Posts by LongHairGal

23

Cost of living crisis

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

during the height of the pandemic all elders had to report to the co anyone who was struggling with bills or who couldn’t pay the rent.

the co reported it to the branch.. i don’t know what happens next.

do the branch help at all?

LongHairGal

EXBETHELITE NOW PIMA & ENOUGH IS ENOUGH:

Last I heard (unless something has changed 🙄) the JW religion has no social programs whatsoever to help the hungry, poor and needy. People have to look to ‘Babylon the Great’s’ churches and other government programs for help.

ExBethelite: here in the USA as well as the UK, prices of food, rents, etc. are going through the roof. There are needy people everywhere.

People blame the economy (as well they should) however…the Witness religion knocks college/careers and makes poverty out to be a virtue.. So when times get bad, who ends up the worst off? You guessed it.

So, in those few instances (the pandemic and now) when they asked around who is having a problem - just who was supposed to do anything about it?? We all know the already financially overburdened rank & file are the ones hit up for money.

The JW religion is now having its own ‘perfect storm’. All the underemployed people -pioneers as well as others there who deliberately never got decent jobs and lived on the edge waiting for the ‘new system’ as well as others who lost jobs because of the economy - are all gathered in the same place! Very undesirable!

47

Does becoming (or remaining) one of Jehovah's Witnesses result in Poverty? Pew Research results differ from Watchtower claims.

by Balaamsass2 in

"raised in the truth" during the 50s, 60s,and 70s i repeatedly read and heard from the platform how reading the magazines weekly "was the equivalent of a college education" and how many had turned their family economic situation around by being "trustworthy" and giving up expensive bad habits most "worldly people" had.

sounded good.. what is the reality?

how does avoiding higher education, and then spending up to 20 hours a week getting ready for, commuting, and then participating in meetings and field service affect family finances?.

LongHairGal

BALAAMSASS2:

Yes, it does appear they encourage ‘child-like magical thinking’ and ‘big Daddy in the sky will provide’. They seem to be threatened by the brain that has logic and planning.

Of course, they hope nobody notices the affluent ones in the congregation and those already collecting pensions!.. But I sure as hell noticed it. The poverty pushed for me and other young people there back in the late ‘70s certainly wasn’t for these others!.. But, my “worldly” upbringing saved me and I rejected this absurdity.

As far as “adulting” (I have seen this term): when I was growing up in a suburban Catholic home - when I was in seventh and eighth grade the mentality of growing to adulthood started to be stressed. So, it was a ‘given’ that I had to use logic and think for myself.

I’m very sorry about your first wife’s situation. I seem to remember years back that a JW would not want to be seen this way because it would ‘bring reproach on Jehovah’. But, I guess things have changed for the worse in the JW religion and now panhandling is acceptable.. Again, I am Glad I am no longer around any of this. 👎

47

Does becoming (or remaining) one of Jehovah's Witnesses result in Poverty? Pew Research results differ from Watchtower claims.

by Balaamsass2 in

"raised in the truth" during the 50s, 60s,and 70s i repeatedly read and heard from the platform how reading the magazines weekly "was the equivalent of a college education" and how many had turned their family economic situation around by being "trustworthy" and giving up expensive bad habits most "worldly people" had.

sounded good.. what is the reality?

how does avoiding higher education, and then spending up to 20 hours a week getting ready for, commuting, and then participating in meetings and field service affect family finances?.

LongHairGal

BALAAMSASS2:

Thanks for resurrecting this six-year old thread. It’s very timely since the same message against college/careers is still being preached!.. There are many new people on the forum in this six years. In addition, more baby boomer pioneers have reached retirement age unprepared.. Imagine the anxiety in the congregations?

JOEY JOJO’s post above speaks about a college educated architect elder preaching against college to impressionable young people. Does this guy have a conscience? And ROAD TO NOWHERE tells about how they are knocking trades!.. So, apparently nobody should work at all in the JW religion it seems. The elders and other people with businesses and cushy lives - that’s okay. But everybody else should be out in the preaching work - on starvation wages or unemployed.

I’m thankful I followed my gut all those years ago and held onto that job until retirement. Glad I’m Out.. I would not want to be around these ‘needy’ Witnesses who chose not to work. I refuse to be a sitting duck targeted by anybody!.. Unfortunately, this is the handwriting on the wall there for anybody who cares to see.

16

Shunning and persecution

by Vanderhoven7 in

jws see shunning as a loving provision.

but if a mennonite gal is shunned by her parents and friends for converting to jwism, would this be seen as a loving provision or as evidence of persecution?

how about parents beating a daughter who converted to jehovah's witnesses?.

LongHairGal

VANDERHOVEN7:

A loving provision? Hah! I was a victim of ‘soft’ shunning back when I was in the Witnesses because I refused to allow them to interfere in my business about my job. That’s what JWs do: they meddle.. I had a few friends and stayed on the fringes of the congregation.

But, I certainly wasn’t going to quit my job to conform to anybody’s ‘expectations’ of what a spiritual person was OR to be ‘more popular’. And what value would that be now?? Zero.. I actually thought JWs were morons to imagine that being mean or ignoring somebody would make that person ‘come around’.. Thankfully, these tactics didn’t work on me or I would be regretting it today.

72

Prediction of Watchtower in a Few Years

by Foolednomore in

jw
friends

kingdom halls will be the thing of the past.. conventions (mini assembly halls will still be going on) but will charge for attending and parking and always a donation.

elders will play a much smaller role since csa.

cart preaching will replace door to door.

LongHairGal

BETH SARIM:

As I recall you are right. The 1995 thing didn’t really ‘hit’ most people at first (well it did for me).

I believe it had a delayed reaction for a lot of other people. Maybe five or so years later some JWs just stopped coming.. They didn’t all die or move away either.

FISHERMAN:

Yes, I do believe the core of JWs will see it through even if they die of old age. I believe in live and let live. I was only Glad that I got out. Good for other people if they want to stay.

40

All hell breaking out in jw land now this!

by nowwhat? in

https://wgntv.com/evanston/shots-fired-by-66-year-old-man-in-alleged-financial-deal-gone-wrong-evanston-police-say/.

LongHairGal

EXBETHELITE NOWPIMA:

Thanks. The link didn’t work for me but I looked up the place Uli Anambra State and it says it’s in Nigeria.

I hope there’s a chance these people can be found safe..

40

All hell breaking out in jw land now this!

by nowwhat? in

https://wgntv.com/evanston/shots-fired-by-66-year-old-man-in-alleged-financial-deal-gone-wrong-evanston-police-say/.

LongHairGal

EXBETHELITE NOWPIMA:

You mentioned “4 JWs missing after assembly suspected abducted”.

I haven’t read about this anywhere. Could you please give some details about when and where this was supposed to have happened? Thanks.

72

Prediction of Watchtower in a Few Years

by Foolednomore in

jw
friends

kingdom halls will be the thing of the past.. conventions (mini assembly halls will still be going on) but will charge for attending and parking and always a donation.

elders will play a much smaller role since csa.

cart preaching will replace door to door.

LongHairGal

BETH SARIM:

The 1995 Generation teaching was what shocked me into my ‘Fade’.

So, I am sure it affected many other lives because very many JWs left in the several years after. For those who did not leave, I hope it served as a wake-up call to start getting concerned about retirement plans!

16

boners by fine JWs

by enoughisenough in

as a jw, did you ever know of totally unchristian behavior ( boners) by some "fine" witnesses?

i know of more than my fair share and will reveal some.

an elder/pioneer kicked his elderly wife who had alzheimer's out.

LongHairGal

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH:

Wow! The story about the guy who dumped his Alzheimers wife is outrageous enough.

But that other one with the guy who married the sister and changed his mind and pulled all those shenanigans really takes the cake. Even though outrageous things like this could possibly happen in the ‘world’ (some small town), they would be more likely to happen in a cult somewhere. Typical behavior of cloaking some man’s sins so he gets away with even more things!

8

A Rare Response to being Disfellowshipped

by Vanderhoven7 in

to most, being disfellowshiped is a terrible loss of friends family and god's perceived approval.

but not to mark jones.

in his words..... the best way i can describe it, is like when you leave highschool for the last time.

LongHairGal

VANDERHOVEN7:

That’s a lot of reasons for somebody to not want to be in the JW religion (said mostly from a male’s perspective).

I could add a few to that list from my perspective, such as: no longer being scrutinized over my clothing and being respected as a responsible adult female.

BRIBIE:

I doubt very much that many JWs who end up leaving the religion do so because they want to “enjoy birthdays and celebrate some ancient Roman festival”. 🙄 More likely it was to get away from all the trouble, drama, criticism, emotional abuse, pushy elders and whatever.

Birthdays and celebrations were the last things on my mind when I ‘Faded’ (fled) from the religion!