the fact that there are pomi ex-jws who have been disfellowshiped or inactive for years who still live in constant fear of armageddon indicates that watchtower will manage to exist in one way or another for years, if not decades, to come.
watchtower, like all other religious cults, operate on the premise that "you can fool some of the people all of the time...and that's enough!
".
" it appeared the main thing in his belief system was the thought of being with mom again in "the new system"
Yes, this has a tight hold. The resurrection. We have a family member that I believe has doubts but this resurrection "hope" really has a strong hold on him staying in the cult.
WT uses fear to keep em in. Leave and you now have no hope of seeing dead loved ones again. It's the carrot that WT uses to keep the sheeples in!!
i was in the organization until 2011. .
i n-e-v-e-r heard of this problem.
not even a whisper.
"As elders, you have no obligation to reveal information of this type to the authorities."
They will not reveal a murder but they will reveal a kid who lights up a cigarette or feels his girlfriend up in the back seat. They will take him to the back room and interrogate him and then humiliate him in front of the entire congregation with DF'ing and a talk given on the "sin" he committed.
i have worked at chelmsford .
everybody seems so happy, but i couldn’t help wondering why all these volunteers give up their time and money, working for free for the future bethelites to live in such luxury .
all all the volunteers working there now will be kicked out on the street next year, with the lucky few laughing at the poor suckers who irked for free making this new bethel so amazing .
"They're all so happy because they've been indoctrinated to believe that they're "doing it for Jehovah."
When I figured out that "Jehovah" IS the Watchtower, it all fell into place.
two days ago, i experienced a spiritual epiphany while visiting the library of a catholic university: i was shocked to find thousands of religious literatures produced by the catholics and protestants in the last few hundred years.
someone could easily spend a secluded lifetime trying to read them all.
for years, i was told by my religious leaders (jws) that the catholics and other religions did not provide spiritual food to their members.
When you are in the JW bubble, there is no outside world. This is the true sign of a cult. If you let someone explore any outside source, it becomes "dangerous." Dangerous that you may leave Watchtower. If you leave, your wallet also leaves.
i was in the organization until 2011. .
i n-e-v-e-r heard of this problem.
not even a whisper.
The internet! Back in the "old days" we didn't even know who the GB were or what they looked like. Once the internet came to be, the ball started rolling.
yesterday, i posted a question for a friend in texas as to whom he should contact to report sexual abuse from the 1960s by a jw pioneer/elder who is now deceased.
(incidentally, there are plenty of people who are still alive and in the organization who were very aware of the circumstances and who can be summoned to give testimony regarding these accusations.
) so, my friend called the zalkin law firm.
Karma's a bitch!
i see top uk jw lawyer richard cook is finally having to move out of his jw "grace & favour" house , currently for sale for a cool £2.75 million.
https://solicitors.guru/office/3466-richard-cook-solicitors/.
https://ibsaproperty.com/houses/lowood-house/.
Well, at least if poor Richard wants or has to leave Beth Hell, he will have a law degree to hang somewhere else and make a VERY nice living.
The Beth Hell lites that were laid off a few years ago, have nothing to fall back on. They have to be supported by family and the congregations they get pawned off to. Most have no savings, no home, no education and no skills. Not feeling too bad for Richard.
yesterday my congregation met for field service and the elder taking the lead did something not so smart: he brought up the child abuse situation and the recent news articles hitting local news across the country.
he said 'you can see that the persecution is really coming' and that we should be ready if someone complains about it at the door.
(funny how it's persecution when it's us and righteous judgment when it happens to the other churches.
"(Funny how it's persecution when it's us and righteous judgment when it happens to the other churches.)"
Bingo!!! Kinda like it's a "test of our faith" if things don't go their way and a "blessing from Jehovah" if it does. lol
I spoke with an Elder, years ago (just prior to our exit). I told him of a situation that was occurring in our family. It was bad judgement on the part of the Elders with a family members JC. He was a bit unsympathetic. I asked him, what if this happened to YOUR daughter? His response? Nothing. Just a blank stare. I really made him think. Sadly, they think and then they just go on worshiping the cult.
hi guys and girlies, .
since i’ve joined a fortnight ago or so, i have reading all sort of posts, some recent and some really old!
🙂 i’m really enjoying all of your stories and contributions.
The ONLY good thing that came out of being a JW, is meeting my best friend and spouse over 30 years ago. Great kids came from that too!!
i have been working through the grey book with a married couple for several months.
actually after a while what happened was a different brother or sister got invited each week to my study.
i met lots and lots.
"There is a shortage of men in the congregation"
You just gotta ask yourself why there is a shortage of men. lol
Glad you escaped. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Enjoy your life!!!
