Posts by life is to short

49

Hello and my exit story from WTS

by free2Bme13 in

i thought it was fitting for me to share my freedom from the witnesses story on independence day weekend.. i dont have any secret info, just experiences that happened to me and started to open my eyes.. i was a third generation, raised in the truth kid who was never supposed to be born, and then never supposed to graduate high school.

ive now been out of high school longer than i was in school.. the beginning of the end started a little less than a decade ago.

i was late 20s at the time.

life is to short

Welcome I loved how you related your story. When you wrote this part "When I went home that evening and told my husband he looked at me with a disbelieving look and was convinced I made it up. What elder would ever say such things from the platform? But I am not that creative; I couldn't make that stuff up if I tried. "

It reminded me so much of what went on between my husband and myself. When I got married he was an elder and 17 years older then I was. My parents were strange so the elders never really gave me the time of day and I was never in the in crowd but I truly believed it was the truth with all my heart. I thought that once I was an elder's wife I would fit in but it never happened. I would tell my husband what was happening to me and he would say he just could not believe it. I was being bullied by the other pioneer sisters in the car groups and my husband would always tell me I had to be making it all up that would never happen.

Your experience of the CO yelling at you during pioneer school was the same thing that happened to me expect I was chicken to raise my hand and answer the question because in my class there were 5 long time elders and none of them knew the answer the CO just call on them and put them on the spot, so I thought that I had to be wrong and would not raise my hand. I went up to the CO during the break and asked him if I had the right answer and he just about spit in my face with anger telling me that if I would not raise my hand I had no right to come up to him now I would know the answer when class resumed. I was right and the CO just glared at me. He was such a jerk and I was just appalled that a CO could be so horrible. When I was single none of the CO's would give me the time of day so I never knew how argent and rude they could be. I thought they were appointed by Holy Spirit. How wrong was I?

Just welcome to the board gald your husband is out with you, mine is still in and it is so hard.

LITS

41

Hi! I'm new here.

by abbasgreta in

jw
friends

i have so enjoyed all your threads and input this last year!

i really feel like i know you all.

very briefly, all four of us left da troof exactly one year ago and dissed ourselves within days.

life is to short

Welcome

LITS

20

New Job

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

hey everyone.

so i left the old company behind, the one that wasn't paying me.

they still owe me a little bit of money but have them on record and signed documentation that i'll receive payment by the close of this month.

life is to short

I am so glad. I suffer depression also and it is so hard, I could so totally relate to you when you were going through your problems. Being around a negative environment such as a work place or being around people who dislike you and for me that was at the KH and out in field service pioneering put me in such a dark place. You must have people around you and in your life who at the best treat you like a human who has a right to breathe air to go as far to actually like you. I know for me sitting in a car group with other JW's who made it clear that they hated me and then going to a job with people who disliked me because of my religion was what really caused my illness. I am so glad you got out of that job and that toxic environment, no amount of money is worth it.

I am just so happy for you to be over the deep part of the depression. You seem like such a great person and it broke my heart to read how sad you were I am so glad that things are turing around for you and I am truly sending good thoughts toward you that the new job goes well.

LITS

34

Jehovahs Witnesses and the Curse of Music.

by donny in

jehovahs witnesses and the curse of music.. .

i was inspired to write this after listening to a recent podcast of the thinking atheist by seth andrews.

as many of you know, seth was a devout christian who not only loved contemporary christian music but was one of the hosts of a popular morning show on kxoj in tulsa, oklahoma in the 1990s.

life is to short

I will never forget the elder who when I had him and his wife over for dinner went through my record's and when he found out I had Prince's 1999 song went through the roof and told me I had to get rid of it. That was before Prince became a JW. I wonder what he would say now about 'Brother Prince.'

Also this same elder we were on coffee break and this song came on about a guy who used to live with this woman and he ran into her latter on the song says that "I did not recognize her face at first." This elder said to our car group that he really liked that song. Now this elder was in his mid 30's and I was just 18 years old and never talked back to elders but I just could not stop myself and I dogged him. I am like 'yha Prince is bad but a song about a man who lives with a women and years latter he runs into her and he dose not even recognize her is OK.' I said 'I guess he never really looked at her face all those years he lived with her.' Man was that elder mad at me.

LITS

19

Dog attack victim recovering, back to Jehovah's Witness ministry work ahead of upcoming convention

by Watchtower-Free in

jw
friends

http://www.tulsaworld.com/article.aspx/dog_attack_victim_recovering_back_to_jehovahs_witness/20130629_11_a1_cutlin782235?subj=1.

by bill sherman world religion writer on jun 29, 2013. .

beverly wright walked with a cane, slowly, avoiding uneven ground on wednesday morning as she went door-to-door on north delaware avenue inviting people to an upcoming jehovah's witnesses convention.. a week ago she had what she hopes will be her last of five skin grafts to repair wounds she received march 19 when a pit bull mauled her so badly that doctors told her she might lose her leg.. wright, 43, could have escaped injury that tuesday morning when an 80-pound pit bull burst through the front door of a house in the 200 block of n. lewis place and attacked her ministry companion and longtime friend, irene parker, 78.. but it never occurred to her not to help her friend.. both women were severely injured in the attack.

life is to short

I was mocked and put down so many times because I was afraid of dogs in service. I have been told I did not have enough faith in Jehovah, that I was allowing my fear to stand in the way of helping people get life,etc, you name it I have been told it. One time I was with a group of sisters and I knew this home had a really bad dog there I was told by the sister driving the car she would not move the car until I got out and took my turn at the door and being the dog was not out that day it was clear that I was just did not want to go to the door. I finally got out of the car and was walking toward the house when the dog came out from behind the home I barley made it back to the car with all the women I hate calling them sisters laughing their heads off at me for running back.

I have been bitten six or seven times once my husband even told me that Jehovah allowed me to be bitten so the home owner would listen. It is truly a insane religion.

LITS

17

The Pioneer Wife

by Rattigan350 in

jw
friends

the pioneer wife:.

in public -.

she is active in service,.

life is to short

Rattigan

I am sorry if I came off strong as I totally get what you are saying. My husband was like your wife. He has always felt you can never get ahead in this system so why try just wait on Jehovah to pick up what you need. Crazy thinking in my book thus it was why I worked 30 to 35 hours a week. We fought over that also because my husband felt I was jumping ahead of Jehovah if we just lived on nothing then Jehovah would have paid the rent for us and stuff we needed, I was just not giving Jehovah enough time.

I have never felt that way, I think it is stupid and rude to not work, I have never taken and I hope I never have to but most of the pioneers I know did, so I get what you are saying in your post. Most pioneers I knew would take government help in a heart beat. It is just wrong in my way of thinking to take when you are able to work just to pioneer but then again I have been told over and over by my husband and a lot of JW's that my thinking is skewed.

LITS

17

The Pioneer Wife

by Rattigan350 in

jw
friends

the pioneer wife:.

in public -.

she is active in service,.

life is to short

When I was the pioneer wife, I had to put in 90 hours of service plus work 30 to 35 hours a week to support the pioneer service, plus pick up every morning along with my pioneer husband a pioneer wife who lived a mile down the road from us. This pioneer wife did not work and did not give us a dime to help with the car gas.

On top of the 90 hours a month in service and 30 to 35 hours a week of work I also had to clean the car, clean our home every Tuesday and make goodies for book study, I than had to get up early Wednesday morning to re-clean our home from having book study.

I had no say in how our car was used just driving around aimless wasting gas that I worked for because after all I was just a stupid women and needed to be in submission to my elder husband. I also had to watch as my husband dropped me off for work and went ALONE with pioneer wife neighbor to spend the afternoon helping her get her time in. When I needed help getting my time I had no one to help me even through I had a pioneer husband because he was then too busy helping others in the hall who needed an elder.

When I was a pioneer wife I got to listen to the other pioneer wives talk about going out to the movies, out to dinners, having date nights, having fun, buying new cloths, etc while I was lucky to find the time to go to the Goodwill to get mine because my money was spent on gas and car repairs for field service. I also got to watch another pioneer couple buy a brand new car and park it a block away from the hall so as to not get door dings on it and then I got the privilege of having this couple ride in my car for free and use even more of my gas again not giving me a dime to help with the gas we were using. I also got to listen to the other pioneer wives WHO DID NOT WORK say how tired they were and how they just could not wait to get home to veg out while I was dropped off for work. I got to put 30,000 miles on my car a year.

So not all pioneer wives have it easy.

LITS

4

In todays paper the Mormons have even admitted DTD is not the most effective way to reach people.

by life is to short in

there was an short article in my local paper today that started out with "mormons expand use of technology".

i am horrible at scanning so i will quote some of the article, it said "the common images of mormon missionaries has long been two young men wearing white shirts and ties walking through neighborhoods, knocking door-to-door.

but in a few years, that image may be replaced by one of young mormons sitting with an ipad, typing messages on facebook.

life is to short

There was an short article in my local paper today that started out with "Mormons expand use of technology"

I am horrible at scanning so I will quote some of the article, it said "The common images of Mormon missionaries has long been two young men wearing white shirts and ties walking through neighborhoods, knocking door-to-door. But in a few years, that image may be replaced by one of young Mormons sitting with an iPad, typing messages on Facebook. Recognizing the world has changed, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Sunday night that missionaries will do less door-to-door proselytizing and instead use the Internet to recruit new members. The shift reflects the growing importance of social media and people's preference to connect online rather than open their homes to strangers, church leaders said. "The way in which we fulfill our responsibilities to share the gospel must adapt to a changing world" said Elder L. Tom Perry of the quorum of the Twelve apostles. The move is the latest example of the LDS church's gradual embrace of the digital age, and recognition that the door -to-door proselytizing is not the way to expand membership, church scholars said. Previously, Internet use for missionaries was limited to once a week and only for communicating with friends and family back home or assessing official church sites."

So I wonder if and when the GB will wake up to what a waste the DTD is. I doubt they will ever because the DTD work keeps every one busy, busy, busy doing nothing but wasting time and money burning gas as they drive around senselessly. Also if they ever started to really use the Internet and the JW's came across this sight or JW facts or JW survey which would be so easy to do they would quickly learn the TTATT and the GB just could not have it. So I truly doubt they will ever get rid of DTD as it has served them so well keeping everyone way to busy.

LITS

127

Anyone else an Ex Bethel "volunteer"

by BackseatDevil in

i was wondering if there were any other ex-bethelites on here.

i personally regularly went for temporary work at brooklyn then was assigned to the farm for a year and a half.

it was... one of the most bizaare experiences of my life.. so i wrote it all down (finally, after some 15 years) so i won't bore anyone on here with the details of the story - because bethel doesn't show up until chapter 15... and for you straight folks, it gets a bit gay in two places... but nothing gross.

life is to short

Brooklyn 1991-1994

27

A Positive Comment About The Witnesses

by minimus in

jw
friends

my mom is 87, in a few weeks.

she's been ill for many years.

she's been in the hospital in the last week and is now in rehab.

life is to short

"Seriously, individuals can be good people. Don't credit WTS for improving in how they treat the elderly."

On the way out you hit the nail totally on the head with this statement. From what I have seen in my long life as a JW the only way they take care of the elderly or sick is if there is any money involved. In fact when I was an elders wife got into huge trouble because I was 'too kind to a sister who had just lost her husband due to cancer.' I was talked to by one of the elders and told I was doing to much for her because I took her to Costco when I went, I kid you not. I have gotten into trouble or have been talked to about almost anytime I tried to help someone. Also when my husband who was an elder at the time had his heart attack at the KH NO ONE and I MEAN NO ONE offered me any help at all. I drove my husband alone to the hospital, only one couple came up to the hospital that night, I got no phone calls the next day, he got no visits at the hospital himself that time durning his second heart attack he did get a few more vists. There was even a sister who even worked at the hospital and she herself never even to come up to say hi and all she had to do was take an elevator up five floors but it was too much for her I guess, he was in the hospital for three days that time. Yet the elders had him up conducting the school the next week, just seven days after he had his heart attack, going against the advice of his doctor. I was so mad but my husband said no one else would conduct even through he asked so he was back because as my husband felt that Jehovah needed him. (Oh please!) I have been in many halls including when I was at Bethel and in all the halls I have never seen anyone who cares expect as OTWO said that there were some just truly good and kind people and they were almost always shut done as soon as the elders found out, they were told they could use their time more wisely by going out in service.

So minus I am glad you see good in the JW's with your mom but I turly think you are the exception rather than the rule.

LITS