Posts by Reefton Jack

26

Which of these Dinosaurs is dying the fastest

by free2beme in

jw
friends

which of the following companies do you think will die first.

the phone company.

the paper news paper.

Reefton Jack

We are not likely to see the demise of the telephone companys:
- if only because the telephone circuits are also used for data transmission
(As I am currently connected to the Internet via a telephone dialler).

In fact,for at least the last fifteen years, telephone companys have been making most of their revenue from data transmission - rather than from the transmission of speech.

I am not even sure that newspapers will necessarily disappear:
- Newspapers have already adapted to the threat posed by TV by moving away from being a source of information, to being more like a source of entertainment.
(I know that ours have, anyway!)

In saying that though, I would have to volunteer that this is the reason why I seldom ever waste my time in reading a newspaper anymore.

Jack.

74

WHAT "WERE" YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL? AND DID YOU GO ON TO HIGHER EDUCATION?

by juni in

jw
friends

just a fluffy question ~~~.

were you a freak?

jock?

Reefton Jack

During my high school years, I would have hardly won any popularity contests!
Then, as for much of my adult life too, I was plagued by feelings of shyness and low self esteem
(As an aside, my time in the Borg scarcely helped that situation by one iota!)

I was never much of an athlete - the only thing that I was any good at was long distance running, where I was usually amongst the first two or three over the finish line.

With academic studies, I was more sucessful; being always either Top of the Class, or "Second General Excellence."
In the external School Certificate examinations that year (equivalent of Grade 10), I achieved the highest marks in the school.

At the end of the following year,a large company offered to sponsor me through university, to study for a Bachelor of Engineering degree.
However, the elders got to work on my father - and the net result was that I did not even begin
(let alone complete!) the final year of high school.

No mistaking it:
- The End was coming in 1975,and that was only four years away!
("Food at the Proper Time" for sure.)

Jack.

17

Children Do Not Get Enough Sleep in Watchtower

by WTWizard in

this past memorial was an exercise in waste for most people.

drive to the hall, fight for a parking space, get booted out of your seat, and then listen to a stale talk for 45 minutes.

then the big event: passing the plate of crackers and glass of spoiled grape juice.

Reefton Jack

When my two sisters and I were young children (i.e. under the age of ten), my JW grandmother was leaning on my father to enter us all into the JW Indoctrination Process.
Of course, she didn't exactly call it that - but the intent was still obvious!
i.e. "Free" Home Bible Study, attending a Public Talk at the Circuit Assembly,
attending the weekly Public Talk and Watchtower Study at the Kingdom Hall,
- then generally sinking further and further into that quagmire that all of us on this Discussion Board are so familar with!

My father did attend the Public Talk at one Circuit Assembly.
Whether or not that was meant to be a real eye-opener, he didn't seem to think so afterwards!
In fact, his only observation was, to quote, that "it went right over the heads of many who were there."
By the "many", he was referring to the children.

Because of this, my Dad dug his toes in and refused to countenance bringing us children along to any JW meetings - at the Kingdom Hall or otherwise.

All I can say is that I had a more stimulating - and definitely more interesting - childhood and adolescence than those who "grew up in the truth".
(Everytime I hear any childhood recollections from those who were raised as JWs, I cringe.
But then again, as a dutiful Dub parent myself, I raised my childeren in the same mind numbing, soul destroying way as that, too. Whenever I remind myself of this, I cringe even more!)

The WTS is not family friendly. In fact, it is not interested in any way about the welfare of its members.
(This did come out somewhere in "Crisis of Conscience", where Raymond Franz quoted a conversation between several members of the Governing Body about this very thing).
All the WTS is concerned about is numerical increase - whether or not to the detriment of individual persons.

Ironically, (or maybe it is poetic justice!) that this Numerical Increase at All Costs approach has come back to bite the WTS on the a#$%:
-When most who were raised as JWs, turn around and give it the proverbial "Two Fingered Salute" just as soon as they are able to!

26

How many people did you bring into the "troof"?

by Bob Loblaw in

i left when i was in my teenage years, thank god, so i didn't really have the chance to bring anyone under the wts mind control.

how about you?

did you bring anyone in?...and if so, where are they now?

Reefton Jack

I can identify with those that have no great pretences at being an effective salesman!

I never managed to actually start a bible study with anyone:

- I did, however, take over a number of "Studies" (to quote the JW vernacular).
- These all eventually fizzled out.

However, years later, two of those persons did "come into the truth."
In the cold sober light of day, I would like to think that I played no part in that:
- but; one cannot rule it out entirely!

Jack

25

How did the 144,000 know they had "the feeling?"

by themonster123 in

jw
friends

what was the deal w. the 144,000?

what feeling is it that they had??

i mean, seriously-it baffles me.

Reefton Jack

One of the things I don't miss since breaking with the JWs is the no longer having to deal with a lot of strange people!
In my experience, though, this was much more likely to be "In the Territory" rather than at the Kingdom Hall - although there was sometimes the odd one there, too.
(Of all the mentally ill persons I encountered while with the JWs, few ever got past the "Bible Student" phase).

The illness that I remember all too many suffering from in the congregations was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS).
It was estimated that 5% of the "Publishers" in our circuit were afflicted with CFS at any given time.
Significantly, since leaving the Witnesses 13 years ago, I have yet to meet ONE person who has CFS!

(Although some argued otherwise, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is recognised as being more of a physchosomatic disorder, rather than a form of mental illness).

When I first started work 35 years ago, you often used to see a wall poster around the place that said
"YOU DON"T HAVE TO BE MAD TO WORK HERE - BUT IT CERTAINLY HELPS!"
Maybe that sums up being a JW!

8

JW's and Domestic Violence

by Mum in

jw
friends

it has been a long time since i left the jw organization.

it seems that families may be more fractured now than back then (1979).. recently i was reviewing some materials about domestic violence.

some of the traits of the abuser are traits also exhibited by the watchtower authorities -- specifically, never admitting a mistake, blaming the victim for her/his own abuse, limiting the victim's association with others, particularly family members or supportive resources.. it follows that jw males in particular are almost programmed to become abusive.

Reefton Jack

I have often wondered about this one:
- My first introduction to Domestic Violence was after I got involved with the JWs.

My non-witness parents never got on particularly well, and neither did an uncle and aunt who lived nearby.
Also, during the four years that I was at high school, I was boarded with another family.
None of that, though, prepared me for what I encountered after I had left home; and was accommodated with a JW family.
I still sometimes have nightmares about that even now!

Talk about "Making Your Family Life Happy."

25

Friend Told: "Your Son Will Never Start School Before Armageddon Comes!"

by Seeker4 in

ha!

i just learned that a childhood witness friend, rusty, just passed away.

he was 60 and had suffered from a heart condition for many years.

Reefton Jack

It seems like all of us have a similar story to tell here!
If it wasn't so tragic (and believing in this sort of crap does result in harming people)- then it would be laughable.

Does the WTS itself still believe what they are saying
- or have they painted themselves into a corner years ago, from which they cannot get themselves out of?
- or is it a case of repeating a lie so often that you end up coming to believe it yourself?

But then again, they might all just be bloody idiots!

Jack.

25

How did the 144,000 know they had "the feeling?"

by themonster123 in

jw
friends

what was the deal w. the 144,000?

what feeling is it that they had??

i mean, seriously-it baffles me.

Reefton Jack

I agree with the observation that those suddenly claiming to have "that feeling" these days are likely to be having mental health issues:
- I was married to one who had both!

Jack.

299

Are JW's generally better than average people?

by JH in

jw
friends

i for one, would blindly trust just about anyone on this forum, just the fact of knowing that you already were a jw.. does this mean that jw's in general are better people or are we a very close bunch of people?.

Reefton Jack

If I may, for a moment, go back to the subject of this thread:
- while at the same time keeping out of the baiting Rosalee / being baited by Rosalee slanging match that has developed!
(I'll try, anyway!)

Last night, I was reminded of how much the JW's idea of "friendship" contrasts with proper friendship.
I was speaking by telephone to an old friend whom I had known 35 - 39 years ago.
(i.e. just before the JW Madness took hold).

In conversation, he did obliquely refer to "The Religion", and how "a lot of people wondered how you managed to get involved with it."
None-the-less, he was happy enough to still have me as a friend:
- This despite all the crap that he must have patiently endured from me back then about "Signs of the Last Days", how close the "End of the System" was ect. ect. ect.
(He must have been tempted to tell me to "go to B%#*ery" more than once, but never did)

Contrast that to the JW funeral of my son the other year:
- As D.F.'d, D.A.'d and D - everything else as well, I was of course treated as being lower down than a snake's backside!
(This point was picked up on by non-witness relatives, who were present at the funeral).

Ironically, too, there were some who thought that this was a chance to "give a good witness" to the "unbelieving" family members, to impress them with the "Christian Love" in a JW congregation.
(Excuse me for a moment - while I bolt outside and throw up!)

As others on this thread have already commented:
- the friendship / love shown by the JWs is strictly qualified!

40

How Much Influence Did The Watchtower Have In Destroying Your Faith In God?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

how much influence did the watchtower have in destroying your faith in god?personally, i do not believe that a corrupt organization should destroy the belief .

or concept of a designer, god or creator.

in addition, because an organization .

Reefton Jack

To begin with,I was always sceptical about the existence of a god:
- and after 28 years with the JWs, I was hardly convinced otherwise!

While I keep an open mind on this matter (and I have seen things happen that can only be explained by the supernatural), I have yet to experience anything that points to the existence of a god.

So yes,in my case the doubts were already there:
- The bad expereince of the WTS just made it even harder to accept!