well...I was df'd on the testimony of two witnesses. These two elders sat outside my house and waited for me to get home from work with my "worldy boyfriend" (I worked late shift, so it was around 3 AM). They then reported that after some time my bedroom lights went on and off, which proved "fornication". They were watching for quite a while. Don't know how they identified my bedroom - probably had binoculars or climbed up to peek in the window. the invasion of privacy still makes my skin crawl.
mamochan13
JoinedPosts by mamochan13
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21
Elders stepping out of bounds
by homme perdu inwhen i was very young the elders told my mother that my unbaptized teen sister could not go to the public park on days that brothers would socialize at due to her lack of morals.
three years ago my brother moved in with my grandmother.
he is baptised but faded from the organization 10+ years ago.
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58
KM in 1974 praising people for selling all their stuff and pioneering?
by ithinkisee insomeone on this site mentioned they got a km off ebay that praised those that sold all their belongings and preached.. does anyone know which km that was?.
interesting, when going through the society's cd-rom i noticed that the drama for the district convention in 1975 was about noah's ark and was something along the lines of "there's still time left!
" (i'm paraphrasing).. -dm
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mamochan13
Interesting thread. I, too, lived through the 1975 experience. There was a lot more propaganda than just that KM. I had just left high school and had been pioneering for a couple of years. There was a push to move "where the need was great" to pioneer, so in 1974 I discussed the matter with our circuit overseer. he recommended against it because I was too young and with 1975 so close I should just wait out Armageddon at home with my family. I moved anyway, and found that the push for 1975 was going on in Central America too. I sold all my stuff, but fortunately I didn't own much (although I still pine for my first edition White Album and vinyl go-go boots)
We all watched the numbers of witnesses grow in the years before 1975, and we were told this was yet another sign of the end.
My uncle (an elder) sold his house and went pioneering, but he got lucky (or smart?) and bought another one as soon as 1975 ended. I remember hearing a lot of talks at assemblies and meetings that reinforced the end being in 1975. My pioneer aunt related an experience about how they had tried to book international assemblies across Europe for 1975, but mysteriously found every venue unavailable. When they changed the date back to 1974, they had no problems booking. (JW's have always been very good at spreading these kinds of stories).
I remember all of us pioneers being strongly encouraged (and shown by example) to use the "Truth" book, quoting the particular sections that referred to 1975, i.e. "Dean Acheson in 1960, "in 15 years this world will be too dangerous to live in", and the one about food shortages "Famine - 1975". Thank you Quotes for sharing the reprinted sections of the "Truth" book - if I still needed proof of a cover-up re 1975, those changes made it very clear. (http://quotes.watchtower.ca/mini_tru.htm)
I also remember the fallout, and how the elders quickly tried to backtrack in 1976 - the society, of course, blamed all the followers for making incorrect assumptions. They told us that only those who were "weak" had spread the 1975 rumours, so of course everyone quickly tried to dis-associate themselves from ever having supported the belief. The mantra became, "are you weak and shallow and only serving Jah for a date? or are you a good, loyal, witness serving for life?"
It was like they were playing a power game, seeing just how far they could tease everyone. Don't ever believe anyone who tries to deny the truth of what went on in 1975.
if you do any psychology studies - you realize that the tactic of the society to ask questions like, "isn't this a fine way to spend the last days" and the way they only make implications and leave it to the reader to fill in the blanks - is really a very powerful way to manipulate people, far more powerful than if they actually came out and said what they meant.
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13
Just being honest...
by Country Girl infor me, being raised as a jehovah's witness denied me of the feelings of empathy other people feel.
for so long, i felt no love for my family, no closeness except that closeness that is demanded by my being greek.
i think it made me into a robot.
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mamochan13
"normal people who haven't been raised in a cult feel empathy, don't they"
You've hit it exactly, country girl. We were not brought up normally and it will continue to f**k us up, no matter how hard we try. But remember YOU WERE NOT BROUGHT UP NORMALLY. Its not normal to feel the way we did, to view others the way we did, to behave as we did. there is nothing normal about this religion, and escaping will feel strange. but its the right thing, and once you leave you can start to be "normal" again.
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To the "Little Bird" Who Knows My Father.
by Lostreality instop hiding behind your anonymity.
there is a fink on this messege board.
a practicing jw who frequents the board in order to report things to people.. well, here is to the person who is my father's "little bird".
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mamochan13
I'm sad for you, lostreality. There is no need for people to do this kind of thing...but it is a JW tactic, after all. I hope "little bird" will get lost. And I hope all goes well with you.
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42
Two faced lying hypocrites
by Uzzah ini just came across this link advertising an award dinner by the canadian bar association.. http://www.cba.org/cba/news/2004_releases/2004-08-17_probono.asp.
it announces shane brady of georgetown (bethelite) as the winner of the probone award for 2004. i'll let the announcement speak for itself.. .
what burns me is that the brady is on a vow of poverty, and gets his marching orders from bethel.
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mamochan13
Isn't this whole issue relating to lawyers emancipating mature adolescents so that they can make their own decision regarding medical treatment? Personally I approve of that kind of action - there are many teenagers who are well able to make their own decisions regarding numerous topics, and they should be able to do so legally. I get the impression (correct me if I'm wrong) that Mr. Brady is receiving the award because of his work representing mature minors who wished to make their own medical decisions. Remember - this can go both ways - a mature 14 year old should be able to choose her/his medical treatment, and if it be a blood transfusion, well I'd say that I'm glad we have lawyers who are willing to argue that these mature teens have the right to choose YES or no.
I'd be careful about "demonizing" Mr. Brady simply because we feel so passionately about this particular case. Maybe he is just fighting for the rights of certain minors to choose their medical treatment, regardless of religious influences - that can be a good thing. Don't confuse this, however, with mature adolescents who are brainwashed by their religion and family into thinking they must behave a certain way. In the case of such individuals, however, there is no magic age whereby they feel themselves free...there are many adults who are equally enslaved to a WT teaching regarding medical treatment.
Hopefully I'm making sense here...I feel that adolescents who are mature deserve to have a voice and be able to make their own decisions, and I'm supportive of anyone who helps make that happen. I do not support brainwashing a la WT.
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mamochan13
absolutely. cult status. realizing that was an important step for me in breaking free finally.
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12
I visited my elderly JW parents today
by BrendaCloutier ini had business in that end of town, and just stopped by.
i had been wanting to do so for quite a while.
my parents will be 87 each next month.
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mamochan13
double *ouch* Jez. I can't imagine not seeing my children for 10 years. But I know the pain - I've not spoken to my brother in 5 years nor will ever again. To Brendacloutier & anewlife...I hope you can find a way to mend fences. I hope your parents will see that some things are more important than the watchtower. good luck.
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New Website About Child Abuse
by Corvin ini am putting together a website geared toward non-sexual jw child abuse.
i am in the midst of getting clinical assistance from mental healthcare professionals and many others are wanting to get on board.
the link to the first page is below.
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mamochan13
Good job! You are meeting a need - so many stories of kids forced to stand on the street corner with magazines, or being shunned at school because of our beliefs, or of being forced to remain silent at meetings...I remember one family who would regularly take their little ones to the bathroom and beat them, forcing them to hold their heads down in prayer. *aaaargh*. sickening.
a lot of kids are abused in the name of religion.
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42
Favorite Long Song
by Nosferatu inwhat is your favorite long song?
here are some of mine:.
kashmir - led zeppelin (over 8:00).
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mamochan13
Really difficult to add anything to the great tunes already mentioned...but here's another of my fav's
(Sweet)Child in Time, Deep Purple (no idea how many minutes, but one full LP album side).
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41
What made you "see the light"?
by hubert ini realize many (or all) of the ex-j.w.
's in this forum have either gotten out of the org., faded, or in some way have come to the conclusion that the watchtower is not the "faithful and discreet slave", and is not the "true" religion that they claim to be.
i am curious to know..... "what made you see the light"?.
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mamochan13
there was no lightbulb moment for me. After being made an example of when they df'd me and played games with me and my family for over a year, I started to realize that the elders didn't follow the rules. For a while I figured this was isolated, that the religion was still right, just some elders wrong. Gradually I realized that even the most sincere elder could not administer the rules of a religion that was wrong itself.
I'm not usually a slow person, and I now wonder how i could have been blind for so long. Although I guess I always did rebel against the rules and never truly conformed. Big turning point was going to university - if I had any lingering doubts left before that, getting an education removed them.
I really wonder, though - how can people who are doctors and lawyers, etc., people who have a grounding in science and who are well-educated - how can they subscribe to the nonsense?