Posts by LongHairGal

72

How many TRUE BELIEVERS do you think are left in the Organization?

by pistolpete in

i have a few jw relatives who are true believers.

by this i mean, they believe with all their heart that 1914 was the beginning of the last days, that this is the last generation, that we are in the very last of the last hour of this system of things, and that you should obey the governing body even if it does not make sense.

all of them are in their 60s and up into their 90s there is nothing you can say or show them to convince them or even cause a small doubt that the wt is not god organization.

LongHairGal

PHIZZY:

You are probably right that there are several grades of “Depth of Delusion”. In addition to that there are levels of fakery among JWs. So, in any congregation it is impossible to know how many people there even believe it. And of those who do, how much? One thing is for certain: that number of people is surely dwindling.

All I know is that I am not among that number having gotten myself out of this trap about twenty years ago. I am so grateful I wasn’t the obedient type to accept what the GB and others said. I wouldn’t be Retired if I was a ‘true believer’ or follower. Maybe because I wasn’t born-in? Who knows.

Let’s try to have a Happy New Year and be glad we’re Out.

11

Opportunities you had to give up as Jw?

by Overrated in

jw
friends

i could of gone to a two college program.

but gee-hovah didn't like it and my parents wanted me to sling watchtowers and awakes.

it's a good thing i'm in a profession that i can work and pay the bill's and finally left the "trooth "..

LongHairGal

MAGNUM:

I want to wish you a Happy New Year.

I also despised talking to JWs who were dense (deliberately so in my opinion) when you tried to make an important point to them about some situation or hypocrisy related to the JWs.

Yes, it’s true that that guy didn’t like his secular job..many don’t. But, the distinction is that they are getting PAID - as opposed to JWs who are knocking themselves out for Free. Of course, some fools would say they are being ‘blessed’ 🤮. Yeah, they can keep their blessings.

I think many JWs will not be honest with you when you attempt to point out things to them. Probably if they were to do so..maybe it would call into question everything else they believe in and cognitive dissonance will kick in and it will send them into a depression..I had fruitless discussions with married JW women I was friendly with when I attempted to tell them what I encountered and how I was criticized for supporting myself - meanwhile a man was supporting them!!

People in general are sometimes unable to think about other people’s difficult situations. But, in my experience, JWs in particular are in denial about difficulties caused by following the religion’s advice and many other things!

14

What Will You Be Doing On New Year’s Eve?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i can’t remember the last time i stayed in on new year’s eve.

every year we went out and made this date a real party.

it was a celebration that included a night out, a stay in a hotel , eating, drinking and dancing to live music!.

LongHairGal

MINIMUS:

I expect to be home! 😊

WING COMMANDER:

Wow, I never did get around to being in Times Square for New Year’s Eve, but, to be perfectly honest, I have no desire to be out in such a crowd with no accommodations.😮 But, I’m glad you got to have a memorable New Year’s celebration! 👍🏻

24

TO SELECTED BODIES OF ELDERS ASSIGNED TO THE COVID-19

by pixel in

december 25, 2020. to selected bodies of elders assigned to the covid-19.

re: adjustments to arrangements for meeting family food needs during the covid-19 pandemic.

dear brothers:.

LongHairGal

FEDUPJW:

I am sorry that your parents were ignored and ridiculed!! What you say is probably true:..those who worked hard or had savings or set aside provisions, etc. would be guilted into giving to those as you say who were ‘too lazy or stupid’ to do so.

What I’m getting the sense of is they are trying to get people to be co-dependent.

I hate being right, but I predicted things would be bad in congregations because of decades of being told they shouldn’t have careers or plan for Retirement. This is against all common sense!! The JWs in congregations who never planned were in trouble long before Covid!..Adding to that the bethelites who got kicked out in recent years plus troubled types recruited to fill empty seats in halls - not a good scenario.

Naturally, anybody there NOW who even has a job, looks halfway decent, seems to have their act together or isn’t downright nuts - is going to be targeted like they were an ATM machine! ..I’m so glad I got out years ago because this is what I would be faced with. Yes..the retired me who was criticized and shunned way back when for having a full time job!

31

Who was it who ''rescued'', or ''saved'' you?

by Beth Sarim in

from the borg?.

i point to none other than cal lehman and the towerwatch ministries.

towewatch.com.. the years following the collapse of the ussr and the 1995 generation left a bad taste in my mouth for a long time.

LongHairGal

BETH SARIM:

There was no particular person who ‘saved’ me from the religion. But, you mentioned the 1995 Generation thing.

This was IT for me when this article on Generation came out..No getting away from this fact..I felt sucker punched and knew it was over - in a way that nothing else made me feel up to that point. I knew I could no longer continue in the JW religion and so I planned my ‘Fade’ and walked away a few years later.

13

Meeting Workbook - I am your inheritance - April 5-11

by JWTom in

similar to the bethelites being dismissed topic for march/april 2020 is the article for april 5-11 related to the idea "if you just do what jw.org says....then someone is going to slide cash under your door and it will all be good related to your future finances" (link below).. i know current jws that believe this and have pimi family that believe this.

they believe these even though they have endlessly challenging finances even struggling to pay bills.

the reality is that anyone struggling financially as a jw is going to be in a state of poverty just trying to survive.

LongHairGal

JWTOM & FUNKY:

Back when I was active as a Witness, I saw this attitude you mention that some felt if somebody was active in the ministry..‘somebody was going to slide cash under their door if they were needy, etc.’

I’m sorry but I never agreed with this mentality from Day One... I got the sense that some JWs saw themselves as a wannabe clergy class within the religion. After the terrible attitude displayed towards me because I had a full time job, I had No intention of giving anything to anybody there who didn’t really want to be in the workforce - and who had the audacity to condemn me for being there.

If I had a friend who was a Responsible person who lost their job and needed groceries or something, that’s different. But, as for anybody in the religion who felt they were a special class who wouldn’t be caught dead in a Real job..well let them go ask their so-called spiritual friends for money and stay the hell away from me.

34

Are there more Bethel layoffs in the immediate future?

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i just saw a post on reddit: ‘wt are prepping the r&f for changes in the march/april meeting workbook’.. in the post the person noted what they read (for march 8) and it mentioned bethel adjustments and reference was made to 2015 when bethelites were let go.. if this happens (yet again) another bunch of people are being sent home to fend for themselves in the big bad world at an advanced age with little to no preparation.

even though this doesn’t surprise me, it could not come at a worse time with a global pandemic and massive job loss everywhere..congregations are already in turmoil because of so many who reached retirement age totally unprepared because they were told armageddon would be here before they reached that age.

this is in addition to all the other ‘needy’ and troubled types in the congregations looking for as$istance.. i hope any bethelites there have a plan and some people they can contact.

LongHairGal

ISSJR:

When you say you did everything ‘right’ you are referring to what you were told to do by the JW religion, am I right?

The problem is that for people such as myself who were not raised in the religion - what the religion did was certainly not ‘right’ according to what intelligent people in real life would do. I am referring to them not believing in saving for the future, knocking college, retirement planning, etc. No backup plan for them! I always thought this was weird and I am so glad I never paid attention to foolish talk and kept my business to myself.

In fact, doesn’t the Bible refer to the lowly ant in Proverbs 30:25 which stores up for itself?.. So, not only are they not sensible, they aren’t even following the Bible they brag about so much!

19

My new definition of cult.

by Yomama in

jw
friends

forcing someone to believe something that is untrure and shunning them if they do not believe it.

LongHairGal

DREARYWEATHER:

Technically I joined the JW religion as well. I was a young working adult. A Big however though:.. I joined based on what they SAID they were! So, I understand where MAGNUM is coming from.

I was told everybody was ‘equal’ (that’s a laugh) and was told they had ‘no clergy class’ (they have what amounts to a plain clothes clergy who claim ecclesiastical privilege in courts of law)..In fact, I didn’t think the JWs were a religion per se... I was raised Catholic and it sounded nice that it was supposedly classless and clergyless. But, I was young and ignorant about the bible. I was led to believe the JWs cracked some code in the bible. Since I was interested in end-time prophecy I was impressed by all this.

Of course, in time it was all revealed that what I was led to believe wasn’t true. Luckily for me, I never caved in to all the pressure to quit my decent full-time job to do housecleaning and pioneer! ..Years later this proved to be wise as I am now Retired.

I generally was viewed as ‘not-spiritual’ (they do love their labels)..because I wouldn’t let these people control my life and stick their noses where it didn’t belong..I had few friends and stayed on the fringes of the congregation until the 1995 teaching on Generation sucker-punched me. I began my ‘Fade’ sometime after that..My only regret was that I didn’t get Out sooner.

34

Are there more Bethel layoffs in the immediate future?

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i just saw a post on reddit: ‘wt are prepping the r&f for changes in the march/april meeting workbook’.. in the post the person noted what they read (for march 8) and it mentioned bethel adjustments and reference was made to 2015 when bethelites were let go.. if this happens (yet again) another bunch of people are being sent home to fend for themselves in the big bad world at an advanced age with little to no preparation.

even though this doesn’t surprise me, it could not come at a worse time with a global pandemic and massive job loss everywhere..congregations are already in turmoil because of so many who reached retirement age totally unprepared because they were told armageddon would be here before they reached that age.

this is in addition to all the other ‘needy’ and troubled types in the congregations looking for as$istance.. i hope any bethelites there have a plan and some people they can contact.

LongHairGal

PISTOLPETE:

No, it’s not your imagination but a deliberate pattern, in my opinion. The problem was especially worse if a single woman had no family there. You were fair game. They imagined single women were going to do favors for all the Users.

But, they got nowhere with me after how I was viewed for having a full time job. It was also my opinion back then that I wasn’t giving any handouts to pioneers living on the edge. I saw people who had No business being on the pioneer list. What about the scripture of ‘counting the cost’?

I think some of these younger pioneers may have wised up at some point years ago and may have gotten jobs in an office because they needed medical coverage. Good for them if they did and hopefully prepared for Retirement because it’s not easy - as these laid off bethelites are going to find out!

34

Are there more Bethel layoffs in the immediate future?

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

i just saw a post on reddit: ‘wt are prepping the r&f for changes in the march/april meeting workbook’.. in the post the person noted what they read (for march 8) and it mentioned bethel adjustments and reference was made to 2015 when bethelites were let go.. if this happens (yet again) another bunch of people are being sent home to fend for themselves in the big bad world at an advanced age with little to no preparation.

even though this doesn’t surprise me, it could not come at a worse time with a global pandemic and massive job loss everywhere..congregations are already in turmoil because of so many who reached retirement age totally unprepared because they were told armageddon would be here before they reached that age.

this is in addition to all the other ‘needy’ and troubled types in the congregations looking for as$istance.. i hope any bethelites there have a plan and some people they can contact.

LongHairGal

PISTOLPETE:

But, was it the God of the universe who said these things..OR was it a bunch of men? This is the problem. So when this lady said: ‘those who disobeyed, He (God) blessed’, this is just HER opinion.

So, when I held onto my full time job and ignored the foolish talk and the older hypocritical people in the religion with cushy lives (because they were ALREADY in the workforce when they joined the JW religion) I was being ‘disobedient’?? 🙄 I don’t believe this.

This is how sick things are in the religion. I saw affluent people in the congregation in the lap of luxury. But, as a single woman looking out for myself making a living - I was scrutinized and criticized.

When all is said and done all these years later I’m glad I followed my instincts and looked out for myself.