Posts by Steve Lowry

21

Why I believe my baptism was not valid. (welcome comments)

by thebeliever in

when i was 11 or 12, my best friend (who's father was also an elder) suggested i get some of my mom's cigarettes for us to smoke.

sounded like a good idea, so i did and we tried it.

i thought it was horrible, but she had done it before and whatever.

Steve Lowry

The whole "baptism" thing as you well know is just a set-up for the Society to be able to pressure on its followers later on and to keep the masses in line, so to speak. It’s really not a dedication as much as it is indoctrination, IMO. It simply becomes the line one crosses, that separates the before you are a JW and after you become one. It’s got nothing to do with God (this kind of baptism) and is all to do with "legalities" of a cultic religion. Try not giving the JW baptism any more energy than it deserves (i.e. lawsuit). It’s meaningless anyway. Or maybe try thinking of it (getting JW baptized) as helping to make your leaving the Watchtower Society (DF'ed) a more definite reality. After all, NOT being a JW anymore is the best thing for your life. When the elders came to my house to set up proceedings to DF me, (I listened to their pious empty concerns and then) they were taken a back when I told them, "Hey, after you disfellowship me, could you like send me a copy of some kind of document that states that fact? I want to frame it and put in my study on the wall, so anytime I think of joining some other stupid group I can look at it and be reminded of why I don't wanna do that, OK?" Their little JW’s jaws dropped as I disarmed them right before their eyes. It was a beautiful thing. It was a great feeling of empowerment for ME however. I’m not exactly sure how you feel toward the Society. Do you still wish to belong? Do you still have some loaylties? Or is it you just don’t want to loose family members by trying to invalidate your JW baptism and thereby ‘keep’ your family intact? It’s all too late for that now. Even if they agreed to cancel out any meaning to you getting baptized, you’re still dead to them anyway. Look, the Watchtower Society needs YOU, you don’t need THEM. Maybe I’m missing your concerns here. I’m sorry if that’s the case. I just wanted to share a little about how I feel about the JW baptism BS.

When I got saved in 1984 while attending a little church in S. Florida, I got baptized again. But this time it was for my Heavenly Father and not for a man made, man run, my manipulated cultic organization. Do you still believe in God? Then find a little church and go baptized again. It will give a sense of well being and will help you realize how invalid your JW baptism really was.

Good luck to you!

36

What's the most hypocritical thing(s) you've ever seen a JW do?

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

up high on my list has to be when a jw co-worker named john fitzgerald tore into me one morning (when i was coming in late for work) for grabbing a quick piece of cake from the lunch room.

turns out, someone in this small little office had brought in the remainder of their birthday cake for folks at work to finish up eating.

john was older than i and a ministerial servant (ooh) and felt it his responsibility to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Steve Lowry

I'd like to add this one:

(Sorry, this is long)

In the early 1980’s my sister sent me a letter asking me not to visit her or any of her family any more as I had displeased Jehovah by leaving "His Godly Organization". (In 1979 I stopped going to the Hall and when the elders came to my house, I told em’ I didn’t believe in all that Watchtower crap anymore. For this, they DF’ed me.) The last time I saw my two nephews they were just little kids and my niece was about five, I guess. That’s been some twenty years ago now. I’ve never heard a word from any of them in all this time. So be it.

Late in 1995, my wife and I had a little girl. She came into the world hard, at 13 weeks premature and weighing in at 1lb /14oz! She was in the hospital for nine weeks. The day to day struggle for her to survive was hour to hour many, many times. My wife suffered kidney failure and was very sick with a condition called pre-eclampsia (sp?) During the time my baby was fighting to live and my wife was sick and recuperating, I never got a call or a even card or any kind of support from my sister. And it wasn’t cuz she didn’t know what was going on. She knew. Well, two months later we brought little Joy home and started learning how to care for a challenged infant. About this time my JW mother informed me my sister was making a bunch of stuff to send us for the baby. When we got it, it came with a little card she had written. It was written in a tone that there was an existing relationship. But there wasn’t. There also wasn’t the first word about the fifteen years or so she hadn’t contacted me in any way after her original letter. No apology, no regret, nothing. She said she was "a little worried there for a while" (the hospital I guess) but was relieved that everything turned out OK. Imagine how overwhelmed I was by her concern? Not! She asked if we would kiss the baby Aunt Dee? What? I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t good enough for her and her family, but she was good enough for mine! Hypocritical bitch. She just wanted to enjoy experiencing my little girl, like I would have enjoyed experiencing my nephews and niece growing up. You can’t have it both ways, honey. Too little, too late.

I kept one item and gave the rest of it away. I found out through my mom that my sister became real offended that we didn’t take any pictures of the baby with the gifts she had sent, to send along to her. Unbelievable.

It’s been eight years now since Joy was born, and I still won’t consider allowing my sister into my life or my child’s life in any way. And she won’t be able to in the future either.

BTW, Joy is a healthy happy little eight year old today.

8

My Witness Experience

by Paradise Found in

iam grateful for my witness experience.

for the personal development the experience has given me.i belive the experience has made me a better man not a lesser man.. admittadly any positivnes that has come out of the negative is at great cost.

that i have been more angry than sad.that i have been unable to educate and warn those indoctrinated in this lie.

Steve Lowry

Thank you, I plan on sticking around. Its been a while since I enjoyed talking with others about the JW experience.

Steve

36

What's the most hypocritical thing(s) you've ever seen a JW do?

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

up high on my list has to be when a jw co-worker named john fitzgerald tore into me one morning (when i was coming in late for work) for grabbing a quick piece of cake from the lunch room.

turns out, someone in this small little office had brought in the remainder of their birthday cake for folks at work to finish up eating.

john was older than i and a ministerial servant (ooh) and felt it his responsibility to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Steve Lowry

Hi berylblue,

Thank you (and everyone here on the board) for the warm welcomes'. Yes, I realized as I posted this new thread that it would be difficult for people to select just one example. They abound so. Site as many as come to mind. The more the merrier. I may add a few more examples myself.

Steve

36

What's the most hypocritical thing(s) you've ever seen a JW do?

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

up high on my list has to be when a jw co-worker named john fitzgerald tore into me one morning (when i was coming in late for work) for grabbing a quick piece of cake from the lunch room.

turns out, someone in this small little office had brought in the remainder of their birthday cake for folks at work to finish up eating.

john was older than i and a ministerial servant (ooh) and felt it his responsibility to keep me on the straight and narrow.

Steve Lowry

Up high on my list has to be when a JW co-worker named John Fitzgerald tore into me one morning (when I was coming in late for work) for grabbing a quick piece of cake from the lunch room. Turns out, someone in this small little office had brought in the remainder of their birthday cake for folks at work to finish up eating. John was older than I and a Ministerial Servant (ooh) and felt it his responsibility to keep me on the straight and narrow. He also got me the job there, so this only exacerbated the whole JW image thing. He was appalled that I would eat a piece of birthday cake! When I told him I didn’t care, and that I didn’t notice what ‘kind of cake’ it was anyway and that I was just hungry, he became incensed. He said, " Steve, what kind of example does it set that YOU eat the birthday cake this morning while I didn’t?" I told him it wasn’t too late for him to get some if he wanted to. (jerk) He kept it up until I started to get pissed. Finally I told him I didn’t give good damn if he liked it or not and he walked away, beat red. Whata jackass he was. I wanted to pop-em’ right then and there.

However, this same guy would leave his Christmas ham (a yearly company gift) in the refrigerator well into January of each year. He referred to it as his "Bonus" ham. (I swear I’m not making this up!) I guess this way, he convinced himself it wasn’t a pagan gift! Self deluded moron. Finally people would complain and beg him to take his "Bonus" ham home and free up some space in the fridge for lunches and stuff. Everybody laughed about him behind his back for being such a "dumb-ass hypocrite". It was embarrassing for me.

It never ceases to amaze me how JW’s can condemn others, while justifying their own crap away with absolute peace of mind. And to even have kinda pious pride about it! Unbelievable.

Steve . . .

27

Do you have a 'turning point' memory that started you to question?

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

mine was when i was about ten years old or so back in the mid sixties.

we had a guy in our k.hall who actually lived through the 1914 experience (earl senior).

he was well into his seventies i guess even then and was one of the annointed.

Steve Lowry

yxI1,

I'm sorry your brother had to endured that treatment.

I remember a girl in my congregation who was 'publicly reproved'. It was a great shame for her entire family, and they never returned to our Kingdom Hall after that night. I felt outraged that such mistreament and abuse toward someone I knew could occur in such a shameful fashion. When I questioned why they would go about doing such a thing, I was informed that she must have done something sufficiently wrong that at least some JW's must have known about it and therefore "some action" had to be taken to set an example for the congregation. What bunch of crap!

I wonder how she is doing now?

Steve

27

Do you have a 'turning point' memory that started you to question?

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

mine was when i was about ten years old or so back in the mid sixties.

we had a guy in our k.hall who actually lived through the 1914 experience (earl senior).

he was well into his seventies i guess even then and was one of the annointed.

Steve Lowry

Hamas (and stillajwexelder),

I actually had the chance to meet and talk with Ray Franz a few years ago at his house in the Atlanta area. It was a get together of former JW's. After most of the guests had gone, I stayed and talked with him for a few hours. He told me about how the Aid To Bible Understanding book was primarily his work and that within it’s pages it gave direction to JW’s to disassociate themselves from former JW’s. Ironically, he later wound up taking on this same status of XJW. As it turns out, he was seen talking (over lunch) with someone who the Society didn’t approve. He was "counseled " about it, but in the end, it was what was finally used to disfellowship him. (This is what I remember how he related it to me.) Fred Franz (his uncle) refused to ever talk with Ray again, even until his death.

It was hard for me not to gloat a little at his pain, since the time frame he had mentioned the Aid book became available (early 1980’s) was about the same time my JW sister disowned me. I told him about my sister and he shook his head and said that the Aid book probably did help to influence her. It took great self-control (for at least for a few minutes anyway) not lambaste him for what he had done. I lost not only my sister, but also my relationship with my very young two nephews and a niece. But, it was obvious he felt a great amount of guilt and personal responsibility for the pain he had directly/indirectly caused concerning the shunning policy. At least he acknowledged it.

Many JW’s have broken the shackles of the Watchtower due to Ray’s book, Crisis of Conscience. It is a book that any former JW just can’t put down easily without completing reading it. I read the book in three days!

Maybe he has made restitution with Crisis of Conscience . . .

Steve

(Nice web site Hamas. I’ll go and visit more when I get a little time.)

27

Do you have a 'turning point' memory that started you to question?

by Steve Lowry in

jw
friends

mine was when i was about ten years old or so back in the mid sixties.

we had a guy in our k.hall who actually lived through the 1914 experience (earl senior).

he was well into his seventies i guess even then and was one of the annointed.

Steve Lowry

Mine was when I was about ten years old or so back in the mid sixties. We had a guy in our K.Hall who actually lived through the 1914 experience (Earl Senior). He was well into his seventies I guess even then and was one of the Annointed. Very much repsected and revered. Anyway, one day I asked him about what had happened during that time. He told me he and his other Bible Students (they didn't go by JW yet, I don't believe) friends were told and believed the event of Christ's return was to be on a particular day. When that evening came, they went to bed and expected to wake up in the New System! I asked him what happened the next morning when no such event took place and what was their reaction? He said, " Oh when we realized we were wrong, we all just laughed about it". That's all he said, but even as a young boy I realized the gravity of that situation. I imagined being back there in that time and being fed the whole 'end of the world thing' and it not coming true. OK, I'd be pissed, definately. I'd feel betrayed and decieved. I'd be forced to re-evaluate my belief system. But humar would be the last emotion I would feel. Ironically, this turning point and realization that my religion was 'not quite right', was a foreshadowing of a future event. When 1975 came and went and again nothing happened, it was the thing that help me to make the decision to leave, for good.

Thanks Earl, you actually helped me more than you know . . .

193

Stupidest thing a JW ever told you

by Nosferatu in

jw
friends

what is the stupidest thing a jw ever told you?

we all know that they say a lot of stupid things, but what really topped the cake?.

for me, it was an elder telling me i was progressing really well when my meeting attendance was down and my field service hours were slipping.

Steve Lowry

My JW mother once told me, "Reading the Awake magazine for four years would be the equivalent of getting a four year college education!" I swear she said this to me. Unbelieveable.

She once came home from the grocery store and said, "Ya know Steve? I looked around me at the store today, and eveybody was dead." Meaning, they were all as good as dead because 1975 was just around the corner. I'll never forget the self religious pious look on her face as she said it.

A young boy in my congregation who desperatly wanted to become a doctor (pre-1975), was told by the elders, "There will be no need of doctors in the New System". When the boys father pleaded with the elders (I over heard the whole converstion) to let the boy go to school, they countered with,"He won't have time for going out in Service if he goes to college." When the boys father promised he would make the boy keep up with his "spiritual" responsibilties, the elders would have nothing to do with it. Finally an exasperated father told his son, " Well, I guess Tim, we have to do what Jehovah wants." Those bastards. I bet they really got off wielding such power over a family. Well, that was about 1973. If ya do the math, he would have been in his medical practice for better than twenty-five years by now! I've heard he manages a dry cleaning store these days. So much for dreams.

I was to get married (in the Kingdom Hall of course) and I thought it would be nice to have some candles lit for 'mood'. I mentioned it to the Congregational Overseer (his last name was Dick, no joke), and he said he would get back to me. He did, and here's what he said, "We can't have candles in a place of worship, because that has ties to pagan worship." Now, just how freaking stupid is that? Anyway, I promptly asked him how folks illuminated interiors for fellowshipping before the advent of light bulbs? Uh, he got pissed out stromed off. Believe it or not, that response so so stupid and absurd to me, that it began my exodus. It just took a few years.

"We don't knock on people's doors to change their religion." Stupid AND a lie.

"The New World Translation employs the Greek indefinate article to translate verses like John 1:1." Uh, to my understanding there is no such language principle in the Greek.

Every JW believed 1975 was to be the end of this 'System of Things'. You can't find one actice JW who lived through that time today that say's he believed it back then.

"People who leave the Truth and speak bad about it, are demon possessed!"

"No one ever gets disfellowshipped for spiritual disagreements with the Society. It's always some sin like some sex thing or smoking that causes it."

Here's a little claim made by JW's when trying 'spin' their religion to unbelievers who may have heard that people will have family breakups if someone in the family leaves the organization. " JW's don't shun family members who decide to leave the religion". Stupid AND a lie.

"Masturbation is a sin and wrong." OK, then we're ALL gonna get it at Armagedon. LOL!

Many more that I could think of, but I'll stop here. Thanks for letting me vent . . .

Steve

33

What is your favorite Kingdom Melody?

by Joker10 in

jw
friends

do you have any favorites?

Steve Lowry

Has anyone mention the closing song at the Assembly's?

"If you keep you eyes on the prize" (circa 1960's)

I liked that little tune. Or did I just like it cuz it meant the end of another boring Assembli? LOL!