Posts by whataburger

19

My Story

by Crank!!! in

jw
friends

my story starts off the same way a lot of yours did, i was born into the jw cult in 1986. my mother got kicked out of her house for studying with her older sister when she was 15. my dad was also born into the jw world.

my mom and dad got divorced when i was 5 (my mother had scriptual grounds) so she raised my younger sister, brother and i mostly by herself.

because of her beliefs she adamantly did not want us having any worldly influences, so she chose to home school all of us.

whataburger

Get completely out now and never look back. Never mention it, just bury it. Vent when you have to here, but don't ruin the rest of your life by telling people you were a JW.

Find something you are interested in and start reading about it - go to a community college and get an education - BOTH OF YOU.

In a few years you will look back and realize this was a transformational moment in your life. When my first was born, I realized I did not want my kids going through what I did.

And when your kid turns one, by all means, have a birthday party.

..WB

27

Smurf Rumors - 2 Questions

by A question in

jw
friends

as the board no doubt knows, there was some sort of rumor in the early 1980s going around amongst the witnesses that a smurf doll came to life in the kingdom hall, or that smurfs were demonic.. 2 questions:.

1. do any not remember any such rumors though they were witnesses at the time?.

2. of those who do, did all the witnesses believe them, or otherwise, what proportion rejected the rumor as nonsense?.

whataburger

At the time, everyone I know (in the Truth) believed it.

I think it is a negative validation of the incredulous message being sold by the WTBS. If you can believe the GB is a spirit directed group of old codgers, then you have to believe in the devil and cast down demons, and all of the Watchtower propoganda about rock albums and rated R movies being the vehicle of evil assimilation of the youth.

Believe, beyond a doubt, in the walking talking demonic smurf doll, and your lifelong trust in the GB is suddenly validated, and all those nagging thoughts are dismissed because, well, damnit - that doll got up and walked and turned around and winked at the brothers on the way to the restroom in the back.

15

Is drinking distilled water dangerous?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

some say yes and some say no.

i am confused.

.

whataburger

Water seeks an equilibrium. If you take the minerals out, and then drink it, it will leech the minerals out of your digestive track - which means what little minerals you ingest during the day will leave your body dissolved in your urine and not your bloodstream where they are needed. Do this long enough and you will alter the mineral content of your body, and probably the blood, which reaches everywhere.

People want to drink distilled water because they think it is pure and clean, but the reality is that we need water in it's natural state.

Buy a Brita water filter, it traps all of the bad organics (charcoal does a nice job of trapping organic molecules and atoms) and leaves you with balanced water. Those organics and other stuff were never supposed to be in the water, but minerals were.

21

Celebrating birthday: ground for disfellowshipping?

by behemot in

jw
friends

a friend of mine (inactive) is being threatened with a judicial committee because he took his children to schoolmates' birthdays and because he celebrated his wife's birthday.. do you know if celebrating birthday is sufficient ground for setting a judicial committee?.

the ks2010 does not mention birthdays specifically, and i feel like it would be quite a stretch to make it fall under the "apostasy" category (subcategory "celebrating false religion holidays" or "idolatry").. what do you think?.

whataburger

Imagine the elders faces during an judicial meeting when you ask if celebrating a birthday is on the same level as child sexual abuse?

Oooops. Someone must have made a bound copy!

56

If you could ask one question to an active JW to get them to open their mind about their beliefs, what would it be?

by Franklin Massey in

jw
friends

this question was posed to me by a poster named ice cream.

i don't know my answer yet.

it's one of those, "if you could have just one wish.." kind of questions.

whataburger

I recently asked someone I have known in the Truth for twenty years what he thought about the Generation change and what effect it has on how some witnesses are always claiming the end is near. In fact, this question was in response to an email he sent me about thinking the end was tomorrow, or the next day.

I reminded him of how we used to go door to door in the early 90's and proclaim the message of 1914.

He responded with a jaw dropper:

"Even if the GB knew the end was going to be 20, 30 or more years from now (and then), look what the "little lie" did, it kept us strong in the faith all of this time. Would you have stuck with it if you knew it was 50 years away? No, you would have done your own thing. By thinking Armageddon was just around the corner, it keeps up focused."

So you know what this means? This means there are many, many JW's walking around out there that are influential in the organization - thinking that it is ok to lie to the rank and file if it helps keep them in line.

Someone posted earlier that he was shocked how consistent the knowledge and responses are from the typical JW - that responses are often verbatim from person to person, up and down in the organization. If this is true, then this friend of mine has the same attitude that the elders do, that the CO's and DO's do - right up to the Governing Body.

So how do you get to a person like that? Someone that knows the GB doesn't have it right?

I think you do what we were told years ago when we went out in service and felt unsuccessful: You plant seeds.

And then you come back to water them - but not drown them.

Some of the seeds will die, never sprouting - but some will grow and become trees, mighty trees of truth that would have never been had you not planted the seed.

That same line of reasoning says you don't pour it on too thick at once, let them process the doubts. I know they try to block it out of their heads, I did - many times - but the nagging questions kept coming back up in my head. I started wondering WHAT IF? What if the elders are wrong? What if the WTBS is wrong?

But what do you do when you realize you have given up having a career, having children, all because you followed the religion of your parents all the way down the rabbit hole and discovered it was all a lie.

I guess that is why so many don't want to see the real truth.

The truth hurts.

94

Verifiable Former Bethelite Willing to Answer questions

by Uzzah in

jw
friends

i am a former active poster here, former elder, former bethelite and pretty much known by people on the xjw boards since the mid 90's.

gawd that makes me sound old.. i notice that a great deal of uproar is being made by allegations of a hide in the closet alleged bethelite.

to counter the damage caused by this claim, i am happy to address any questions people may have about bethel, protocol, etc.. i was at the canada branch for 11 years, worked in multiple areas including the legal department, service desk and writing dept.

whataburger

Uzzah removed all doubt about this hoax. The guy in the closet is seeking attention and is not credible.

Coming out of a religion like this makes you question everything you have ever known, everything your parents have ever known. It's like trying to explain to your family that up is down and down is up. The process can break you down, mentally, even if just for a short moment. I think the Bethel Closet guy is having one of those moments.

The change of this religion is coming, but it will be slow. Anyone hoping for sweeping, drastic, overnight changes will be dissappointed. This isn't a presidential election, it is a society.

9

Arizona shooter possible cult connection???

by WingCommander in

jw
friends

i was just reading an article about the arizona shooter on abcnews.com and several red flag moments popped up for me.

here is a direct link to the article, page 2 specifically:.

http://abcnews.go.com/us/jared-lee-loughner-family-portrait-isolation/story?id=12587114&page=2.

whataburger

I see your points, but I would like to point out that every time something bad happens anywhere in the world, someone posts on here that they are sure there is a JW connection.

I was born into, and raised in this religion. I have since learned it is all a joke, and not a very funny one. I stated this so that you can understand how upset I am about the WTBS and the friends and family that are ensared in this trap.

But it makes me laugh whenever I see a post like this. Whenever a bad event happens somewhere in the world, its like a timer starts ticking before someone posts here about a possible connection to the JW's.

77

I told my daughter I was leaving "the truth" this weekend.

by whathappened in

jw
friends

last week, i told you i was going to tell my daughter that i was leaving the truth this weekend and you all gave me sound advice.

but, i cannot keep a secret this heavy from the person i love most on this earth, my only daughter, who is beautiful inside and out.. well, i have always had an open and honest relationship with my daughter, and i guess it paid off.

this weekend i visited my daughter (who lives in another state) and i told her i was leaving "the truth.

whataburger

Great idea - a binder full of WTBS material that proves your points. No mention of cults or sects. You should scan this binder in and make a PDF document that others can use. Sell it on Amazon.com for the Kindle.

Two points I would like to make:

1. This scenario is playing out all over the country, in home after home. Time marches on, and so does the truth.

2. I especially appreciate that you did this in a positive way. I first stumbled upon this community in the 90's, but it was so bitter and negative that I was turned off by it - people like Tom Talley who were so negative that I think I decided it would be better to stay positive and just go through the motions then to side with the negative people. The mood has changed and there are many good people in this group now - three cheers for keeping it positive.

30

JW MIL having surgery - Elders there are the "blood nazis"

by Robert7 in

jw
friends

so my jw mother-in-law is having some rather major abdominal surgery today.

given the type of surgery, there is a chance that the blood issue may come up, where in worst case if there's a loss of blood she may need a transfusion.. so in the waiting room for the entire 3 1/2 hour surgery are two elders.

these guys don't know my mil that well, and they are not there to support her... when it comes down to it:.

whataburger

Clarification - the "Brothers" do not know for sure a transfusion occured. Consider it, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".

People can put two and two together, which I am sure they are at least suspicious. I could care less if they DF'd me, but my mother is elderly and her and my Dad need a faith to cling on to - and that crazy feeling you get when you let go and believe can be powerful and comforting.

However, if they ask too many questions - or ask for a meeting of some sort, a lawyer will be present. And I have read the new book, and I know what events that will trigger. If at all else, I will tell my mother to lie - and that she will actually be lying to protect them, because it is them that need to lie.

It must be tough to be an Elder and instruct people to watch their loved ones die.

Not me, I choose life.

Don't get me wrong, I love so much about that faith, and the people in it. But then there are the people I don't care for, much. A few posts back someone claimed that being a witness hones your "people reading skills". I can attest to that. I can read people quick, especially in person. Something about my personality makes them back off and leave me alone, even though I am a nice guy. Like I said, some people think I am crazy, others know I am. But I am a functional crazy, left in shambles after realizing that everything I ever thought was true, was not. It only took Wikipedia to bring me to the surface, Wikipedia and my own ability to reason and investigate. And the realization that I could not trust these elders to tell me the right thing, caused me to pay attention to the slightest twitch, the glance away. It's like a drug addict once told me, never trust a junkie. The truth is their drug, and if they ever completely wake up then they have to face the fact that it was all a lie, every since Rutherford put his personal agenda on our heads. These elders have lied to themselves, to us, to their families. AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO WAKE UP.

1914 was real to me. I still, to this day, cannot get that concept out of my mind. I can still hear the elder's wives with their heartfelt, yet scripted answers to the Watchtower questions - "And we know that before the generation that saw 1914 passes, this system of things will end..." It played out over and over, in hall after all - we all counted the years like bean counters. How could it be 1993? 1994? And how somber was New Years Day, 1995?

About as somber as 2011.

I hold out for the best, that our organization will change and adapt and grow strong again on the backs of the great people who will flock back and forgive - just stop the lies. Let's acknowledge we were wrong, we were duped. CT Russell never claimed to be inspired by God, he just liked the words in the Bible.

So why do we think these men in Brooklyn (or wherever) are insipired.

Questions make the walls fall down.

Questions, like, what do you mean insipired?

Do you mean trance like meditation with sudden clarity? Autonomous writing? Smoking peyote? Or is the Holy Spirit part of the qourum, bringing wisdom with the reading of the minutes as an unseen force that guides their thoughts. To me, any of that would be a miracle, and we don't have miracles anymore, do we?

Don't get me started, I have so many stories.

It's all been an explotation.

But at least the girls were nice.

...WB

30

JW MIL having surgery - Elders there are the "blood nazis"

by Robert7 in

jw
friends

so my jw mother-in-law is having some rather major abdominal surgery today.

given the type of surgery, there is a chance that the blood issue may come up, where in worst case if there's a loss of blood she may need a transfusion.. so in the waiting room for the entire 3 1/2 hour surgery are two elders.

these guys don't know my mil that well, and they are not there to support her... when it comes down to it:.

whataburger

Robert,

I went through this in recent history. My mom has been a JW for most of her adult life, along with my father. They raised me in the truth, but as a teen they faded a bit and then came back strong in my early 20's. Because I married a girl in the truth, I was strong until my mid 20's when I began to fade hard and fast. And while I continue to have friends and family in the truth, I have transformed into a person, who - beyond a doubt, knows this is hogwash.

So when my mother was in ICU, and the nurses told me she would not make it through the night without a transfusion - I learned all the "alternative treatments" were nearly useless when you get down to a certain level.

I talked my Dad into going home for a while, to get some rest. He is old and suffers from his own ailments, I told him I would stay the night but that I needed him there for me in the morning so I could rest.

After he left I explained to my mom that when the Bible authors wrote abstain from blood - they were talking about the pagan cow worshippers that were drinking blood and dying from it. Those authors never envisioned a day when blood would be transfused and lives would be saved. And then I told her how the Society has known this for a long time, but if they were to reverse their position they would leave themselves open for a flood of wrongful death lawsuits.

And I told her that Jehovah wants her to live, to help her grandkids and continue being a good example for this family. I couldn't stop crying, and I am not a soft man.

And somehow, something I said took root. And she said ok, and the nurse came in and we filled out all the paper work and I had them remove any hint of the word "Jehovah's Witness" from her paperwork, because I told mom that when they see that, they see "GIVE UP". And that night she had a transfusion, and she lived.

And slowly my father understood what happened, and she told him my reasoning. And while they hated to admit it, they realized I was right.

And her sister, a another lifer, is suspicious, and elders showed up the next day - and I explained to them with tears in my eyes and my fists balled up at my side in a subtle, non-threatening way, that this was a family matter and they were not welcome here.

And maybe it's because I am known to be possibly crazy, like my father, that they have left us alone.

And if they ever try to DF my elderly mother, I will threaten a lawsuit and call a lawyer because it would devastate my mother and there is no need for her to ho through that.

So, stay strong and do not be afraid to say what you need to say, just be smart about it - and discrete. Have faith that God will help you with the means and methods.

...WB