William Osbeck-The CO that helped me get out of the borg. (page 3)

Dino

Thanks for sharing Sadie.

Osbeck is nothing but a glib salesman in front of the congregation and an unfeeling corporate man in more private settings.

I detested him and he knew it! [:D]

Dino

Gordy

To Sadie and all the others who sufffered at the insensitive hands of the WT, I know how you feel.

In 1996 after I had a breakdown, attempted suicide, and was diagnosed with acute clinical depression, and losing my job.

What help did I get from "Jehovah's loving organisation" ??

No visits from brothers/sisters to see how I was. Only the Elders were allowed to visit me.

How soon could I go before a Judicial committee andremove me from being a Ministerial Servant.

They decided on just a reproof, because of my past good record!!

Help in getting over the depression?? I was seeing a psychiatist, which according to one elder was as bad as spending time with Satan.

Elders answer to it was attend meetings and get out on field service. As anyone who has had depression knows the last thing you want to do is mix with and talk to people. Especially knocking on someones door and telling them how wonderful the future will be

After 6 months, they tell my wife that I should leave the family home. Because I was a "spiritual danger to the family" !!

Their attitude through the whole thing was I was problem which they should not have and must be got rid of. Jehovah's people don't get depressed!! Boy!! have I learnt differently since.

If these people had shown an ounce of CHRISTIAN love and care and compassion. I would probably still be a JW. With my family who have been split in two over it. I DA'd three years later, my wife hasn't spkoen to me since end of 1999, and I have no contact with my two JW's daughters. Two of my other children DA'd over it and came to live with me.

Can't they see that their attitude and policy, destroyed a family, did more damage to the WT, than if they had showed love and support.

But on the otherhand I came to find out what the Watctower really is. I could NEVER go back now.

.

Sadie5

Thanks again for all the comments and shared experiences. The WT has hurt a lot of people. My heart goes out to so many of them.

Gordy, I'm so sorry for what you and your family have gone through. Hopefully someday, your family can be healed from the split the WT caused.

Depression is very common amongst JWs, I found out once that a good portion of my former congregation was on Paxil or other anti-depressants. It was good that they got help, but I think a lot of their depression would be gone if their lifestyle changed. That's just my opinion on it.

Thanks again,

Sadie

DJ

Hi Sadie,

Boy, do I relate to your story. We have much in common. Including a pregancy during an auto accident, a sick parent, depression, no help.....etc.......but thankfully, we both made it out of that unloving religion and have found ourselves again. Making the choice to care for our children is the right decision. Man made magazines will never reign as superior compared to love and compassion for me either! Thanks for your story. Love, dj

Martinelli

Hello, this is only my second day as a member in the forum, however, I have been emancipated from the organization for nearly 20 years. I find it so intriguing that almost every person I have ever communicated with who left the org. has the same story! That fact, in and of itself, is evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt that Satan is helping to fulfill the Scripture in Revelation 2 in which Jesus is telling John about the seven (7) churches, meaning church ages. In verse 8 of chapter 2, Jesus is addressing the church of Smyrna. Here he has against them the sin of misrepresentation, the blasphemy of those who call themselves Jews but are not. I believe that Christ is referring to apostasy here insofar as some so-called believers will pass themselves off as the nation of Israel, i.e., the organization claims to be "spiritual Israel" and continues to claim Israel's promises as its own. These JWs, this cult, this archetype of Smyrna, furthermore places its members in bondage through old, Phariseic legalism, taunting their consciences and rendering them trapped. That is why I believe we all share VERY similar stories. Their methods and tools are executed in the same manner for all of us. Thus as verse 9 says, these are of the syngagogue of Satan who mislead and instill fear into those who longingly seek truth.

Like many of you, my stories of the Kingdom Hall and the "truth" are quite horrific and practically incredulous, yet they are true. Isn't it a gracious thing that God, in His mercy, freed us and opened our eyes? Now what can we do to help those we love and open their eyes. Ironically, my brother and father truly believe that I am the apostate. My sin is that I read the Bible myself and I have purchased scholarly and theocratic literature and Bible commentaries written by pastors and individual authors, not by the Governing Body. I really do not believe God damns us for that. In fact, it is comforting to know that the Jehovah I prayed to as a child, the God who answered my many prayers, and even spared me from getting a spanking once, IS THE SAME Jehovah I continue to pray to and converse with today. He is unchanging, the Alpha and the Omega!! Now that's something to celebrate. Imagine that! The God you and I worshipped while we attended the Kingdom Hall, went door-door, attended assemblies, gave talks during the ministerial meetings, etc, is the same God we talk to now. He has never changed....He has freed us from the clutches of Satan's powerhouse organization. That just amazes me sometimes. He is not mad at me for worshipping Him the "wrong" way when I was younger. He understands. Now I am allowing Him to tell me Himself how He wants me to worship Him. Such freedom. Jesus DID say that is burden was light and it really is. No more recording hours, placing books, magazines, shunning people I actually like, etc. It's not hard to follow God. That's what we should be praising Him for....

inordiNate

I remember old Bill Osbeck. He would go on and on about the fruit leather he was eating and how it gave him energy but then fell asleep in the car when out in service. Here's to fruit leather and Bill Osbeck.

shepherd

It's actually against the scriptures to put in a time slip with your name on. If they needed it for stats this can be done anonymously, but putting your name to a slip is actually unbiblical. It's not making a sacrifice or gift in which the right hand does not know what the left is doing. The same goes for applauding those pioneering at the beginning of the month before they have even begun - it too is unscriptural.

So it's not just that the guy was a jerk and he stumbled you out, as some apologetic may claim, the fact is the entire thing about reporting with your name on the slip is against Bible principles. And as for the excuse it helps the elders run the congregation - isn't that what the 'holy spirit' is for?

I am atheist now, so none of the Bible is inspired in my opinion, but it's still worth noting for these believers, the Bible actually disagrees with named time sheets. And for those of you who are Bethel lurkers, think about it!

nancy drew

i remember Osbeck this is the first time someone has mentioned by name a co that I actually knew. He was a mixed bag for sure sometimes he was a nice guy but I could see he was just going through the motions of being a co and wasn't by nature a sensitive guy. I know another person who was having a hard time and he went over with an elder and caused outrage. My experience with the whole lot of them was negative and mostly i just stayed out of their way and basically ignored their visits. I hated the way some witnesses would just fawn over them it was sickening.

jeremiah18:5-10

I just have to throw in my two cents on Osbeck. When my wife and I were pioneers, we moved to Wichita Falls, Tx. He became CO in 1998. At the time I was gulping down the koolaid like it was 110 degrees outside. We moved to the area to "help out". At the time I was a MS and knew one of the elders there who encouraged me to move. This body was rife with contention and strife and back-biting. The elders were competetive and trying to get "their guys" appointed as hellders to support their agendas. I was being groomed by the brother I knew, he frequently talked to me about all of the stuff going on. When Osbeck came he was on a mission. I spent alot of time with him that week in service and on "shepherding calls". He was definitely a company man and I was well on my way. He kept telling me how bright my future was in the organization and of course I was flattered and just ate it up. By the time Friday rolled around for the meeting with Hellders and MS, I was sure I would be recommended. During that meeting he proceeded to breakdown and humiliate the hellders in front of us and went thru each MS discussing our qualifications to be hellders, which I found to be exhilirating and shocking. He even discussed how good each of us would be as PO, since the PO was a large source of the issues. That Sunday he counseled the body in front of the whole congregation. At the time I thought it was amazing. Shortly there after he assigned me a part on the CA, the flattering continued. Despite that, my wife and I were continuously persecuted and rejected by the body and nit-picked to death and decided to move back to Arkansas where I was immediately appointed as a hellder. I had no idea what I was in for or what I was longing for. That time period turned my wife away from the truth and she started to fade. It took from 1998 to 2006 for her to completely fade out. I resisted until around 2008. I didnt fully escape until after being DF'd and even then not until this year did I lose my faith in the WTBTS. My experience with Osbeck was different than Sadie's, but all of the political crap and uncaring nature of things planted the seeds that have led to where we are today- liberated, free, and happy.

Sadie and others, I'm sorry for the pain you went thru, but it sure does reinforce our conviction for the rightness of our decisions now doesn't it.

Thanks for sharing

TB

FatFreek 2005

Jeremiah,

You have a PM from a fellow Arkansan.

Len Miller

William Osbeck-The CO that helped me get out of the borg.

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