so i ended up going to the meeting yesterday.
i have been absent for almost 2 months.
my wife was also absent as long but mostly out of chance.
Star
You guys handled that great!
After they showed you the videos you should have asked them..."now can we show you a video?" You could have then showed them the ARC videos. Can you imagine the looks on their faces. You know the saying, "turnabout is fair play." lol
to show respects for the older bro who died.. first thing i noticed.
the noise!..
jw never learn to sit and do so quietly.
The JW funeral is just..." a witness to the community." 99.9% about the cult and .01% about the person. UNLESS....the deceased was a wealthy/big hitter in WT land. Seen that before! There talk is ALL about how much they "contributed" ($$$$) to WT (aka Jehovah).
when i was in, we all used to claim us jw's were "one big family" all around the world, and how we're the happiest people on the earth.
except that isnt true is it?
i knew that when i was in, but i've just had some news which shows me how unloving, uncaring and un-family like they really are.. my ex-best friend (he has to shun me doesn't he?
Yes...that is the main reason we left. The complete lack of love and care for others. When we went through a period of unemployment/under employment, we got nothing. Not even an encouraging word from the Elders. We had to take on employment in the evenings and weekends. The only thing we got was the Elders asking why we were missing meetings. If you're not doing the tasks, you are weak and not worth the time of day.
Wow....freedom is a breath of fresh air!
We are back on track at the moment and enjoying life. Not a dime going to WT!
been reading this site for awhile now.
i have had a long and often tragic life as a jw.
my story is so long because i'm pretty old :) i feel sad i've been locked in fear and guilt for my entire life.
Welcome Phoebe. You have been through so much. I wish I could hug you.
Flipper is right, you are among friends here. There are so many who have scars that the WT has left on them.
The comment that you made regarding your husband. "He kept saying 'there's something wrong with it' " I had the same thing running through my head most of my life. My spouse and I left WT 3+ years ago for lack of love and once we learned TTATT, it was over for us. We will never return. The abuse and lies are just too much.
I am so happy that you received the professional help. What your Brother did to you is unforgivable. He knows what he did and it scares him that you will come forward. What a coward.
Lean on those who love you. We are here for you and feel free to come on here anytime to vent. There are some really wonderful folks on here. It has helped me tremendously, kind of like a therapy. Hugs to you my dear!
i do remember reading an article that it is not ok for jw to sell cigarettes at gas stations, etc... i was wondering what about lottery tickets?
they do sell lottery tickets at few restaurants around my home.
if jw works there and rats me out to the elders, i would not give a damn about it but i still prefer not to hear from the elders about it..
"If someone played the lottery and won, and donated the money to the society, would they accept it and would he be disfellowshipped?"
WT will accept anything in the form of checks, money orders, cash, credit cards, gifts, estates, etc. They could care less where it comes from as long as THEY can benefit from it. They will just do what they do best...SWEEP IT ALL UNDER THE RUG!! Money flows one way in Watchtower land...in THEIR POCKETS!
a month ago i decided to register in this board.
i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.
i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.
"I guess what I'm saying is that even if you have doubts as to god's existence, they will not DF you, and they will be perfectly willing to have you "step down." However, if you express doubts as to the BORG, you're out."
It's interesting in WT land that you can question the existence of God and nothing happens but as soon as you question the org...you're out. Really tells you a lot about this cult!
a month ago i decided to register in this board.
i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.
i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.
Another question...those Elders that are telling you not to quit, are they themselves full time pioneering and working a full time job?
We have a family member who has 5 kids and had to work additional hours to support his large family. He was an elder and wanted to step down. The Body of elders tried talking him out of it. He asked the brothers if they would chip in to help support his large family. Guess what? They did not push it further. This family member is no longer a JW. He saw the abuse this organization lays upon its member and exited. His children and wife wife are all out too.
Ask the Body of Elders to help with your finances and see what kind of response you get. lol Tell them you can remain a pioneer and continue with your responsibilities IF they help support you. That is one thing WT and it's members will never do....HELP YOU. They may bring a meal over when you need it but will never really HELP YOU. It's amazing!
a month ago i decided to register in this board.
i had decided to step down pioneering but was frightened about the consequences.
i had finished my university degree some months before (despite disaproval from brothers in my congregation) and i had to choose: continue pioneering and working in jobs with no future or starting a career, working full-time.. i was thinking to postpone the decisiton but... i was fed up with preaching.
The key thing you said in your post is..."they elders have NO empathy." You are 100% correct on this.
My spouse and I are currently watching our family members struggle financially. They are almost 70 years old. None of them went to college, they pioneered and went off to Bethel. They look and sound so beat down and discouraged. Trust me when I say to you....TAKE THE GOOD JOB. You have your education, now go use it.
The only reason they (the Elders) are discouraging you, is because you do a lot of tasks that they don't want to do. They are "using" you.
Move forward. You have a lot of life before you. We left in our late 40's and even we have a lot of life ahead of us. Our families in their late 60's do not. They have wasted a life.
Good luck and hugs to you. You sound like a brilliant guy!
in the late 1990s there was magazine article that asked the question, are jws a secret society?
obviously they said no, because they claim to be transparent to outsiders and new members.
but they really are not transparent at all.
Slimboyfat, yes the Internet has exposed many details and activities that might have never been revealed to the rank and file in the past.
One example a few years ago was the apartment complex they purchased with "dedicated funds" for over $50 million!
Why didn't they build enough space in Warwick to house the all the Bethelites for the move out of NY? Only space for 800 - 1000?
Who get to live in these luxury apartments? The faithful ones with the biggest secrets?
Heres the link:
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/289472/watchtower-buys-apt-complex-fishkill-ny?page=1&size=10
i cannot think of a single doctrine that is so clearly laid out in the bible that every christian sect teaches the same point.
are there any doctrine where there is total consensus amongst all christian religions, including jehovah's witnesses?.
Jw leaks stated the number 1 reason for any religion. Money, I will add, power and a comfortable life style for it's leaders.
