The Rumor Mill Never Stops

R.F.

Hello all, R.F. stopping in here.

When I was an active Dub I was always looking over my shoulder, making sure I was doing things "correctly"....and by "correctly" I mean by JW standards. I'm referring mainly to when it came to dating and courtship. Someone always seemed to be investigating us, hounding us so to speak. I couldn't do anything without being worried about "what the friends will think". This was especially the case since I was an MS and Pioneer.

I ran in to a "sister" today while running errands. Actually, I was running into Dubs all over the place today. She's one of the biggest gossipers in the congregation and I wouldn't confide in her for ANYTHING unless I wanted everyone to know. So she goes on to ask me about why my relationship ended with my ex...*she got NO info from me*. Then she went on the ask why I haven't been to meetings....*still no info from me*. Then she goes on to say that she really knows the reason why, and it's because my ex is there in the congregation.

Now this is the thing that floored me.......

.......then she went on to tell me that other congregation members thought I was living with a woman.

Ok so i'm completely astounded by this since, for one, it isn't true, second I don't see how anyone could possibly come to that conclusion since i've laid low since I began fading and haven't done anything that could make somebody even think that it was a possibility. This particular "sister" said she's been so concerned about me...yet i've received NO CALLS from her, and she has my phone number at that.

It seems like I hear more rumors about me now than actual concern, and none of it is true. I guess i'm the new hot topic on the continously spinning rumor mill lol! This only really helps me to see that i'm just causing myself alot of unneccessary concern and stress by being so concerned with what they think. It looks like they're making up stories anyway.

I found it funny also that this happened after I ran into an old acquaintence today also. He and I used to work together and he's a very nice guy, and we have the same personality type. It seemed that he really pursued a friendship but unfortunately I pushed him away since, according to the WTS, he's a "bad association". So he and I might hang out sometime this weekend if I don't go out of town. Do I care of Dubs see me hanging out with a "worldly person" now? I defintely don't care now!!!

Thanks everyone! Just wanting to keep you all informed.

R.F.

Uzzah

I attended a Dub funeral about 5 years ago. One of the cong gossips came up to me asked if I was DF'd I told her no. Which is true really. I've never been before a committee and to my knowledge no announcement has ever been made.

So that put her at ease and started sharing all the things she had heard about me. She heard I had fathered 3 children from 2 different women, that I was gay and was now forming my own Church. The coffee must have already kicked in, I responded,

"Yeah its a new Church, It's called the Most Holy Homosexual with bastard children Reformed Christian Church."

She stopped, dropped her jaw and then started laughing. "Yeah I never believed a word of it, Uzzah. I certainly would have never said such things." She then walked away.

Ya gotta appreciate all that Christian love from 'true believers.'

SnakesInTheTower

yep...the rumor mill knows no boundaries...let me tell a quick story to illustrate the power of rumor mills (quick so as not to totally hijack the thread...)

years ago there was a single pioneer sister in my congo that people kept trying to hook me up with. she was about 6 years older. I knew I was not her type so never asked her out. Nice sister though. We were best of friends and worked in the ministry together, so much that even her bible studies thought we were an item. Despite our very public insistence that there was nothing going on, the rumor mill ran anyway.. fueled by jealous married pioneers who were unhappy with their life choices....and.ruined the friendship...she closed the door... 10+ years later, I call her about something in her family and unexpectedly reestablish the friendship...things humming nicely for a few months...then the rumor mill starts back up...she shuts down the friendship...for good this time I am sure, especially if she knows I am not hardly at meetings anymore. She is pretty and talented and has ~~given~~ wasted over 20 years of her life to regular pioneering and given up what could have been a great career for her. I am sure she would never show up on a site like this, she is too much a Model Witness....but if she ever did and sees this...here is a for you...you would make someone happy if you let your guard down a bit. If she would come out of the Borg...anyone could come out.

....so I know...RF...the rumor mill runs on Eveready batteries....it keeps going and going and going and...

go have fun with your so-called "worldy" friend...us apostates won't get one bit jealous...we'll be here when you get back. One day we should get together and share war stories.

Snakes ()

R.F.

Great comeback Uzzah!

I think that the Dub's lives are so uneventful that they make up these rumors for entertainment purposes.

Wow Snakes. You can't share in wholesome ~~slave work~~ theocratic activities with someone of the opposite sex with someone thinking that you must be an item. It's like in Dubland that guy/girl friendships can't exist.

Gopher

LOL @ Uzzah. Quick thinking son-of-a-gun.

R.F. -- I was a single JW for way too long, and was frequently the target of rumors, innuendo and exaggeration. That's what you get for being single in the JW's, like Uzzah & Snakes said.

Pretty soon you're no longer the topic-du-jour, and the rumor-mongers go on to someone else to drag their reputation through the mud. Not much you can do about it when you're still a single JW.

OnTheWayOut

If you give them nothing juicy, they have to start thinking up their own stuff.
I have decided to do similar- give them nothing. But I think it will be more interesting
if I answer the questions, "Where have you been?" and "Why aren't you at meetings?"
with "I am doing independent research." That will feed their rumors and soon I will
hear about how I am starting my own religion.

Okay, I thought about it and I like it. "I am doing independent research."

JK666

R.F.,

Ah, some things never change in the Kingdumb Hell! If I would have gotten everyone the "grapevine" said I did, my Johnson would have fallen off years ago.

The rumors are always there: in, out, or fading.

JK

R.F.

Yeah Gopher you're right. And to think that I used to be very much stressed about what they think. I almost went crazy!

OTOWO...I thought about telling her that but decided against it. Knowing her like I do, if I were to tell her that then within a week i'd be hearing that i'm a full-blown apostate lol!

JK, i'd hate to imagine what those rumors were!!

tula

.......then she went on to tell me that other congregation members thought I was living with a woman.

I think she was fishing...maybe just to see if the look on your face told anything. Or if you might remember something that could have had implications...(neighbor's friend parking too near your driveway?)...and give some excuse.

aniron

Its funny how the rumours they like to hear are ones that make you look bad and them good.

The kind of rumour they can then say "See what happens when you leave Jehovah's organisation"

They never say things like "I hear you're doing well lately"

I have heard from sources that I have supposed to be living with a woman, become gay, and been in prison.

Yet if you were to say you had heard that a certain brother was a pedophile, or having an affair, or been caught stealing.

They don't believe a word of it,

The Rumor Mill Never Stops

Share this