Posts by LongHairGal

28

Do we blame the Governing Body too much?

by no-zombie in

i'd like to start this post with a part from the movie 'v for vendetta'.

here in a dystopian state, the main character named v, explains why things have gone so bad ....

those who do not want us to speak.

LongHairGal

NO-ZOMBIE:

No, I don’t think so.. Besides, don’t these people consider themselves to be the ultimate authority with unimpeachable supposedly bible-based ‘wisdom’?

TONUS OH:

I am sorry about your mom and other Witnesses who grew old (when they were told they wouldn’t). They waited for promises that were never fulfilled. Some of these older JWs might have lived a happy life in spite of waiting.. Maybe they had a good social life and lived comfortably.

But, other older JWs did not. Maybe they gave up decent jobs/careers and pioneered, never planning for retirement. They paid no attention to the clock on the wall as it was ticking away.

It is the ultimate sunk cost and your mom and others might not want to leave now.. This is why I am so glad I Faded’ over two decades ago!

3

get out of supporting family

by enoughisenough in

1 tim 5:8 says if you don't take care of your own and especially your own household, you are worse than an unbeliever.

i was scanning throught the shepard the flock book and found some questions that would create an "out" or excuse not to support .

1 question is , does his wife have material resources affording a secure life so the family isn't destitute?

LongHairGal

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH:

I am sorry to read about what your mom went through having the burden of seven children with no man supporting them!

Having never read their Shepherd the Flock book, I was surprised by what you posted. It does definitively look as though there are ‘loopholes’ in favor of the man. These look to excuse him from his responsibility of being the provider of the family. To me, this all goes ‘beyond what is written’.

As someone who was not raised a Witness, I was appalled at the attitude against secular work that some JWs had. In reading some of the history of their religion, I wondered if this attitude might stem from the Depression era (when nobody had jobs) in rural places in Pennsylvania. The brothers rode bikes in farming communities and witnessed to people and they may have bartered (got eggs, etc.)

This must have been a pleasant and peaceful experience riding bikes down a country lane with not too many cares in the world.. But, times changed in the following decades and the world is the difficult place we see today! But, certain JWs (bethel writing committee) obstinately cling to this old mentality and this attitude got passed on to some in the congregations who imagine they are going to get handouts because they are ‘pioneering’.🙄

77

Disfellowshipped for Fornication

by TxNVSue2023 in

hi i want to tell my story and get advice.

i'm a single sister ( in usa) that has been baptized for 20 years.

i came from the world, so did not grow up in the truth and i have no family in the truth -- i am alone.. last year i met a brother & we did have premarital sex while we were dating.

LongHairGal

TXNVSUE2023:

Welcome to the forum. I agree with a lot of the posts here.

With regard to somebody ‘committing immorality’ before marriage and then confessing later, you are not the first. I’m sure there were others that I suspected but they didn’t get disfellowshipped. I think it all has to do with the body of elders. This is unfair to you. I also believe it’s ridiculous since you did get married.

Nobody can stop you if you want to go back, but what others have said is true: they will have a bias against you. Sadly, because there is No confidentiality in the JW religion, some people in the congregation will know all about your intimate personal business!

68

Is JW.org going Broke?

by Vanderhoven7 in

https://youtu.be/e6gh6w7v03y.

LongHairGal

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH:

I am not surprised they would resort to a ‘membership’ fee..for those who could still stand being a member.

JOURNEYMAN:

I also hated that expression ‘Friends’ 🙄.

These Witness phonies were certainly No friends of mine. I couldn’t wait to get away from them!

23

JW elders TAUGHT to treat Higher Education as WRONG!

by BoogerMan in

in this jw training video, an elder gets deleted because his daughter has "stumbled" other jw's by pursuing higher education.

🤣.

@ 13.35 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0u2ohrbdm-c.

LongHairGal

HIDDLESWIFE:

Yes, the religion has reached the height of absurdity with knocking college education for the umpteenth time. I wonder how anybody with an ounce of intelligence can even listen at this point.

I have never heard of the JW religion providing material/financial aid to anybody ‘down and out’.. They have no social programs like Christendom has!.. Nobody should forget Witnesses are ‘down and out’ because they followed the religion’s dictates not to get college/careers.

They told people years ago they wouldn’t need to prepare for retirement because ‘Armageddon’ would arrive in time to save them. I was one of the young people back then who heard these very words but thankfully did not pay any heed or else I would not be Retired today.. I’m ‘Faded’ from the religion over two decades so I’m not around to hear Witness sob stories.. Hopefully, maybe some brothers with businesses might be able to offer jobs to some of these JWs.

37

No more judicial committee if maybe suicidal

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

the new direction in the new elders book is very clear.

absolutely no jd if there is a suspicion of suicidal thoughts.. this is obviously due to the high number of suicidal attempts after the announcement that someone is no longer a jw and the shunning that accompanied it.. so what will happen now going forward if situations arise where there would formerly have been a jd and they say there is suicidal thoughts?.

i can’t see it working, but elders stick rigidly to what it says in the book.

LongHairGal

Hi EASY PROMPT:

I could be wrong, but somehow I can’t see what happened in the branch in Russia happening here in the USA. You forget the USA is the land of religious freedom. While it’s always possible anything can happen - something this drastic is more likely to happen elsewhere.

It would be nice though if the religion changed their shunning policy and also stopped with the stupid policies that can lead to shunning like the recent rant against higher education.

As far as bethelites being wise enough to leave first, I really doubt it (unless some young guy hates the place). Others aren’t going anywhere since this is their home for years. In order for them to leave voluntarily without being told to leave, I think they would need a tip that something serious was coming and/or fear of bodily harm. Just my guess.

16

Church buys GEICO Woodbury property for $27M

by Rattigan350 in

https://libn.com/2023/01/09/church-buys-geico-woodbury-property-for-27m/.

after a previous sale fell through, geico has sold its sprawling woodbury property for $27 million.

the buyer for the 236,365-square-foot office building on 20 acres at 750 woodbury road is the christian congregation of jehovah’s witnesses.

LongHairGal

JOURNEYMAN:

With regard to the Witness religion’s recent large purchase on Long Island: ..it would not surprise me if you and others might be correct about the religion possibly wanting fewer large facilities because they want to sell off more of the halls that are around that are half empty anyway!.. It’s all about business and saving money.

I am sure it will make a lot of JWs angry who will now have to drive longer distances to these places.. This might become tiresome for some and the religion might lose more people over time.. But, maybe they don’t care.. I know I don’t because I’m long gone from their useless treadmill.

37

No more judicial committee if maybe suicidal

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

the new direction in the new elders book is very clear.

absolutely no jd if there is a suspicion of suicidal thoughts.. this is obviously due to the high number of suicidal attempts after the announcement that someone is no longer a jw and the shunning that accompanied it.. so what will happen now going forward if situations arise where there would formerly have been a jd and they say there is suicidal thoughts?.

i can’t see it working, but elders stick rigidly to what it says in the book.

LongHairGal

EASY PROMPT:

ExBetheliteNowPima should warn his buddies in bethel to make plans because there may be more downsizing! And this might be before any ‘great tribulation’.

Any bethelites with an ounce of sense (especially older ones) should have a plan and some phone numbers to call.. While it’s possible this can come about the way you said, it’s more likely to come about because of the org/religion just wanting to save money.

And so the congregations out there will get yet another bunch of needy people dumped on them. More chickens coming home to roost.

17

What happens when people are shunned from the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

by Black Sheep in

an article on rnz, a news site in new zealand.. https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/in-depth-special-projects/story/2018901718/something-evil.

LongHairGal

BOOGERMAN:

I also agree that if the shunning is directed towards a child, the elderly or those with mental illness it is especially bad.

In my case, I was a young adult not raised a JW…so I was able to ‘take it’ 🙄 and knew it was over my job. I shrugged my shoulders and didn’t care. But, for young born-ins who know nothing else, it could be devastating.. The religion should not be allowed to ruin some child’s life.

9

Half of disfellowshipped one suicidal?

by ExBethelitenowPIMA in

jw
friends

this ex brother says about half of disfellowshipped ones are suicidal at about 43 minutes into this video https://youtube.com/watch?v=otcdksnf4zo&feature=sharec.

it really is that brutal having your family and friends shun you that many unfortunately do actually take their own lives including steve letts nephew.. no wonder the drastic change in the elders book to not have any more judicial committees if suspected it would make them suicidal.. this is probably one of the largest changes in recent history that most rank and file don’t know about yet.. how it will work in practice i just don’t know.

what if someone keeps sinning but says it’s weakness not wickedness and they are suicidal?

LongHairGal

LEE MARSH:

I heard of a few JWs who killed themselves. But, one I know of was not disfellowshipped.. Who knows what was going through his mind - and what kind of hangups he was saddled with?

With regard to disfellowshipped people, everything you said is correct: when all is said and done some might wrongly assume they have nothing to live for…

I was not raised a JW and I remember them trying to separate me from non-Witness friends and relatives….Now, of course, it’s obvious they want to isolate the new JW so it will be easier to ‘shun’ him or her when they are in ‘violation’ of any of the rules and regulations and even popular people’s opinions!! If the JW has people on the outside to turn to, the shun gun has little or no effect. No control. The religion can’t have that.

I’m grateful I had my full-time job at the time, so I wasn’t totally isolated much to the religion’s disappointment. That’s why they hated me.