1981 is not right about disfellowshipping or shunning. I remember as far back as the late 60s the practice was used. DF and shunning is much older then the eighties.
Willie647
JoinedPosts by Willie647
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An animated walk through of Watchtower's history
by The Old Testicle in170 years of watchtower history.
this video was made using material researched from their own publications as well as outside sources.. this wasn't produced to bash the organisation but provide a background to its origin and path to today.
the organisation's falls on the merit that this is factual and not sensational.
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Did you encounter any dishonest/shady business owners inside your local Kingdom Hall?
by RULES & REGULATIONS inthe watchtower—study edition | december 2021.
7 a merchant might take pride in the fact that he had never taken anything that did not belong to him.
but what about his business practices?
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Willie647
Growing up a buddy and I were playing in a field behind his elder stepfather’s house. Mel was a used car dealer. We stumbled on a pile of car instrument panels. My buddy freaked out and made me promise never to talk about what we saw that day. I guessed that Mel the elder and car dealer was changing mileage on his cars to sell them for more. Later on when I was about 17 a df guy came back with a 1969 GTO. Nice black one but it had 100k miles on it. He sold it to Mel and my buddy and I knew the car well. I knew then we could prove Mel was changing mileage on cars. Mel had it painted orange and put it on his lot but the special plastic front bumper required special paint he had to order. So the bumper was black for a couple or weeks. Then orange. That’s when I stopped in one day and looked the car over like I wanted it. It only had 56k miles on it. I knew for sure Mel as a cheat but I didn’t do anything about it. Later on I realized Mel sold the lot about the time odometers became electronic and more difficult to change. And to think I used to sit in that kh and hear him talk about life. Glad I left at 19.
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MIDNIGHT MASS on Netflix is extraordinary (horror)
by Terry ini will post a **spoiler** in a few minutes.a 7 part horror movie on netflix titled midnight mass blew me away and i thought i mightrecommend this limited series (only seven parts.first of all, there is a word never ever mentioned by anybody in this horror drama.that is for a good reason.
a very good reason.
i won't mention it either or i'd ruin part of the build-up inside the plot.suffice to say, this horror story is a very fresh take on a well-trodden path we've all been down many times (if we are fans.
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Willie647
I’m watching too. When the little girl talks to the drunk about crippling her I was stunned. A lot was stolen from me too. I’m 65 now and just now realizing how much was stolen. “ you stole from me things I didn’t even have yet” was profound. Also “ you reached through time and stole from me. “ Wow!
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Feels more like a cult
by Walrus inso i grew up around this religion and never liked it.
nothing ever made sense and nobody ever clarified anything if i asked them a question.
i'm 17 right now so you'd figure oh only one more year until you can leave.
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Willie647
Pistolpete’s story could be mine except I’m a Electrician. I left at 18 and ten years later was a Master Electrician ,licensed and in business. By 45 I had reached my goals and lived in a beach community ,on the water with all the toys. Cars, motorcycles ,boats and jet skis, pool, trucks and a paid for home. I’m 65 now and not doing electrical anymore but I am building houses. I just bought a new 40k insulation machine and going to start a business with that. Still have all the toys I want and more than I can use. After you learn how to be successful it’s hard to quit. Haven’t seen any family in 40 years but they are still in from what I’ve heard. I’m married- 40+ years and happy. I’m telling these things for the young ones who like me are getting ready to escape. You will have almost no social skills and will have to work hard but it can be done. Living well is the best revenge!
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Update again
by Akid48 ini don't know if anyone remembers me on here but i'm here to do an update again.. well, i'm 15 going on 16 soon i still remember watching my first video on youtube and learning that all the jw teachings are false and everything that follows.
crazy times, i have chosen to just focus on school and just trying to be a kid well a teen now but you get the point.
i'm not really mad about all the jw stuff i've come to accept that i couldn't have done anything to prevent it i was born into a family that was already into the religion.
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Willie647
I remember you well. Your story could be mine. I had to bide my time too. But....I left the very day I turned 18. I was shunned and the early days were hard but exciting. I had no social skills and there was no internet then. Make no mistake here....it is hard. But it will make you strong for the rest of your life. You will have to work no matter what. I took horrible jobs sometimes just to survive. Gradually I got on my feet and began the climb to success. By my early thirties I surpassed most of my peers and pretty much had everything I wanted. Now at 65 years of age I’m ready to retire from my 35 year old business with my wife of forty years and we have enough to really enjoy life. We have traveled all over the Caribbean and stayed in all the best places, always drive new cars ,have had a succession of second homes and live in a huge home I had built and paid cash for. I became a Master Electrician in 1984 and went into business. I’m now retiring to my country home to relax and enjoy life. I have had no family contact for over 40 years. I dropped out of school to pioneer as Armageddon was so close - in 1975. So I have a ninth grade education. That never held me back because I was willing to work harder than most. That is the key. You can do it but it’s hard. I’m not bragging here but want you to know that if you want success bad enough you can get it but you will have to earn it. My family has tried to make contact the last few years, sorta, and still talks Jw bullshite. They are poor and needy and old having given their lives to a publishing company. Like many say here: Living well is the best revenge! Plan well and work hard and you can make a great life too!
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Motherly Love, that "Unbreakable Bond"
by Simon inmy father died a couple of months ago.
he'd been ill for some time and had many health scares and heart troubles over the years but always managed to keep on going.
then one time he didn't.. i'm glad i got to know him again and spend some more time with him after so many years missed because of the wts but those years will always be lost forever.
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Willie647
Shunning does go both ways. I’ve not seen family in over thirty years. Back then they would sort of talk to me as I had a business going and they worked there getting money from it. But I was always treated like a second class citizen. I finally decided enough was enough and moved away so I could enjoy life. Never looked back. Never been happier.
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Has this quote on hatred been true in your experience with JW's?
by Wasanelder Once ini came upon this quote relating to the results of hatred: .
"i imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.
has your hatred of the organization been an effort to avoid dealing with your pain?
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Willie647
I have hatred towards the org and my parents for their stupidity. It ,however,does not control me. I raised my family,run my business,over 30 years now,and have been successful at both. Financially fine for many years. I enjoy life and have had nice homes and all the toys. My daughter graduated Texas A&M and raises our grandchildren well. Life is great. I disagree with those who think anger is a bad thing. Much can be done with anger as a spur. I was determined to have a good and fun life and have all the great things this life can offer without fear and guilt. That is the greatest revenge. Starting out with a 9th grade education is hard and having no real world social skills makes it even more difficult but if a person wants a great life it’s there for the taking. I just rejoice every day that I’m not a slave to the evil org. I accept my anger as a righteous thing and it will always be a part of me. I will never be a slave to anyone or thing again. I had a horrible start but there is great joy in overcoming that. Happiness is a choice and I choose happiness!
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Meeting Days Felt Different?
by pale.emperor ini dont know if it was the same for you, but for me when i was a jw meeting days seemed to have a black cloud hanging over them.
on thursdays i knew i would be going to the meeting that evening.
that i would be getting into my meeting clothes at 6:30pm, leaving the house at 6:55pm and be sat in the kingdom hall from 7:15pm-9pm, then milling around for about half an hour before finally getting home for 10pm.
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Willie647
Thinking about that lately, my least favorite days are Tuesday,Thursday and Sunday. Even today after being out for over forty years. Until I left home at 18 I was forced to attend all meetings no matter what. My feelings or wants didn’t count. No choice. I was so glad to escape that prison. After raising my own family and now 62 years old I still can’t imagine parents that make every decision for their children,how to dress,how to wear their hair,how to worship,how to think etc. Talk about controlling people! I haven’t seen my family in over 30 years because there is no reason as long as they belong to the jws. What a horrible way to raise a family. As much as I’ve tried to let it go,I’m still plenty angry at the org and my zombie parents.
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Greetings from a from J Dub and current Psychology of Religion scientist
by Aaron James Eldridge ingreeting everyone!
it is good to be back on here, i used to be on here years ago (prob.
8ish) under the moniker mystruggle.
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Willie647
I will be watching this intently. My mother and step father, previously her boyfriend when she was married to my father, became jws when I was a toddler. I’ve always wondered how that happened. I’ve been out since my late teens,early twenties. I’m 62 now. I know very little about the early years as mother wouldn’t talk about it and we didn’t get to know her family at all. I haven’t been in contact with my parents or two sisters for over 30 years as I was shunned and left it at that. I researched in the 90s but learned little but today there is much more info available. I’ve recently learned I have cousins still alive and will soon contact them and also know my bio Father’s full name now and am on a trail. I did know that mother and step dad went to three different states when I was two to divorce,adopt and change my name. I never saw my bio father or his family again. Today I feel she stole my birthright. Seems mother always hated her family and my bio dads family from what little she did say. And she told lies about them and even about where they lived to make it hard to find them. The adoption records are still all sealed so I can’t see anything there. Seems she tried to erase the past completely. I’m slowly making progress there but I question why become jws? She died recently and was still in and step father an elder and two sisters and their families still in. I’m the only escapee. So.... as part of my research I want to know why and what appealed to her to be a jw. Step dad was an insecure little follower man and I understand him wanting to be an elder for the power and he could win at something. Mother however was strong willed and manipulative to get her way all the time. Only thing I can come up with is she liked the idea of everybody being killed at Armageddon and she lives forever. Is that even possible?
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Becoming a jw actually made me a much more worldly person.
by lancelink ini was raised a catholic from birth to age 15, that's when my dad started to study with some jw's that came to our door.
i was too young/ naive to notice how my lifelong friends were slowly being replaced with so called " outstanding spiritual youths".. anyway, there was randy and kevin, the sons of the po from the hall, everyone thought that they were the most spiritual people i could hang out with.
these guys taught me the fine points of :.
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Willie647
One of the elders I really looked up to was a used car dealer. His son and I watched a brother trade in his GTO ,1969 , with over 100 k miles on it for a better car to serve jehovah with. It turned up later painted and on the front row with just 50 k on the clock. Mel,the elder, was a one man dealership. His son and I were playing out back of their house and found a big pile of dash parts with odometers. This holy servant was just a common crook. His son was terrified and made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone. Lesson was to succeed in business you have to screw people. It didn't take.