14 months after printing the "Steve and Selma" article, guess what the Society's latest Awake is about... (page 6)

ScenicViewer

Splash: I've got 26 pages of these flip flops.

I would love to have a look at those! Are they available online, or can you post them here on JWN?

I'm happy to share them.
I found a load created by someone else, I wish I knew who so I could credit their hard work.
I always seem to think it's either JWFacts or Ray Franz (the author), it might be or it might be someone else.

Anyway, I update it weekly, keep existing flipflops up to date and add new ones as they are discovered.

But I don't want to hijack this thread. I might start a new one and post all the sections on there.

Splash

ScenicViewer

Splash, thanks for the reply and the idea of posting on another thread. I'll be watching for it!

clarity

Wow so many great thoughts and words of wisdom.

I feel grateful that we have such good people on here,

willing to make this world a better place ...thank you.

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Data .... those pictures omg & no you are not being

too critical!

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"Label licker

Isn't this religion the same? They abuse their followers letting them think they are not good enough, they have to do more and they are nothing without them while they take take take from the lowly ones?????????????????? Who made them that way? The ones who keep feeding into their crap. Why? Because they have a low selfworthless opionion of themselves to begin with. Such a wicked cycle. It has to be broken."

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Right on!

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Cedars

clarity

besunny

Wow,,this makes me so angry and it is exactly why I left the JW's being born and raised in it,,,I suffered for 20 years in a abusive relationship with my so called JW husband,I was slapped,punched,kicked,pushed,choked,riduculed,told I had no value other then cleaning and giving birth (although I am a nurse and made more money but not allowed to work),isolated,wasn't allowed to watch TV, had my car taken away,had my hair cut off,been spit on,and the list goes on,,,I was told by the elder's I wasn't supportive enough and made to feel it was my fault so I kept leaving and going back,,I was mindfucked!!! then the abuse with the children started so I left permanetly,,,oh and then I'm not allowed to remarry without getting disfellowshiped and being shunned from my whole family,,so that means no family support with being alone with 3 kids,,,so I faded over the last 5 years,,and now remarried to a wonderful man who isn't a witness thank god!!! The WTS has no idea what they are talking about, none of them has lived it and they need to apologize and retract their stupid advice!!!! sorry for carrying on but it makes sick!!!!!!!!!!!!

diana netherton

My question would be, so who decides what "extreme" abuse is?

Leaving it vague, of course, putting the guilt trip back on the woman who may think,

well, it's not bad enough!!

ndmom73

Growing up in a JW family that tried to get help from the elders for domestic abuse I know personally how easily they dismiss cries for help from abused women and children. My mom was told time and time again that SHE was to blame for the abuse. I love both of my parents, and I know that they did the best that they could in a very dysfunctional relationship but the best advice they could have been given was to leave each other. Since the divorce and since they have both left behind the JW's, they both have moved on to be much happier people.

Reading this article made me sick to my stomach. I wish I could find the elders who are responsible for the secret hell we all lived through. My mom who was angry and frustrated turned her anger on to us children. Both of my parents are accountable for their actions, but I believe entirely that the elders who turned their backs on our family, who made my mom feel so helpless in her situation that she also became an abuser, they are just as much to blame.

As a teenager I ran away from home and with no friends to turn to I found myself on the steps of an elder that my family was very close to. He was completely aware of the secrets my family was hiding. I opened up to him and his wife about the mental and physical abuse my mom had turned on to me. He was sympathetic but he never used his common sense to call authorities and get me the help that he wasn't capable of giving me. Instead he counseled me to obey my parents and he called them to take me home.

Part of me died that day and it has taken years for me to move past my childhood. I guess in many ways I am not completely healed which is why I am here. But what pisses me off completely is that reading this article brought back all of the pain and anger and even more so because my family is not unique. There are many more families crying out for help at this very minute who are being ignored due to backwards thinking and fear of making their so called religion look bad.

DATA-DOG

" My question would be, so who decides what "extreme" abuse is?

Leaving it vague, of course, putting the guilt trip back on the woman who may think,

well, it's not bad enough!! "

EXACTLY... perhaps abuse " fractions " would be a better term?

No abuse is justified, ever.... Even one instance can be soul-crushing. The Elders are grossly un-qualified to deal with these issues. They are part of a disciplinary system. They do not have the ability to nurture or counsel. If they did, then these types of behavior would be stopped when they manifested themselves in the lives of the congregation. I overheard 2 Elders talking about the problem of suicide within the Organization. Basically they just threw their hands up. " What can you do? You just can't know if someone is a risk? How do you help with something like that?" They are clueless because they have no real training in these emotional/psychological problems. They grab the Shepherd Book, recite a mantra, take you off the michrophone list and tell you that you a valued member of the flock. Unless of course you are in a position of authority, then you get a free pass.

MMXIV

jgnat, ndmon73 - sorry you're having to comment on this thread through bitter personal experience. If you're offended by this article imagine how many others are offended that are sitting at meetings still being abused or suffering, as most do, the after affects of abuse. The WTBS keeps these women trapped in their relationship - it would prefer to do that than confront the bullies and abusers who may be worldly husbands or perhaps JW's with a position.

Cedars - this is a huge topic - you're doing a great job

mmxiv

bennyk

It sounds to me as though the Witnesses are in an abusive relationship:

(One only needs to alter a few words...)

Why do some Witnesses choose to remain with a soul-destroying cult? A common reason is that they fear things will get worse if they leave. The Watch Tower Society has threatened that God will harm or even kill them and their minor children if they tried to escape. Others have hesitated to leave because they fear that their friends and relatives would turn against them. For example, Isabel, whose experience is referred to at the outset of this article, left her religion. She states:"The entire congregation shunned me, and I was forced to move away with my children.”

Still other reasons why some disgruntled Witnesses choose to stay are:

They want their children to grow up with both parents, fearing the "faithful" mate will divorce them.
They worry about being able to support themselves and their children if they lose their Witness-related employment.
They erroneously believe that they are "murmurers".
They are ashamed to admit that they have been and are being spiritually abused.
They hope the situation will improve.

14 months after printing the "Steve and Selma" article, guess what the Society's latest Awake is about...

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