Posts by LongHairGal

15

A Jehovah's Witness family's excellent Letter of Resignation trending on exjw Reddit today

by Balaamsass2 in

i got an email notice today on this excellent letter of resignation from a german family that is trending on reddit.

i thought i would share it here if anyone is so inclined to write one.

for those with pimi jw family and jw business connections, it may not be wise to share such a letter, but i imagine it must be very freeing to send such a letter.

LongHairGal

BALAAMSASS2:

Very well written letter. Everybody leaves for their own reasons and they vary from person to person. They were particularly bothered by the CSA cases and their own treatment in the congregation.. In my case, it was 1995 that finally did it.. My treatment in the congregation was secondary.. I’m also glad they publicized it. That way they’re telling their own story and not leaving it to rumor and conjecture.

DAGNEY:

I agree that people there don’t really care why somebody stops going. I think most are there because of family and friends and don’t really care how inaccurate the teachings are. Witnesses won’t admit this, of course.. When I ‘Faded’ I just wanted out with no drama. Funny thing is nobody ever asked me directly why I left.. It’s as if they didn’t want to really know.

33

Sorcery = Pharmakeia

by KerryKing in

rev18:23 '....you deceived the nations with your sorceries'.. the interlinear for sorceries reads pharmakeia.. bible hub has some interesting definitions, i'll try to share screenshots below.

the gist of it is that sorcery involves drugs/medicines/poisons, with or without spells, sorcery is not the same as witchcraft or divination, or white/black magic.

i have long wondered about the connection between the medical/pharmaceutical industry's symbol of the serpent wrapped around a pole/stake, and the use of the word pharmaceuticals/pharmacy.. considering the common use of fluoride in public drinking water, nsaids with side effects such as depression, brain fog, dizziness, and opioids, mrna gene therapy, vaccines and so on, i wonder am i going mad, are these all coincidences??

LongHairGal

KERRY KING:

Maybe in ancient times it was sorcery. Today, it is Modern Medicine.

Yes, there may be bad points but, all in all, I am glad it exists.

13

Witnesses after Covid shut down are increasing their calls around my neighborhood

by wozza in

jw
friends

hi all , i just had another call by a an elderly jw ,let's call him ian.. only about 3 months ago i had a young jw call and trying to talk to him i had to tone it down a bit because he did'nt seem so theocratically bright as he only offered a tract and not much else , and i've had others call since covid.. so it seems around here they are making regular calls but not like back in the day when i used to auxillary pioneer where we would go over this turf every 1 to 3 weeks in the 80's.. but back to my caller ian ,on his own , but out with a group of jw's he was quick to get around the pleasantries and and so i interrupted him tactfully to slow him down.

started with a bit of my history easing into the fact that i had my first contact with jw's with my soon to be mother-in -law who was an invalided jw ,we had many good talks about her beliefs in the early 70's.. at this point he jumps in and wants to know if i would want a study again because i told him that i once did a study with jw's back.

i carefully steered him into telling me about those days ,what was he was doing back then.

LongHairGal

WOZZA:

You sure gave the JW ‘Ian’ more than he bargained for.

I guess the old days of JW-dom are long gone. No more attempts to be a Bible scholar. Just abbreviated presentations with revisionist history.. Surprised that an ‘elderly’ JW would be so ignorant about 1975.. Too bad that once the householder starts sounding too intelligent or God-forbid a former JW like you, the JW wants to flee.

I came into the religion after the 1975 thing, so I wasn’t there. But, I heard enough about it and read a lot about it.. The religion probably wishes for the day when there won’t be any more live witnesses to the event (or non-event) still around - so they can lie some more and totally pretend it didn’t happen.

I am glad you unloaded even more of the religion’s nonsense on him. He probably couldn’t handle it. I don’t think he will be coming back to your house anytime soon. Maybe somebody else will - and never mind about their cognitive dissonance. They are living a lie and you are just pointing it out like the story ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’.

53

WTS 2024 Annual Business Meeting ...

by careful in

... is just three weeks from this saturday.

the org has been tight-lipped, really, successfully secret about advance info on these in recent years,.

now that these relatively recent changes on dress and grooming, reporting fs time, judicial matters, etc.

LongHairGal

CAREFUL:

The JWs are still reeling from last year’s changes. Maybe the older JWs don’t like them.

I am Out a long time as a ‘Fader’, and am just a spectator.. The change about no longer needing to turn in a time slip really shocked me.. I guess this century-old teaching was man-made and simply the product of self-appointed ‘holy’ men’s worthless opinions. Who knew?

However, I was judged over this. I was a ‘low hour publisher’ who worked! …I’m So glad I never listened to these phonies and it was worth every penny to be shunned all those years ago.

They caused quite a stir with these changes. I can’t imagine what they will do next. Stay tuned.

18

AWAKE MAGAZIBE'S SURPRISING NEW DIRECTION

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/ze4q_7_-uo4?si=l0xe0drc5a9urhyt.

so there was a time the awake magazine was printed every 15 days but now since jehovah is blessing them so much the magazine is printed once a year, and here you have the 1st edition for the year , which is nothing more than an informatial of how good of a charity they are to their local community.

so we read in the following box: what we are doing firstly, jehovah’s witnesses promote a balanced, healthy lifestyle.

LongHairGal

BETH SARIM:

I think I remember that magazine when I was still ‘in’: young people on the cover who died refusing blood.

You should count your blessings that you reached the age you are… I know two ex-JWs who took blood to save their infants! Years later they are elated over their decision and would not have been able to live with themselves if they did the other thing.

When I hear these things I am ever so grateful I was not raised a Jehovah’s Witness!..It is incomprehensible to think somebody would let their child die. What a deadly religion and I think there’s no other way to put it.. So Glad I left.

72

Reddit thread about Bethel Reducing Headcount

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

apparently, the downsizing is still happening and from what i read those let go are over 50!.

sad because these people expected to be lifers.

now they have to make their way in the world at an advanced age with no education or desirable skill!..

LongHairGal

THOMAS MORE:

You are correct that JWs have forgotten what genuine affection is and they DO belittle others so as to elevate themselves.

Regarding the cruel remarks that were rumored to have been made on 9/11: I would like to think that any person or persons who even think like this were hopefully let-go in one of the downsizings at bethel.. They would have deserved to have experienced first hand what it’s like outside in the real world.. Maybe they would be reminded of the cruel and stupid remarks every day when they go to work for that brother who is barely tolerating them!

22

The fading of a well known American religion. Could this happen someday to Jehovah's Witnesses?

by Balaamsass2 in

new york times 9/5/24.

" there are only two shakers left.

they've still got utopia in their sites.. "by jordan kisner.

LongHairGal

BETH SARIM:

Too bad they wouldn’t believe it.

They would cling to false stories about a ‘brotherhood’.. Not that I should be sorry for people who made derogatory remarks about people like me who worked…but the religion does owe them.. Instead, they will get a kick in the a$$ and end up in congregations acting like they are entitled. Which is why I’m Glad I’m not there.

Meanwhile the religion probably will do what some suspected… And if Dan on Life After Religion’s predictions are right, they’ll sell all the halls and go online - leaving everybody (bethelites & rank n file).. stranded and high and dry. (Anybody see a picture of a little boat on a sandbar after the tide went out?)

They will all wonder what happened to their Rock of Gibraltar religion!

22

The fading of a well known American religion. Could this happen someday to Jehovah's Witnesses?

by Balaamsass2 in

new york times 9/5/24.

" there are only two shakers left.

they've still got utopia in their sites.. "by jordan kisner.

LongHairGal

BALAAMSASS2:

Yes, I believe it is possible that they could join the ranks of other defunct U.S. religions.

But, I believe the tenacious Witness religion will go the televangelist route and see how long that lasts!

26

What if JWs voted in elections?

by Las Malvinas son Argentinas in

all this political banter is exhausting, so i want to ask a question that has probably been asked before, so here it goes….

let’s try to keep this non-partisan - just give your opinion and why you think that way.. i’ll go first.

i think jws would generally lean to the right, but not by a whole lot.

LongHairGal

Even though mentally many JWs would lean to the right, it would not be in their best material interest to vote this way.. That is not the party of handouts.

Too many JWs are dead-beat city, so I expect they would vote democrat.

72

Reddit thread about Bethel Reducing Headcount

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

apparently, the downsizing is still happening and from what i read those let go are over 50!.

sad because these people expected to be lifers.

now they have to make their way in the world at an advanced age with no education or desirable skill!..

LongHairGal

BALAAMSASS2:

I tend to agree with your last statement even though some on here will not like it.

I also agree that there is ‘too much fear of man’ in the JW religion. People won’t stand up for their principles or what is right and wrong. They are fearful they will be criticized or be viewed as ‘independent thinkers’ OR God forbid an apostate! ..[ I saw fear of man taken to stupid levels in the congregation when an elder mispronounced a word and some stupid younger brother would repeat his mistake (well not me - I would raise my hand with a comment pronouncing the word correctly).]

I also hate to say this but I had heard that some bethelites made very derogatory remarks about responsible people in the workforce. When 9/11 happened and it was learned some JWs died - it was rumored that some bethelite/bethelites said “that’s what they get for not being out in the ministry” or words to that effect.. So, am I supposed to feel sorry for people that have a mentality like this?? Well, I don’t.. Not to mention, whose contributions did these geniuses think was supporting them in bethel??

Thanks for everybody’s great comments and a shout out to Reddit where I saw this.