HappyBlessedFree, Elizabeth Vargas does an A&E documentary series called Cults and Extreme Belief. Season 1, Episode 2 is about Jehovah's Witnesses and Child Sexual Abuse.
Sail Away
JoinedPosts by Sail Away
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Hope someone does a documentary on JWs the same way Leah Remini did on Scientology
by HappyBlessedFree ini will be eternally grateful to leah remini for her docuseries on scientology.
it is what helped me to start waking up and seeing the org for what it is.
i remember thinking huh “they call it disconnecting, we do the same thing.
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What woke you up?
by HappyBlessedFree ini’m fairly new so i don’t know everyone’s backstory.
how did you realize the organization was false?.
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Sail Away
Congrats on your freedom and welcome, HBF!
In early 2011, cognitive dissonance nearly killed me. I had six-week Intensive Out-Patient Hospitalization for severe, recurrent clinical depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In early May, I had an emergency hospitalization due to toxicity from being over medicated for the same.
I walked out of a TMS/Bible Study meeting knowing that I just couldn't listen to their rhetoric one second longer. I spent six weeks on my living room couch going over all the doctrinal and personal issues that had arisen over my 42 years in-- I took issue with the misogyny toward women in the Bible and in the organization. All the murder and mayhem in the Old Testament in the name of righteous warfare sickened me. Accepting blood fractions but not whole blood parts made no sense to me. I had done a careful study of the newer Isaiah's Prophecy books and knew that the dates just didn't add up. I wrote a letter to NY and received a six-page reply that was just dancing around the topic and not directly answering the discrepancies. I thought the Revelation Climax Book with all its trumpet blasts was a crock, not to mention the idea of crossing things out and penciling in changes. We had to do this at Pioneer School too. They couldn't even keep up with doctrinal changes in the publications. In 2010 when they presented the overlapping generation doctrine at the District Convention, my first thought was, "That's crap."
My tipping point was both doctrinal and very personal. I absolutely knew that when I studied in the early to mid-70s the teaching on shunning was that, if a family member was disfellowshipped, you could still have "normal family relations", but could not talk about "spiritual things".
My son went through a traumatic break up with his JW wife. He was still acting out a year later, so they disfellowshipped him, but he was still living in our home. I knew that when he moved out, I was supposed to shun him. One faction of elders was saying that if we were back in Isreal, as a parent, I would have to be the one to throw the first stone, so there couldn't be any contact. The other faction was saying, that given my concerns for my son's mental health, I could visit and check in on him, but I shouldn't let that be known in the congregation. These were the elders that maintained contact with their disfellowshipped children-- such hypocrisy. One of the hardline elders had lost a son to suicide due to extreme shunning which was unthinkable to me.
We were taught that Jehovah would remove all pain and sorrow in the new system. I reasoned that the only way I could be happy in paradise forever would be to forget my husband (long-time faded JW/"apostate"), my daughter ("disassociated by her actions") and my son. If I wasn't a wife or mother, then who would that be in paradise? Certainly not me.
I chose my life with my family now over life in paradise. At least that's how I saw it at the time. I left a believer and learned TTATT about three months later.
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Just noticed something about my membership here
by JeffT ini've been a member of this board three years longer than i was a jehovah's witness (eighteen vs fifteen).
i'm sure i've put in more hours here than i did in field service, it was more fun as well.
anybody else with similar numbers?.
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Sail Away
I probably won't live long enough-- 42 years in; left at age 52. Out 8 years now.
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Dating question from a bible student
by Biblestudent1 ini have done bible study for about four months now.
the married couple who do it with me are lovely.
i have attended meetings for about two months.
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Sail Away
Biblestudent1, you have received sound advice-- do your research on this site and JWFacts.com. This is a high-control group (read cult).
I will be more blunt-- run for the sake of your happiness, your sanity, your autonomy and your life!
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I think I made up my mind
by paradiseseeker ina month ago i travelled alone to italy for three days and i had the opportunity to visit the beautiful florence and re-visit many parts of rome.. but most importantly, i had the opportunity to stay alone and think about my situation and to make up my mind.. i've had very clear for almost 5 years that i will eventually leave the religion, but i couldn't decide when.. but now i know : i will leave on april 20th, the day after the memorial.. that day i will talk to my parents (this is by far the hardest thing to do) and soon afterwards i will talk to my closest friends, then i will send my disassociation letter.
i know that i will let them down, i will hurt them, most probably some of them will cry... but i need to live coherently for the first time in my life.
i'm sure that living in this contradiction is affecting and will affect my mental health and it's time for me to help myself instead of others.
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Sail Away
Paradiseseeker, I'm glad you took some time away to find some clarity. It often takes time away from the indoctrination at meetings to see your way out. That's a big step!
I'm wondering if you need to take such a big leap though. When I first walked away, I told my COBE that I was taking as break. I didn't send a letter of resignation (I specifically did not dissociate) until years later.
Do you think you might have a better chance at maintaining family relationships if you fade? There's no need to rush-- Armageddon isn't coming tomorrow!
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This Forum. Has it changed? For the better or for the worse? Or not a at all?
by ThomasCovenant inwhen i post i try to imagine that i am at a social gathering or sometimes in someone's house as a dinner guest.
that way it is easier to follow the community guidelines and posting rules set out on the site at the bottom of the page.
i wouldn't want to make a fool of myself in public.
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Sail Away
The intelligent, thoughtful, compassionate people are still around and they post occasionally but they seem to have retreated in the face of all the anger around. I miss them.
^^This^^
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What to do when running in to a JW you know...How is this for a suggestion ?
by stuckinarut2 inhey all,.
so i have recently seen quite a few jws that were former friends in our community.
i am always polite and say hello - although most will not acknowledge me.
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Sail Away
I never play their shunning game!
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Cute: A Goose Quacked And Pecked At A Cop’s Car. When He Followed Her, He Couldn’t Believe What He Saw!
by Hecce inofficer james givens has served with the cincinnati police department for over 26 years, but has never quite experienced anything like this before.
he was sitting in his patrol car in a parking lot when he got an unexpected visitor.
a goose came up to his car and started pecking on the side of it.
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Sail Away
Love this! That was one patient Mama!
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Beware of divulging any personal info on this site!
by Crazyguy2 inhey this is crazyguy, forgot my password so this is my new name.
anyway be sure to all you new ones that if you post any personal info on this forum or respond to pms asking for email addresses this information maybe able to be used by wt spies to try and find out who you are!
someone has recently pmd me asking for my email address or more accurately to respond to his email address which would give him mine, this maybe an innocent request but this person also has no posting history.
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Sail Away
The Organization has taken everything it possibly can from me. I have nothing left to lose. There is relief and freedom from having walked away cold turkey and subsequently sending a letter of resignation through my attorney. I did that so they would stop randomly showing up on my doorstep. I didn't want to be looking over my shoulder constantly.
That said this is the internet, so I am protective of what I say about my husband and family. We are all out except my FIL, but I feel only they should tell their personal stories, if and when they are ready.
Diane
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Great Announcement
by Tiana inam a newcomer.
had a starnge metting in local news last night.. check it out.
actual info starts at 50;12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plxdjs13l0k.
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Sail Away
I have dicey wifi today in Belize, and I hate listening to this fear-mongering crap. The usual the GT is coming soon; do more!
Of note:
Comment about focus on training in using the Bible in the ministry, not WT literature.
"New" instructions from GB for elders to have weekly contact with publishers through field service groups.
An aside, why is there a brand new KH on Caye Caulker in Belize, population 2,000? The locals here work in the tourism industry and are dirt poor.
Edit to add: I didn't listen to the propaganda interview video played in the middle of the talk. Maybe someone else can take one for the team and summarize it.