gerry

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Posts by gerry

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  4

  Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness Part 1 . worth checking out this guys youtube story

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  great story, part 2 deals with his abuse by a ministerial servant who was preparing him for baptism.

  guess how the elders handled it?

  https://youtu.be/xpslymxtyps.

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  gerry

  great story, part 2 deals with his abuse by a ministerial servant who was preparing him for baptism. Guess how the elders handled it?

  https://youtu.be/XPSlYmxTyps
  
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  12

  My 1st Unwitness

  by HappyGal in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  i have seen the witnessing carts pop up around our city.

  there were no such carts when i left the jw's in the 1980's.

  since leaving the organization i have survived (and thrived) by: .

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• 

  gerry

  A few year back whenever I saw witnesses in the street I had the urge to yell out to them to wake up. Stop wasting your time going door to door etc. Now like you I try and be calm and mention something which hopefully gets them thinking... But you know they are so indoctrinated they view us as being like the serpent trying to deceive them..

  This is a bigger challenge now than when we were in and we were placing literature and looking for bible studies..

  I just noticed on reddit exjw someone mentions about how we do research before we purchase something.. You check independent views. Complaints, lawsuits.. Good tact to use.

  I love all the info here and reddit exjw..

  Seems like I do more research now than when I was fully in.. Lol
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  12

  not one but four witnesses at my door

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  having not had a witness knock on my door since i left over 13 years ago i was surprised a few sunday mornings ago to find two young sisters who i had not seen before at my door.

  it was not long before their husbands who were witnessing at my neighbors joined the conversation.

  the conversation went on for some time so i am keeping the experience as brief as i can.. mind you with all what has been happening lately with the australian royal commission here in australia i had been looking forward to having a discussion with any witness who comes within earshot.

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  gerry

  thanks to convention video leaks had a heads up on them...It was good to get them answering as a human and not with blinkers on. just found out their convention is on in 3 weeks time..

  look forward to a follow up.
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  12

  not one but four witnesses at my door

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  having not had a witness knock on my door since i left over 13 years ago i was surprised a few sunday mornings ago to find two young sisters who i had not seen before at my door.

  it was not long before their husbands who were witnessing at my neighbors joined the conversation.

  the conversation went on for some time so i am keeping the experience as brief as i can.. mind you with all what has been happening lately with the australian royal commission here in australia i had been looking forward to having a discussion with any witness who comes within earshot.

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  gerry

  thanks yours is berry nice too. cheers gerry hatrick
• 
  12

  not one but four witnesses at my door

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  having not had a witness knock on my door since i left over 13 years ago i was surprised a few sunday mornings ago to find two young sisters who i had not seen before at my door.

  it was not long before their husbands who were witnessing at my neighbors joined the conversation.

  the conversation went on for some time so i am keeping the experience as brief as i can.. mind you with all what has been happening lately with the australian royal commission here in australia i had been looking forward to having a discussion with any witness who comes within earshot.

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  gerry

  Having not had a witness knock on my door since I left over 13 years ago I was surprised a few Sunday mornings ago to find two young sisters who I had not seen before at my door. It was not long before their husbands who were witnessing at my neighbors joined the conversation. The conversation went on for some time so I am keeping the experience as brief as I can.

  Mind you with all what has been happening lately with the Australian Royal Commission here in Australia I had been looking forward to having a discussion with any witness who comes within earshot. Anyway my heart was pumping my breathing suffering. I had given public talks and assembly talks but no way had I been this nervous.

  My brain was flashing from one topic to the next. I was telling myself I need to stay focused and keep them on the one track. Child abuse first but they were adamant things have changed for the better. One of the couples had just been kicked out of Bethel so I asked what is going on with all the layoffs as my wife has relatives in a European Bethel who are in their late eighties and these two sisters had been told to leave. Again they are programmed not to think negatively so it is a non event to them.

  Having found out I used to be an elder in the congregation one of the sisters had her ipad out and wanted to show me a video and said look we have a convention coming up soon. Wow that vision of that loyalty convention hit me. I was now focused and a little excited but breathing normal.

  I said what bothers me most about being a witness is the practice of shunning. They said but we have to keep the congregation clean. I said look I have been there I have given talks and I have used illustrations to help understand keeping the congregation clean, for example to enjoy a sport you have rules and penalties etc. But what I am talking about is when young people get disfellowshipped and they are then cut off completely from their friends and their family.

  They said no, it does not happen like that.

  OK I said here is the situation pointing to one of the young sisters. Imagine she has just left school, started working and then she gets involved with a worldly boy and at eighteen years of age she gets disfellowshipped.

  She is then cut off from all her friends and her family.

  No they said she still has her family.

  No I said because what happens next is her father feels the best thing to do is to kick her out of the family home..

  No they said it is not like that.

  Me: Well I know for a fact that this did and does happen.

  Here is the next scenario some time down the track this girl is upset and she phones her mother..

  The mother knows it is her daughter but refuses to answer the phone................

  The former Bethel elder says that is so wrong she could be in trouble or her life could be in danger.
  

  They all agreed.

  I then said Let’s move along now fifteen years later this girl now has 2 little kiddies and decides she wants to return to Jehovah. She brings her family to the meetings and sits at the back of the hall with her 2 little kiddies.

  Question. How long should she have to wait to be reinstated?

  They answered not long at all maybe a few months.

  Me: What would you say if I told you this sister, after 15 years cut off from her family had to wait another year?

  That is so wrong they said.

  Good I said keep that experience in mind..

  It has now been 3 weeks and no repercussions as yet
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  25

  13 year anniversary

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today marks 13 years since my wife and i have stepped inside a kingdom hall.

  after 29 years full on being a jw and a number of years serving as an elder then as the presiding overseer we pulled the plug.

  yes 13 years ago coming home from the first day of a circuit assembly i said to my wife “that’s it i am not going back”.

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  gerry

  skin

  from the land downunder
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  25

  13 year anniversary

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today marks 13 years since my wife and i have stepped inside a kingdom hall.

  after 29 years full on being a jw and a number of years serving as an elder then as the presiding overseer we pulled the plug.

  yes 13 years ago coming home from the first day of a circuit assembly i said to my wife “that’s it i am not going back”.

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  gerry

  smiddy

  oh yes the Revelation book. I can remember taking the book study and thinking how can this be true? How can they be saying these conventions were a fulfillment of revelation. Yes Jehovah in all his wisdom foresaw somebody checking out dates and venues for a convention so the prophecy could be fulfilled.

  thanks for the welcome

  gerry
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  25

  13 year anniversary

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today marks 13 years since my wife and i have stepped inside a kingdom hall.

  after 29 years full on being a jw and a number of years serving as an elder then as the presiding overseer we pulled the plug.

  yes 13 years ago coming home from the first day of a circuit assembly i said to my wife “that’s it i am not going back”.

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  gerry

  you know reading all your responses highlights how similar our stories are. past and present.

  and that is what makes this site so great. I know more about what is going on now than when I was a JW.

  I take my hat off to Jookbeard and other long time exjw's like Blondie who post on a regular basis.

  Despite the joy of being an ex, I never new how damaging watchtower policies were until you can actually unplug yourself.

  and that knowledge has made me angry and sad
• 
  25

  13 year anniversary

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today marks 13 years since my wife and i have stepped inside a kingdom hall.

  after 29 years full on being a jw and a number of years serving as an elder then as the presiding overseer we pulled the plug.

  yes 13 years ago coming home from the first day of a circuit assembly i said to my wife “that’s it i am not going back”.

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  gerry

  dbq407

  tipping point was when one of the speakers at the assembly read Isaiah 5:20 "Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter"

  I had been involved in exposing an elder for touching up young girls. The investigation had been ongoing for over a year because of dispute that was going on within the body of elders. The circuit overseer and elders from other congregations got involved. However because I had stood down some years before I was not aware of the infighting that had been going on in our body of elders.

  Apparently the elder I had accused had recently been assigned to our congregation by the circuit overseer to sort out two of our elders who had disfellowshipped children. One of the elders stood down, however the presiding overseer dug his heels in and and refused to stand down. It did not matter to the CO that the presiding overseers young adult daughter had been sexually abused as a child and needed his help.

  Anyway my allegations came in the midst of the elders dispute. Any elder here will know the situation within a body especially when there are only 3 elders. The elder I had accused had one elder as a buddy and they ganged up on to the presiding overseer. And because the Presiding Overseer took up the investigation he was accused of having an axe to grind.

  Anyway just over one year goes by and I am at what would be my last assembly. The circuit overseer was going to meet with the District overseer to discuss this issue.

  During the lunch break this elder I had accused comes up to me with a smirk and says to me "ha ha the District Overseer says I have done nothing wrong!"

  That scripture came up in the next talk.. That was it. That was the sign for me to cut the ties. I was now unplugged.

  thanks for well wishes. I remember Blondie from my first lurks to this site many years ago. always insightful.

  cheers

  
  
• 
  25

  13 year anniversary

  by gerry in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  today marks 13 years since my wife and i have stepped inside a kingdom hall.

  after 29 years full on being a jw and a number of years serving as an elder then as the presiding overseer we pulled the plug.

  yes 13 years ago coming home from the first day of a circuit assembly i said to my wife “that’s it i am not going back”.

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  gerry

  Today marks 13 years since my wife and I have stepped inside a Kingdom Hall. After 29 years full on being a JW and a number of years serving as an elder then as the presiding overseer we pulled the plug. Yes 13 years ago coming home from the first day of a circuit assembly I said to my wife “that’s it I am not going back”. Fortunately my wife was in agreement and we have not stepped into a Kingdom Hall since.

  I have posted here a couple of times and have not introduced myself so apologies for being reticent. I would like to say thanks to those who have made this site possible and for all the interesting posts. In the early stages of waking up this and other sites were very helpful.

  Looking back to the first time I delved into the world of apostate sites on the internet was quite hilarious. Mind you we only had dial up internet speeds in our country so pages would load very slowly.

  Well one of the first sites was Free Minds. So I apprehensively clicked on the link. Very slowly the page started to reveal what I thought to be a demons eye peering back at me. With that I shut the page down. That is rather embarrassing now when I think about it. Fortunately my curiosity allowed me to return to the site and it opened up a whole new world.

  We successfully faded. JW life was, we thought erased from our lives as we made new friends. However the Australian Royal Commission has fired us up. We cannot believe the quality of the information on the internet exposing the Watchtower. Maybe I will add my voice soon as I have thought about making some posts.

  Thanks Simon and all involved in this site.

  13 year