Posts by LHS123

42

I asked where is the proof?

by disillusioned 2 in

arguing with my husband again, i asked where is the proof that jesus looked down on earth in 1919 and chose a small group of bible students in america apart from them saying it in their magazines.

also where is the proof that satan and his demons were cast down in 1914 just because first world war started.

neither of these things are in the bible only in their magazines.

LHS123

Hahah thanks doc, there's my answer in our next exchange

I just found the scanned magazine online too

16

How many child abuse cases?

by LHS123 in

does anyone know where i can find numbers of how many child abuse cases have been brought against jws or settled out of court?.

i know that 1 is too many and statistics don't reflect the horror suffered, but i would like some numbers to use when explaining to others the reasons for my decreased activity and to have support for my reasons for 'stumbling', facts which might make others think too.. im from uk so it helps that the charities commission is investigating there and also there's a paedophiles exposed website which names 32 jws convicted in uk since 2012, horrifying!

http://ukpaedos-exposed.com.

LHS123

Here's a quote from an article on silentlambs re the ratio in UK;

"When you consider the number of Catholics in the UK as compared to the number of Jehovah’s Witnesses these are horrific numbers. How many priests are listed over the last four years? According to the list 137 Priests were in court or charged with abuse. When you consider there are 5.7 million Catholics as compared to 137,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses the ratio works out to one Catholic priest molester to 41,605 Catholics as compared to one Jehovah’s Witness elder molester to 5,269 Jehovah’s Witnesses. That helps to show the epidemic proportions of the abuse problem within Jehovah’s Witnesses."

I wouldn't be surprised if the ratio was very high elsewhere too, I've seen fraudsters target the cong because they know they would be trusted and not taken to court if anything goes wrong. It's an obvious place for a peadophile to hide too, access to children, the 2 witness rule, confidentiality and reluctance to involve authorities, unfortunately there are wolves that have exploited that environment and it seems the org. Has not done near enough to protect the congregation.

5

Another wonderful experience being a JW.

by Crazyguy in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npbj3hghizi&feature=player_detailpage

LHS123

Poor girl, mistreated and thrown out of home when she needed help. Really upsetting the way youths are treated when they most need support.

16

How many child abuse cases?

by LHS123 in

does anyone know where i can find numbers of how many child abuse cases have been brought against jws or settled out of court?.

i know that 1 is too many and statistics don't reflect the horror suffered, but i would like some numbers to use when explaining to others the reasons for my decreased activity and to have support for my reasons for 'stumbling', facts which might make others think too.. im from uk so it helps that the charities commission is investigating there and also there's a paedophiles exposed website which names 32 jws convicted in uk since 2012, horrifying!

http://ukpaedos-exposed.com.

LHS123

Not sure about nazi comparison, hmm..? But, I have noticed the wts has a habit of 'missing deadlines' in these cases, in UK and U.S., i wonder if it's a calculated decision because although in the Lopez case they lost, at least now they can say, 'it wasn't fair, the judge wouldn't let us put our defense', whereas if they actually do mount a defense, with cross examination etc, it could reveal much more damning information. I'm no legal expert but something fishy is going on.

16

How many child abuse cases?

by LHS123 in

does anyone know where i can find numbers of how many child abuse cases have been brought against jws or settled out of court?.

i know that 1 is too many and statistics don't reflect the horror suffered, but i would like some numbers to use when explaining to others the reasons for my decreased activity and to have support for my reasons for 'stumbling', facts which might make others think too.. im from uk so it helps that the charities commission is investigating there and also there's a paedophiles exposed website which names 32 jws convicted in uk since 2012, horrifying!

http://ukpaedos-exposed.com.

LHS123

Thanks everybody. Joe134cd I've only been able to mention it to a few individuals, but none of them knew about it. You would know if you've read the press stories or if you are in Wales where there was a prominent case, but I get the impression most brothers turn away when they read anything negative, excusing it as media exaggeration, or just one rotten apple etc. But it was the press articles that woke me up, so might work for someone else too.

thanks Mr Flipper, very helpful. The scale is terrifying, I've got two beautiful girls and I want to ask the elders, are there any perverts here I should know about?

16

How many child abuse cases?

by LHS123 in

does anyone know where i can find numbers of how many child abuse cases have been brought against jws or settled out of court?.

i know that 1 is too many and statistics don't reflect the horror suffered, but i would like some numbers to use when explaining to others the reasons for my decreased activity and to have support for my reasons for 'stumbling', facts which might make others think too.. im from uk so it helps that the charities commission is investigating there and also there's a paedophiles exposed website which names 32 jws convicted in uk since 2012, horrifying!

http://ukpaedos-exposed.com.

LHS123

Does anyone know where I can find numbers of how many child abuse cases have been brought against JWs or settled out of court?

i know that 1 is too many and statistics don't reflect the horror suffered, but I would like some numbers to use when explaining to others the reasons for my decreased activity and to have support for my reasons for 'stumbling', facts which might make others think too.

Im from UK so it helps that the charities commission is investigating there and also there's a paedophiles exposed website which names 32 JWs convicted in UK since 2012, horrifying! http://ukpaedos-exposed.com

but Id like to find statistics for USA and elsewhere if possible?

71

A big hello and thank you

by iwasblind in

i just wanted to introduce myself and say a big hello to all of my mentally diseased friends.. i say friends because i have been lurking for some time so it feels like home (us lurkers are a bit scared and cautious so it takes a while).

i won't bore you with too many details, but i am a born in, currently serving as the cobe of a congregation.

my wife and i have pioneered for the last 10 years and were shaken awake by that ridiculous 15th july 2013 wt about the generation and 1914.. my wife who is much smarter than me has questioned for years.

LHS123

It's so nice to read of active elders here who are waking up to injustices and falsehoods in the organisation (at least they should be kinder on their way out) - but also so refreshing to see that we don't have to let that destroy our faith entirely. I really respect the atheists/agnostics out there, they've done their research and made a conscientious choice, but for me I think I want to continue to believe, basing my faith on the teachings and example of Jesus and not what some humans tell me to do/not to do.

I am very early in my 'doubting', I'm not sure right now where I'll end up - if I'll keep attending in some fashion, for family (husband unfortunately is blind as blind can be) or if I'll go inactive quite quickly. What I do know is that already I am finding such mental relief from the fog clearing and letting go of the guilt, anxiety, and people-pleasing that we are coerced into feeling in this organisation. If I want to say thank you to God/Jesus/Jehovah for a lovely day, a nice meal, or for my family - or if I want to read some verses from the Bible - I'll do so because I want to and in private, I will no longer feel I HAVE to do a certain amount of hours or attend a certain amount of meetings EVER AGAIN! hooray!

42

I asked where is the proof?

by disillusioned 2 in

arguing with my husband again, i asked where is the proof that jesus looked down on earth in 1919 and chose a small group of bible students in america apart from them saying it in their magazines.

also where is the proof that satan and his demons were cast down in 1914 just because first world war started.

neither of these things are in the bible only in their magazines.

LHS123

I share your frustration, mentally I'm still only doubting, I haven't completely rejected the org yet but it drives me crazy that my husband won't even THINK for himself; here's some examples of our recent exchanges;

Me: do you honestly think you could ever shun our daughter? Imagine she was df'd, 18, pregnant, living alone, could you really shun her because we're told to?

Answer: I'd do what's best for Jehovah and our daughter, the only way that ever works is doing things Jehovah's way.

Me: look at these reports of child abuse, even elders have done it, and stayed as elders to abuse more because their weren't 2 witnesses ...etc etc.

answer: what are you reading?, (me: newspapers and court docs) him: we don't know the facts, the media are probably making it up, (me; if it was about the Catholic Church you wouldn't say that. plus there are so many personal accounts online of witnesses who have been abused, they break your heart) him: how do you know it isn't an apostate that makes those stories up?

Me: do you know the 'millions now living will never die' campaign promised Armageddon and the resurrection would happen in 1925? him: I don't think so actually (sarcastic)

Me: people sold their homes and gave up jobs before 1975, the org must have strongly suggested the end was coming then, otherwise they wouldn't have done those things. Him: the WT never said that, people just got over excited.

me: don't you think we should let our kids develop their friendships naturally and be able to socialize with the people they like, otherwise we could stunt their natural social skills and it lead to frustration and rebellion? Him: if that method worked, the org would tell us to do it that way, but they don't, 'bad associations....'

Then if it gets too much: anger and shouting : 'I don't want to hear anything, I mean ANYTHING negative about the faithful and discreet slave, it upsets me, stop talking about it'

who knew to be a JW we had to put our brains on the shelf?

28

Today my son told me that he can't stand this religion

by hardtobeme in

jw
friends

i have talked to him ttat.

and he understands.

he doesn't wanna be a jw.

LHS123

I liked what Billy said about having to give Your son a bit more freedom so that he doesn't blow. With my son, he was asking for about 2 years from 13 to spend time with school friends, we kept reasoning with him re. Bad associations etc, and my husband especially wouldn't let him go, ever. He didn't have many friends in the cong, although we did everything we could to help him find more and cultivate those he had. He spent a lot of weekends in his room. Then even the few friends he had in the cong. let him down, and excluded him, meanwhile the friends at school were begging him to spend time with them because they got on so well, but we still didn't let him go with them. In the end he blew, started sneaking out at night, having huge rows with his father and made the decision to stop meetings etc, hasn't attended one in a year. He drinks, smokes weed, is basically uncontrollable, doesn't speak to his dad at all, they've come to blows twice. Now he's calming down a little bit but he says (after counseling), 'I just don't want to be controlled ever again, anything that feels like control makes me push back, even if I know it's something good for me'. He has low self esteem and is screwed up, he still won't speak to his father. Feel free to use him as a cautionary tale with your wife, I strongly feel that if we'd relaxed our rules a little then he wouldn't have felt forced to rebel in such an extreme way. But we were just trying to do what the org. Told us to do. When he stopped going 99% of the brothers stopped contact immediately, no attempt to help him or guide him through a very rough emotional time. In the past i had turned my back on my actual family for this JW pseudo 'family' but when my boy had problems, even though he'd been exemplary for 15 years, they dropped him immediately, my real family are the ones who are there for him. This religion damages kids. Im living it, I dread to think how bad it would be if he'd been baptized. I am so glad for your son that you are there for him no matter what he believes and he can really talk to you about his beliefs, desires etc. and get your full support in life.

13

The org, it's money problems ans other stuff!

by username in

hi there, although i have been a lurker here for a while now i've not yet posted a new topic, so here goes nothing lol.. i have been thinking a lot lately on all the changes and the branch visits, specifically the uk branch visit where apparently it has bean mentioned the great tribulation is about to start.. since i've not heard the full talk and only heard certain items from it i got to thinking that maybe this is the org's way of saying the watchtower is about to go down due to all the cover ups and the long list of discrepancies.. maybe i am way off the mark here, what does everone else think?.

LHS123

The UK charities commission is currently investigating the jw org in the UK due to mishandling of child abuse, they're investigating 2 congs and the main org, apparently some individuals have complained to the commission also about the effect of shunning, calling ex members mentally diseased, discouraging members from seeking higher education... Raising these points to question whether this org should really be called a charity. It Will be interesting to see the results. When I called the commission for info they said several different agencies were gathering information for the investigation. This is one of the things that started me doubting. I am not sure how the U.S. And other countries work but you can see its feasible that they might also start to question if this org. can really be viewed as a 'charity'.