Posts by fiddler

104

The Secret is out....but nobody cares

by MrTheocratic in

i've been looking on this site for some time but never posted.

i'll give a little about myself, but not too much.

i'm a ex-bethelite ( brooklyn )and currently serving as an elder (10 years) (thinking about stepping down) on the service committee.

fiddler

I too found this thread to be encouraging to a point and offer my thanks to Mr. theocratic for posting his observations. I still wonder about the same point that Galaxy made:

any ex jw family members who have learned ttatt still suffer because of those who just remain within because they think it's a respectable way of life. Surely thats a contradictory position ?

I hear little snippets about my still in JW daughter and what she does and says seems so contradictory to the 'council' coming from the GB. Her business doings seem to be her major focus in life and she's also into things that would have been on the fringes of spiritism in my day. She stayed home from memorial last year because her toddler was sick...wonder if someone will be 'sick' this year. She gets a lot of her meetings over the phone, a privilege that wasn't available in my day but oh it would have been so nice! Oh, and she's back on anti depressants to help her deal with her emotionally abusive JW husband.

But she shuns me religiously.

It just baffles me. I personally don't care if she is JW for community or whatever. I just would like to see her every now and then and take my grandson to the park or something

68

Help needed: Written material regarding shunning of DF'd and DA'd individuals

by EdenOne in

i would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.

not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.

objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.

fiddler

Just another little note, my JW daughter WAS having limited contact with me prior to 2011. It was the direct result of the statements made at assemblies and in publications that made even texting a df'd family member a matter of LOYALTY to Jehovah aka the Governing body that convinced her to toe the line.

68

Help needed: Written material regarding shunning of DF'd and DA'd individuals

by EdenOne in

i would like this to become a permanent thread, because i think there are grounds - at least in europe - to take this matter up to the european court of human rights.

not sure we'll ever get there, but one must start somewhere.

objective: force, by legal means, the watchtower society and the jehovah's witnesses to stop the practice of shunning ex-jehovah's witnesses, on grounds that it constitutes a violation of human rights.. what is needed: all written material ever published by the watchtower society, especially since 1940's, concerning the practice of shunning.

fiddler

I am in the U.S. and am totally frustrated by the protection of religious institutions that goes on here. I do wonder if there is any way that the business side of WT corporations could be addressed?

Just as an example, say a family worked for a certain Motor Car Company for generations, all of them! Nobody has ever worked outside of the corporation. Then the young adult third generation member decides to go over to another company that offers better pay and benefits. What would be the legal issues involved if the governing corporate heads of the families company instructed the family members and all who knew this young person to cut off all ties not even e-mailing him? How would the business world look at such a company?

If the young person also was a whistle blower then certainly there would be a lot of tensions but really, can a Corporation legally behave this way tearing apart families so completely. Maybe this scenario has happened (say in a Mob run company) but it can't be considered an attractive business practice can it? I wonder if there are any precedent setting cases involving these sorts of 'family' run; i.e. Mob run businesses?

The JW.$$org IS a business as far as I'm concerned. There is nothing really spiritually edifying about it. The fact that underage people give the 'loyalty oath' dedicating their lives to this corporation should at least be held up to scrutiny. I was 16 when I made my 2 question statement (a different 'contract' than what is said today BTW) and so why should I be held accountable and be shunned by my family?

I apologize if this is all too simplistic but I certainly have been hurt greatly by the shunning policy and have experienced much mental 'Pain and Suffering' due to these legalistic policies. I would love to be able to sue this horrible religious corporation for it!

24

Letter to a DF Parent

by thedepressedsoul in

thank you for raising me in this religion, this religion that when people get disfellowshipped you have to cut off all communication, even family.

thank you for making sure all of my friends, work partners, family and 99% of my life was centered around this organization.

thank you for taking the time to study with me, read the bible, making me excluded from all school activities and friends so that my whole social life was surrounded by jw.

fiddler

Steve2, this person IS in psychological pain. This is just his way of expressing it I think.

24

Letter to a DF Parent

by thedepressedsoul in

thank you for raising me in this religion, this religion that when people get disfellowshipped you have to cut off all communication, even family.

thank you for making sure all of my friends, work partners, family and 99% of my life was centered around this organization.

thank you for taking the time to study with me, read the bible, making me excluded from all school activities and friends so that my whole social life was surrounded by jw.

fiddler

"Having no natural affection..."

indeed Oubliette. I recieved a private message from TDS and have nothing else to say except that I hope he finds peace with himself and his mother. He'd be a happier camper if he let go of the anger.

24

Letter to a DF Parent

by thedepressedsoul in

thank you for raising me in this religion, this religion that when people get disfellowshipped you have to cut off all communication, even family.

thank you for making sure all of my friends, work partners, family and 99% of my life was centered around this organization.

thank you for taking the time to study with me, read the bible, making me excluded from all school activities and friends so that my whole social life was surrounded by jw.

fiddler

I have four kids and one is still JW and the very few times she has communicated to me via text message her tone has had a similar arrogance to it. My other three all left the religion around the time I did and when I have apologized to them for raising them JW they just say "no mom, you did the best you could and you're a great mom".

Four kids all raised the same and yet one can't forgive...the 'Christian' one.

Yes, thankyou JW religion for poisoning it's people with fear, guilt, hate...

34

Pick your belief system

by Giordano in

i 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.

fiddler

100% Taoism

0% JW

27

Letter From My Elder Uncle

by freemindfade in

ok guys, this is long, so i am sorry, but i think it is important to publish.

this is a glimpse into a 4 page letter (love that song) from my uber elder uncle.

as some of you may know i got tired of being in an email chain and finally lost it and lashed out.

fiddler

Wow...and yes, I've heard quite a few of those same arguments from my own dad (when he was alive). What I hear at the root of it all is fear of ones own mortality. All the words are just fluff hiding their fear. The words in the song 'The Rose' come to mind..

"It's the heart afraid of breaking that never learns to dance. It's the dream afraid of waking that never takes the chance. It's the one who won't be taken who cannot seem to give

And the soul afraid of dying who never learns to live"

poor sorry souls....

30

Introducing myself

by maksutov in

my name is russ, i'm 40 years old, from the uk, and i left the jws nearly 5 years ago.

i've been a member of the yuku board throughout that time, so there are probably some on here who know me already.

there seems to be more activity over here at the moment, so i thought i'd pop in and say hi.i was raised as a jw, started questioning it when i was 16, but there was no internet back then (well, no www anyway) so i got sucked right in and got baptized when i was 18. auxiliary pioneered on and off for a couple of years, then became a ministerial servant.

fiddler

Hey Russ (waves wildly) nice to see you over here! I visit here and other places as well.

You must share some of your music...classical guitar...beautiful stuff!

21

How Honest is the Official Watchtower PR Department?..Check out this You Tube Video..

by OUTLAW in

most of us know the watchtower "isn`t" known for it`s honesty... what happens when a person calls watchtower headquarters... with questions the the watchtower "doesn`t" want to answer?!...

your about to find out in this youtube video... phone call to bethel ny jehovah's watchtower productions caleb sophia video series underlying themes.

by inform ant .

fiddler

Wow! I think she handled the call very well and made it very clear that JW.(b)org is only about telling people what to do and not about giving rational explanations about why. The points made right at the beginning about how the JW content has to be reposted on other formats JUST so that a discussion can be had is spot on. The average JW may be OK with checking their brains at the door of the KH and accepting without question what is ladeled out to them but on the Internet 'interested' people want to be able to ask questions AND make comments.

Welcome to reality governing body! welcome to the Internet!!