Posts by cyberguy

17

I need some help

by New Castles in

jw
friends

i have been reading and posting (sometimes) for about 7 months and am very grateful to have found a community that understand what i have been going through.

i have been fading for a little over a year now, and have a sudden urge to speak out about how i feel and what wts is doing.

i have tried this in the past with some family, including my wife, who is no longer with me, for the same reason....i have also spoken to my brother and mother.

Sorry to hear about your troubles! Lots of folks on this board are going through or have had similar experiences. You might want to sit back and let your family ask questions rather than try and teach them the "real truth." I know what you?re going through, because I?m having similar contentions with my JW family; the tendency is to speak out!

Regarding your wife, do you still love her? If so, why not try and reconcile? Over time, by your conduct (Christian-based?), you might win her over! If you?re trying to do the "slow-fade-thing" then consider just not talking about your feelings, just say you have certain "reservations" (except here on this board of course) about the (supposed) "truth." Also, I found that it helps to find (x)JW?s who are willing to listen at times. Anyway, hang in there! PM me if you want to just talk on the phone sometime.

Warmest,

Cyberguy

11

I'm a Newbie

by kwintestal in

jw
friends

just a new face in the crowd.

my uncle encouraged me to join as he has been a member for a couple of years.

i left fold after a year after reading an article in a local weekly magazine (it was actually front page story).

cyberguy

Welcome Touqie!

There are many here that are/were in a similar situation to yours! Don?t even start to feel you?re guilty of something! You?ve done nothing wrong! True, you?ve got to hide the liberating books you?ve mentioned, unless you don?t mind being DF?d, but if anyone, parents included, lets elders into your home, I?d change my locks immediately! And I would cut-off such ?apostates? from your life! You don?t need to be subjected to this and you are the man-of-the-house, correct? Your experience is evidence of the cult-like nature of JW?s! I wish it otherwise, but many have been mislead their whole lives, and are only now realizing the great deception they?ve been involved with. If you need to talk to someone, please PM any of main posters here (check out their posts over the last year or so) or PM my account, someone you believe you can trust.

Warmest,

Cyberguy

11

WTS and showering with the boys!

by ozziepost in

on the wts site is an article entitled: "should i get a tattoo?

" and the guilts are everywhere in this article!

it doesn't take too much intelligence to work out early on what the wts' stance on tattoos is, not that it seems to have much to do with "freedom in christ".

cyberguy

Better it is to "conduct ourselves honestly in all things," avoiding foolish deception.?Hebrews .

Hummm? ?This? from those who have deceived JW?s about their UN affiliation! I don?t get it!

35

stuck in!

by red so deep in

well, this is my first post here, and i'm kind of doing it in secret, cause i know if my parents knew of my "poisoning myself with apostates" they would not be happy at all.

anyways, my story is; i'm 17, i've been brought up "in the truth" my whole life, and now i'm starting to question the wt and christianity in general, and i have nobody to talk to about it.

i feel awkward about talking to my witness friends about it, cause i worry that if i speak out against the organazition and the wrong people (i.e; young ones around here that would never think of questioning the society) hear about it, it might result in my punishment (reproof or dfing).

cyberguy

Welcome Andrew!

Well, you?ve come to a great place to discuss JW-stuff and when you?re feeling a little down-and-out! You?ll find you can discuss almost anything here! Furthermore, there are many x-JW parents here with young folks your age (or have had children, but are now grown up) that can offer wonderful advice on how to cope with JW?ism, your family, and life in general. Why not continue to take advantage of this!

As far as your depression goes, I have a teenage niece (14) that is going through something very similar to you! My brother, an elder, knows how to push the "guilt button" by preventing her from leaving her room (and other restrictions), if she refuses to go to meetings. Now, she?s on depression medication and has to have home schooling, because she can no longer function in a normal school setting! A specialist has been assigned by the county school system, to visit and monitor the situation (I wouldn?t be surprised if they?re carefully watching to see if this might be child abuse).

Aside from gross misconceptions in Bible understanding, one fundamental problem that you?re evidently facing, is that JW organization forces a very "scripted" way of life! If you don?t follow their "script" then you?re a very bad person! How closely you follow their "script" determines how well you are accepted and even loved, conditional love from an organization that claims to worship a God that overflows with unconditional love?blatant hypocrisy! Consequently, love is replaced with fear and guilt!

True Christianity has freedom of speech and overflows with love for family and neighbor! They don?t want you looking at sources outside of the organization for wisdom and spiritual understanding; they loose control when you really learn the truth about the truth!

Anyway, you don?t have long to go before you?re able to move out. Why not start to make friends now, outside the organization. You?re certainly welcome here and this is a great place to start.

PS ? what kind of instruments do you play? And what kind of music are you into?

Take care,

Warmest!

Cyberguy

2

Food for thought for any end-time doom and gloomer

by ColdRedRain in

this is a little something i researched in a bout of insomnia.. .

mat 24:7for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

mat 24:8all these [are] the beginning of sorrows.

cyberguy

Thanks ColdRedRain, for this important topic! However, I?ve got another twist on this passage for your consideration.

If you look at the first words after the disciples? questions, Jesus begins by giving a warning. Matt. 24:4 says, "And in answer Jesus said to them: ?look out that nobody misleads YOU.?" A similar response and recorded in Mark 13:5, and finally in Luke 21:8. With this in mind, it is more likely that what follows this warning is not part of a "composite sign" (an expression not found in the Bible), but rather, events or calamities that are NOT part of a "sign." In other words, he was warning his disciples that "earthquakes," "reports of wars," and "food shortages," etc., should not be used to conclude the "end" was "here!"

I hope this helps!

26

No judicial action, even with 2+ witnesses

by cyberguy in

this is a paragraph from

http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1995/11/1a/article_01.htm

if the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way.

cyberguy

This is a paragraph from

http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1995/11/1a/article_01.htm

If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Timothy 5:19) Even if more than one person "remembers" abuse by the same individual, the nature of these recalls is just too uncertain to base judicial decisions on them without other supporting evidence. This does not mean that such "memories" are viewed as false (or that they are viewed as true). But Bible principles must be followed in establishing a matter judicially.

[4 th paragraph from the end]

Edited link to make it "clickable" ~ Scully

51

Feral elders

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

came to my door this morning.

seems they want to clean up the books or somesuch.

they said that they had some serious "accusations" against me, and would be having an elders meeting (...."uh..uh...it's a judicial meeting" ) this wednesday evening.

cyberguy

SixofNine,

Sorry to hear about this sixo'! Did they tell you want the accusations were? and who made them?

They're suppose to do this, so that you can prepare to defend yourself, with potential witnesses in your favor. I would make a big issue about this!

53

Celebrating Birthdays--Disfellowshipping Offense--Where stated in WT pubs?

by blondie in

blondis is asking for help.

where does it state that if a jw celebrates a brithday that it is a disfellowshipping offense.

i have searched and searched.

cyberguy

Voyager,

If the elders want you "out" they can twist most anything to make it so. I?ve seen hideous abuse of their "office" over 4 decades! Sorry to hear about your cousin!

A friend of mine (an x-elder, who had been assembly overseer, city overseer, blah, blah, blah) recently pointed out that his son-in-law?s father, who is an elder (PO), self-righteous to an extreme, accidentally ate blood pudding while on a European vacation?hehe! Will such a jerk turn himself in to the congregation "authorities" for removal as an elder and face a possible judicial committee? HELL-NO! On the other hand, he?d more than likely pursue anyone celebrating a birthday.

JW?s are a hypercritical organization to an extreme! I?ve got to get off this subject before it makes me too ill to function for the rest of the day!

53

Celebrating Birthdays--Disfellowshipping Offense--Where stated in WT pubs?

by blondie in

blondis is asking for help.

where does it state that if a jw celebrates a brithday that it is a disfellowshipping offense.

i have searched and searched.

cyberguy

minimus,

I guess those DF-cards are looked at sometimes (2 out of 100?). I recall being questioned about not waiting long enough to reinstate someone. In one case we waited 5 months before reinstating someone for immorality, and the Society questioned us at to whether we waited long enough! However, I suppose all this depends on who gets assigned to look at the stuff.

37

Expressions that show that you are an old-timer!

by cyberguy in

jw
friends

"back calls,".

"vacation pioneer,".

"tower" (instead of watch tower, or watchtower).. .

cyberguy

I can think of a few:

"Back calls,"

"Vacation Pioneer,"

"Tower" (instead of Watch Tower, or WatchTower).

OK folks, let?s list some expressions to show you?re an "old-timer!"

So please add to the list and have some fun here...