Posts by Dagney

17

Footage from Recently Converted Kingdom Hall to a Mosque

by raymond frantz in

https://youtu.be/kjqwfeuhpji?si=6ahbituygdyiq3za.

when jehovah’s witnesses dedicate their kingdom halls, they often refer to the example of solomon dedicating the temple in jerusalem.

it’s a solemn moment.

Dagney

When I left JW, and met a former poster on here, we were whinging endlessly about everything JW. He said something that never left me.

"It's a corporation. The goal of a corporation is to survive. All decisions are made to that end; to preserve the future of the corporation."

Once I had that perspective, everything fell into place. Of course all the changes are secular to preserve the business of WBTS. None of the decisions for the last 30-40 years were made for spiritual reasons. ALL. OF. THEM.

That one thought/perspective allowed me to disengage quite quickly from anything JW. Like I said, it all fell into place. All the dogma from the past doesn't matter at all to the corporation of today. Today, investment is for studios for videos of what it was like to live in the bronze age...not memories of Russell/Rutherford/Knorr.

WBTS is not a spiritual or spirit led organization. Property has been sold and bought from different religious organizations for decades. When the property no longer serves the corporation, decisions are made from a purely business standpoint.

93

Reddit thread - ‘Organization Finally Suggesting to Plan for Retirement’

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

this information is supposed to be in the upcoming march wt.

(i don’t go on jw dot org).

it would sound like they are hinting at a change in thinking.. in my opinion, any such change would be yet another slap in the face to faithful pimis along with those other recent changes.. there are so many heartfelt responses on that thread and a lot of justified anger.. don’t know what to say except that i’m so glad i never listened to the religion all those years ago.

Dagney

Hi LHG, (we're still here!)

Thank you. It was an anxious decision to make, but tomorrow is promised to no one. The WBTS through direction to the congregations has created a very judgmental group of folks, especially through the last 4 decades. They had a lot to say about a lot of things that was none of their business. I was always judged for my low hours, but then always commended on my diligence of taking care of my mom...and hell...she could pioneer so STFU.

I always commend you on making the choices best for you and not paying attention to the man behind the curtain. So glad we are out of it!

93

Reddit thread - ‘Organization Finally Suggesting to Plan for Retirement’

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

this information is supposed to be in the upcoming march wt.

(i don’t go on jw dot org).

it would sound like they are hinting at a change in thinking.. in my opinion, any such change would be yet another slap in the face to faithful pimis along with those other recent changes.. there are so many heartfelt responses on that thread and a lot of justified anger.. don’t know what to say except that i’m so glad i never listened to the religion all those years ago.

Dagney

In reading through this thread I had to think back to my teenage years. All the teens in my congo quit high school to pioneer and get married. I wanted to quit also, but my mom begged me to stay and get my diploma, which I did. I started working in an office the day after my last day of school and never stopped. I am finally retiring after 1/1, but will work through a transition phase to assist.

I am so thankful my mom never pushed pioneering on me. I needed to work to support us both which I did until her death at 98 1/2. My parents both wanted me to learn a trade, of course it was office work, accounting. I think they lived through the depression and understood hard times, and the importance of a good work ethic. I worked my way up in business and hold a degreed position without a degree. I have never not worked a day since the day after graduation. My SS is a decent amount due to 50+ years of consistent work, and boy am I thankful. I started saving late, but I'll be okay.

I'm thinking about my old friends back in the religion. Some managed to buy houses in the 90's, which was smart. Many were self employed with a wife pioneering, BUT at least at this point, they have their housing. So so so so many self employed...I hope they saved.

Everybody should learn the lesson a religion has no business in a person's personal money matters. They like to think they do, and boy did they in the old days. So much bad advice...screwed sooooo many people I know and boy are they mad. I don't blame them. But in the end, we are responsible for our own lives.

41

My story of becoming a circuit overseer after Kin Suen visited our congregation.

by ExCircuitOverseer in

jw
friends

here is my story of becoming a missionary after having kin suen (pronounced “shin”) as my circuit overseer.

my father wanted me to go to college, but since he wasn’t a witness, i knew he just didn’t understand how close we were to the end.

i had actually become a circuit overseer!

Dagney

It became obvious to me as a CO that SOMETHING was wrong.

It's funny you say that. I asked a friend who went to Bethel in the mid 70's and stayed until 1982 why they left. She said they knew something just wasn't right. She and her husband were there through the whole Franz thing.

Good thing is she left, went to school and became an elementary school teacher. We got reacquainted after 40 years, and she with two other teenage friends formed TNT, "The Nasty Truth" club.

41

My story of becoming a circuit overseer after Kin Suen visited our congregation.

by ExCircuitOverseer in

jw
friends

here is my story of becoming a missionary after having kin suen (pronounced “shin”) as my circuit overseer.

my father wanted me to go to college, but since he wasn’t a witness, i knew he just didn’t understand how close we were to the end.

i had actually become a circuit overseer!

Dagney

Thank you for sharing your story. I’m from LA and I remember Br. Suen. Yesterday I was driving up the 101 to meet two friends I met here, passing that old assembly hall site. We were meeting to see the movie Wicked, lol. Later at dinner, Aude Sapere and I actually were sharing memories of attending assemblies at that hall, it was an unusual one for sure.

So glad you and your family made it out. Better late than never! I was pretty mad at myself for staying as long as I did…feeling for years they were making it all up as they went along. Now I’m retiring in “this system”(TM), when I wasn’t supposed to reach my 20th year!!!

Congratulations on your freedom!🥂

93

Reddit thread - ‘Organization Finally Suggesting to Plan for Retirement’

by LongHairGal in

jw
friends

this information is supposed to be in the upcoming march wt.

(i don’t go on jw dot org).

it would sound like they are hinting at a change in thinking.. in my opinion, any such change would be yet another slap in the face to faithful pimis along with those other recent changes.. there are so many heartfelt responses on that thread and a lot of justified anger.. don’t know what to say except that i’m so glad i never listened to the religion all those years ago.

Dagney

Money does provide a measure of protection.

Boy doesn't that just state the obvious, from a corporation that will gladly run up fines to avoid paying an abuse victim! I can just see the writing committee parsing the wording..."don't say too much! Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile!" Which is true of course lol.

I started soooooooooooo late saving for retirement...even though I had my doubts about the system ending, it was hard to break the mindset. I know plenty of bros who invested and have healthy portfolios and property. One brother told me "save like the end isn't coming and live like the end is coming soon." Okaaay.

18

The Watchtower—Study Edition | January 2025 Husbands, Honor Your Wife

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

14 a husband who physically or verbally abuses his wife needs to take additional steps to repair his relationship with jehovah and with his wife.

what are these steps?

first, he recognizes that he has a serious problem.

Dagney

Thanks R & R. Something about the way it's written just bugs me.

My dad treated my mother horribly, and she was told to "suffer in silence" by the brothers for years. He was counseled, but it never worked and got worse and worse with alcohol. Eventually we ended up leaving him when I was a teenager, believe it or not, on the advice of a local elder. This was a step not often advised by the brothers, but in our case it was and I'm forever thankful. It got ugly, and I was worried he would kidnap me for a few years.

Abuse against any individual is a complex problem and rarely improves unless serious help from professionals and law enforcement is part of the treatment. IMHO. Sinning against Jah would not be enough to stop the rage and violence of an abuser. The brothers are ill equipped to advise in these situations. $.02

18

The Watchtower—Study Edition | January 2025 Husbands, Honor Your Wife

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

14 a husband who physically or verbally abuses his wife needs to take additional steps to repair his relationship with jehovah and with his wife.

what are these steps?

first, he recognizes that he has a serious problem.

Dagney

Is that for real? The excerpt paragraph in the OP? Something about it is so offensive to me.

Or maybe everything they write seems offensive to me now.

10

Your First Christmas Tree, Christmas Lights, Other Christmas Decoration/Custom

by NotFormer in

jw
friends

as someone who never grew up in the shadow of the wt, i love reading accounts of people who began to wake up and think that the wt wasn't all that it represents itself to be*.

and especially when they see that the things that they were told to avoid were harmless at worst, and quite often fun.

christmas is a prime example.

Dagney

I remember so many times standing on my soapbox trying to reason with a coworker or non JW BF about the commercial aspect of the gift giving and season. They would patiently look a me and nod their heads, and say but "it's about family and friends getting together!." I didn't get it. Although, I loved the lights and sparkle and even being out and about in the holiday rush.

Fast forward a few decades and I am now out of JW. Fortunately I had relatives who were not JW's so we would have a "winter gift exchange" after the holidays that was every bit as festive as the holidays. I remember I was out at a shopping center with my list, and I started to cry. I finally got it. Yes it is commercial, but it is also about thinking of others...taking the time...what would they like/use/need. I finally finally got it.

I am holiday "lite" only because I live alone and don't have tons of time to put up/take down/store. I have collected things through the past 20 years or so that I enjoy putting up, and I just bought a 5 ft skinny pop up tree with lights for my little tiny desert place.

I always tell my coworkers "don't get me anything let's just go to dinner." But they like giving just like I really like giving. Yep, I finally get it.

22

Memory hole, international conspiracy, and the JW international network

by slimboyfat in

can anyone else who was around 15 to 20 years ago remember an odd story about jw missionaries being stopped at the swiss/italian border with american bonds worth billions of dollars in their possession?

because i can find little to no information about it anywhere online, yet at the time i am sure i recall it being reported by different mainstream news sources, including the bbc.

why do some news stories seem to disappear from the internet altogether?

Dagney

The JW church has grown through aggressive proselytism/marketing and resisted schisms through hierarchically directed aggressive shunning, this has resulted in the demographics you seem to be lauding.

Exactly my belief. I call it "Avon" marketing. I don't like Avon. But if a coworker brings we a catalog, I look through it and would always buy a mascara or lipstick or whatever even though I don't really need it. Same with the active proselytizing for all those years, and especially 70's, 80's and 90's. There is no way the current activity, dying/exiting of millions, and attendance support any growth whatsoever. D2D is not what it used to be, and the privileged can stand by their carts for hours with 0 results. Parking lots half full and regional attendance a fraction of what they were...do the math.

WBTS have lied all along about their numbers, ask any secretary who reported numbers. They will obfuscate anyone and anything for the preservation of the corporation. They know they what the future holds, and investments will go along way to keep the corporation alive.