Paranoia after today's Watchtower

by Truthexplorer 54 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Divergent

  Tornintwo:

  my son was a suspect teen, he made the break after being rejected by the judgemental lot, funny thing was, he was still at all the meetings and on the ministry, but this hair and attitude wasn't good enough for them. It was very painful for him at the time and he's had a lot of anger issues and experimented with drugs etc since but he's becoming more stable now, he has a good bunch of new friends who are unconditional. When I saw the way the witnesses treated him when he left, it started my awakening.

  Your son reminds me of myself, except for the drugs part. I supposedly had an "attitude problem" & nothing I did could ever be good enough! I was surrounded by judgemental people, who I initially tolerated but eventually lost patience with. Since I couldn't play by their rules, I decided to make my own & stop playing. Never been happier in my whole life!
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  floriferous

  Does anyone remember when 'marking' was done.....it's got to be a quite a few decades ago now.

  The uberdubs felt they were then allowed to mark anyone in the congregation they judged as not meeting their own 'spiritual' standards.

  After that Watchtower if you felt a coolness from the superfine uberdubbies you knew you had been weighed up & in their eyes found wanting.......If I remember correctly it got so much out of hand that the borg had revisit the subject to rein it back.
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  clarity

  Flor..."Does anyone remember when 'marking' was done.....it's got to be a quite a few decades ago now."

  Do I ever! I had not been attending mtgs for awhile and went back (thinking god would kill me if I didn't ;-( ) and was caught off guard by a 'marking episode' Omg ...... when did 'we' get this cruel! A poor teenaged boy had his name called out and they said not to associate with him! Not worthy!

  Still sticks with me today .....that horrible silence in the congregation, the kids ashen face .......gutted.

  Was this love? No ...it was "having no NATURAL affection" !

  WT's methods break the spirit, stop the growth & often kill the person!

  clarity
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  Vidiot

  "Draw close to the congregation; the Friends are really the only ones you can truly trust...

  x

  ...but watch out for 'secret apostates' in the congregation...one might even be sitting right next to you!!!"
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  onightdivine

  Paragraphs 9,10

  "The world's media is evil. Do not read and expose yourselves to it. They will be destroyed!!"

  Paragraph 11

  "How blessed are you that we, the GB, has been feeding you with magazines, tracts, etc. We are the chosen ones. Now, come on why don't you thank us for it?"
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  kepler

  The last time I got a knock on the door by a couple NWT toting individuals, they asked if I was familiar with the organization. I said, "Yes, and I have studied it quite a bit?" When they asked me if I wanted to join, I in turn asked them why? Everything I saw was that most anyone in the organization was afraid of or hated half of the rest of the organization. Some appeared to be the most unhappy people I had known, save for the KGB official I met once who was crying in his drink to another Russian friend of mine.

  But it was the same reason. As the KGB guy was trying to turn people, he was constantly looking over his shoulder afraid that he would have to report to his leads how someone had tried to turn him - or that he had been caught in some covert activity - like maybe reading the Wall Street Journal - some damning equivalent of reading Raymond Franz.

  We never got to any particulars after that.
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  OneFingerSalute

  I'd like to know if one finger salute made a comment today

  I actually did make one. Par. 7 question, "Whom should we choose as close friends?"

  Answer, "While the example of a single person is given, we must follow the counsel of the governing body that is alluded to when the paragraph states, 'It would be wrong for one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who is a single person to date an individual who is not dedicated to God.' We know that one must be baptized to prove their dedication, so we would choose ONLY baptized JW for associates unless they slip into wrongdoing. Then we cut them off too, as par. 5 instructs us."

  It was the CO visit. He did mention in his last part that "some say, 'The governing body says...' but it is really what GOD says," I guess he told me!

  BTW, I apologize to all those (one) who were so offended at my old avatar. But "thanks" for changing without asking. Next step will probably be getting "disfellowshipped" from this site for disagreeing.
  
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  Dagney

  It's always been this way. Hence the judging. "They miss a lot of meetings." "I don't ever see them in service."

  We were taught over and over to evaluate and categorize the members in our own congregation. I was so tired of judging my fellow brothers I swore I'd never do it again when I left.
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  stuckinarut2

  Yes, People's "spirituality" or worthiness is judged depending on outward appearances and activity!

  Its just like the hoards of admiring generals at a North Korea March! As long as they keep clapping and force a smile, then they are "worthy" of remaining alive!
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  Truthexplorer

  It's crazy to think I once viewed Jehovah's witnesses as the most spiritual faith group I ever had the pleasure of being involved with. Now I view them as nothing more than an Orwellian type organisation controlling genuine individuals who truly want to be Christian. Genuine people who truly love God, but misled by a group of men who themselves have been misled into believing that such control is absolutely necessary. I feel sorry for the younger generation having to go through adolescence and having to go through such undue influence!!!!