It is always hard to lose somebody you love.
So sorry for your loss, LisaRose.
LoisLane
i found out this morning that my brother died last night, he was also an ex jw, 73 years old and died of heart disease and kidney failure.
it was not totally unexpected, as he had been in poor health, but it's a blow, especially as i just lost another brother two years ago.
there were six of us, now only four.
It is always hard to lose somebody you love.
So sorry for your loss, LisaRose.
LoisLane
i know i've started similar topics before but this time i'm serious.
my parents have been constantly pressuring me and after yesterday's watchtower study they asked me if i was going to be baptized this summer... and i said yes.
i probably should have thought about it more before making a final decision, but they're pretty much forcing me to do it anyway.
Oh BlackWolf,
Being a JW, automatically gives you a split personality, and the GB do it on purpose.
We are not supposed to lie: Geoffrey Jackson lied at the Australian Royal Commission.
We are supposed to care about one another: Nope. The GB loves pedophiles and covers up any facts. The child? Who cares.
We are not supposed to get higher education: Any lawyers out there that will come to Beth hell and work for us for free?
We are not to ingest any blood: Blood fractions... Come get yours.
I lived through '1975 is the end of 6,000 years of man's existence': Hmmm, us??? We never said that???
Wanna be an Elder. 'Musn't have looked at porn for the past 2 years. If you say, No, I haven't looked at any porn (and or jacked off) for 2 years, you are now officially in the WT Big Boys Liars Club'.
My suggestion: Kiddo, you need a vacation from the life you have only known. Tell your mom and dad that they are being overly protective. You love them and always will, but back off on this baptism subject.
LoisLane
i know i've started similar topics before but this time i'm serious.
my parents have been constantly pressuring me and after yesterday's watchtower study they asked me if i was going to be baptized this summer... and i said yes.
i probably should have thought about it more before making a final decision, but they're pretty much forcing me to do it anyway.
Oh dear, oh dear, Oh Dear...
Can't you say Jesus was a man of 30 that had all ready been working as a carpenter, when he decided to retire, and become 'The Christ' and that you, frankly, cannot take this pressure that you have been put under?
Can you play... 'You don't love me'. 'You are pushing me into this decision, that you have made for me'.
I am supposed to be a man, but you have treated me as a child. You have home schooled me, and now you think I am really for baptism?
What I need from you:_____________ and______________. (Possible suggestions would be: Love me and help me. Let me know of your unconditional support of love. You are pushing me and it makes me feel_____)
You know that I don't like being pushed to make a decision, and yet that is what you are doing to me. If I don't get baptized this summer are you going to not love me anymore?
I pray to Jehovah and he understands me. Why can you not leave it like that? Are you afraid of what your friends might think? Umm? This is my life. You are putting too much pressure on me. As I stated, Jesus was 30. Please, do not bring this up again.
Then calmly get up and walk to your room, or outside or whatever feels natural. Don't sit around to be questioned. Be the man and end the conversation... and walk away.
Hugs. I know this is so hard for you.
LoisLane
my eyes for ttatt opened in 1995 with the generation change and the wt magazine stated "some witness thought that the generation started in 1914".
since 1997, with internet at low speed, i followed h2o hourglass, www.xjw.com and later on www.jehovahs-witness.net.. did a bachelor and post bachelor since then.. now, nearly completed with fading, i feel it's time to go on with my life and do some other things, spending more time with my wife abd children instead of thinking about jw topics in my head.
goal is being a better person and less grumpy at 45.... everything what could be said is already said.
Awww Gorby, 'Tis that time, is it? You have been a friend I enjoyed sharing the road to freedom with.
All the very best to you and your family.
You will be missed and that is about the best thing a friend can say.
LoisLane
anyone else feel like they were just woke up from a long coma?
or emerged from a time capsule?.
i mean seriously, its rather creepy and disturbing , some of us are at sea without a compass .. like an orphan, like someone said, , heres a birth certificate go find yourself.
Yes, WT outlined how I was to think and how I would live my life, and with who I would spend that time with. Now that, yay, WT real estate and publishing house is out of my life, I realized just this past week... I am lost... and looking for my tribe.
I don't want to keep looking back on my life, but at present, I am not having all that much fun.
One thing I am doing, is trying new recipes that I've wanted to do for ages, but under too much stress, didn't even try. I am enjoying different lamb recipes and trying new Greek, Italian and Turkish dishes. I don't drink booze, but am willing to try putting some summer, fruity cocktails on the list.
My garden had a Japanese theme, this year, I am changing it up to be a Oriential-Persian Garden with flowery perfume. I have got an azaela, blooming right now. It smells so good. It is called Rosy Lights, fragerant, and very hardy. I highly recommend it.
Ever since I was a little girl, I wondered who I was going to marry, to be friends with, to laugh with. When I was about 8, one 20 plus young brother said he was going to wait for me and when I grew up, he was going to marry me. I believed him. He married someone the next year.
I never imagined I would ever live my life solo.
Heading off... Searching for my tribe...
LoisLane
my writing a book about my strange life as a jw.
i need some help.. does anyone remember when they used to get these charts out at the service meetings which had all the hours, "back calls" and bible studies on it?
what did they call that?.
NewBoy/OldBoy,
Are you putting anything in about the piano players because I would like to add what/who we had.
The best was a sister who trained to be a concert pianist. She is 90 now and still a Jdub. The last time I was in her area and wanted to come by and see her, I was not allowed. She did not want to talk to me or see me because (I guess, I never did get the final word) Jehovah does not like divorces and I was going through one. Gee thanks. Let's not be too judgemental, shall we?
The most beautiful piano playing though, was a bro that had mucho talent, played like Liberace, and was of the same persuasion. A lovely, lonely, only child, that found himself a nice plain sister to marry. He was found out and his wife stayed with him and they left the area to parts, still unknown to me. I wish them both much happiness, peace and love.
We too had for a short time a bro who played, I don't know what it was. Kind of weird to my ears. He added notes, maybe it would be called old timer's piano playing. He was from up North, the piano was tuned but he played it out of tune??? Maybe that was just his style? He was also, unfortunately, an alcoholic. His wife was a pioneer. Oldest son left after hgh school and pursued higher education. Yay for him. I exchanged emails with him a few years back. He has had a successful life, retired now, has a motor home and he and his wife take off each winter. His father died a long time ago after his wife divorced him. His mom, who was a regular pioneer for many years, has dementia.
For a while, in one congo I was in, we were between players, so a dear sweet young sister volunteered. She hadn't had many lessons but she could play with one hand and so she did.
One young teenager, did not want to go to the KHall anymore but was not yet 16 so her parents made her go. Her last time playing before she matured into that magic number of 16, she played the song on Thursday night between the ministry school and the service meeting. She played so fast, no one could sing, but her parents got their wish. She was there, she played, then she ran out, never to return to a Jdub meeting again. I called her a few years ago after I heard her dad died. She had reconciled with her parents decades ago, which I knew. She has had a lovely and happy and contented life away from WT. I am so very happy for her.
There was a sister who was partially deaf and played the piano. No comment.
Did you ever attend a meeting where there were no piano players? For a while the only musical players who showed up, was, one had an accordian and the other had a violin. God, I'm getting old.
hi, everybody - i am just briefly calling by.. to those of you in new zealand, i have recently "crossed the ditch", as local vernacular has it!.
this move has been entirely employment driven, and i am working for a power distribution company in the eastern bay of plenty region.. bill.
.
Bungi Bill,
So happy to hear from you and that all is well! Thank you for dropping by and letting us all know.
LoisLane
my writing a book about my strange life as a jw.
i need some help.. does anyone remember when they used to get these charts out at the service meetings which had all the hours, "back calls" and bible studies on it?
what did they call that?.
NewBoy/OldBoy,
Are you going to have a section dealing with the announced from the platform, disfellowshipping's?
Wow. Memories. In our area, in the 1950's and early 1960's there were so many announced. At that time, any disfellowshipping, not just from your KHall, but from the surrounding area, was publicly announced. The congo over from us, had so many DF, that it traumitized me. This was the KHall that across the street from it, had a topless bar. It was usually for adultery.
my writing a book about my strange life as a jw.
i need some help.. does anyone remember when they used to get these charts out at the service meetings which had all the hours, "back calls" and bible studies on it?
what did they call that?.
NewBoy/OldBoy,
Second paragraph, of course. That got pulled out on Thursday night, once a month, during the serve-us recruitment meetings. The Society, needed to know how each congo was doing, in regards to how they were doing with that's months goals in recruiting. Did we measure up? Congo average. National average. If not, why not?
Question: Are you putting in your book about the handed out Test Sheets given to everyone enrolled (and who showed up that night), to test their knowledge of how much they had paid attention to the WT brain washing at the "Theocratic Ministry School"? After 20, 30, or was it 40 minutes of silence, we diligently, all handed our filled in test sheet back in to be graded by the school overseer in charge. The following week, he would hand back the graded sheets. At my KHall there were always the same sisters that scored between 95-100%. They were considered the most spiritual sisters in the congo. Yes, they were great WT recruiters for the JW religion. Through those 1950's and 1960's year time frame, two of those highly spiritual sisters slept around, (not with each other that I know of) and neither one was ever even spoken to by the servants/elders (ummm... wonder who they were sleeping with?), another one hated sex, so her Jdud husband got DF for doing the horizontal cha cha cha, on his wife's Bible study student, another one, actually there were two of them, their house was filthy, but they were at each meeting, with their hand up being called on. Another one was divorced and sex starved. Went on one date with a handsome man who was studying, and yep, they rented a room and she was DF. He did get baptized, she got reinstated, they did get married and had a very happy and successful marriage. One of these highly spiritual sisters with all the right answers on her test sheet, had given birth as an unwed mother, to her only child, at age 15. She has hated and abused her good Jdub daughter, all of her life. This good daughter is retiring soon and moving to be by her mom and help her step father, an elder, who is ill. After over half a century, what do I think of these spiritual sisters that scored so highly on their tests? One was really nice. (One of the above was sleeping with her husband). She is alive and still recruiting for WT.
how in the world did they justify this torture?
imagine the children forced to sit in the summer heat at yankee stadium for 12 hours a day.
for 8 days.
There was a group from our Hall in LA who went on the Eupopean JW Convention Tour in 1955. There it was announced about the 1958 Yankee Stadium & Polo Grounds International Convention to be held, so we had 3 years to get ready. That was the buzz word everyone talked about when together. Are you going? Are you going? Almost everyone from our hall went. Some went by car, others went by train. Other's such as ourselves, flew TWA. Before we left, we needed clothes. We had a children's clothier in our city. What fun it was to pick out so many different dresses at one time and then there were play outfits to pick from too.
After arrival at NYC, when we went to our hotel, at the front desk, my dad took out a pile of fresh, hundred dollar bills to put into the hotel's safe. Each morning he took one and put it in his billfold.
My parents had been to New York City together in 1953, so knew some of the ropes. They told us before we went on the subway to not worry about the pushing and shoving, that if we were parted, to get off at the next station and we would be fine.
One day, after lunch at Yankee Stadium, we climbed up to the very top of the stadium (not the roof, lol, just where the very top farthest away seats were) to see the view. Vertigo. lol We didn't go everyday to the stadium and sit in the sun. There was lots of sight seeing to do. All the usual places. I loved the Staten Island Ferry and going out to the Statue of Liberty. My parents had arranged before hand to meet our best JW friends at the base of the Statue. We were so happy to see them.
I was just a little 9 year old. We were supposed to pay attention. The talks went on and on. American Jdub clapping. lol Somebody (not us! lol) would start and everyone had to clap also. Didn't want to look like you disagreed, did you? lol The Gilead Graduation was a huge deal to see.
The last day, Sunday, the grand finale of the 8 spiritual feast days, barf, my dad and I stood and walked around the Polo Grounds outside. We were zombified. lol Could not listen to those loud speakers telling us about the coming Big A, didn't want to hear anymore recruitment experiences, or how soon we could be petting our own zoo full of animals (no one has ever mentioned who is the designated poop scooper and cleaner upper or who has taken specialized zoo care) (We all know now, it is all fantasy thinking anyway).
We had a wonderful trip.
LoisLane