this is the first time i have posted on here in many years..... i seldom visit now although this forum was instrumental to me in gaining my sanity in the early 2000's and recovering from the watchtower religion.. by chance tonight i was on youtube and caught a jw.org video which out of curiosity prompted me to look at the official website and amongst other things i looked up the music section.. why that i hear you ask?
music is my passion and nothing reminds me more or evokes more memories than the kingdom songs i grew up listening to.. i am 49 years old and my mother was baptised in 1974. i grew up in the era of pink songbooks and green bibles.
of the theology of fred franz and types and anti-types.
The place was almost empty - whereas years ago it would have been packed
Hi LHG! Okay this was odd to me also. This man was a lifetime JW/elder, covering multiple congos. I thought for sure I'd be parking on the street, nope, pulled right into a spot 10 min before. Pictured myself standing in the back, nope, got a seat. But again it's possible people have moved away that knew him, or circumstances prevented their attendance. Some did come from far away.
I'm still processing it all.
just heard on npr that fresh air will feature a former jw..
This is exciting. I know several JW's who listen faithfully to Terry Gross/Fresh Air.
Wondering if any points will land.
this is the first time i have posted on here in many years..... i seldom visit now although this forum was instrumental to me in gaining my sanity in the early 2000's and recovering from the watchtower religion.. by chance tonight i was on youtube and caught a jw.org video which out of curiosity prompted me to look at the official website and amongst other things i looked up the music section.. why that i hear you ask?
music is my passion and nothing reminds me more or evokes more memories than the kingdom songs i grew up listening to.. i am 49 years old and my mother was baptised in 1974. i grew up in the era of pink songbooks and green bibles.
of the theology of fred franz and types and anti-types.
Wow no kidding it's changed.
I attended a memorial at a KH yesterday. I went solely because I'm reconnected with a relative who asked that I go, and I went to support them. I had just downloaded the .org app because I wanted to take a screen shot of the FAQ that said that JW's don't shun. I figured that little info would come in handy some day. I had no idea I'd be using that app to look up scriptures just a few days later sitting in a KH.
Oh my, the song. Terrible song writing. And it's so weird standing facing screens to read the words, I mean it just looks so culty.
It's a weird vibe. I can just see the expression on everybody's faces that were there...it's "man I hope this thing works out." TBH, I was so happy to see the sweet older sisters, I couldn't stop hugging them, remembering better times.
Then I left to be with the nonJW family and promptly had two vodka tonics.
i often wondered over the years what happened to a lot of the old posters from this group.
going back to the late 1990s a few of the names i recall...blacksheep, gypsywildcactus (i know she's ok as we're friends on facebook still), onacruise, minimus, veniceit, flower, prisca, bendrr, refinersfire, kent, englishman, shit...dare i say it evilforce lol, snittlesnacks (what a twat), scully, mouthy, talesin from nova scotia, xenawarrior.
littletom (from glasgow in scotland), outlaw, goaty, bisous, uncle brucey (australian character who loved his wildkife photography) - struggling now to remember more names.i know there are many more.
just fine
I remember chatting with Sassy
Sassy was the FIRST exJW I met in real life. We were/are both from the S California area, and I'm forever grateful she agreed to meet. I've tried to do the same for others because I know how much it meant to me, especially that FIRST time. She started as an apologist and ended an apostate if I remember correctly. I wonder how she is doing.
i often wondered over the years what happened to a lot of the old posters from this group.
going back to the late 1990s a few of the names i recall...blacksheep, gypsywildcactus (i know she's ok as we're friends on facebook still), onacruise, minimus, veniceit, flower, prisca, bendrr, refinersfire, kent, englishman, shit...dare i say it evilforce lol, snittlesnacks (what a twat), scully, mouthy, talesin from nova scotia, xenawarrior.
littletom (from glasgow in scotland), outlaw, goaty, bisous, uncle brucey (australian character who loved his wildkife photography) - struggling now to remember more names.i know there are many more.
I wasn't a member here but...
Mouthy past away a few years ago.
Talesin doesn't have internet access. I just saw her post briefly on FB and she's working on something and hopes to be back online in the fall.
a lot of bad things are happening there lately.
people on vacation are mysteriously dying or getting violently ill. i’ve been there three times in the past.
the first time it was great!
Yikes. I have (ahem) former friends at the missionary home there. They were always having things stolen. Wonder how they are doing. It’s probably the best convention ever.
hi guys.
i was an active member of this forum many years ago and it played an integral part of my awakening and making peace with my decision to leave.
it’s been a while since i posted here.
Ugh.
I am so sorry for this drama in your family.
It seems to be in full swing right now with several of my friends that are out.
It just never stops.
i grew up with steve pare who is now an elder in southern california.
he sent me this note after i talked to him on the phone and sent him my book.. "the super-abundant blessings i have received in the advancing the earthly organization of jehovah have been fantastic !!!".
"jehovah is not behind in creating the paradise & his mighty of 9,000,000 will work with 20-50 billion to be resurrected & in 1,000 years the paradise will be done on time!!
Ai yi yi that sounds exactly like what my "elder" brother would say to me about his "beautiful organization."
{{{shiver}}}
Goes to show exactly where their thinking is at. I just saw, via a family member, a heck of a good time at a convention in Mexico where a large group went from here. Fun at the resort, by the pool...just a "glimpse into the future and life in paradise." I am not kidding.
i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.
if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.
if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.
It’s weird thinking about a response to this question.
The things that didn’t make sense even as a child you pushed down so you could support the doctrine you believed and preached.
i guess yes, gullible to a degree, hoping I’d have a pet lion, but in my heart I knew it was impossible.
i know that some here enjoyed reading part one of the article about me locally so i'm back with part two.
i was so happy to see my wife and my brother that was shunned so long before i was interviewed for the article as well.
https://insiderlouisville.com/lifestyle_culture/shunned-a-former-jehovahs-witness-and-his-quest-to-help-others-part-2/?fbclid=iwar2pvloo_xyujoxa72tr_ln34sq2u2x-qx7wqcgxn3s50d9cxkqthhpgxu0.
Well done article. Thank you for putting this out there. 🥂
