Posts by Junebuggie

59

Letter I wrote to the person the caused me to be disfellowshipped

by jwfacts in

a thread on another forum reminded me of a letter i wrote to the person that went to the elders and started the proceedings to have me disfellowshipped.

i stopped believing in the religion when i was 25 but continued going for about ten years.

i finally started to fade at 35, but about 6 months after i had stopped going to meetings, a person wrote a letter to the elders about my website, which at the time was anonymous.

Junebuggie

I never thought about writing a letter to my cousin who contaced the local Elders in my town. I was fading anyway, and intended to write a letter

of dissasociation to them. I wasn't quite ready to do that when she "blew the whistle" but, am thankful that she did. I gave her plenty to think about

in the letter to her; and leaving on my terms proved to me that the Organization didn't have the upper hand on me. It has been 13 years since I da'd, and I doubt

a thank you note now would not get read & only get thrown in the trash with all the other "apostate" garbage she might have.

51

Advise needed please

by EdenOne in

dear forumites, i need your advise please.. i would like to write a letter to the world headquarters of the jehovah's witnesses regarding a subject that i've published an article recently.

i would like to draw the attention of the gb to said article, which i will send in print form (therefore, no attention would be drawn to the website where it was published).. naturally, because i am a jehovah's witness in good standing in the congregation and what i'll be discussing in my letter will be a dissenting view from the official doctrine/practice, i want to protect my identity and i don't want to be harassed by elders or subjected to any sort of judicial investigation.

nevertheless, i would be very interested in reading their response (if any) to my letter.. how can i do that?

Junebuggie

EdenOne,

Send the letter by one of your relatives who are in no way associated with the Watchtower..someone you know you could trust. Use their name and address; and mention that

this family member is related to someone who serves as an Elder (you), and that they are needing some clarification on issues, and they have some suggestions.

Maybe? Maybe not? I have a question tho, why do you not want to leave the organization? What is keeping you?

Before I sent in my da letter; I sent a letter to my cousin explaining some of my research, doubts, questions, etc....telling her that it was not "all truth." She forwarded my

letter to the local congregation...they could have replied to my letter and answered my inquiries---but no, they called me to see if I would meet with them. They could have even

answered things in my letter in the first phone call to me; but they did not.

6

WT and the Wizard of Oz

by Junebuggie in

off to see the wizardmany will easily recall the story of "the wizard of oz.

" curiously, we can gain some insights about spiritual authority from this popular tale.

dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man and the cowardly lion go to the wizard because they believe he has the power to give them what they need.

Junebuggie

It took me 27 years before I looked behing the curtain. Wish it had been sooner, but better late than never. I never read the book

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, but a friend & her husband who had been pioneers sent me the Oz illustration. I will have to check out the book tho.

I read alot of Biblical based books and do alot of research. I want to start an x-jw support group in my town; and I had actually set up a meeting day and time, but the people I

contacted didn't show up. I think even when you are out of the org. some are still afraid that they will be spied on...mainly because they have relatives in the org. My relatives who are in live out of state and of course will not converse with me.

Just wish I could get them to see the analogy of the WT and the OZ.

6

WT and the Wizard of Oz

by Junebuggie in

off to see the wizardmany will easily recall the story of "the wizard of oz.

" curiously, we can gain some insights about spiritual authority from this popular tale.

dorothy, the scarecrow, the tin man and the cowardly lion go to the wizard because they believe he has the power to give them what they need.

Junebuggie

Off to see the Wizard

Many will easily recall the story of "The Wizard of Oz." Curiously, we can gain some insights about spiritual authority from this popular tale. Dorothy, The Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion go to the Wizard because they believe he has the power to give them what they need. Dorothy needs to go home, the Scarecrow needs a brain, the Tin Man needs a heart, and the Lion needs courage. The Wizard sends them out on a quest to get the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. If they bring back the broomstick, he (the Wizard) will give them what they need. They accomplish their mission by melting the witch and getting the broomstick, then return to the wizard's place to ask him to deliver his promise.

Our heroes enter the huge chamber where the Wizard of Oz conducts his business. They are met face to face by the Wizard himself, a big scary head; not a real person, just a serious face surrounded by billowing smoke & fire, making a lot of noise. With a thunderous roar, the Wizard demands to know how those four dare to challenge him. Here is the point: It is at this moment that Dorothy's dog runs over to a small room & pulls back a curtain. What is revealed to us is a simple, flesh & blood man who has long been hiding behind a mask of power. He operates behind a curtain pulling levers, making smoke, fire and noise. The result looks impressive, but is only a facade. Even when exposed he roars, "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!"

The Wizard is in fact a power abuser. He controls a whole city with a facade that postures power & punishes people for noticing. In the kingdom, the problem was that the Wizard couldn't deliver & Dorothy and her crew became the problem for noticing that there was a problem.
It is sad to think how often religious power brokers control their spiritual kingdoms with power. They rain down Bible verses on people about authority, submission, judgement, prosperity or end times. They penalize people for noticing that the man behind the curtain is just a human with no authenticity or authority at all.
As a maddening last lesson from this story, after all is said and done, the Wizard tells them , "You already have what you needed all along." They risked life and limb for what they already had.

In too many Christian families & churches, Christians are told to jump through spiritual-performance hoops to earn God's approval, something they already have because of Jesus death !
Think about it-- The WTBTS ??

28

A Faders Guide to Field Service

by pronomono in

as a fader, i'm working on a mental guide to field service.

because most of this is a mental exercise realizing that your new knowledge, the mental side of things, is what makes it so hard to preach after learning ttatt.

what presentations have you used in field service as a fader to preach the good news without preaching jw propaganda?.

Junebuggie

I really like Vanderhoven7's idea of making his own tract. Just a thought, you could mention in it that you were once in a cult and found what freedom to worship God

is really like for you. Great Ministry idea Vanderhoven7,,,, wish I had done that years ago!.. and our FS partner would never have known .

52

just got my first shun.:(

by unstopableravens in

Junebuggie

I had that happen to me once in my house.. i was df'd, and my daughter was studying with a lady..she came to my house. One time was enough for me,

I walked into my house, the woman would not speak; but she was drinking a glass of my iced tea, so I went to my bedroom till the study was over...then I told my daughter that they would have to study somewhere else.

Another incident, i was at the KH & getting ready to leave after the WT study; a lady who was sick asked my daughter if she could have a ride home, i did the Christian thing, and took her home....she would not speak to me, except to say thanks.

Another incident,,,,a brother needed to borrow a lawn mower,,,came to my house, and would not speak to my then df'd husband...it was my husbands lawn mower, and he said the guy could borrow it.

I suggest if JW come over again, go in & sit down, and start talking to them...see what happens. It is your house!

30

I AM THE NEW MEETUP ORGANIZER FOR EX-JW's IN MICHIGAN

by AK MCGRATH in

jw
friends

hi all you fellow michiganders.. i wanted to make you aware that the meetup site entitled, "ex-jehovah's witnesses of michigan" will not be disolved.

i decided since today was the last day before it would be no more, i should step up, and so i gladly did.. seeing that there has not been one meetup since it's inception, i plan to change that.

i know there is at least one person from here who is registered with our meetup.

Junebuggie

Have there been an recent Michigan meetups for xjw?

11

1 Tim 1:4 WOW Nov 5 text that needs some explaining.

by 5go in

the jw at work likes to put up the scripture from the daily text each day.

this one looked a bit off when i looked at it.

1 tim 1:4. .

Junebuggie

The organization is so full of "propoganda" itself , always warning the members to ignore "outside" propoganda...but this Scripture they way this guy re-wrote it, is an out & out claim that false stories are wrong to question & research...well, how do you know if the stories are truly false, unless you do the research to prove them false, or prove them true. Questions & research do help provide useful things from God.... OMG, the JW are sooooooooo mixed up.

Sometimes it just amazes me the "new light" they recieve from their own research!! Dah!

22

Returning to jwn

by chellechellereturns in

jw
friends

i used to be a member both here and jwd before but have been absent for many years.

i was known as chellechelle before.

ugh life has changed a lot in those years.

Junebuggie

Chellechelle,

Nice to meet you, and have you here. I am fairly new on here, but would like to offer some suggestions.

Like many of the others, I say you should find a day care for your son..find a job, take some night classes if you can or online classes. Meet new people, nice people who will be

willing to be an unconditional friend to you & love you for you. But do for yourself what you wouldn't be allowed to do if you were still in the JW. As far as your parents seeing the

baby, I would suggest meeting in a neutral place, or your place. If they can't visit with you and be civil to you, then I would not take my baby to parents house....the indoctrination will

start as soon as the baby is old enough to talk. You have been thru a rough time, and dropping your baby off to your parents would only make things harder on you.

My 5 year old daughter was in intensive care unit in the hospital years ago. JW would not speak to me or my then husband, because we were both df'd. But came to see my

daughter without saying anything encouraging to me, or expressing that they were sorry that my little girl was in the hospital.

Please find some good friends, get housing help, food help, utility help , what ever you can and provide a good life for yourself and the baby...If your parents want to see him bad enought, they will have to do it on your terms.

Hope the best for you.

4

Talks @ the Ministry School

by Junebuggie in

can you tell me what the #3 talk is in the ministry school?

it has been so long since i was at a kingdom ministry school meeting, that i don't remember.

some one i. know is about to give the #3 talk.

Junebuggie

Thanks alot Splash...an unbaptised man is giving that talk. .. I guess he chose to do this, because he is facing some "false stories" aimed at his belief.

I have been out since the year 2000, so my memory faded on the talks. Ha!