Definitely do it in person. If he's your close friend, he cares about you and is worried. Let him see you're ok. This will also open the way for discussion and not make him feel like you're slamming a door in his face.
Gone and forgotten
JoinedPosts by Gone and forgotten
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A letter To My Friend
by Garrett inhey guys,.
so i've written up a letter to my friend that i plan on sending him to try to wake him up.
he's a very sensible man who i care deeply for.
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KH 1st timer, could use some advice
by rathernotsay inhey people, .
i am soon going into a kh for the first time and i could use some advice around etiquette etc.
i know next to nothing besides the fundamental beliefs of jws, i personally dont believe in any religion, and that stance isnt ever going to change, however i don't want to come across as rude or disrespectful.
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Gone and forgotten
RNS...if the memorial starts at 7pm...get there at 6:55. That way everyone will be too busy to getting started to really love bomb you. That way you will also be seated in the back, near the door to make an easy escape. Your wife may encourage you to stay and talk afterward...or others may try and waylay you before you can escape. Use your children and the lateness of the hour to make an easy exit.
At the memorial, the only real faux pas you could make is eating some of the crackers or drink some of the wine...All you need to do is sit quietly and observe. And then get the hell out as fast as your can...unless of course you really want to meet some of the elders. If the purpose of going is to meet them, then the memorial is not really a good time...there will be so many people there that aren't normally there that they are going to be busy trying to meet and greet everyone. If it so you can get an eyeball on them so that you would recognize them, then just have your wife point them out to you. You should be able to tell who they are...the man giving the talk will definitely be an elder. Depending on the size of the congregation, the ones passing the plates and glasses most likely will be elders or ministerial servants.
Keep in mind, no matter how much she professes that she isn't going to try and convert you...she's not going to be able to help herself. Once you show up, don't be surprised if an elder, ministerial servant, or pioneer doesn't contact you and offer a study. She's going to be over the moon and most likely get a lot of attention in the congregation because you came. It may send her into full cult mode. She's already heading down that path since she has been put on reproof, just be aware it may happen. I know you are going to resist, and have no intention on going any farther with it, but they are not going to be convince of that easily.
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Leaving Christendom for the Kingdumb Hall
by gone for good inmost of us old timers left behind a stable, respected, religious heritage in our disillusioned haste to join a stupid cult.. as i recall, there was no rite of dissociation required - no reason offered to your church, no resignation required - it was a non-event from the dubs viewpoint.
what was your experience?
were you expected to do or say anything as you abandoned your spiritual heritage to become a drone in the watchtower hive?.
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Gone and forgotten
I was required to track down which church I supposedly belonged to. I had only been there once to attend my mother's wedding. I was also told if I was registered to vote, I had to withdraw that as well. -
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Gifts from my old hall..
by Garrett inhey guys,.
so, it seems the hall i used to attend before my latest one got to hearing that i "disappeared".
so today, i went to the post office to pick up a package.... i decided to try to face reality and open it... what i found were multiple letters and wrapped gifts.
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Gone and forgotten
Garrett...that is really impressive that they went to those lengths. When I dislocate my knee...the day before it was announced that I was a pioneer...not one person in my hall could be bothered to call and checkup on why I wasn't at the meeting on that most important night! It was only when I showed up at the hall for field service with the CO, on crutches, in the middle of the winter, did anyone even pay attention. They didn't even bother to check up or offer help after the CO left. While he was there, he made sure that I was looked after, at least in service. I lived in a fairly rural territory at the time, so the most I was able to do was phone calls and letter writing. So that they went to that extant, really showed a loving attempt...now, that being said...whatever action you took, or didn't take, needed to be what you were comfortable with. If opening the letters and reading them would have caused you to return to the Borg...then they were a danger to you and you did the right thing...first and foremost in this situation, you need to protect yourself.
I currently have a sister that occasionally will send me a Facebook message that she is planning on making a trip to see me. It's been at least 3 years since I was at a meeting, and I live about 50 away from her now. It was only when she found out that I was diagnosed with cancer and am now recovering from those treatments, that she started contacting me. Maybe there has been some direction to reach out to those of us that have disappeared if possible...or maybe they are just moved by their inherent human kindness. I am not encouraging this visit, nor am I holding my breath that it will take place...the only possible way it will happen is when an assembly happens...the Assembly Hall is about the 1/2 way point. So I just hope that she is too busy with work and pioneering, and that her husband is too busy with work, pioneering and elder responsibilities to remember me.
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Examining the Watchtower daily
by kairos in...i mean scriptures.. .
wow, how did i miss this.. open up you examining the scriptures daily ( "daily text" ).
the booklet is about 80% watchtower comments.
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Gone and forgotten
This just took me back to a memory from when I was a small child. I was in a Catholic children's home. My grandmother had given me a bible, and I would read it all the time. As a result I would ask the nuns questions they couldn't answer. I would also ask the priest the same questions and he too couldn't answer them. Then ended up taking away my Bible and providing me with a Catholic "Catechism" book. They told me this would answer all my questions...sounds kinda similar... -
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Gone and forgotten
Just wow...he's still married? He abused that woman's granddaughter and she's still with him? And defending him like a blood thirsty shrew. I hope she never sees or gets to communicate with that little girl in anyway....oh that's right, the child's parents were probably df'd for revealing the secret to the police. So problem solved. -
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IMPORTANT NEWS: ABC News' Nightline will air a segment about the Watchtower (JWs) Wednesday morning at 12:35 a.m. EST
by AndersonsInfo inimportant news:.
here in the united states, on wednesday morning, march 11th at 12:35 a.m., est, barring any breaking news the day before, the program, nightline, will air as their lead story a 9-minute segment about the watchtower (jehovah's witnesses).
the program is 30 minutes long and this segment is only one part of the show.
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Gone and forgotten
Just wow...he's still married? He abused that woman's granddaughter and she's still with him? And defending him like a blood thirsty shrew. I hope she never sees or gets to communicate with that little girl in anyway....oh that's right, the child's parents were probably df'd for revealing the secret to the police. So problem solved. -
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According to Oct.1st 2012 WT Directions- Past Child Molesters CAN Be Appointed Elders
by flipper inconsidering the fact that the wt society refuses to release in courts any of it's written directions to elders through confidential letters to elder bodies- i thought i'd do the courts and wt society a "favor " by posting excerpts from this oct 1st.
2012 letter from the wt society to all bodies of elders.
these instructions are very exposing of the negligence of wt authorities in how they view the seriousness of felony child abuse.
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Gone and forgotten
My understanding is that a brother must be have a good reputation inside and outside the congregation...so if a man is a convicted of a sex crime, he has to be registered for the rest of his life (in the U.S.) so how could someone like that be appointed? It is very easy to search those databases and they are easily publicly available....
I remember when the Catholic church was in the news for this same issue and how reviled they were. I remember at least one talk concerning it. Not sure, but I think there were some Awake articles as well. Such hypocrisy.
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Pick your belief system
by Giordano ini think we've all noticed a ton of newbe's these past months.
one part of escaping or thinking about escaping the jw's is coming to terms with what you believe now and/or what direction you are leaning towards.. here is a site that has a quick quiz that may be of some worth or just for fun.
i took it when i first signed on here and the results surprised me because it was pretty accurate.. you don't have to sign up for anything and when you finish you will get a percentage answer on 20 major belief systems.
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Gone and forgotten
Reform Judiasm first, Quaker second, and Mainline conservative protestant third. JW came in at #18. I think I am even more confused now...maybe I need to redo this when my blood sugar levels at normal instead of having me nearly comatose and not thinking clearly...lol! -
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Watchtower in local newspaper
by lostinthought inforgive me if this has been posted already but this was in my local paper today.. http://m.recordonline.com/article/20150307/news/150309486/0/wap&template=wapart.
if you have time to read, this is an interesting article talking about watchtowers property in ulster and orange county ny and how much the properties are worth.
it also goes on to show how the tax exempt stays is hurting the communities..
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Gone and forgotten
Thanks Nonjwspouse...this emotion is just catching me by surprise. I haven't turned in field service time in nearly 10 years...I haven't been regularly associated with a congregation in about that same amount of time. Due to an extremely dysfunctional marriage, that I attempted to get help from the elders for...to no avail...I just ended up drifting away. I finally made the decision 4 years ago that I didn't want to go back...every time we tried, my life just got worse and worse, not necessarily due to the congregation or WTS, but due to my crazy ex's extremes, and I just couldn't take it anymore. Until recently, I never really looked any deeper into things...but now that I am stuck at home most of the time due to an illness that I am recovering from, I have the time to delve into things I haven't in the past...Over the past year, I have really been taking my life back, but due to my JW indoctrination, have been conflicted and had to make decisions based on what I wanted...and with great feelings of guilt and dread, went against JW teachings/beliefs...then I happened across this website and it has been a lifesaver for me. I am starting to "wake up" to who I really am...completely throwing off the JW personality...and now I am happy again. I didn't realize how much of my personality was lost...and am really disappointed in how my life has turned out due to my decision to become a JW. I also didn't really know how tightly my eyes were closed to the hypocrisy of the WTS. If I had been confronted about the child abuse issues...I would have vehemently denied them. Same with NGO issue among others...I always felt uncomfortable with how superior (not sure if that's the right word) JW's make themselves to others...while claiming to be the most humble of people.
I currently don't have any close contact with any JW...I was the only one in my family, and only my ex's aunt is in. She is the only one that is currently privy to my current lifestyle and as a result she has shunned me...although I am not DF'd or DA'd. But that's ok...it's better that way...it keeps my ex that much further from my life...but honestly, she's one of the most hypocritical JW that I know.
There are so many good people stuck in the organization...so blinded and brainwashed...and I feel so helpless to do anything about it. I know the best thing for me to do is to life my life HAPPY and FREE! It's a little late for me to start doing some of the things I dreamed of 30 years ago when this infection entered my life...but not all of them! And the best revenge I can get is by living well!