Posts by ambersun

29

Have you ever shunned someone and then later regretted it?

by 00DAD in

lately, i've been reading a number of thread lately that deal with this topic.

one particularly poignant experience came from simon.

in simon's story he shares: .

ambersun

My earliest memory of meetings involved being forced to shun a girl of 16 who was sitting all alone struggling to care for a tiny baby. Her father was horrible and was the one who forced me to stay away from her. It was absolutely awful and I still feel upset about it to this day. We were attending the congregation of the man who introduced my father to 'The Truth' which was not local to us, so it was years later when I actually saw that poor girl again. She had been reinstated by then but I don't know what sort of life she had or if she found happiness. Things like that tend to haunt you, don't they .

My second memory is having to shun a friend who was disfellowshipped for smoking. I saw him at a congregation wedding (I think the bride was his sister) and he was just standing outside the entrance to the KH being shunned by everyone. I had to admire his nerve as he just calmly lit up and stood there smoking and staring at everyone going past him with their noses in the air. I tried to pretend I hadn't seen him but I was extremely uncomfortable and felt how evil and wrong it was to treat someone like that.

I vowed I would never treat anyone like that again whoever was watching me, and the next time me and hubby bumped into a disfellowshipped brother in a pub we both went out of our way to go up to him and say how lovely it was to see him and asked him how he was. We spent a couple of happy hours chatting and catching up with each others' news. He told us he had met a lovely woman who he had settled down with and was making a new life for himself. I am so glad we took the time to be kind to him. Me and hubby were both still active JWs at the time, and it felt absolutely great!

25

I don't know if this is already posted

by mouthy in

please for give me if it is.

i just received a call from an ex jw who was df the same time as me.. for not accepting 1914..... she picked up the wt at the library,jan 1st 2013 page 8 they there .

admit they have made errors in the dates they have given.....maybe this is why so many are leaving.. they told us that 1914 born folks would see armegeddon .i was born in 1927...i am 86 in may????.

ambersun

So the WTS are now having to admit that they were wrong about 1914. Surely you are owed a huge apology from them for disfellowshipping you, mouthy! This is disgraceful, especially since you are still being shunned by your family for daring to doubt a belief that is now being proved to be wrong. This makes me so angry

64

I'm new, please come and meet me!

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

long time lurker, first time poster.

i'm really glad i can join your community because i've been in the wts for the last 14 years and now i'm on my way out and it's great to meet like-minded people!.

about me: i started learning jw ways when i was in my teens.

ambersun

Hi Julia, a big welcome to you from England. It's lovely to have you aboard

44

When some of the old time JW's time is up i wonder what they think in their private moments.

by karter in

we had an old time jw pass away recently he lived his entire life lie the new system was going to be here tomorrow.. he was a gillard grad and went on to be missionry in west africa.. came back home when wife got pregent(they eventuly had 3 children) ,sold everything pre 75 to see the system out and pioneer then had to work his butt off to rebuild his finances and put a roof over his familys head.. he retired and became a co till his wifes health could no longer alow it.. he got a treminal illness and i wonder in his quiter moments did he think ....".ive lived my entire life for a dream that never came true".

he's only one of many i see,their lives comming to an end and the new system is no closer than it was when they started.. .

karter..

ambersun

Way back in the '60s I remember an elderly couple of the 'remnant' who had been in the organisation since its early days. They had put off having children when they married in the 1920s in order to devote all their time and efforts into the preaching work in the firm belief that armageddon was imminent and there would be plenty of time to have a family in the New System. They were a lovely couple and would have made wonderful parents. I can remember thinking what a waste it was. They were really kind to me and had a lot of patience for us youngsters, I think they enjoyed being surrogate grandparents. One day when I was visiting them, the elderly brother admitted to me how sad he was that his wife had never had the children she longed for, and still held on desperately to the hope that armageddon would come before they died of old age so there was still a remote chance of fulfilling their dreams of a family. I wonder how they both felt when they drew their last breaths, and to think that was back in the 1960s!

Since then two more generations of elderly JWs have watched their dreams slip away as they die of old age. When I think back to my congregation when I was a teenager, practically everyone of my parents generation who were only in their 30s/40s and full of anticipation, many selling their homes and giving up jobs in order to pioneer during the 'last days' are now dead. My father died in the mid 1980s and my now elderly mother repeatedly says that she can't believe she has lived so long without him (in other words, she can't believe armageddon hasn't come yet). She is still as faithful as ever, attending meetings whenever her health allows and having brothers come to her house with their bible studies and to study the Watchtower there so she can join in, yet I know she is very disappointed the way things have turned out.

My mother in law became extremely bitter in her last years. She continued gong to meetings but she had actually said back in ther 1980s that if armageddon didn't come soon it would be 'the biggest con of the century'. Her exact words! She died in her '90s still attending meetings but her zest for 'the truth' had long gone.

Yet still they carry on, generation after generation of disappointed people wasting their lives chasing that carrot on a stick. When will it ever end

19

The Internet has been a lifesaver for victims of Cults of all sorts .Is it then the beginning of the end for Cults ?

by smiddy in

jw
friends

since the internet has been available to people all over the earth, their has been an explosion of information going out that is unprecedented in the history of the world .. and one , just one of the beneficiaries of this knowedge are victims of cults who can relate to people who have undergone similar experiences and can offer help and encouragement to other victims .and this is done on a global scale .with what we are witnessing on this site with newbies joining on an almost daily basis , i live in hope that the writing is indeed on the wall for cults of all sorts.

do you agree ?.

smiddy.

ambersun

Since the internet has been available to people all over the earth, their has been an explosion of information going out that is unprecedented in the history of the world .

This is exactly what I was discussing with none JW relatives the other day, Smiddy!

These days we only have to google any topic to find a wealth of information that was not available back in the 1960s when my parents were studying. If only they had all this information at their fingertips back then. The research about Russell, Rutherford, not to mention the constantly changing doctrines and how 'old light' is swept under the carpet so to speak.

I have been amazed by what I have read online over the last few years. I think our lives would have taken a very different course if my dad had the internet back then. He used to have an open mind and a thirst for knowledge and in the early days of study he wouldn't have been afraid to look at 'apostate' sites just because someone told him not to. In fact, I feel sure he would have questioned why they felt so threatened by them, because surely the truth could stand up to any scrutiny??!

Also, with support sites such as this, it must be making life much easier for those who have seen the truth about the truth and are trying to fade. If only the internet had been around when we were struggling to leave back in the 1980s. We did not have contact with any other ex JWs and although we had the support of none JW relatives, there was nobody we could turn to for advice who really understood what we were going through.

So yes Smiddy, I for one also feel the writing is on the wall for cults of all sorts.

55

Imagine if the GB called you in for questioning

by nolongerconfused in

what would you tell or ask these group of men if they called you in for a meeting?.

.

ambersun

I would take a STACK of Watchtower and Awakes from the 1960s that directly affected my life and the lives of my peers, by instructing our parents to put pressure on us to forget about higher education or getting a career and just go out knocking doors, because armageddon was coming soooo soon that anything other than full time pioneering was a complete waste of time. No iffs or buts about it. We were told this as FACT and our parents were constantly being told to put pressure on us to do what was expected of us. Whatever they may say, it was NOT a matter of personal choice!!

I would point out to the GB that we are all old aged pensioners now, and armageddon did not come as promised. Therefore, will they please explain to us how they have the audacity to call their organisation "The Truth" as this was quite clearly a blatant, deceiptful lie in order to ensure they had another generation of young willing free labourers peddling their literature at no expense to themselves.

I would also draw their attention to articles in the magazines and recordings of talks during the 1960s and early 70s creating hysteria among the rank and file, resulting in many of them selling their homes and giving up jobs, using the money to live off as they spent 'the remainder of this system' preaching full time. Years later these same families were struggling to cope when the system had not ended and their savings had run out. I knew several of these couples or families personally. Many are now dead.

The GB may say that these brothers were 'running ahead of the organisation' and they were not encouraged to do this, yet the cleverly worded articles and talks aimed at instilling fear and urgency into these vulnerable and brain washed people more than suggest otherwise. The GB of the time knew exactly what was going on yet did nothing to stop it! They must have been laughing all the way to the bank with all that additional free labour.

That would just be for starters

25

Why should this annoy me?

by punkofnice in

long story short.

i left the wbt$ and was forcibly da'd for attending a church.. wifey says she 'chooses' not to talk to me about 'spiritual'(tm) matters.

i told wifey that she didn't 'choose' but was told not to talk to me about such matters by some men in brooklyn.

ambersun

lol at cobaltcupcake . I never ceased to be amazed at some of the stories circulating about me and hubby after we left. One wierd one was that hubby had banned me from going to the meetings, even though it was ME who had stopped going to meetings several months BEFORE HE DID!! I only found out about this little gem of falsehood when I bumped into a sister who looked really concerned and asked if there was any way I could persuade hubby to let me go back!??! I quickly put her straight that he would never stop me if I actually wanted to go, and she looked quite shocked and amazed that I was not being stopped against my will. Very strange! At the end of the day, they all too often believe exactly what they want to believe even if it flies in the face of the actual facts.

62

My apologies to everyone on this board (please read).

by Joliette in

jw
friends

about a month ago, i wrote a post about a sister that keeps coming to my apartment giving me watchtowers.

i called her an older sister.

she is in her late 50's.

ambersun

Joliette you are, indeed, a sweetheart .

I waved goodbye to my 50s a couple of years ago, and although I don't FEEL particularly old, I am under no illusions that I have well and truly joined the ranks of Old Fart whether I like it or not .

Even in my 50s I would have no problem with young people thinking I was ancient, because there was a time when I also used to think anyone over 50 was really old. That's life!!

I am sure we are all touched by your concern, but please don't worry about it.

Take care, love and hugs,

Amber the Ancient

65

Here is the funeral talk outline. VERY discraceful.

by stillstuckcruz in

this is truly terrible.

i just love the statement "instead of eulogizing the deceased, use the material in this outline to give a fine witness concerning the truth.

" in other words, utterly disregard the deceased.

ambersun

My mil was a very interesting, dynamic personality with many interests and talents and she lived life to the full. She was far from being dull or boring and although she had spent most of her life as a faithful JW she still made time for other interests including writing beautiful poetry! The elder who gave her funeral talk was a close friend who had known her for over 40 years and had so many personal memories of times spent in her company both at the meetings and at congregation get togethers that he could have talked for hours about her as a person. But no, he kept strictly to the WT outline, just talking about her devotion to the 'Truth', knocking doors and all the bible studies she had brought into the 'Truth'. Absolutely nothing about her as an individual other than being a wife and mother. Nothing else seemed to be worth mentioning apparently.

It was interesting to note he left out the part about her becoming disillusioned and bitter during her final years as she never thought she was going to grow old and die in this system.

10

What do you think about new jw.org section for children:

by Nebeska Nada in

ambersun

Just watched the video. Oh dear . As if the poor kids haven't got enough to contend with every day. They have already been made to throw away any toys their paranoid parents consider to be 'evil', because they 'make Jehovah sad', they are in fear of their schoolfriends offering them a birthday cupcake, as that will also 'make Jehovah sad', now they are being told to bow their heads and pray about everything they see or do throughout the day!! The poor little mites will be guilt tripped all day long, fretting over not remembering to pray every time they see a butterfly incase they have 'made Jehovah sad' again! I agree with what xanthippie said. It is indeed chilling!!!