what you are about to read i've never told anyone before.. why?
because it is mysterious.. mostly because it is a bit like the corner of your eye.
you see movement there but you won't be reciting any eye chart letters.what you read next is sort of like that.i don't like to be vague.
I've read books were I had to skip parts because I feel like the person writing, is lost and I am reading a nightmare of theirs. Like they couldn't put into words what they wanted to say so it was incomplete.
Maybe that is why you have a hard time reading it. You feel like you are caught in a dream?
yesterday, i had my sister come over to tell my mother and i that she will no longer have anything to do with us, because we need to come back to the meetings, it’s what jehovah wants, and hands her a letter to read and asks for a final hug.
my mother has been dealing with a terrible lost of dad since july, and has been very ill with stress because of it.
i no longer belong to the organization either, and i have been helping my mother out thru this ordeal, it is just as rough on me.
It's the sister that doesn't believe that Geoffry J. is a part of the of the GB.
Who can blame her tho? The WT told the lawyer representing them that G.J. just took part in bible translating - nothing else. Then the lawyer had to apologize after the court found out otherwise.
the other day i ran into a jw who just happened to be my very friend during my jw days (which were most of my life).
so for about 60 years we were each other’s very best friend.
we grew up together from about 8 years old and are the same age, now in our early 70’s.
As I read his question, I thought to myself how I would answer it. At least 20 or so different answers could pop up. Mostly about facts and issues about the WT and how they are wrong.
I thought these things before I read your answer.
I like your answer because it was simple. And it allowed him to make the "truth" of the answer in his own mind. All those little doubts and disturbing facts that he brushed aside for years, suddenly flashed in front of his eyes. And what is even better, he can't fault you for what you said. He won't be able to console himself with "he was a raving bitter apostate" and make it go away.
I'll have to remember your answer for myself.
i don't really need to explain anything really.
all i can say is that i was gob smacked at the sheer audaciousness of the entire study article.
i'm still speechless.
Which WT is this? I'm going to go check on my parents this week and my mom will probably be wearing it.....
himy story is as follows.
i've been friends with a guy for round 1,5 years.
he told me once he had another guy friend who was gay.
ricsa - When you are with other JW's, what you believe seems right and normal. But as you said, when it comes to "worldly" people, you know that it will seem weird or strange to them what you believe in. You could liken JW's to being a group like the Amish. They are isolated in a certain location and keep to themselves for the most part.
JW's are isolated from the rest of Christianity and world, by not celebrating birthdays (or any other holidays) it used to be NO blood for transfusions but now they take fractions and other things. The most isolating is the view that all others that aren't witnesses, are bad, wicked, have a bad heart and that goes for close family members and relatives. So the religion makes it a "us" against "them"
Growing up in the religion, I wasn't supposed to have any friends at school only those that went to the meetings. No outside activities. It's very effective in making you depend on whatever relationships you have at the hall. Now that I am out, I have no friends. So unlike those that keep in touch with childhood friends or ones they met in college, I have to make new ones. Too bad I'm not easy to get along with anymore. Makes it hard.
himy story is as follows.
i've been friends with a guy for round 1,5 years.
he told me once he had another guy friend who was gay.
Behind the JW facade, I think many have worldly friends. Why? Because when they go to meetings (at the kingdom hall to listen to talks) or out door to door - the usual chit chat is just about surface things. How many hours do you need to get this month, experiences about householders, things they bought, what they will do later.... Then after, they go their separate ways until the next meeting etc. Not many have friendships that go beyond that. They have deeper relationships with co-workers.
Your friend is also living vicariously through you. He could never get to do the things that you do as a JW. So it's exciting and very taboo the things you do.
From my own experience, people who are raised as a JW (most anyway) will have as a default, a knee jerk reaction to defend their religion. Even if they haven't gone to meetings for years or actively practice it, if you touch on a subject like shunning or not obeying the elders or the Governing Body (the leaders) suddenly they will become the most staunch supporters.
Right now, the Jehovah's Witnesses organization is being looked at in Australia, England and USA for their handling of Child sexual abuse matters. They have a rule that they quote scripture on, that there must be 2 witnesses in all matters, in order to determine whether a person is guilty. So child molesters, unless they confess, are not considered guilty by the testimony of one victim. Neither is this reported to the police. In Australia, the Royal Commission (ARC) found from the JW own files, 1,006 cases of provable molestation that was never reported to the police. There were many more cases not acted on by the Elders, nor reported to the police because there wasn't a second witness. These cases are also being investigated now by Australia.
The organization has hid this for years. Hopefully, this will all come out soon. Until then, most JW's will not hear or believe anything like this could be true. Just like the Catholics wouldn't believe that their church would shuffle around pedophile priests.
So be his friend, but don't expect him to suddenly think objectively about his religion. And if the time comes, you might be able to help him see that if something this bad is happening in his religion, maybe it isn't so truthful after all.
did anyone have other jws try to guilt trip them when they were leaving or if you were making a decision which jws felt was wrong but wasn't unscriptural?
i'm getting people guilt tripping me to eventually get back with my emotionally, spiritually and mentally abusive husband who i'm separated from.
i feel sick at the thought of getting back together and putting myself through that nightmare again but i'm being told its what jehovah wants coz he doesn't want families to be apart.
I like to make comparisons. If you had a friend that treated you the same way your husband did, would you keep them as a friend? No. Yet somehow, it's supposed to be accepted in a marriage mate.
The WT has encouraged women staying with abusive husbands since it's early years. Probably because the higher ups have not treated their own wives with respect.
what single big change do you think could back fire and bring the cult down ?.
me: tithing..
Haven't they taken baby steps towards tithing with the "promise note" of what they were willing to contribute on a yearly basis?
Tithing as one radio evangelist explained it - Giving god 10 percent is like saying "I want God as a business partner" Wouldn't we want that?
in the movie the wizard of oz, while the whole yellow brick road gang was being addressed by the great and powerful wizard of oz, the dog toto ran off to the side, pulled back on a curtain, and showed that a normal-looking humbug of a person was operating cranks and levers.
for a short while, the normal-looking man kept yanking levers and cranking cranks, and said into the microphone (which made the great and powerful wizard speak the same words) "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!
i am the great and powerful wiz .
Why did the Governing Body come behind the curtain?
To see what was on the other side of course.
Many have listed what I think are good reasons. Who is else is going to represent the WT but the GB? They are certainly deluded enough to believe that only they could truly represent the best of God's organization. If they were hesitant at first, it would only take some ego stroking to make them think that they thought of it first.
Now that the first act is over - breaking the ice and showing that the GB are just one of us - they will be quietly retired to the shadows lest any too human qualities shine though. Although it's a little too late for that. And by now, they are used to being on the throne so good luck with that.
Hey I just had a thought of how useful Warwick could be. Let everyone know that it is the place where god most often communicates with them. Have them permanently retire there. Then when groups of visitors tour, have them be seen off at a distance, giving a friendly wave. Except they are just Disney robots.
just wondering if this is a common thing for you guys and girls?
when i left the jws it was hard to make a connection with people, much of the time i felt that whatever they wanted to talk about just didn't seem relevant/deep/meaningful.
i find myself filtering my mind to get to a level with others (small talk mostly).
Yeah, I can relate to almost everything on this thread. My viewpoint on life swings in a wide arc, but then I come down to feeling like a tool that is useless. You know the ones that you buy and think it's great until you really use it and find it falls short.
Even gardening which I've done my whole life - now is difficult just because I shrug my shoulders and say So What. Some of it I attribute to having an 8 hour work day - I've usually worked 6 hours. Plus the worst boss in my entire life, if he isn't a psychopath then a sociopath. Working with JW's so that you have to bite your tongue. I've got no friends that share my interests and have a hard time making them. Yeah, crappy attitude.....
