Attention to the Elder body of the *******Congregation Of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Criminal harassment is defined as "engag(ing) in intentional conduct which the actor [harasser] knows or has reason to know would cause the victim, under the circumstances, to feel frightened, threatened, oppressed, persecuted, or intimidated; and causes this reaction on the part of the victim. (M.S. § 609.749, Subd. I). Such conduct can include following or pursuing you, returning to your property without your consent, making repeated phone calls, inducing you to make calls, causing your phone to repeatedly ring, repeatedly mailing or delivering unwanted letters, objects, or gifts to you.
I have specifically requested D. Smith to inform the Elder body to stop calling, and stop coming to my home uninvited . This morning 6/05/2010 once again my wishes were ignored . This morning at 8 am I received another phone call by J.W .
I told J that since my inactivity with the congregation over four years ago my depression problems have been aliveated , and I am very happy now . However this repeated harassment threatens to put my personal health and emotional well being into jeopardy.
I have been asked at least three times by J and D whether or not I want to write a letter of disassociation . This too is threatening and harassing !
There is nothing I see in the Bible that calls for a formal letter of disassociation in my situation, or any other. I did not sign a contract with an organization at my baptism . In 1978 baptism was still a dedication to God not an organization like it is today . It seems to me that the provision of formal disassociation is a matter of convenience for the Elder body or the Society rather than serving any real religious purpose. It allows people to be pigeon-holed into nice neat little categories rather than dealing with real issues .
My spirituality is between me and my heavenly Father . I wish to be left alone and allowed to seek that journey on my own .
You are hereby notified to immediately terminate any contact with me ,including phone calls ,home visits or mail .
A copy of this letter has been filed with the ****** Police Department . I really do hope you will abide by my wishes because I really do not wish to pursue this into legal criminal matters , but I will do whatever I have to protect my well being .
troubled mind
JoinedPosts by troubled mind
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Here is the Letter I am thinking of sending ,give me your input
by troubled mind inattention to the elder body of the *******congregation of jehovahs witnesses .
criminal harassment is defined as "engag(ing) in intentional conduct which the actor [harasser] knows or has reason to know would cause the victim, under the circumstances, to feel frightened, threatened, oppressed, persecuted, or intimidated; and causes this reaction on the part of the victim.
609.749, subd.
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troubled mind
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Okay I just got back from the Police department
by troubled mind inthe officer was very understanding and helpful .
he said you would be surprised how many citizens they have come in and ask how to stop the jehovahs from coming to their doors .. .
i told him my whole story about leaving the jw's after 44 yrs and just wanting peace and freedom .
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troubled mind
The officer was very understanding and helpful . He said you would be surprised how many citizens they have come in and ask how to stop the Jehovahs from coming to their doors .
I told him my whole story about leaving the JW's after 44 yrs and just wanting peace and freedom . I told him how upset their continued contact is making me after telling them to stop .
His suggestion is for me to write a letter to the KH stating that I want no further calls or visits and that a letter is also filed with the Police department . State that I do not want to file criminal action ,but am prepared to if pushed that way .
He said a personal letter is all that is needed for the States Attorney office . He did go on to say that you really don't want to get involved in a legal battle because it can get really messy ,and that hopefully the warning will be enough .
This is a small town and he knows all about the witnesses here . He said there are some real nice members ,but he sees the controlling nature behind it all . He even laughed when I told him about my winter decorations and he said "OH man that is a big NO,NO with them " .
I feel better and have finally quit shaking .
I know someone has posted a legal letter of no further contact on here before ......if you know right were it is could you repost for me ...otherwise I am going to be busy looking for it ......
Thank you everyone for putting up with my drama it sure helps to know someone on here will listen and care ........
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Why should I have to sign a letter saying I want to disassociate ?
by troubled mind ini don't understand why the elders want this letter so badly ....for one i don't remember signing a contract to become a jehovah's witness ,why do i need to resign ?.
also i was baptised in 1978 before the baptism questions changed , i dedicated myself to god not an organization .
my vow was to follow the direction by holy spirit as revealed to me through the bible, not the watchtower ...... if i belonged to the luthern church and quit going after three yrs they drop your name off the member list ........but if i chose to come to easter or christmas service everyonre would still talk to me i just wouldn't be a member any more .. .
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troubled mind
i am so upsert right now I can't stop shaking .......I am seriously thinking about going and talking to the Police . This IS harrassment and it IS affecting my well being
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Why should I have to sign a letter saying I want to disassociate ?
by troubled mind ini don't understand why the elders want this letter so badly ....for one i don't remember signing a contract to become a jehovah's witness ,why do i need to resign ?.
also i was baptised in 1978 before the baptism questions changed , i dedicated myself to god not an organization .
my vow was to follow the direction by holy spirit as revealed to me through the bible, not the watchtower ...... if i belonged to the luthern church and quit going after three yrs they drop your name off the member list ........but if i chose to come to easter or christmas service everyonre would still talk to me i just wouldn't be a member any more .. .
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troubled mind
OH MY GOD I'M AM SO F'N UPSET RIGHT NOW !!!!! I have been up since 4am because my husband had to go into work today so laid back down a half an hour ago to get a little more sleep and the phone rings ....It is 8am here so jump up to answer assuming it is family .
NO , it's the first Elder the one that had been calling and coming by non stop . AT first I was a little groggy so I didn't immediately hang up on him . He apologized for calling and said the other Elder had told him I had said no further calls .......So in other words he knows my wishes and yet ignores them anyway WTF
I told him he knows I have a history of depression and since we quit attending I had been very happy . I then told him since their sheperding visit it has stirred up all those bad feelings once again for me , and I need them to stop picking at inconsequencial petty reasons to mess with me . All I wanted was to live quietly and trouble free . He brought up the anti witness video on youtube they were so concerned with ......and then I lost my temper . I told him I thought we lived in a free country were we could read and watch whatever we wanted . I told him it wasn't like I made the video or was even promting it , and that I did not know my account was visible to others ,but now I do so it is now private so it should not stumble anyone else .
He was like oh okay well that's good ....BUT what i would like to ask you is do you still want to be considered a Jehovah's Witness ???????
Slam down goes the phone ..........my heart is racing I am so livid ........it is a good thing he didn't show up at door ,I think I would have punched him in thge nose .
The video they are so concerned with dealt with a young man that committed suicide because of the fear of being df'd by the Elders . The parents felt the lack of concern by the Elders was the catalyst for their sons death ........kind of ironic don't you think !!!!
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Why should I have to sign a letter saying I want to disassociate ?
by troubled mind ini don't understand why the elders want this letter so badly ....for one i don't remember signing a contract to become a jehovah's witness ,why do i need to resign ?.
also i was baptised in 1978 before the baptism questions changed , i dedicated myself to god not an organization .
my vow was to follow the direction by holy spirit as revealed to me through the bible, not the watchtower ...... if i belonged to the luthern church and quit going after three yrs they drop your name off the member list ........but if i chose to come to easter or christmas service everyonre would still talk to me i just wouldn't be a member any more .. .
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troubled mind
The last time they called I told them that I would not be interested in meeting with them, and that I will not answer any questions about my personal life .
I then told the Elder to pass it on to the other Elders I want no further phone calls to my house or uninvited visits to my door . So far this week the phone calls have stopped .
They have no hard evidence that i have done anything df worthy .......only a poor attitude . So do you think they will still just DA me themselves ? Do they have to inform you by letter or something when they do this ?
And do I have legal grounds of harrassment if they show up at my door again ?
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Talking to two J dubs on a busy downtown street
by ldrnomo inso im out of town for a couple of days for a software seminar.
it didnt start until noon yesterday so i took a walk down a busy street famous for its shopping and as i got to the end of the stores and the beginning of apartments i noticed two women standing on the sidewalk in front of what i later noticed was a kingdom hall.
as i started walking by giving them a smile and a polite greeting the one that was older, they were both young based on my terms the older in her 30s middle to late the younger in her 20s probably late.
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troubled mind
Ldrnomo , I liked your experience and I hope those sisters will at least give your points some thought . I wonder how they would have liked it if you had said murdered instead of killed ?? Because that term also fits !
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Why should I have to sign a letter saying I want to disassociate ?
by troubled mind ini don't understand why the elders want this letter so badly ....for one i don't remember signing a contract to become a jehovah's witness ,why do i need to resign ?.
also i was baptised in 1978 before the baptism questions changed , i dedicated myself to god not an organization .
my vow was to follow the direction by holy spirit as revealed to me through the bible, not the watchtower ...... if i belonged to the luthern church and quit going after three yrs they drop your name off the member list ........but if i chose to come to easter or christmas service everyonre would still talk to me i just wouldn't be a member any more .. .
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troubled mind
I don't understand why the Elders want this letter so badly ....For one I don't remember signing a contract to become a Jehovah's Witness ,why do I need to resign ?
Also I was baptised in 1978 before the baptism questions changed , I dedicated myself to God not an organization . My vow was to follow the direction by holy spirit as revealed to me through the Bible, not the Watchtower .....
If I belonged to the Luthern Church and quit going after three yrs they drop your name off the member list ........but if I chose to come to Easter or Christmas service everyonre would still talk to me I just wouldn't be a member any more .
The only reason to force this disassociation agenda is to excercise control over someone and to instill fear into remaining members in my opinion . What do you say ?
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This Week's Article - Young People's Baptism
by jgnat inthis is the first study article from the april 15, 2010 watchtower, titled "young people - strengthen your desire to serve jehovah.
" i hit paragraph four and i just had to pause to comment.
i am pretty darn sure this is a softening of the jehovah's witness stance regarding the appropriate age for baptism.
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troubled mind
I was raised a witness and baptised @17 . My older Brother was baptised @16 and then left by 18 . When I raised my own kids I begged them to wait past the teen yrs . Each one made their own decisions though and they all chose baptism at 17 , 19 , 17 .
When I asked why they couldn't wait longer they all said ,'because it is expected by others in the congregation, and if you don't do it by late teens you are looked down upon ! '
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Saw a Therapist yesterday,,,,, interesting
by man in black ini da'ed myself two years ago, one of the main reasons was because my mother died and the congregation was more interested in"meeting attendance, and service" than anything else.
for the first time in 30 years the very conditional friendship offered by the jehovahs witnesses came to the fore, and i was literally blindsided by it.. several months later i attended a grief support group at our local hospital, and boy it was a real godsend for me, i realised that the so called "worldly people' could actually be nice, supportive, and lend a real listening ear.
the hospital had one of their grief support counselors lead the meeting, and she was really good at what she does.
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troubled mind
I am glad you ran into her again . Seems like just being able to have someone else validate our feelings can be a huge relief .
I am going through similar feelings and I will be interested in hearing what else the therapist has to say to you .
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Girls - what subject got you thinking?
by wannabefree inreading the post "how long did it take you to leave", i can't help but be envious of those of you who refer to leaving as a "we" event.. i know it has been said that women tend to react to feelings/emotions along with logic, can you help me with ideas that got you to feel something was wrong?
what should i work on planting with my wife?.
thanks..
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troubled mind
Things that worked on me was first the lack of freedom of conscience . My conscience said treat my df'd family members still like family ,but of course that is not approved by the society .
The thought that one day one of my son's might become df'd, and I would be expected to shun them tore me up inside .
The dishonesty of the no blood policy ....when in fact it now is all fractions are acceptable ,but we still don't take blood ......That kind of dishonesty that could make someone lose their life over a stupid manmade rule really ticked me off . I was mostly mad at myself for believing it so long, and putting my life, and that of my childrens in jeopardy.
Over the years is was becoming clearer and clearer that this was a society of men taking emphasis away from Jesus, and elevating themselves .
Unhappiness over the fact I was never going to be able to be considered good enough .