Posts by longgone

65

Thoughts on annual meeting “new light”

by FFGhost in

so, i finally saw the annual meeting video part 2.. this is the one with the “new light” on who might survive armageddon, vs. those who do not.. in summary, for those of you fortunate enough not to have to sit through it, it’s something like this:.

old light: once the “great tribulation” starts, that’s it for non-jws.

the “door of the ark” is closed.

longgone

I was one of the many who spent much of my life preaching. I actually thought I was helping people to have a better life now by ‘applying Bible principles.’

I thought the’ warning work’ was a hurtful way to convince us little publishers that driving around around all day knocking on doors that were “not at homes” a zillion times was important.

I was trying to do what I thought was a good thing for people yet the guilt of I whenI wasn’t out there every minute possible was too much to take.

I won’t go into details on that, but like others it’s just tragic that I followed the rules of the GB for the entire 57 years of my life. I left after learning about their abuse cover ups, among the many other things that cults do.

I'm 65 now and I’m happy much of the time, but definitely not always. It’s a struggle for me to adjust to life outside a cult at this stage in life.

I almost think the governing body now wants the members to stop the ministry to avoid drawing any further attention to the organization and its lawsuits. They’re up to something with all this “new light.” Time will tell. 🤷🏻‍♀️

120

Index of Evidence for Evolution Threads

by cofty in

re-posting this for reference.. #1 protein functional redundancy comparing the sequences of amino acids in ubiquitous proteins confirms the relationship between all living things..

#2 dna functional redundancy comparison of the dna that codes for the amino acids of ubiquitous proteins predicts the tree of life with an astonishing degree of accuracy..

#3 ervs endogenous retroviruses that infected our ancestors are found in the same place of the genome of our closest primate cousins..

longgone

Thank you Crofty for reposting this!

I was just thinking about your research about a week ago, and my thought was “I don’t know where to start.” I’ll bookmark it. Thanks again. :)

43

Research paper on Effects of Shunning

by peacefulpete in

after being around this site for 21 years now, i've heard many recount their stories and feelings.

many times i can immediately relate but other times they seem to have had a very different experience with the church.

i'm sure that is because not only are all of us different in personality, but congregations and family dynamics vary as well.

longgone

I don’t know where to start my comments on this article. I appreciate that you, PeacefulPete noted that it may trigger memories and cause pain.

I thought to myself that I’ve been away from the Kingdom Hall physically for six years now and have come so far in recovering that it wouldn’t have any effect on me.

😳 How wrong I was, I couldn’t even finish it, I was just a mess of crying and devastation. It hurt deeply to read and also feel the pain that others have experienced, as I already knew, but here it was all laid out in professional research.

Limited study or not, I believe it is reflection of what countless former members have experienced. It stirred up my own pain of being abandoned, losing a lifetime of very close friendships in an instant.

I have therapist(s) that are extremely helpful, we’ve been working on this for a long, long time. One helps me with adjusting to life outside of the insular life the organization creates and that I grew up in. I recommend therapy to anyone who is really distressed.

Another with the overall effects of disfellowshippings in my very extended family. Also, the detrimental decisions I made because of the religion. I showed a few sectons of the article to her, not only the effect of the shunning but as an example the odd expressions like “blood guilty’ for not preaching constantly. I had to explain that, she looked shocked at the words and separtely seeing even further the depths of control they had over me and all members.

Active or not. 🫤

I often consider posting here about things I’m struggling with daily, because the support over the years I’ve had here, which has been so, so helpful….but then I would have to think about it. Like now.

Still, today I felt I needed to do so.

I remind myself of the benefits that I have everyday because of leaving that despicable organization. I now have relationships with family members who have also left, each of us recovering from the various form and levels of distress it has had on us. We help each other but for the most part we don’t get into it.

The article itself reinforced that I am far from the only one with this experience and more confirmation of what a truly confusing, illogical and controlling cult it is.

It’s so good to be building a new and more peaceful life little by little and day by day. 👍🏼🌸🍀Thanks for listening.

14

Does anyone else get “triggered” when somebody uses the word “triggered”?

by slimboyfat in

what’s the world coming to?

(i guess this makes me officially an older while male now ).

longgone

I agree with truth_b _known. If something happens that is upsetting or brings back an unpleasant memory, there are countless way to express it other than saying …the annoying word in the title. 😉

22

JW’s and Charity Organizations

by longgone in

i was wondering if anyone is aware of the jw’s in general being involved financially and/or as volunteers in charity organizations?

i was a born in jw for 56 years and left in 2016. as far as i remember there was never any encouragement to help in the community in any way.

including soup kitchens, tutoring at schools, united way, etc.

longgone

I appreciate your responses and they backed up the impression I had. I didn’t remember the direct statements in the literature.

What outright selfishness and greed the governing body displays.

My reason for asking was that I had been inquiring about volunteering at a local chapter of an international charity.

When I did some research online I found that a couple from the last congregation I attended are sponsors and one of them is on the board of directors.

Great that they aren’t following the “rules.” 🙂 I thought it was unusual that they are involved especially to that extent. I would probably cross paths with them although I don’t know how often. Here’s why this matters to me and maybe why I felt the need to express it here.

I wasn’t able to leave the organization with a shred of dignity, when I disassociated there were several very unpleasant situations surrounding it because of some of the elders who were way out of line. Including one who tried to force himself into my home, which was terrifying in itself.

Even the neighbors heard the whole situation, so that was embarrassing as well. They were very supportive and said they’d help if anything further occurred.

One of the elders who was directly involved is a close relative to this couple and no doubt they were aware of the situation.

I doubt they approve of what happened and are possibly embarrassed.

Seeing their pictures in the media brings that extremely difficult time period back to me as if it were yesterday, it’s keeping me awake and causing bad dreams.

I know this is my fault to let it upset me so much but it does. Yet, I don’t see any reason to force myself into the unpleasant situation of volunteering where there will be a constant reminder of the religion just to prove to myself that I can.

Covid restrictions have made volunteering opportunities limited, but I’ll keep looking. I know I’m far from alone in being triggered by the organization even years later and it does somehow help just to express my feelings here. Thank you for your input and support. 🌷✨🧡😎

22

JW’s and Charity Organizations

by longgone in

i was wondering if anyone is aware of the jw’s in general being involved financially and/or as volunteers in charity organizations?

i was a born in jw for 56 years and left in 2016. as far as i remember there was never any encouragement to help in the community in any way.

including soup kitchens, tutoring at schools, united way, etc.

longgone

I was wondering if anyone is aware of the JW’s in general being involved financially and/or as volunteers in charity organizations? I was a born in JW for 56 years and left in 2016. As far as I remember there was never any encouragement to help in the community in any way. Including soup kitchens, tutoring at schools, United Way, etc. Nothing. In fact more of the opposite. “Door to door” was our charity work and that’s it. Until recently, sad to say I have never even known a Witness to do so. If they did, it wasn’t mentioned. I’ve lived in several regions of US, perhaps it’s different in other areas here or other countries. I have a personal reason for asking, I’d like to get some feedback first before saying anything further. Thanks. :)

15

Happy birthday smiddy

by smiddy3 in

a young 81 ,may there be many more.. but feeling about 91 at the present time ..

longgone

I’m with millie210! ❤️ 🎶Happy Birthday Smiddy!! 🎶❤️

32

Old Literature

by RolRod in

jw
friends

what did you do with your jw literature when you left?

kept it, sold it or dumped it?

longgone

I made multiple trips to the dumpster, not just books though. Service bags, “modest” and “appropriate” dresses, skirts, shoes, inexpensive jewelry, everything last item related the religion. Sad to say, my closet was nearly empty as were my book shelves. 🙄🙄🙄

11

Alone

by Youngaposthate in

jw
friends

hey you all, i'm honestly pretty depressed on my own out there.

it's quite terrifying being on your own out there in a lone wolf kinda way.

i'm not sure how much my brain can tolerate this mest up feeling of social abandonment caused by the borg and family.

longgone

You’ve arrived at a great place for support and suggestions from those who have been right where you are today. You’ll feel better soon, just keep at it. I’ve been where you are and the kind people here have literally saved my life and I’m so grateful. I left the jw’s four years ago, since then I’ve experienced so much joy! Yet there have been some dark hours but they pass, they definitely will for you too.

Come here whenever you need to. Keep going forward, even one hour at a time as Pete said. My suggestion would be to read, and then read again any advice that’s helpful in your situation. I did that as well as writing some things down in a notebook. Follow through then. Even if you don’t feel like it, go for that walk, if it’s cold, bundle up. If it’s raining take your umbrella. Hot? Grab your shades and water bottle and head on out! The exercise is good for your body and soul. There’s life in that fresh oxygen. You might pass people along the way, a smile and hello from you can make they’re day and yours! It has for me many times.

Also, if you’re a music lover, listen to the genres that makes you feel energized, here’s one that I think you’ll love, it’s called Fight Song, by Rachel Platten. The Official Video on YouTube is amazing. I promise you’ll feel better. Freedom is worth all effort, you can do this. 💪 ❤️

18

How Will the Quarantined Dubbies React When the "All Clear" Sounds?

by Room 215 in

seriously, i can't help wondering whether their hiatus from meetings and service will alter their post-covid-19 lifestyle once they experience the freedom of life in the absence of the hamster wheel?.

longgone

It might and I sure hope so! I missed a lot of meetings over the course of several months for health reasons. It definitely contributed to my waking up to TTATT. I believe that’s why they hound everyone endlessly to never miss a meeting, never take a job where you would miss even occasionally.

When I attended hit and miss I began to see that multiple things that didn’t seem right. For one it seemed that many in the audience were like in a daze, just listening without hearing. Like automatons . What was being said in the publications...I can’t explain everything it would take too long. I will say that the many doubts I’d had over the years but quickly dismissed, I now allowed myself to actually ponder. Then a family member who had left decades before told me flat out that the Watchtower Society is a cult and covering pedophiles. I was shocked, and started researching for myself. I found Paul Gundy’s site, as well as library books etc. All combined and that was it for me ! Done, and now thankfully, I’m Long Gone.😊

Notice the several cult/mind control tactics above, including repetition of beliefs, thought stopping, and keeping members isolated from the outside world.