Posts by LongHairGal

31

Since You Have Left The Religion Are You Happier?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i realize that some activist exjws really don’t seem to be happy in life.

they finally got away from the organization and yet seem still negatively connected to it.

some exjws are always upset because of what the “truth “ did to their lives, which is understandable.

LongHairGal

MINIMUS:

Yes, absolutely happier. Freedom. Reconnecting with estranged family and relatives before it was too late. Priceless.

However, it still makes me cringe though when I think of what COULD have happened if I were more gullible and fell for pressure to quit my full time job to pursue ‘full time ministry’!.. I wouldn’t be Retired today if I had! ..This is a very sobering thought.

I, thankfully, was not raised in the religion and have no family there so I don’t have to deal with family ‘shunning me’. The stories I have read on the forum by other ex-JWs are heartbreaking.. It’s hard to fathom the tragedy that people are going to their graves after not speaking to their flesh and blood for decades just because somebody left a religion (which was not just a belief but a lifestyle)!

34

What Do You Think About Home Schooling?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i knew a few witnesses who were very proud of the fact that their kids were homeschooled.

years ago, i would raise my eyebrows wondering why these families couldn’t simply integrate their kids with other “worldly” kids.

at this point in time, with so many theories being pushed on kids and their parents, i can see why parents, if they are qualified, could instruct their kids themselves.

LongHairGal

FEDUPJW:

Unfortunately, the education system in the US was watered down decades ago.

This is the reason that spelling and general grammar have gone down the tubes. Even people who have gone to college make the common mistakes you have pointed out. I’m embarrassed for them.

But, as far as home schooling, they would be worse off! I am in agreement with most of the negative comments on this thread. Most see it as an abysmal failure especially with regard to the Witnesses..In my life, I have seen only two examples of successful home schooling. One was by a Witness who was college educated who made sure she did it right and the other was a non-JW professional who didn’t want his daughter subjected to the liberal garbage in the state he resided in.

All the rest of the examples of home schooling generally turned out painfully ignorant children. I was appalled at the level of ignorance among JWs and to be honest I couldn’t stand being around certain ones among them.

The only exceptions to the rule were those who were not raised in the JW religion and/or had a normal public or parochial school education under their belt along with practical life skills, and the knowledge from a secular job!

37

What are your personal reasons for hating the Jehovah's Witnesses religion ?

by Rocketman123 in

first thing comes to mind is that this organization through its leaders are not witnessing the true and honest version of the gospel teachings of jesus christ .. they are subjectively teaching/preaching a tainted version made up by the top controlling men of the organization, which i'm sure is connected to the proliferation and distribution of literature which these men publish themselves.

.

when jesus said that no one knows of the time not even he, he didn't say a select few will know .. the other thing that bothers me is this organization promotes human ignorance on many levels, admonishing education or knowledge that mankind needs for its very survival... there are many other religious organizations that do this as well but the jws is just one of these organizations.

LongHairGal

ROCKETMAN123:

As I have said before: there are so many reasons as far as I am concerned.

I was lured in under false pretenses. I was interested in end-time prophecy and was led to believe the JWs had the ‘real’ answers. I was also told that everybody was ‘equal’ there! 🙄 Not true! Instead I had a bunch of people who tried to control me and to get me to give up family, friends and full-time job.

They thought they were going to turn me into a mindless drudge doing favors for Users and jealous idiots. They hated independent or self-sufficient women and thought they were going to ‘abase’ me. But I wasn’t stupid enough to let this happen.

I was raised Catholic and knew that I lived in a free Western civilization and certainly wasn’t going to go along with mentally crippling attitudes from ages past and play this game of pretend to appease people acting out a fantasy role!

I am so glad I was a ‘bad’ JW and resisted all their attempts. I am Retired now grateful I finally walked away from all this.

52

If you could pick out critical errors to the JWS religion what would it be ?

by Rocketman123 in

many that have come to this forum have left the jws religion and moved on with their lives but from a outsider's viewpoint what do think makes the jws religion wrong or incorrect as a active christian faith ?.

somethings come to mind such as its long continuous end times/armageddon soon doctrine which has really been a core doctrine for decades going right back to its beginning .. maybe they should have adopted the stance as other christian based faiths and adhered to jesus's own words when he said " no one knows of the time not even he ".

.

LongHairGal

ROCKETMAN123:

There are so many things wrong in my opinion but I’ll pick the one most important to me:

The knocking of college and careers even at this point in time takes the cake: as we speak, there are many JWs and ex-JWs at retirement age with no preparation because they were told Armageddon would be here!..They now have to knock themselves out in their senior years just to make ends meet.

When they were young they were told they would be ‘weak in faith’ if they had a career or were known to contribute to an IRA.. People like me with full time jobs were told they should quit their jobs and pursue part-time menial work and full time ministry.. If they refused (like I did) they were labeled as ‘unspiritual’ and hardly invited anywhere (as a punishment I assume). But, that’s okay because I am Retired. So, in retrospect it was worth it to be ‘shunned’ by them.

I just had a long conversation yesterday with an old JW friend who admitted this and shared that a family member was knocked and shunned for having a good job to support his family. So, I know I was not alone in the bad treatment I received.

24

Will there be a sense of urgency in 30 years?

by neat blue dog in

it's pretty easy to see how current events would have any jw convinced the end is imminent, but i just don't see how there could be a major push for zealous service, pioneering, etc.

decades into the future.

even if (when) world events happen periodically that could scare the r&f, there are now countless hours of hd video of jw leaders saying how close the end is.

LongHairGal

NEAT BLUE DOG:

Thirty years from now? 😮 Well, if the religion is still around it will be a shadow of its former self. What is happening now will be ancient history to anybody still there.

All the Baby Boomers will be gone. These are the people who currently make up most of the congregations. They contributed the most money, were the most faithful and remember the JW religion in its glory days which are very much over. Who can say what the religion will resemble in thirty years. I think it will follow in the footsteps of other now-defunct sects in the USA.

35

Go Bag and Catastrophes

by StephaneLaliberte in

i live with my parents in law and yesterday, my mother in-law was very nervous about an email she got from the brothers in her congregation.

it was asking if she would be able to receive people over at our house should there be a catastrophe.

so, she asked me if i would agree with this.

LongHairGal

ST GEORGE:

I have said the same thing myself.

Where are the JWs going with their Go-Bags?? I asked this question to a JW friend still in. She had no answer for me.

I see the practical sense of Go-Bags and I have one or two myself because of natural disasters and such..[I also believe it is COMMON SENSE to have your home stocked with basic necessities and it’s really too bad some of the population is SO ignorant they need to be told about basic life skills.]

I would prefer to shelter-in-place unless something compelled me to evacuate...But, I really DO think some JWs think this Go-Bag thing will be for Exodus.1. They act as if they will be told to go ‘somewhere’ and maybe some miracle will occur!

9

Having It Both Ways

by Sea Breeze in

1. when individuals leave the organization for conscience reasons, it is evidence that god is shepherding and protecting the flock by doing a sifting work.

when people leave another christian religion it is evidence that the religion is morally corrupt and unable or unwilling to provide spiritually for their members.. 2. when a christian from another denomination lies, he is acting according to his own disposition being from the father of the lie.

when a jehovah's witness lies, he is proving his loyalty to jehovah and fulfilling his sacred obligation to engage in spiritual warfare.. 3. during times of rapid growth the organization claims this is evidence of gods approval as he "speeds it up in his own time".

LongHairGal

JHINE:

Very good point! I was raised Roman Catholic and certainly was not afraid of the priests. I also didn’t get the sense they lorded it over anybody. In fact, they were friendly or helpful.

When I got involved with the JWs later on, I saw what you observed: that the people there were ‘in fear’ of the elders! What a contrast to my experience with the Church.

There is also something else I can attest to: when I was Catholic and sitting in the pews with the rest of the people, I was just the same as everybody else. I didn’t get the sense I had a ‘bulls eye’ target on me like I did in the JW religion..The JWs thought I was a ‘second class citizen’ there to do favors for Users.. It’s a good thing I had enough regard for my OWN welfare.

30

What made you walk out on the "Truth"?

by Overrated in

jw
friends

i had a legal divorce from my ex wife( law of the land).

i was told not to expect to get remarried because my divorce was not legal to watchtower.. my divorce and situation seem to be a talk of gossip and even a many local needs talks.

i wanted to take some more schooling to get a better job, there was a local needs talk on higher education and it's dangers.

LongHairGal

PHIZZY:

The proverbial ‘straw’ for me was that 1995 article on Generation. I knew it was over and I could No longer continue in the JW religion.

The decision was instantaneous as I heard it. I planned my ‘Fade’. For somebody like myself who was soft shunned because I worked full time and refused to be targeted to do favors, Fading was relatively easy.. I only had a few friends there. I was also damn glad I held onto my job and resisted the criticism of hypocrites and Users.

In the time leading up to my Fade I heard a few excuses and rationalizations for the teaching. But, I was on my way Out. I couldn’t stand the hypocrisy and BS another minute.

I think many JWs privately did some hard thinking after this and either exited in the several years after that OR if they had any sense..made sure they got a career and started saving for their retirement. They woke up out of their stupor...They kept it to themselves but knew in their hearts they had to think differently.

There is a last straw for everybody and this was mine.

49

What Were You or Someone You Knew Counseled For That Was Ridiculous?

by minimus in

jw
friends

back in the day, tons of witnesses were brought in the “back room “ to be counseled by elders because of their dress and grooming.

some elders frowned on mustaches or hair that went past a certain point on a male.

women were regularly harassed because their skirt was too long or too short or had a slit on the side.

LongHairGal

MEAN MR MUSTARD:

Oh, I’m sure in this instance the ‘Karen’ type was a homely woman (although the name Karen makes me think of somebody attractive). I’m not saying I approve or disapprove of waxing, but this is the problem in Witness world where everybody can’t keep their mouth shut and blab their business all over the place!

Very good posts and stories here. I was counseled over clothing (typical if you look good). Also, my language 🙄. I also had other remarks said over the years I was there: don’t get a 2 door car (to which I told the busybody sister..if they are paying my car payments I’ll get any car they want); and that I should quit my full time job and do housecleaning and pioneer. Glad I never did this 😊.

Even though I’m Out, I know of some people who had a problem over remarks somebody made when they were seen on Zoom. I honestly don’t understand how anybody even stays in this religion. It is oppressive to the nth degree.

30

My Update

by James Jack in

i just turned 62 and celebrated my first birthday at a local restaurant.

nothing exotic, just draft beer and a burger.

i've been using my spare time to make my community a better place to visit.

LongHairGal

GREAT TEACHER:

Yes, they thought they would ‘punish’ me by not inviting me to these gatherings. They thought they would ‘isolate’ me. If this was supposed to ‘teach me a lesson’, it failed.🤣. I wasn’t raised a JW and wasn’t quitting my job for anybody.

Getting back to the OP and the thread topic: men were also damaged by this anti-career, anti-planning pressure. As far as shunning me: I remember an incident with an extended family of an elder. I said nothing and carried on as usual. Shunning doesn’t work without an audience. By not ‘noticing’, I deprived them of their audience. It eventually stopped but I was past the point of caring..I was done with Witness games and charades.

As far as any of the so-called ‘spiritual’ giants back in the day who never wanted to work, I’m glad I’m no longer in the religion to hear sob stories..Anybody coming up to me with an envelope a$king for money for these people would get a rude refusal and I have no desire to be unpleasant so it’s just as well I’m Out.