Dagney

Joined

• started 144 topics
• posted 6,016 times   see topics posted on
• send a message

Posts by Dagney

• 
  37

  News of fires out of control in California

  by ballistic in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hope everyone near to the region affected in california is ok. it's shocking to hear of the destruction.

  these affected areas are some of the places i visited when i came on a tour of the us.

  malibu, santa barbera, la, santa monica, hollywood and so on..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Dagney

  I was messaged by a childhood exJW friend. She asked if the JWs are thinking this is the Big A. I told her I have no idea. I can’t stand to go to the page Sea Breeze posted, but I can only imagine what they are saying. 🙄
• 
  37

  News of fires out of control in California

  by ballistic in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hope everyone near to the region affected in california is ok. it's shocking to hear of the destruction.

  these affected areas are some of the places i visited when i came on a tour of the us.

  malibu, santa barbera, la, santa monica, hollywood and so on..

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Dagney

  I'm fine, I live further south in Long Beach...no canyons or wilderness ridges. Aude Sapere checked in, she is further north and okay. Another friend I met from here early on, ran the LA meetup group when I joined years ago, fought embers Tuesday along with the OCFD, and saved their house. We three had just been to the theater Sunday night...how quickly things can change, especially with a wind event and a dry wilderness area.
• 
  85

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

  by LongHairGal in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Dagney

  The Jay dubs want to keep you hand to mouth poor. You are easier to control that way.

  This reminds me of a couple, long time JW's. He was a carpet layer for years and years until he couldn't do it anymore physically. His wife got a job in her 50's, never worked a day a secular job before. He eventually was able to get a job at Home Depot advising in the flooring department. Perfect...right!!

  Nooooo. He wasn't a servant mind you, but he was counseled for working nights. He quit that job to appease the congregation, but was so angry about it. I felt so bad for him. He was trying to provide for his family, give his wife a break...

  This wasn't that many years ago...maybe 10.
• 
  17

  Footage from Recently Converted Kingdom Hall to a Mosque

  by raymond frantz in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  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.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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.
• 
  85

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

  by LongHairGal in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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!
• 
  85

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

  by LongHairGal in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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

  1. jw
  2. 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!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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

  1. jw
  2. 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!

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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!🥂
• 
  85

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

  by LongHairGal in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  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.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  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