Posts by LongHairGal

43

Today's WT Study: "Return to Jehovah" - Lots of Elephants in the Room

by Room 215 in

today's article prods active jws to participate in the effort to reactivate us backsliders.. unfortunately, it fails to prepare the participants to adequately address the real reasons so many have left and want nothing frtherethan to be left alone: the un and child abuse scandals, prophetic failures; dumbed-down, increasingly specious and simplistic verbiage in literature and talks, the cult of personality and unwarranted veneration of those 8 singularly unremarkable members of the gb, etc., etc..

LongHairGal

MAGNUM:

No, I’m not ‘weak’ or ‘lost’. They can keep telling themselves those are the reasons people leave the JW religion. Maybe it makes some people feel better about themselves for staying.

JWGONEBAD:

Yes, that is correct. I didn’t ‘stray’ from the JW religion. I walked away in a planned ‘Fade’. And I walked away before the scandals that hit the media and before literature got dumbed-down to first grade level reading comprehension.

Those weren’t my issues at the time. It was a combination of factors. I remember one Sunday looking around the hall after a meeting and realizing there was nothing there for me..No true friends. Then the 1995 Generation teaching happened. I added up all that plus their attitude towards responsible people with full time jobs.

I’m sure reality was a shock with many reaching retirement age and bethelites being kicked out..I’m sorry about them but I certainly wasn’t going to be targeted— ESPECIALLY how I was viewed because I DID work..No Way.

I knew the long standing policy of the religion knocking college and careers HAD to come back to bite them when people got old!

The latter reports of the religion’s scandals in the news just adds more reasons why I’m glad I’m Out.

2

Shunning and who does it?

by Giordano in

only the most gross and controlling religions shun...... it's a tool for coercing someone to shut up and go along or lose contact with friends and family.. they often don't know why they have to shun a family member or a friend just that they are compelled to do so or suffer the same punishment.......... that's a criminal act by the way........ it's coercion.

coercion means you are being forced to act in a certain way where you would normally not be inclined to act in that manner.. "family estrangement is the norm in jehovah's witness families.

every jehovah's witness suffers from shunning - either you're being shunned, or you have to shun.

LongHairGal

PHIZZY:

Even though shunning is a denial of basic human rights, it’s really hard to see how anybody is going to stop shunning in the groups you mentioned. Some of the groups are religious or racial like the Roma. The Jews can be perceived both ways.

I think this is a grey area that nobody can do anything about. I don’t think everything can be fixed in this world.

As for the JW religion: we can leave..it is big enough and looks to actively bring converts in so therefore it might be easier to compel them to change harmful policies. Many of us knew nothing about their shunning policy when we made the mistake of getting involved. But, I’m ‘Out’ so many years and I’m glad.

84

Does Anybody Here Sympathize With The Looters That Cause Destruction?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i realize some here are diehard democrats.

whether you are democrat, republican or independent, do you support any of these looters that cause mayhem and destruction for their cause?

i have heard some people sympathize with these law breakers saying they understand why they do what they do and leave it at that.. of course i wonder how they would feel if their own property was burnt or stolen or destroyed..

LongHairGal

MAGNUM:

I agree that what’s going on today is not the same as what happened with the Boston Tea Party. What’s going on today is lawlessness and stealing..pure and simple no matter what excuses people are giving.

FEDUPJW:

I don’t know which post you were responding to but an easy way to remember is:

The word ‘your’ is possessive

‘you’re’ is a contraction for ‘you are’.

I see these two things confused and butchered all over the place. Sometimes it’s because people were never taught correctly OR sometimes lazy and adopted bad habits.

30

Did you feel contempt for Non Witnesses

by Steel in

the other day i went to this farm owned by this jw lady with my wife being a jw and my mother being a non witness.

later taking to my mother she noticed this vibe like this jw lady really hated her.

she just had these little slags like when we tried to pay for the fruit we picked , she looked directly at my wife and said " don't worry about it, i only charge wordly people ".. i also have this aunt who is a jw we are estranged from.

LongHairGal

STEEL:

No, I never felt contempt for non-Witnesses but I sensed that some JWs did.

If these people could have an attitude towards ME in the congregation because I worked full time..they could certainly feel contempt towards people in the ‘world’. What makes me laugh is that Witnesses don’t ‘get’ it that people do not care what they think. I was not raised a JW and felt they were deluded in their feelings of self-importance or even relevance.

I remember being puzzled that some judgmental or shabby person there thought it meant ‘something’ that they didn’t approve of me..I wasn’t invited to special gatherings because I worked full time.. Their dislike meant absolutely nothing then and means even less now that I am Retired.

24

Watchtower Study 23rd August

by BluesBrother in

the subject is searching for lost sheep.

how do the congregation view the inactive ones who no longer associate?

not with disdain, we are told but as lost sheep “still our brothers “ it is said that god loves them and they too must do what they can to help them.. why have we strayed ?

LongHairGal

BLUESBROTHER:

I walked away from the JWs in a planned ‘Fade’. I wanted to be DONE with it..This reaching out to people who are out is an act of desperation as far as I am concerned. I think money is at the heart of it because they lost so many contributors and wish to entice some back..However, I’m an older and wiser Retiree with No interest in their religion or any other.

OVERRATED:

I feel the way you feel and walked away from the religion too...I have passed carts and was very tempted to tell them off as nicely as possible why I don’t want the JW religion. I didn’t do that but maybe I might have if they called out to me first.

37

Governing Body members will no longer be with us on earth during ''the great tribulation''

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the watchtower—study edition | october 2019. .

study article 41. stay faithful through the “great tribulation”.

14 during the great tribulation, a change will take place regarding the brothers who take the lead on earth.

LongHairGal

RULES & REGULATIONS:

Raptured up to heaven? Yeah, right!

I cannot believe there are Witnesses who believe that. I don’t think I ever believed this teaching even when I was ‘in’..This was one of the teachings I let go in one ear and out the other..sort of like their paradise earth teaching.

29

Tonight's Meeting

by Studyover in

during tonight's meeting the brother seemed to read out something along the lines of "you may be helping a poor sister who you think may be struggling, but in turn that sister may be getting financial assistance from the government.

it is always best to stick to jehovah's arrangement in these matters so that help can get to those who most need it, including the worldwide work".

i think it may have been an article about social media platforms initially and how they should be avoided and then this was mentioned.

LongHairGal

STUDYOVER:

I read this topic and several threads on Reddit in response to the JW religion speaking against giving charity on social platforms.

I feel it is nobody’s business if someone wants to give to a charity of their choice. (I, personally, would rather give to a person directly, if I so chose, rather than one of these things somebody sets up.)

But the religion feels any charity should go to them/the Worldwide Work, etc. They feel that if people give to somebody in the congregation that person may be undeserving because of already getting ‘benefits’. The impression I get is they want people to think ‘they’ will care for their needs (??). Well, in all the years I was there I never heard of the religion giving anyone anything..MAYBE if somebody was a well-liked pioneer some people would privately take up a collection for them.

If I had listened to the religion and didn’t work full-time until retirement, I’d be screwed! No way would I have gotten any kind of assistance from them! What are they talking about?

Also, as far as JWs getting handouts and being undeserving..I felt that some of them were just plain con-artists who never wanted to work. Since I was criticized FOR working I had no intention of giving any charity to somebody who DIDN’T want to. There were people there who just wanted somebody ELSE to pay for their ‘everlasting life’. 🙄

24

What Is The Position Of Witnesses For People Who Are Inactive And Don’t Want To Be Bothered By Anyone?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i used to have some close friends simply pay me a friendly visit or call to see how i was doing.. i am curious as to whether or not the society instructed witnesses to no longer check on inactive ones and treat them as marked or disfellowshipped..

LongHairGal

MINIMUS:

I’m a twenty-year ‘fader’. Maybe for the first five years or so the JWs were ‘hopeful’ you might return..Once there’s No hope, you are soft-shunned. I remember the ‘cold shoulder’ in stores. Who cares?

I attended the memorial for the first few years and this might have given them a wrong impression that there was ‘hope’. It wasn’t happening.

At this point I neither want nor expect them to look for me..I no longer have anything in common with these people and hardly did when I was in. That was a phase in my life that is over. Glad I got out and also grateful I held onto that job they hated me for. I wouldn’t be Retired if I listened to them.

They might possibly be looking to reactivate a man - especially a man with a good income (= a big contributor); or perhaps a family who opened up their home, entertained and served food. They would be sought out as an ‘asset’. That’s how it works.

I do think this campaign to reactivate people is motivated by their bottom line. In addition to no longer being interested in religion, I would never tolerate the intrusiveness or being targeted for money or favors.

34

World Wide Work Resolution Doubled Overnight

by JW_Rogue in

during covid-19 crisis our hall decides to double the amount sent to hq from our local account.

the resolution is unanimously supported, no questions asked.

has anyone else had this happen?.

LongHairGal

LV101:

Yeah, you got that right about them preferring to ‘waste time in the field work socializing/begging from others to carry them vs. the responsibility of work”.

I did notice though that some older pioneers who worked with some of these types had ‘worldly’ husbands who let them do their ‘thing’ in the JW religion.. Yes, some man worked 40 years so some dopey woman could knock on doors..What was immoral in my eyes was if those older affluent ladies discouraged young impoverished pioneers (who had no business being on the pioneer list) from looking out for their financial future! I would have felt obliged to warn them!

In fact, ALL the older people back then were collecting THEIR pensions..All these older ladies went to their graves after living a cushy life.

The poverty being pushed by the religion was certainly NOT for any of these older ladies. Hell no! The poverty was for some young gullible person who would be at retirement age today..If they didn’t wake up at some point years ago - then they are suffering today. Thankfully I never fell for this nonsense but I am angered that I witnessed this happening!

34

World Wide Work Resolution Doubled Overnight

by JW_Rogue in

during covid-19 crisis our hall decides to double the amount sent to hq from our local account.

the resolution is unanimously supported, no questions asked.

has anyone else had this happen?.

LongHairGal

PISTOLPETE:

So, some genius told an out-of-work JW who needs to watch every dollar..to use their credit card???

When you said the elders approached the family with the ‘dire’ situation and asked if they could contribute a little more..I wonder what the criteria was that they were approached? 🙄 I’m sure anybody who looks halfway decent/responsible is going to be hit up for money like they were an ATM machine.

I’m not surprised a scenario like this is happening..I predicted long ago that the religion was going to have problems in the future when the shit hit the fan about all the JWs who never wanted to be in the workforce - and who knocked ME for working full time..They thought they were going to knock on doors daydreaming without any preparation for the future!

Even if Covid had not happened and the economy ruined, some other scenario would have happened with very specific people in congregations being targeted to give money for every damn reason under the sun!