Posts by dubstepped

25

Food Boxes given out by Society

by JustChillin in

anyone else get a food box delivered by local congregation to your door - allegedly by the society?

weird.

i looked online and found a couple of youtube channels saying the society is taking food from food banks and giving it only to their congregations.

dubstepped

@road to nowhere: Did they actually say that it was from Farm to Family specifically?

I've known about this for some time because someone I coach received a couple boxes very early on. Seems like it was more on the west coast in reaching out to people to learn more. California especially, but maybe also New York state.

I actually reached out to the USDA directly and they let me know that the JWs weren't getting it from them directly, but may be from one of their distributors. I dug deeper and got the list of their distributors but nothing tipped off the JWs there. I'd have to call each distributor and ask and they have no reason to tell me so I kind of saw it as a dead end.

But yes, that seems to be the likely place they're getting it from. I know for a fact that it's not necessarily going to needy people. The person I work with has been faded for decades and doesn't need food for the needy but they kept pushing it on her, probably trying to get her to come back. They used it to start asking for her email address and stuff.

In most cases I've heard JWs have said that Watchtower had a deal with local farmers to help out, no reference to Farm to Families. I've heard rumors that some received a letter basically telling them to keep it on the down low if they wanted to keep getting it. I've not received a copy of such letter though.

30

How Could We Have Been So Heartless?

by BluesBrother in

i am addressing here those who, like me, spent decades in the organisation that we called “the truth”.

perhaps like me you were brought up in it from an early age.

looking back now i wonder that i could have been so heartless as to believe that the mass slaughter of billions of people was “good news”.

dubstepped

The dehumanizing and othering of worldly people made it easy to stand at their doors and talk about how we'd like to live in their house after Armageddon. Once you dehumanize and detach from others it's easy to no longer be able to take the perspective of another. The JW community is full of people that lack empathy. We were deadened to our own feelings, often self flagellating, and the same was projected outward.

The organization is narcissistic. Most either adopt those traits or end up codependent and serving the organization to find an identity. Either way we were consumed with ourselves as JWs or concerned with getting approval from other JWs and the big J himself.

So we didn't often have much chance to have a heart. We were made callous to feelings other than things like fear, for the most part. We were isolated from others and our true selves.

21

JW Response to COVID

by optimisticskeptic in

i haven't been on here in quite some time so i apologize if i missed a similar thread already (i did look for one :) ) anyways, just to be clear i think the jw response to covid in general has been really positive and proactive and they've done really well trying to educate people on covid, doing zoom meetings, etc to prevent spread within the congregations.

the part that i find interesting is how compliant and non-apocalyptic the branch has been during all of this.

even as someone who's a bit of a skeptic i found myself wondering if this might be the beginning of the end between covid, economic upheaval, and blm.

dubstepped

Lol, I'll just leave this here.............

https://youtu.be/Mrges_TxOzQ

20

This Cult sucks, I loath it. I don't understand Why my wife will not leave

by goingthruthemotions in

i loath this cult!!!!!!!!!!

why won't she leave?.

she knows about the australian royal commision, the united nations, failed prediction dates etc...., i have crisis of consciene and she know, it is visiable that she could see the book everyday.

dubstepped

Because she's in it for emotional reasons, not intellectual ones. Often fear is what keeps people stuck. It's not like your wife is some unique case. It happens all the time. People lived through 1975 and stayed.

I know it sucks but you have to love her where she is for your own sake. You can't control other people and you'll lose your sanity trying to. Sorry man.

2

A Shunned Success Story - From GED to MIT

by dubstepped in

i haven't shared any of my podcasts here in a long time but since i started a new type of episode i thought some might like it.

welcome to the first episode of the shunned success stories series.

in this episode we meet kelsey and get to learn from her path as she went from a homeschooled member of jehovah’s witnesses to recently being accepted to attend mit.

dubstepped

Thanks for the kind words! I've done a lot of interviewing through my normal Shunned episodes, but this was my first of this new type of episode.

I'm really excited for Kelsey. Like you said, there are some people out there that might appreciate her mind that could create some amazing opportunities for her in the future. Kelsey is a woman, and a woman of color, and a woman being shunned, and who knows she could be reaching for literal stars in some way. I had this recorded a couple weeks ago when it was only a pandemic that was front and center and now so many other things are boiling over as well. I had planned to release it this week and I hope it gives others something positive to think about too.

2

A Shunned Success Story - From GED to MIT

by dubstepped in

i haven't shared any of my podcasts here in a long time but since i started a new type of episode i thought some might like it.

welcome to the first episode of the shunned success stories series.

in this episode we meet kelsey and get to learn from her path as she went from a homeschooled member of jehovah’s witnesses to recently being accepted to attend mit.

dubstepped

I haven't shared any of my podcasts here in a long time but since I started a new type of episode I thought some might like it.

Welcome to the first episode of the Shunned Success Stories series. In this episode we meet Kelsey and get to learn from her path as she went from a homeschooled member of Jehovah’s Witnesses to recently being accepted to attend MIT. You’ll learn about her struggles on this path as she is shunned by her family and former friends, how she overcame that for this part of her journey, and the new opportunities that she’s found. Success as defined by these episodes is personal happiness, so look for the lessons you can take on your own journey to find more happiness in your life.

You can listen on the podcast app of your choice such as iTunes, Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Podbean, Podcast Republic (my personal choice), or many others.

You can also find the podcast on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Radio Public, Player.fm, Radio.com, and Owltail.

There is a player on my website where you can listen at:

https://shunnedpodcast.com/shunned-success-stories-1-from-ged-to-mit/

Or if you prefer you can listen on YouTube at:

https://youtu.be/fLUv_xGdaog

17

According to History

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

according to history, now only a reichstag fire is needed to eliminate democracy.

it is very likely that this will happen.. g..

dubstepped

Funny how the country is on fire and I don't even smell smoke. What you want to be true and what is are two different things. That doesn't mean it couldn't devolve but it's not at this point. I live 5 miles from where riots occurred because Louisville had it's own bad situation (though not necessarily racist). Yes there are issues but as time goes by people will settle in, cooler heads will prevail, and hopefully some real changes to policing will take place at a minimum.

30

Has anyone ever turn down being appointed an Elder or MS?

by Davros in

jw
friends

has anyone turned it down or know of someone who did turn down being an elder or ms?.

yes, it should be one of the biggest privileges a brother can get !!

(how do i put the barfy icon in?

dubstepped

At 18 I was a pioneer, then appointed a MS. They had me doing everything at the KH. Burned me out, plus I had 3 part time jobs to support myself. I handed it all back to them. Well, I tried to but the elders wouldn't accept it so when the circuit overseer visited I pulled him and the presiding overseer to the side and told them that whether it was accepted or not I wouldn't be doing either anymore. The next week the presiding overseer pulled me in the back and chastised me for embarrassing him.

I knew an elderly brother that was never more than a MS that turned them down many times. I knew a family man that turned down being an elder too for years but he finally succumbed and I believe they ended up deleting him later because his job schedule kept him from being an effective slave anymore.

15

Peace and security

by BourneIdentity in

scrolling through the news this morning and i couldn’t help to think we are light years from any leaders crying out peace and security.

jws are going to have to wait another decade or two and see how things develop before they get excited about armageddon coming in their lifetime.

.

dubstepped

Actually next year is supposed to be the International Year of Peace and Trust recognized by the United Nations. And 1986 was an International Year of Peace. And world leaders have mentioned "peace and security" many times. Yet here we all are. No sudden destruction has instantly come upon us.

32

My Mom died last week.

by Still Totally ADD in

jw
friends

last wednesday my elder brother called me to let me know mom had died.

she was 97 years old and was in a nursing home for the last 7 years.

her mind had left her many years ago to the point she didn't recognize any of us.

dubstepped

I'm so sorry for your loss, both now and for parts lost in the past. These relationships are complicated enough without a cult in the mix. Don't judge your feelings, just feel them, and be kind to yourself as you grieve. Take care and I send my condolences.