curious to see if anyone else can relate to this....I've been away from JW-world for many years yet really began to have a lot of issues resurface for me when I became a parent two and a half years ago. .........Specifically, I began thinking a lot about my parents raising me and I'm just blown away at the way in which they chose to fill my head with JW teachings from such an early age. I can't imagine ever teaching my little boy about wicked people, demons, Satan, destruction at armageddon and so forth at such a young age. Nor can I imagine making him sit in kh meetings for hours upon hours and spanking him if he didn't sit perfectly upright while paying attention. Much less making him go to dc's for all day meetings. My mother is always providing me with advice about raising my son which I generally ignore -- she told me recently that she hoped I would never allow him to read Harry Potter. I thought to myself, better Harry Potter than those awful wt books filled with pictures of armageddon and dead people and destruction. but that was the stuff that I (and a lot of you, too) was raised on -- I'm incredulous now as a parent that this was acceptable to my parents!!
limbogirl
JoinedPosts by limbogirl
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perspective on growing up in a jw family after i had my son
by limbogirl incurious to see if anyone else can relate to this....i've been away from jw-world for many years yet really began to have a lot of issues resurface for me when i became a parent two and a half years ago.
.........specifically, i began thinking a lot about my parents raising me and i'm just blown away at the way in which they chose to fill my head with jw teachings from such an early age.
i can't imagine ever teaching my little boy about wicked people, demons, satan, destruction at armageddon and so forth at such a young age.
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Anyone ever go on one of those bus trips to bethel?
by limbogirl inback in the late eighties while still in high school instead of doing something fun for spring break i got an all expense paid trip to bethel.
on a bus no less with about 75 other jws headed to the promised land.
somewhere i still have a photo album filled with snapshots of the printing presses and all of the "cadets" happily churning out literature -- and of course all of the female cadets happily scrubbing toilets and doing laundry.
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limbogirl
thanks everyone for sharing stories and Richie Rich -- I looked at all of your links on your trip to bethel in april and I was howling!! thanks for the laughs -- happy to know you made it there and back intact. your pics of stanely theater brought back memories -- I remember thinking it was pretty opulent when I saw it and wondering why all the kh's had to be so ugly and bland.
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Sister "I just have to comment all the time" had my thought...
by wanderlustguy ini was thinking about how one of the cult tactics come into play in such a simple action, like commenting at the meetings.
don't know if it was the same everywhere, but at our hall, sometimes the wt study conductor would call on a couple of people in sequence, the first would give thier comment, then brother "i get to carry the microphone" would run over to the other, just for them to say "he, she had my thought".
just that statement "they had my thought" says so much now.
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limbogirl
undercover: hilarious!!! did he end up jw?
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If JWs knock on Christmas Day...what will you say?
by diamondblue1974 in.
i always remember jws making a special effort to go out on fs on christmas day...and near me they still do....what will you say to them if they should knock on your door?.
db74
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limbogirl
I will probably not answer. oops...that would mean I was a not at home and they would come back. so if I answer I will just be polite and say not interested. my mom is still very active and may in fact be out doing this herself on christmas day. (hopefully not!) i suppose she deserves whatever response she gets but would hope that no one was rude or mean to her. afterall she's brainwashed...like most of us were at one time.
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Anyone ever go on one of those bus trips to bethel?
by limbogirl inback in the late eighties while still in high school instead of doing something fun for spring break i got an all expense paid trip to bethel.
on a bus no less with about 75 other jws headed to the promised land.
somewhere i still have a photo album filled with snapshots of the printing presses and all of the "cadets" happily churning out literature -- and of course all of the female cadets happily scrubbing toilets and doing laundry.
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limbogirl
thanks everyone for the responses! some great stories -- it's so wonderful to know that I'm not alone in these strange life experiences.
one other thing that stood out to me at bethel was eating in the dining room with the 'bethelites' -- we were assigned to tables as guests and were informed ahead of time of the rules which included how the food was passed around the table and when it was ok to eat, speak, etc. was the worst meal I ever had -- I was terrified of doing the wrong thing and was a nervous wreck.
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The dubs' public shunning is so dumb!
by ozziepost init's been many years now that it might have had any relevance but nowadays when i enter our local shopping mall, i still manage to get shunned!.
it got me thinking, don't they see how stupid they look?.
look, the dubs are a minority, for heaven's sake!
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limbogirl
"For the JW this makes them feel special, important. Most of them could never hold a truly responsible position in the real world, so they've created their own. When you think about it, theirs is a very sad existence." THIS IS SO TRUE!!! I've always thought that JW-world gives people that would never have a chance at real leadership or power the ability to have those things....specifically the elders. I'm still amazed and appalled that my parents and JW acquaintances seek advice and guidance from men who aren't trained to dispense any life advice or provide any relevant perspective. my two cents.
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Love Bombing JWs vs JWD
by Lady Lee inaccording to the book cults in our midst by margaret thaler singer the practice of love bombing is a common practice in groups who seek to control others.
she states:.
most cults have specific plans for drawing in each recruit.
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limbogirl
this is interesting...I never heard the term love bombing before joining this forum. but makes total sense -- it always made me uncomfortable the way anyone coming in off the street to the kh would be treated like a rock star as long as they expressed interest. this even included people released from the nearby prison and others with obvious mental issues. good post -- explains a lot that I've always thought was strange about the org but didn't know the official terminology.
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Anyone ever go on one of those bus trips to bethel?
by limbogirl inback in the late eighties while still in high school instead of doing something fun for spring break i got an all expense paid trip to bethel.
on a bus no less with about 75 other jws headed to the promised land.
somewhere i still have a photo album filled with snapshots of the printing presses and all of the "cadets" happily churning out literature -- and of course all of the female cadets happily scrubbing toilets and doing laundry.
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limbogirl
back in the late eighties while still in high school instead of doing something fun for spring break I got an all expense paid trip to bethel. On a bus no less with about 75 other JWs headed to the promised land. Somewhere I still have a photo album filled with snapshots of the printing presses and all of the "cadets" happily churning out literature -- and of course all of the female cadets happily scrubbing toilets and doing laundry. I remember feeling horrified at the stepford wife like mentality of the whole place. the female JWs on my tour acted as though they were going to a big meat market and were all hoping to snag a hot young bethelite as a husband. totally gave me the creeps. the only highlight was an anti-JW protester who hung out in front of the buildings yelling at the JWs as they came and went. He yelled at me and a few others -- told us we were Jezebel whores with painted toe nails. Have no idea what that was about but it was the only laugh I got on the whole stupid trip. I recently spent a weekend in NYC -- first time back since my bethel trip and saw it as a non-JW --- what a great time!
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What Did YOU Give Up For The "Truth"???
by minimus indid you forfeit a college education, a great paying job which would've kept you from the meetings, a career, a trade, your loved ones, a vacation, etc.
so that you could be a good little witness?
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limbogirl
friends at school. going to the prom. a relationship with my df'd step-sister. college. competitive sports. holiday activities. a normal life.
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Card of Encouragement From Long-time JW Reeks of Despair
by Seeker4 ini happened to see a card a few minutes ago from a jw i grew up with to another jw that we grew up with.
all of us are in our 50s now, and we've known each other since we were early teens.. the sister who wrote the card has pioneered for decades.
she's married, but decided to never have kids.
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limbogirl
yup...being around JWs is an emotional drain for me because of this very attitude. they thrive on their misery and the more miserable the story, the better. because of course they will all wake up one day in paradise. i've gotten to the point that i've told my mother not to share any more information with me about people at her kh that i used to know -- it's just too depressing. told her the other day that i don't know people like that anymore -- the people i associate with are all positive and look forward to living each day. the other awful thing about this mentality is that most of the JWs haven't prepared for retirement because of course they weren't going to be on earth that long. this has been an issue for my parents and others that i know....they are still here and having a hard time getting by with no 401(k) plan! finally, can I just say that if paradise were really an option but it was filled with only JW's -- COUNT ME OUT! that truly would be hell!