Posts by SummerAngel

6

Support groups to assist individuals to leave high control groups such as Jehovah's witnesses

by UnshackleTheChains in

just watched ' one of us' on netflix about individuals who are trying to leave the hasidic orthodox jewish faith group (a high control group within judaism).. i found it interesting as those who rebel or leave are virtually ostracized from their community.

the documentary is an eye opener into their highly insular community.

one of the things i thought interesting is that there is a support group called footsteps to help hasidic jews wanting to leave the strict insular way of life so that they can move on with their lives.. this got me thinking.

SummerAngel

Reahout Trust in UK is Chriatrian based but has volunteers who will support people wanting to leave cults particularly JWs. They only suport those who want to leave. Obviously theyre support is from a Christian perspective but they are not about recruiting for Christianity they are about suporting people to leave a unbiblical high control cult. Me and Mr angel are violunteers.

My only issue is volunteers arent trained counsellors and i think if you are going to offer support in something as complex as leaving a cult that you should be. I am training now with a view to specializing in this later.

Ive been out aprox 30 years and i didnt even know there was an ex JW community until 2 years ago.

39

Kingdom Halls sold.

by zeb in

jw
friends

please list kh that you know of that have been sold..

SummerAngel

Osmond Rd Brighton UK

43

Did You Ever Luke ANY Songs From The “Songbook “?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i went on line looking for old jw songs and some of them were pretty good and some were just awful!.

did you ever like any of those songs?

.

SummerAngel

Quite a few were blatant hymn rip offs, can't give examples been out too long. Pink songbook was better more recent have been awful. I also hate the way there is only 1 wedding song so you're stuck with it typical Borg 1 size fits all.

33

Why do so many that leave wind up coming back?!

by nowwhat? in

i have seen so many that have left.

and their life turned into a dumpster fire.

most do not live the average life of living in suburbs, raising a family.

SummerAngel

I think many flit in and out for a while before jumping not sure how many return permanently. I think the WT does everything possible to prevent you getting a sense of real "world" life. Its all very much like the film 'the village" .

In terms of why when people leave they would appear to hit the skids I think its 2 main things- firstly you only tend to hear of the bad cases not the ones who just go on to lead normal lives as there's nothing interesting about those. But secondly something not yet raised I think I'd that JWs are brought up with at best skewed more likely no internal moral compass. Absolutely every decision is arrived at and evaluated via JW glasses. Even the most basic societal things- death of a loved one for example _ reaction is are they a JW if not well God would have destroyed them anyway, this just isn't normal. Every decision whether its clothing, sex, entertainment is led by what the organization finds acceptable. A person never learns by their mistakes or their successes in fact learning through life is something to be discouraged and feared.

Put this together with a warped perception of what worldly people do, drink smoke take drugs and shag as many people as possible its a recipe for failure, then when it all goes wrong it just goes to show the WT was right and God is punishing your sin rather than accepting consequences for actions just as we all have to.

133

What Is The Most Ridiculous Thing You Have Heard From A Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i remember an elder questioning a woman who had admitted to giving and receiving oral sex from her unbelieving mate.

he asked her the most intimate questions which clearly flustered her.

interestingly, she “confessed “ to the elders because her conscience bothered her.

SummerAngel

The stuff that wouldn't burn story was circulating in SE UK too when I was a kid. There was another one about a girl who was strangled by her nightie due to demons.

We can scarevthe s***t out of our kids with this nonsense but can't let them play with fairies, unicorns or read Barry Trotter , absolutely ridiculous.

133

What Is The Most Ridiculous Thing You Have Heard From A Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i remember an elder questioning a woman who had admitted to giving and receiving oral sex from her unbelieving mate.

he asked her the most intimate questions which clearly flustered her.

interestingly, she “confessed “ to the elders because her conscience bothered her.

SummerAngel

Gatherings of more than 2 are a party and therefore banned.

dressing your son in bright colours like red will turn him gay

twickenham assembly 1974 ‘brothers and sisters next Autumn amegedon will be upon us’

i have also been accused of being ‘demonised’ for disagreeing with my brother who then attempted to break my arm.

oh and the perenial favourite subliminal messages from the devil on records if you play them backwards

133

What Is The Most Ridiculous Thing You Have Heard From A Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i remember an elder questioning a woman who had admitted to giving and receiving oral sex from her unbelieving mate.

he asked her the most intimate questions which clearly flustered her.

interestingly, she “confessed “ to the elders because her conscience bothered her.

SummerAngel

So many where to start;

Wasn't there some fan stories about smurf toys coming alive at Assembly's and running off because they were demonized.? I remember a thread or 2 on that.

My mother now mid 70s as a child was told her mother darnt buy a new winter coat because armegedon would be here.

As a 7 year old being told I couldn't do/ have the following a key on a string round my neck ( yep we were latch key kids) or a skirt with a split because people might think I wasa prostitute. Also ankle bracelets were what the temple prostitutes wore so we couldn't have them. There was and probably still is a very unhealthy obsession of things sexual and openly discussing around kids.

Telling your kids about Santa is lying to them and will damage them forever when they find out you've been lying.

Demons can exist in any second hand item, dad having to take an antique table to the tip because mum was convinced it was possessed as she felt 'odd' around it.

40

After leaving the JWs - Has anyone stayed with Christianity?

by rulehayl in

i recently made the decision to stop studying with my study conductor, due to a situation i found myself in that led to a high possibility of my unbaptized publisher "rights" being taken away from me.

i have since told my study conductor i have joined a new church (to which she dropped me like a hot rock, of course).... last time i posted on here, i was progressing nicely towards baptism, and was well into it.anyhoo, i like my new church, very hillsong-esqe.

so just wondering if anyone else has stayed the course of christianity after leaving the jws, and if so - where did you go?

SummerAngel

I went into Christian church about 3 years after being de dubbed. I've been Christian over 25 yes and worshipped at a huge range of churches from bells and smells to wild and woolly.

I still have trust issues and def control issues I've learnt that the fault lies with how people interpret their faith not the belief itself. I run a mile from anything controlling eg new frontiers and I'm not religious I just have a faith.

I think sometimes when ex jws run down churches its because they still hold the views of Christianity that the WT gives them I wonder how many people have actually tried it. I also think that the WT teaches the misguided view that each church holds a different belief so how do you choose, its the old uniformity does not mean together. Very few Christian churches claim to have exclusive truth if they do then avoid. Most whether baptist, Anglican, free etc would regard themselves as Christian with the same gospel.

There are good and bad in all denominations and its free choice at the end of the dsy

96

Oh Boy! Beards are "stumbling blocks" again ... from Stephen Lett

by freddo in

jw
friends

so this week's midweek meeting video about stumbling others has lett spouting and gurning rubbish again.. if you can't take the whole 9 minutes go from 5:50 to get the context and 6:45 for the "beard" mention.. https://youtu.be/ezv1ici5cwo.

oh, well - at least they shoot themselves in the foot with this doublespeak.

single.

SummerAngel

What makes me stumble is lounge suits and bad 80s fashions

33

Can anyone name a single incident when bethel has fed the poor ever ?

by Chook in

charity is lacking from the house of god.

i remember reading once about some young pioneer sisters who needed emergency accommodation and where turn away from brooklyn because they weren’t special pioneers.

charity begins at home..

SummerAngel

If you encourage the R&F to give all their cash to those in need they won't have any spare to give to WT. Its not rocket science.

Didn't Jesus say ' as much as you've ( fed/clothed) my little ones you've done it for me'.

On a similar but slightly tangential point. They don't even provide a hot drink free or otherwise at the circuit assemblies in UK which I think is disgusting yet those in don't care.