by sf 23 Replies latest jw experiences
Incidently, he and his family { my moms best friend for years } were one of the elite L.A. area families that was on the list of Balboa invites.
Damn, I must admit, it appears my mom knew exactly what she wanted and ended up getting it.
Pretty shady.
I'm pretty sure it's a big factor in my disgust for her...putting all these men way ahead of her own kids and family. Shame on her.
sKally
It is an interesting life story I havent read it all yet, but doesnt anyone think that its kind of funny that this man seems to have such a fantastic life story and and here he has supposedly accomplished so much in the organization by the age of 23-26yrs old? I am not saying that its not the truth but for us that have grown up in the organization it seems a little too beyond how it was during the time I was a JW and that is 41yrs. I have never seen someone that young have all the responsibilitys and privilages that he claims to have, most of the ones that I have ever known were alot older than he was when this was suppose to be happening to him.
It seems like he was a superman JW that could do it all and I have never seen this happen in my life time to anyone in the organization. I am no longer a JW and I am happy for that but we do need to keep things in mind that some of what he claims just doesnt seem right. Yes I know that we are considered apostates and thats fine with me it doesnt bother me one bit but when someone is telling us their testimonials I want it to be true and heartfelt so that we can be incouraged by them that we arnt the only ones that have suffered at the hands of the JW organization and that we are all here for each other. Not someone that seems to have lead such a super fantastic (over the mountain) kind of JW life while in the organization.
Dont want to offend others and what they think of his story but just think with an open mind when reading it and wonder if he may be over exagerating about his life some.
This is just my opinion and wanted to see if anyone thought the same as me.
I also am having a very difficult time believing this story. In addition to all the high honors at such a young age, against so much opposition and "jealousy," memorizing more of the bible and literature than nearly anyone in the organization, including members of the governing body who were also "jealous," he's a world class bodysurfer, surviving where others cannot, a world-class climber, surviving where others cannot, a world-class photographer, with not one but two of the top 100 most published photos, personal photographer to famous and beautiful fashion models all over the world, rich-several times, a world-class business starter, single-handedly responsible for the trend of JWs owning janatorial businesses, and more powerful than a black-belt Karate expert, being so expert in the manipulation of qi himself that he could knock the black-belt expert on his back without even touching him, worked on movie sets, was allowed into one of the greatest cultural finds of the century to be the first photographer, and could out-drink the Chinese government...
And I've only just finished chapter seven.
Wow! He wrote "Cliffhanger," but "they" stole the idea from him. Impressive!
Thats what I was thinking, he must be the most exceptional man on this earth! I do agree that alot of what he says happens with the elders but cannot believe that a sister sat in on a judgment meeting, never seen a sister ever be able to have any clout in the organization. There is just too much to his story that seems just too much over the wall. I am suprised that he hasnt walked on water and has lived to write about it.
Oh thats must be coming in the future when he publishes his lost journals of during the time he had lost some of his memories
Well, I must admit that there were parts of the 'tale', as I state in the title of my thread, that made me keep in mind that he was a writer.
Yet, there are names and places that he talks about that are not ficticious. And also I witnessed much of the corruption he speaks of when I was a jw child living and going to assemblies and congs in the same areas.
It is only now, as an adult looking back at her jw childhood, that pieces are slowly fitting into the gaps that were empty.
As I stated previously, I intend on trying to contact Mr. Miller through email provided on one of the links from his site.
I'm sure there are others out there reading this that CAN fill in some of those gaps, yet it would be a risk to do so.
That is understandable.
I encourage you to consider it when your ready.
Many of the Southern California congregations were very corrupt and hypocritical. As kids we saw things and heard things that went against what was being taught. But if we said anything, we were not trusting in jehovah...blah....blah....So it just became the norm...the parties, the drinking, the gossip, the jealousy, the envy, the cussing, the backstabbing, the greed, the one-upmanship, the lies, the cliques, the stealing...
LOL!! Then we would all meet to go out in field service and preach about how happy and loving and true we were as a religion. And if you didn't basically accept a bible study with us you would not survive armageddon. LOL!!!
Then we would go home and listen to mom yell and cuss or figure out why so and so said such and such to her at the meeting...gossipy shit. Or listen to her harp on why she can't find something SHE lost.
The Mask each jw wears is essential for them. How else are they able to fool so many people into thinking that they actually care about them? Ponder that.
sKally
It's an interesting story and I'll admit that it seems somewhat over the top. I have checked on a couple of things and they were as he said. I also e-mailed him a few times to discuss events and people, and again, he had the right answers. Certainly not a complete verification but I felt a little more credible after going through that exercise.
I have also for many heard tales of corruption in the SoCal region, and spanning several states. However, the fantastical nature of a great deal of his tale, calls into question everything he writes. My bullshit meter was pinging pretty loudly, but it went off the charts when I got to the point of his tale where he claims that out of 100 elders, he was the ONLY ONE... blah blah. I just can't buy it. I believe certain aspects of the story: the cliques, the elitism, the "materialism," and the drinking, although I certainly don't believe that ALL the elders and servants were alcohol abusers... etc.
It's a shame, because an "expose" could be a helpful/useful thing, but it loses it's value as a resource when the writer engages in such blatant self-congratulation, egotistical "admissions," self-promotion, and evident delusion. It also calls into question any accusations he levels against the corrupt elders in those circuits. I have known many, MANY elders, servants, and even teenagers, (which he also universally maligns, with the exception, of course, of his children,) who possess integrity, honesty and dedication to study and pursuit of understanding of the scriptures. I cannot accept the assertion that this was 99% absent among the leaders, as well as many of the adherents of all the congregations in SoCal and surrounding areas. (With the writer being the 1% exception against overwhelming opposition.)
Nothing I have ever read from any whistle-blower has indicated anything close to the level of deceit, hypocrisy and malicious intent that the writer herein claims, and we have had a number of people, even from that area, with the same level of experience, come out and be very vocal in the ex-jw community. I believe if things were truly even half of what the writer claims, we would have seen a great deal more corroboration from other ex-jws hailing from that area.
This tale, IMO, should be viewed as just that: a tale, based on actual persons and places, but only a story, a work of fiction.
Possibly, I can shed some light, having grown up in that era.
Public talks were not limited to elders. Qualified speakers who were at least 18 years of age were assigned such talks. Since I was already pioneering and the P.O. forgot to check my age, I gave nearly 50 talks before I was 18, as many as three on a Sunday given the staggered meeting times.
I was appointed as a Congregation Servant at the age of 21. That was the pre-elder equivilent to Presiding Overseer. I was also department head at the circuit level. I began giving funeral talks at the age of 19.
Part of what I've just stated above leads to jealousy and back-stabbing. During my youth, I experienced the same political manuevering by elders older than myself who were jealous of my opportunities. It takes several of these situations to get battle-hardened enough to protect yourself.
Unfortunately, I can identify with what Miller said about non-white elders flexing there muscles a bit after being appointed. I was foolish enough at one point to allow myself to be appointed Presiding Overseer in an otherwise all-black congregation. Without giving details, we barely got out with our Theocratic lives.
I can identify with much of what Miller states. The story may not be totally objective, but the basic details fit with my life experience.
tms
Print it | Discuss it | E-mail it to a friend Art creators show their true colors
HONORS: A portrait of Claude Monet and a computer-enhanced image are recognized.
11:46 PM PDT on Thursday, April 14, 2005
By BRYAN DYE / Special to The Press-Enterprise
Artistic creations depicting a famous French impressionist and a school of colorful Japanese fish won Best of Show awards given for April by the Hemet Valley Art Association.
Jack Roberts, 76, and Mark Heber Miller, 66, both of Hemet, won in the painting and photography categories. Both are past presidents of the organization and teach their crafts to groups locally.
Roberts rendered his painting titled "Monet" based on a black-and-white postcard printed in the 1920s.
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Miller, using digital and computer enhancement techniques, produced "Koi." The multicolored carp are depicted swirling in water.
"Monet" depicts the influential French artist near his career's end, in the early 1920s.
Roberts painted it in March. His methods include making a creation "look like a painting instead of a photograph," he said.
Art association officials said Roberts has been named Artist of the Year twice and has received numerous Best of Show awards.
He has 31 years of experience at his craft, which began with watercolors. Roberts said he paints any subject but has favorites.
"I most enjoy portraits or people doing something," he said, "because I can make something materialize and (seem to) come to life."
Roberts said he does many portraits. He had no formal training in school.
Roberts and his wife, Helen, have been married 50 years. They moved to Hemet in 1998 and he has been a member of the art association the past six years.
Miller uses complicated computer effects to make pictures. "Koi" was technically manipulated from a photo, he said.
His "Cactus Flower" also received an Honorable Mention this month.Miller said he began his artistic career in 1974, using then-traditional 35mm equipment.
He often draws from his photo collections.
The Hemet Valley Art Association also announced Miller as Artist of the Month for April. The group also unveiled its first sculpture exhibit now available for public viewing at the art gallery in San Jacinto.
The sculpture series by Don Stephens is a collection of western characters taken from classic movies such as "Shane" and "Stagecoach."
