourself with information from different sources off the Internet as you become more fully aware of what's really going on behind the scenes within the WT Society. As you stated we were all told to " leave our doubts to Jehovah " and He would show us the way in time if we saw injustices inside the organization. But as you mentioned if Jehovah is NOT running this WT organization then it's important to ask ourselves what IS the motive of the people leading the WT organization ? And if God isn't running it- then perhaps it's a sign that we need to use our God given - or - natural authentic human personality and mind to find a better , healthier, more empathetic, kinder type of lifestyle in order to free our children or family to be able to live a kinder, happier life. Just something to think about. I know I thought a lot about it as I was exiting the Witnesses .

Just please know that we are here for you- the advice to be careful about what you disclose to JW's who are close to you or you are associated with is good advice. The information you are learning will be misconstrued as " negative against the organization" so be careful in what you disclose to the elders or others in your congregation. If you need to vent, vent here we all will help you. Many of us have gone down the same road as you but I can assure you that freedom of mind is worth it- not being enslaved to concepts that are designed to keep us in mental captivity . We will continue to be a support to you and your children. If you ever want to chat on the phone with my wife or me, please PM us and we'll give you our contact info. Take care. Hang in there, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

24

"What will I do if I leave Jehovah's Witnesses ?"

by Balaamsass2 in

whenever we visit the board we see a lot of angst among jehovah's witnesses who are just learning the tatt (the truth about the truth).

hey, don't feel bad, we had it at one time ourselves.

"angst means fear or anxiety (anguish is its latinate equivalent, and anxious, anxiety are of similar origin).

flipper

JW DAUGHTER- I see what you are saying- however some of us had to exit the JW organization in a rather quick fashion where there WAS no time to strategize on how we would exit the JW cult. Many times exiting the JW cult doesn't happen in a calm, organized fashion . Some of us couldn't get our ducks in a row when we decided to exit. My ducks flew off and stopped quacking entirely ! If you get my drift. LOL. Had to find new ducks to play with. Take care, Peace out, Mr. Flipper

69

"Your bad attitude is evident, because you don't bring a meeting bag to the meetings anymore!"

by stuckinarut2 in

yes friends.....this is the comment said to me by an elder!.

"your bad attitude is evident because you don't bring your meeting bag anymore!".

i calmly replied: "but everything i need is on the tablet now......".

flipper

STUCKINARUT- That's really funny and a bit sad and insane for him to say that. What you said was great ! Another thing you could say is , " Brother so and so book bags are " old light " tablet use is " new light " - even the WT Society has T.V. on the Internet now ! " Then you can watch his facial expressions as his head explodes. LOL.Peace out, Mr. Flipper

381

Were you or someone you know sexually molested by a Jehovah's Witness ?

by flipper in

due to the fact there are about 27,000 members of this religion that are known pedophiles, and the information about it is kept in a secret database file, i wonder how many lurking jw's as well as others are aware of the severity of this problem?

remember, it's 27,000 pedophiles that they know about.

what about the thousands that don't get caught?

flipper

WHATHAPPENED- Wow. What a sad experience. It's incredible how people like your uncle get away with this stuff inside the JW organization. I've probably heard hundreds of these stories now - and WT Society wonders why they have a child abuse problem ? Jesus. So many of these child abuses have been swept under the rug. One reason I feel it's good to get the word out to the public about it

59

Kendrick " Letter of Introduction " from Elders regarding Candace Conti Case

by flipper in

as many of us saw in the pbs news hour program and the abc news nightline program the elders from one congregation failed to communicate properly to the elders in another congregation concerning the child molester jonathan kendrick when he moved to a new congregation.

i have parts of this " introduction letter " from the fremont congregation to the oakley congregation elders so you can read it for yourself and decide how irresponsible these wt appointed elders were.

dated 1/16/98 it opens : .

flipper

FINKELSTEIN- Indeed the letter was strange in that the elders spoke of Kendrick's temper- but never mentioned his committing child abuse. So having a bad temper is worse than child abuse to these elders anyway. And you are right- it IS a dangerous situation that the WT Society and those elders put children in- because molesters like Kendrick constantly move around to different locations looking for their next victim ! WT Society is supremely negligent.

EDEN ONE- God point you make that these elders admitting Kendrick has a temper problem lessens the bad image against the WT Society than admitting he was a child molester. WT Society is good at training elders to hide information that would damage WT image.

VIDIOT- Indeed WT Society's first priority is to protect it's alleged respectable " image " - however the financial $$$$$ money thing is important to them as well. And if they have to lie and not reveal information describing their lawless conduct - then they will do that too in order to protect that illusionary image . Peace out, Mr. Flipper

381

Were you or someone you know sexually molested by a Jehovah's Witness ?

by flipper in

due to the fact there are about 27,000 members of this religion that are known pedophiles, and the information about it is kept in a secret database file, i wonder how many lurking jw's as well as others are aware of the severity of this problem?

remember, it's 27,000 pedophiles that they know about.

what about the thousands that don't get caught?

flipper

BALAAMSASS- Thanks for sharing those experiences. I agree with you- I think there is NO end to this cesspool of child abuse happening within the JW organization. Why does it not surprise me that these two elders are still serving as elders after the child abuse charges were ordered to be dropped? If we counted worldwide how many elders are STILL serving as elders who committed child abuse at one time- I bet the figure would be in the hundreds or thousands . It needs to stop for sure

12

My Assembly Experience

by Clambake in

jw literally take forever to say nothing.

after a whole day of listening how to obtain peace , i am not sure if i obtain peace from obeying mosaic law, having a relationship to jehovah though jesus or be baptized and have a direct line to jehovah.

every speaker tries to out bore and contract the other one.

flipper

" This is unclean " . LOL. Classic ! I love it. Peace out, Mr. Flipper

2

New abuse case against WT

by Viva la Vida in

i think this case it is not in very good shape for plaintiff, it is a person currently in prison suing wt.

does anyone have more information?.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/uscourts-caed-1_14-cv-01740/uscourts-caed-1_14-cv-01740-0/content-detail.html.

flipper

Wow. This happened in California in So-Cal area where I knew some people. Don't recognize the names but yeah if this guy didn't have a good attorney or counsel it's no wonder it got thrown out. Still it shows how pervasive and rampantly common JW child abuse happens. Disgusting. When I checked Megan's law out in the area I was raised in- I recognized 12 JW's or former JW's on that list that I had known and met in my younger years out of 1,000 registered sex offenders . Pretty sobering thought

24

"What will I do if I leave Jehovah's Witnesses ?"

by Balaamsass2 in

whenever we visit the board we see a lot of angst among jehovah's witnesses who are just learning the tatt (the truth about the truth).

hey, don't feel bad, we had it at one time ourselves.

"angst means fear or anxiety (anguish is its latinate equivalent, and anxious, anxiety are of similar origin).

flipper

BALAAMSASS- Congrats buddy on what I think is one of the BEST threads I've read in months ! Awesome subject and a very important one. There are so many great comments from folks on this thread- I don't know where to start !

BALAAMSASS- My wife and I really enjoyed lunch with you and your wife as well ! Great food, great friends. Look forward to Tahoe ! Your comment that , " The truth will set you free " the REAL truth TTATT...... Enjoy life. " Is SO true. I have experienced so much goodness in my life since exiting the Witnesses it's not even funny. I can give more time to my business in order to earn more $$$ if I want to ( no meetings or service clogging up my schedule ) , my wife and I with help from my son have planted an absolutely awesome organic garden full of vegetables, fruit including blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries - and check it out - we HAVE THE TIME to take care of it and manage it ! Amazing. I've also enjoyed playing music and writing songs with the guitar - never thought that would happen- but we have the TIME now. No mind control cult telling us what we can or cannot do.

IGNORANCEISBLISS- I truly DO empathize with what you are saying coming from a difficult place in your life . I have experienced every single thing you mentioned that you have experienced . I lost my first marriage after 19 years. I had to have visitation with my teenage kids back in the late 1990's to 2003 . I was ill spoken of by my fanatic JW ex-wife to all of our friends - I was called a " villain ", " apostate " , " Satan " , a " demon " a " bad influence " , and probably a few words I cannot use here on Simon's board or he'd kick me off. LOL.

The thing is is this IGNORANCE - yes you ARE going through horrific bad times RIGHT NOW - but it's NOT the rest of your life and I think that's what Balaamsass is trying to help people to realize here. I went through hell too being cut off from ALL my JW family and was DFed for 4 years. But in time my son who turned 18 then in his early 20's left the JW cult and we are best of friends now. Any JW friends that abandoned me I now consider just " chump change " compared to the REAL authentic ex-JW and non-JW friends I have gained over the years. I've been out of the Witnesses 11 years now for good- and I promise it WILL get better. It's like an old psychologist Frederick Perls once said, " To suffer one's death , and to be reborn is not easy ". It hurts to die to our JW past because there IS loss - but in time with the pain gradually subsiding a person CAN rebuild their life and it CAN become better than the life we had before. Hang in there friend. If you ever want to chat on the phone- I offer my friendship to you.

JAMES THOMAS- your comment, " You cannot imagine the weight that leaves you when you let go of all the massive mental collection of what " life is all about " , and silently just be with life instead " . Exactly, I totally agree. To be present in the " here and now " and enjoy the experience of living AS it HAPPENS. I think the old song " Stop and Smell the Roses " is applicable to this point. It felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted off of my shoulders when I finally decided in 2003 to walk away from the WT organization. Since then I feel like I'm walking on air. Of course there are problems along the way- but I don't freak out over them like I used to as a JW.

DAGNEY- So great to hear you are coming to Tahoe ! Fantastic ! It will be lots of fun with a lot of the gang there. I like the point you made that, " it gets better and better as you get stronger and stronger in your own self worth ". That is SO true. I was raised with an elder dad , very strict who never felt that I lived up to his " spiritual " expectations good enough for his approval. Thus I grew up with a lower self esteem than I should have had. Thank gawd I had a mom who built up my self worth or I'd have been a basket case getting out of the JW cult. Like yourself I enjoy keeping in touch with the ex-JW community as they truly are very caring, understanding people for the most part.

SIMON- You also made an extremely valid, good point in your statement, " At some point you may make a choice whether to obsess about the lost years and become bitter and determined to seek revenge ...... or you'll decide that was just a phase in your life and you grew and moved on. " So extremely true. Especially if we moved on in our 40's or 50's we have to ask ourselves the all important question- " Is the glass half full or half empty " ? Of course it's a cliché but it's still a good idea to ask ourselves that question. Because it very well MAY determine how we go on living the rest of our life . Will we move on and pursue interests we have in life or dwell totally in the past and let ourselves rot in that vegetative state ? These are all questions I asked myself when I first exited the JW cult and although it hasn't always been easy - the good in my life has come to far outweigh any negative the WT Society tried to steal my soul with

59

Kendrick " Letter of Introduction " from Elders regarding Candace Conti Case

by flipper in

as many of us saw in the pbs news hour program and the abc news nightline program the elders from one congregation failed to communicate properly to the elders in another congregation concerning the child molester jonathan kendrick when he moved to a new congregation.

i have parts of this " introduction letter " from the fremont congregation to the oakley congregation elders so you can read it for yourself and decide how irresponsible these wt appointed elders were.

dated 1/16/98 it opens : .

flipper

Thanks for more responses on this ! I appreciate it.

EDEN ONE- It IS amazing isn't it that as you mentioned if Kendrick had been guilty of say- apostasy - then SO much information would have been forwarded to the next congregation's elders where he was moving to ! But the fact Kendrick was a child molester ? Not a peep from the elders. In fact they even RECOMMENDED HIM for doing well with children ! As you say- it's criminal negligence for sure.

FINKELSTEIN- I don't think ANYTHING is beyond speculating about regarding how far the WT Society will go in criminal behavior. If you don't believe me- just check out you tubes of behind the scenes criminal behavior WT engaged in regarding the Menlo Park property takeover. WT is like a hidden modern day Mafia . You are right WT leaders ARE concerned about " image " - one reason they did NOT follow the San Diego courts directions to reveal the Database pedophile list. With 23,000 names on that list it was a HIGH probability if not a fact that GB members or high ranking WT representatives were on that list- and were STILL appointed as elders in power positions in the WT organization. Which would be VERY damning evidence against the WT Society. Also another reason they refused to allow GB member Losch testify. The cat would be out of the bag and the cows would break the barn doors down causing a Pandora's box or avalanche of information to come streaming into the courts- and WT leaders couldn't have that happen. So they're willing to keep paying out millions $$$ in child abuse lawsuits just to keep their dirty skeletons locked up in the closet.

But one of these days those dirty little skeletons are going to be riding the backs of those cows breaking down the WT Society barn doors- then LOOK OUT ! All hell will break lose. I can hardly wait.

PROBLEMADDICT 2- This letter was part of the court released documentation of communication between elders of Kendrick's old congregation when he moved to the new congregation. WT Society as you say- truly IS disconnected from reality. At the very minimum the elders in Kendrick's old congregation had a responsibility to disclose his previous child abuse to the elders in his NEW congregation- and not recommend him to be with children as a " good influence ". I mean- that's insane. WT Society DID have a lot of liability here