Posts by bluesbreaker59

this was my first year of not going to district convention, my (step) grandpa developed brain cancer, my dad and most of his family won't speak to me, and my girlfriend and i were having troubles.

on the other hand, my mom and her side of the family have embraced me, my cousin (that left the borg) and i are closer than ever, my girlfriend is super, my band plays all the time, and i've got a great group of friends.

bluesbreaker59

Honestly tho, I'm curious why the need to get the family out?

Well, here's why, I'm DF'd, therefore they won't speak to me, unless its a family issue or business related. I was raised by my dad, since I was 5, and I'm tired of not being able to have a relationship with him. I don't care if they choose to stay in, BUT, I think they need to seriously reconsider the importance of family relations, and also how they are being hypocrites by talking to my cousin, who has been a "marked" person since he was in his teens. He's living with a woman, and they still talk to him, and hang out, yet, I commit the same "sin" of immorality, and they cut me off cold turkey, because I was dunked in a pool when I was 15. THAT IS RIDICULOUS!!!

11

Well, well, well, things are certainly changing...

by bluesbreaker59 in

jw
friends

you know here lately, my life has had lots of ups and downs.

this was my first year of not going to district convention, my (step) grandpa developed brain cancer, my dad and most of his family won't speak to me, and my girlfriend and i were having troubles.

on the other hand, my mom and her side of the family have embraced me, my cousin (that left the borg) and i are closer than ever, my girlfriend is super, my band plays all the time, and i've got a great group of friends.

bluesbreaker59

Well my friend and I had a conversation last night and compared everything that we've read, and studied. He came to some interesting conclusions in his research, some similar to mine, and others that were way off from mine. Basically he feels that while there are many issues with the organization, including things like:

1. Birthdays - not really much Biblical backup for this

2. Founder of the org - He has many issues with Russell as do I, but he said, basically after he passed the borg started doing things more closely following the bible instead of incorporating pyramidology, etc. I still believe that you must look at the past, and the history, to determine ANY organizations worth, its also a good indicator of the future, generally speaking.

3. Predictions - what is it Zero for Seven now???

4. Judicial Committees - no Biblical backup for this (only IF the sinner wants the guidance of the "older men")

5. Smoking - I personally believe the bible addresses this, he does not feel that it does sufficiently.

6. Other man made rules - how to dress, how to have sex, certain music, tatoos, certain holidays, etc.

7. Molest cases - even though its an issue, we don't think there is necessarily any greater % than any other group, the issue is the reporting.

HOWEVER, he stated a couple times, that he thinks, generally speaking that the witnesses have many truths, and have many good principles to live by, but DUE TO BEING IMPERFECT MEN, they often times make mistakes, especially the leadership. He said after he's had time to look into other religions, that they all have their own set of issues, and that being in an organized religion isn't necessary, but following THE BIBLE, is necessary. He also pointed me to a friend of his that is near me to chat with a bit about stuff, and told me to keep reading and analyzing everything. This friend, used to be an elder, and is still in, but has his own doubts, and has done much research. My friend basically feels like if he had to pick one organized religion BASED ON PRINCIPLES and BIBLICAL RESEARCH, not on the faults of men, that he'd be a witness, however, he said that he's not willing to submit to men, and some of their rules, so basically he's in limbo.

As far as being an apostate, I wouldn't even give myself that title yet. The borg would, because I don't believe everything lock, stock and barrel, and I probably never will, too much is based on "blind faith in men", IMHO. Which is really the problem that I have with most religious groups.

11

Well, well, well, things are certainly changing...

by bluesbreaker59 in

jw
friends

you know here lately, my life has had lots of ups and downs.

this was my first year of not going to district convention, my (step) grandpa developed brain cancer, my dad and most of his family won't speak to me, and my girlfriend and i were having troubles.

on the other hand, my mom and her side of the family have embraced me, my cousin (that left the borg) and i are closer than ever, my girlfriend is super, my band plays all the time, and i've got a great group of friends.

bluesbreaker59

You know here lately, my life has had lots of ups and downs. This was my first year of not going to District Convention, my (step) grandpa developed brain cancer, my dad and most of his family won't speak to me, and my girlfriend and I were having troubles. On the other hand, my mom and her side of the family have embraced me, my cousin (that left the borg) and I are closer than ever, my girlfriend is super, my band plays all the time, and I've got a great group of friends.

However, recently, I've been sharing the research I've done with my cousin (unbaptized, but marked), then today I shared it with one of my old witness buddies that quit going about 3 years ago and moved out of state. My cousin (dad's side) and I have been life long best friends, he was "marked" at age 16 for smoking, and now lives with his fiancee, and the family still speaks to him. So he's heard that they aren't speaking to me anymore, so he's been brow beating them into talking to me, and telling them how cult like their tactics are of cutting me off. He's been doing his own research too, and was AMAZED at much of the info on Russell and Rutherford, and also the Society in general.

For some background, my cousin and I have had "doubts" since we were at least 12 or so. Around 14 they started pressuring us to get baptized, well, I fell for it, and at 15 I did the deed. Well my cousin, was constantly "studying the questions" but he never got baptized. He realized back then that something "wasn't right" and that he didn't want that kind of commitment. So we used to share our opinions with each other, like how we were always suspicious of the donations, and also of exactly who the governing body were and why weren't allowed to question them. There were also certain beliefs, like birthdays, certain holidays, Armageddon, etc, that we just never really believed.

Tonight my other friend and I are comparing notes, on what research that we've found, and discuss. Then in a couple months, the three of us are planning on getting together and trying to figure out how to get our families out.

30

Do Witness Teenagers take the Organization's Rules Seriously?

by flipper in

jw
friends

mrs. flipper was curious about this , because i have two daughters still in the org.

my son 22 is like me and faded from the org.

so give us your opinion .

bluesbreaker59

My friends and I had a great thing, we were the kids that all the old ladies and elders liked and trusted. Some were auxillary pioneers, some were doing the literature counter, we were all carrying mics, reading, answering a lot, and giving prayers.

Little did any of them know... We all had premarital sex, we all drank, everyone but me did drugs, and swore like sailors. We also did tons of mischief, got in fights with anybody, and our service time, was a joke. We had the "quiet knock" or "We need to do some RV's today" or "Let's work rural territory", then we'd meet up for donut break, and then go shopping or something.

Then most of us got married, then all got divorce, and guess what, we're all out. My crew were great, no one ever saw any of it coming. We all had each others back, and a couple of us, mastered how to fake out parents, elders, CO's, and old people, it was great.

My second crew that I hung out with after I came back at 23, were in their late teens and early 20's, they are all still in, but they are bigger drinkers and drug users than my group, and most of them aren't as good of fakes as the group I grew up with. They just don't put on an act at all, yet no one says anything to them. I'm working on the ones that I still talk to, trying to get them out, but they are too afraid of parental reprocussions still.

57

What is your most favorite hobby?

by R.F. in

jw
friends

just wanting to find out some of you all's hobbies.. my favorite is video gaming.

i love it and i love visiting video gaming stores.

.

bluesbreaker59

Playing lead guitar / singing in my blues band, or sitting in with other bands on lead / slide guitar, where all I have to do is shut my eyes and play, and feel the music, flow into and out of me, one of the best feelings in the world to me.

I also love cooking and am pretty much a pimp in the kitchen.

29

What Rock Bands did you miss in concert due to WTS pressure?

by NotaNess in

jw
friends

so what rock bands (or any other groups) did you miss out on seeing back in the 60's, 70's, 80's, due to being in the organization?.

who of you sneeked to a concert, and which groups were they?.

c'mon...you know you wanted to see led zepplin!

bluesbreaker59

Never missed any shows because of Dubs, the only reason I wouldn't go would be lack of money, and that's truly the only reason. Now I have my own band, and we play all the time, I'm pretty sure that some of our blues songs probably aren't WTS appropriate too, in fact I made sure that we'd have a couple of those.

15

Finally getting shunned...

by bluesbreaker59 in

jw
friends

well my family has been doing it for a while.

but i found it really strange, that i live in an area of town with many jw's and still go to all the normal places, and yet i'd not seen them... last week, walking around downtown, i spotted my "step -aunt", (step mom's side) and she put her head down, and wouldn't acknowledge me.

then i rode up the elevator with her today, same treatment, thought today she made eye contact.

bluesbreaker59

Well my family has been doing it for a while. But I found it REALLY strange, that I live in an area of town with many JW's and still go to all the normal places, and yet I'd not seen them... Last week, walking around downtown, I spotted my "step -aunt", (step mom's side) and she put her head down, and wouldn't acknowledge me. Then I rode up the elevator with her today, same treatment, thought today she made eye contact. This past weekend I was at Walmart, and spotted 2 nicely dressed young women, and sure enough they were from my old hall. They stared when I was in the distance, and then as I got closer, they looked away, and didn't even move.

Its funny how they just avoid you like the plague...

I also had an interesting conversation yesterday with my best friend (ex-witness 1st cousin), and we were talking about it being cult like behavior and something you'd see in some creepy old movie, and how these people are so programmed by fear. He was never baptized and left years before me, so I shared with him that I was doing tons of research, and reading a book, "Crisis of Conscience", he said he wanted to see my research, and the book, and present stuff to our family. I told him not to bother, because they are too brain washed by the Borg and my grandma.

27

Cooking Style....

by whyamihere in

jw
friends

what is it that you and your family eat?.

do you have a certain cooking pattern, or ethnic preference?.

when i cook, i make many mexican dishes - such as quesadillas, enchiladas.

bluesbreaker59

Well, I'm sorta an amateur chef... Cooking is one of my great passions. My favorite things are Italian food, and BBQ, and also some of the southern dishes. I've got a great recipe for Cavatelli, Steak Deburgo, and my BBQ baked beans were accepted by Jack Daniels recently to be published in the their BBQ book. I recently got a smoker, and that consumes a lot of my weekend time it seems. I eat lots of pork, a little chicken, and very little beef. Beef is a little too "heavy" for me anymore, seems that every time I eat it, it takes forever to digest. So as much as I love steak, I rarely eat it anymore.