Posts by done4good

13

10 Years ago today...

by done4good in

i mentally awoke.

it took another 6 months or so to walk away for good, but this date marked the end of my belief in any conventional sense of the word.. d4g.

done4good

Sparrowdown - So after 10 yrs is it still painful?
Please tell me the pain goes away eventually.

I am trying not to post at work, but this deserves a response.

I am not sure the experience is the same for everyone. I walked away rather unscathed, and was ecstatic to do so when I did. I would not do a thing differently, in fact. Does that mean that there is no pain ever? Hardly. Like most here, I lost family and friends. I could not stand to play the game and fake it. The response of most of those folks to my leaving I really do take almost a cavalier attitude toward, not because I would not welcome them if they decided to reach out, rather because I know my life is better lived honestly. If they don't care about my well being, then I just move on.

Much more recently I felt the full blow of being shunned by a loved one, that I suppose I avoided for many years. I did avoid her really because deep down I feared that outcome. I know that now. Funny thing is, when I first reached out to her, it went surprisingly well for a few months, (basically, it was viewed I was just "inactive"), until my story came out. And when it did slam!, the door was shut, and probably for good. Yep, that shun hurt like a bitch. It still does, and I likely would not be here still posting otherwise. The pain ebbs and flows.

All of that said, don't let anyone take your authentic self away. Maintaining one's true self is worth any pain it may seem to cause.You will be a richer person for it.

d4g

13

10 Years ago today...

by done4good in

i mentally awoke.

it took another 6 months or so to walk away for good, but this date marked the end of my belief in any conventional sense of the word.. d4g.

done4good

Millie210 - Thank you.

13

10 Years ago today...

by done4good in

i mentally awoke.

it took another 6 months or so to walk away for good, but this date marked the end of my belief in any conventional sense of the word.. d4g.

done4good

Magnum - I wish I could have an anniversary like that, but, for me, it was such a gradual thing that I can't pinpoint a certain time.

Actually, the ability to pinpoint that moment took some time. Many things become clearer in hindsight. Had I been 100% aware of that moment's significance at the time, I probably would have walked away there and then. Initially, I tried to forget about what I figured out that day. However, one cannot "unlearn" what they know. As such, I gradually became less and less involved over the next six months or so, until I decided I had little reason to stay.

Reflecting on "why" I left after being completely out for about 3 or 4 months brought that moment into focus.

d4g

56

Hello Everyone

by MarieK in

i hope everyone is having a good saturday.

i've visited this many times in the past month or so, joined yesterday and finally got the nerve to post!

needless to say, i'm super nervous, being new to this whole experience.

done4good

Great to hear MarieK. Today marks 10 years for me being mentally awake. Give yourself time, it gets easier, and whole lot better.

d4g

13

10 Years ago today...

by done4good in

i mentally awoke.

it took another 6 months or so to walk away for good, but this date marked the end of my belief in any conventional sense of the word.. d4g.

done4good

I mentally awoke. It took another 6 months or so to walk away for good, but this date marked the end of my belief in any conventional sense of the word.

d4g

43

Why Is This New Batch of Governing Body Members So Stupid?

by Brokeback Watchtower in

well there are lots of reason for sure, denial, delusion, wishful thinking, ego maniac, infantile understanding of ancient writings, satanophobia, xenophobia, out of touch with reality, limited choices scrapping the bottom of the barrel,and many more.. listen to this ted talk and see if you can pick out something that helps explain why these guys are such ass holes:.

organizations are often run according to the superchicken model, where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others.

and yet, this isnt what drives the most high-achieving teams.

done4good

They are absolutely not geniuses. Anyone with an above average IQ can see that.

Those that stated the current batch are dummied down versions of their earlier peers have it mostly right. The reason for this, quite simply is the organization is authoritarian in nature. Authoritarianism exists on far right of the socio-political spectrum. Ultra-conservative groups like the WT breed and promote these types of "leaders". With every iteration of newly promoted individuals comes increased requirements for obedience to that authority, and decreased levels of logical approach. This is how authoritarian organizations feed on themselves and eventually die off. They cannot evolve properly in a society that is increasingly better informed, (overall), so their methods become more about control and submission to authority rather than any appeal to critical thought. WT are not alone in this. All fundamentalist organizations, (religious or otherwise), follow a similar pattern.

The men at the top are merely a representation of the organization that sponsored them. Hopelessly backwards, and doing everything in their power to prevent others from figuring that out. What they fail to understand is that only makes things worse for their position, and hastens their demise.

Make no mistake, lakeside compounds or not, these guys are not intelligent by even the most basic of measures. One needs to look no further than Donald Trump to see one can be successful and still be an idiot.

d4g

59

A difficult yet necessary decision

by Brother Jeramy in

the past five weeks have been perhaps the most painful in my life as a witness.. some months ago a young man (i'd say in his late thirties or early forties) began attending meetings at my kingdom hall.

he had just moved to my area from another state.

he had disassociated himself from his home congregation many years back, when he was 20 years old and going through many of the typical trials and temptations most young men experience.. two of the elders met with him initially, and they later shared the details with the body of elders.

done4good

Good on you, Brother Jeramy! Don't apologize for anything.

I really do not see how anyone could remain in after they experience the judicial process, or any aftermath of it. The judicial process and what stems from it really sheds light on this evil cult. It brings out the absolute worst possible behaviors in human beings, (the elders and any who willfully obey the shunning rules), even those who are genuinely good people. The organization and its anti-social policies dehumanizes people.

I knew I was d4g after I went through it 10 years ago, and I avoided being DF'd.

d4g

6

No education. Not just to avoid critical thinking

by StarTrekAngel in

i was listening to my brother in law talk about his job this week.

he had a stable job for a long time.

it was not without problems but it was there.

done4good

I hadn't thought about the idea that keeping people from getting good jobs makes them less likely to find good association outside the cult, but that makes perfect sense. I've seen it in my wife too - when she worked it was always around uneducated people and most of them were lazy and directionless and it's easy to get the idea that "this is just how worldly people are."

There are many reasons for the anti-education position WT holds to. I agree 100% with the statement made above.

Learning to think critically is only part of the equation. A person who is college material likely has that worked out anyway before they even go. As an ex that went to college during my JW days, I also know that going does not automatically make someone wake up and leave. It took 11 years after graduation for me to finally leave. Many JWs have gone to college and remained in the organization for many years afterword. What really contributed to my eventual leaving was realizing that my success was independent of anything having to do with the JWs, and that the organization was responsible for any major failures I had in life.

A very key part of the equation is success itself. Successful people do not make good robots. Successful people generally do not struggle with the same financial issues, and other higher order issues caused by financial stress, (such as marital issues). Successful people don't need their egos constantly validated by peers, and certainly not of those who are less successful. Successful people do make good friends with others who are generally equally educated, and successful. They also learn much from this socialization.

In short educated = successful, and successful people by and large do not make good JWs.

d4g

98

Anthony Morris III goes on an eight minute rant over child abuse

by Richard_I in

jw
friends

this is in the july 2015 monthly program on tv.jw.org cedars wrote about it too.. starting at around 42:30 in the video, morris talks about the child abuse situation for almost 10 minutes.

link to video.

i'm writing a transcript right now.

done4good

Joe Grundy - I know that people hate this rule, but are they really supposed to act on every accusation without any evidence? I'm all for them going straight to the authorities and letting people with actual experience and investigative tools (the police) make determinations based on what they gather, but I just don't see how they can go from accusation to df'ing automatically in the congregation

To my knowledge, no religion even has a "judicial committee", for behaviors. WT does this for self-serving purposes, mainly to control and keep the R&F in line, as well as make the organization appear "clean". That is why they draw no distinction between illegal harmful activity, (such as child sex abuse), and any other so-called "sin".

The real problem is judicial committees altogether need to go. Then parents can openly go to the authorities without fear of retribution from WT and its localized free labor force, (aka the elders).

d4g

128

Looking Back In Retrospect To 1975...

by titch in

greetings, folks: so, it's been 40 years since 1975. and, if you were actively involved with the witnesses back then, the mindset of many was, that by early autumn of 1975, it would mark the anniversary of 6000 years of human existence.

and, the hope was then, that it would mark the start of the 1000-year of christ, from the heavenly realm.

but, looking back now, 40 years ago, in june of 1975, only 3 more months remained until early autumn.

done4good

Sparrowdown - The Society would have been freaking out at the sort of music that was being produced then, it's no wonder they thought the end was nigh.

I'm sure this was high on the Society's list of best of soundtracks: 1972, so close...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVExlaxaweo