Posts by OnTheWayOut

45

Getting disfellowshipped to marry and return

by confused in

i was just wondering if there is any official rules on dealing with this.

a sister in the congregation is planning to divorce her husband who is also a witness so she can marry a different brother in the same hall!

yes this is a huge scandal!

OnTheWayOut

Snugglebunny on page 1: This happened in the UK some years ago. The fella was a District overseer - I believe his name was Turnbull - and he and his lady love admitted to the DF'ing committee that they knew they'd be DF'd but planned to bide their time, get divorced and then married, then apply for reinstatement.
HO at Mill Hill were obviously involved and their edict to the JC was to stipulate that they would have to wait for 10 years before they could apply for re-admission.

I typed this and it disappeared. I said that a C.O. told elders in the 1990's that people who do such were facing an unwritten, but hard rule to wait 10 years for reinstatement.

While the C.O. didn't say it, it was implied that they could scheme around it and the cheating JW's could break up to look more repentant. They would either get reproved or DF'ed, but would appear to be not in a relationship, then simply wait until after the reinstatement and a couple years before marrying.

30

Why do CO's refuse to strip Elders of their position?

by Tenacious in

in several congregations i attended many elders were downright evil and flat out drunk with power.. many times i personally knew of things done by them that would have been a disfellowshipping offense had they not been elders.

and even though many times these issues and spiritual atrocities were reported to the co's and hq they would many times (if not all the time), get off with a mere slap on the wrist or a forced apology.. why do you believe elders are so protected?.

my theory is the authority integrity within the congregation.

OnTheWayOut

A combination of things already said.

They don't have men standing by ready to replace elders. They don't have retirement plans, so they want green handshakes and favorable welcomes at each congregation.

Many do support kindred spirits among elders, or at least know that firing elders is a difficult process that leaves a man who knows much about the flaws of the congregation fighting for position.

30

Political leaning since leaving the Org.

by Olig in

as you are completely barred from talking or being involved in politics while in the org, since leaving has anyone started any political campaigning or activism?

also what way would you lean?

left?

OnTheWayOut

I had reservations anout age, but as long as the VP is acceptable, I am all for Bernie Sanders for U.S. president.

This country is well-to-do enough to pass the benefits down to the workers. The rich are just playing a game to see who can have helicopters and own sports teams and make themselves richer through bankrupting companies and paying no severance.

I am all for "tax the rich, feed the poor." Healthcare for all. Any child could look at a pie chart of the U.S. budget and tell you where money can come from to pay for things before increasing taxes on the rich.

38

Do You Have A Negative Outlook Because You Were Once A JW?

by minimus in

jw
friends

it could be argued that exjws have issues in life simply because they were jehovah’s witnesses at a point in their lives.

.

do you think you or we are fairly normal considering we were jehovah’s witnesses or do you think we have a lot of baggage because we are a bit messed up ( even if we don’t even know it)?.

OnTheWayOut

"...we have a lot of baggage because we are a bit messed up..."

Yes sir.

75

OCT 2019 Watchtower - Survival dependant on loyalty to JW Leaders

by Listener in

there is so much wrong with the newly released october, 2019 but that's not unusual.

what stands out is there statement claiming that survival through armageddon depends on loyalty to those 'taking the lead'.

since they claim there will be a point during the gt that they (the gb) won't be physically around, jws must still be loyal to jw leaders.. whats interesting in this article is that they make it clear that they, the governing body are going to take part, from heaven, in the war of armageddon.

OnTheWayOut

From the article: At some point, all anointed ones who are still on earth will be gathered to heaven to share in the war of Armageddon.

So they have no worry about being called to account for what they are doing because all the things JW's are waiting for will take place AFTER they (GB) are dead and buried.

From the article: This means that the Governing Body will no longer be with us on earth.

Maybe they are setting up a different hierarchy later that will let the lawyers and bean counters rule and this is their way of starting to get everyone used to it. That's my rumor.

28

Do You Ever Have Dreams You’re Still a JW?

by jp1692 in

last night i dreamt i was at a circuit assembly; i even had a walk-on speaking part early in the morning program.

i spent the rest of the day “working” the event in a security detail.

the dream lasted until the entire day’s program was over.

OnTheWayOut

I was the Theocratic School Overseer for many years. I don't remember dreams shortly after waking, but this one gave me at least a vague memory of the dream that I retained. I was "conducting the school" and it was a real clusterf%^k of a meeting with people not showing up for their part in the meeting and some kind of interruptions.

That's as much as I can remember, but I was always prepared to discuss the entire content of the meeting with the congregation if someone did not show up, so I am sure there was some of that in there.

31

Satan Hurled Out in 1914 - Will They Say It Was Never Taught?

by Anna Marina in

wbts rewrites/carefully edits their own history.

since 2005, i have been through a lot with with wbts.

recently i came across a suggestions that they will start denying that they ever said satan was hurled out of heaven in 1914.. in my experience, it is one doctrine many ordinary members are clear about - you ask them what supposedly took place in 1914 and they'll say, "satan was hurled out of heaven, therefore world war i started.".

OnTheWayOut

APOSN-TATE: They'll change it and say, "Our adjusted understanding on this matter is that Satan and his demons were not ousted from heaven. Rather, they merely overlapped with the humans already on Earth."

Ha, I like it.

39

What is the biggest doctrinal mistake made by the Watchtower /JWorg. ?

by Finkelstein in

personally i think it is 1914 and the following " this generation " doctrine.. this particular doctrine went right against jesus's own words of " no one knows of the time not even he " .

he also admonished his true followers to not set a time upon god's own sacred time .. the leaders of the wts even back to the late 1800's set a time calculated on their own theology 1874 being the first time set and proclaimed by c t russell, also proclaiming 1914 would likely be the year of the final day of judgment armageddon.

all throughout the 20th century the wts held to this doctrine but was eventually revised of course when it was realized this generation had passed away who saw the events of 1914. .

OnTheWayOut

This is like asking Mary Todd (Mrs. Abraham) Lincoln why she hated the play. There's so much to choose from and the answer will depend on your frame of reference and your own circumstances.

There's the cross/stake issue, great crowd and other sheep, mediator for only the 144k and whether that is a literal number. But to go to the roots- selecting and insisting that Jehovah is God's name according to the English version of the Bible and inserting it into the Greek Scriptures. That is the biggest one.

25

This site needs a little more humor in it

by HiddenPimo in

.

OnTheWayOut

Maxwell Smart Publisher: You need to come back to the truth because the entire world is lying in the power of the wicked one and Jehovah is going to end this system any day now?

Me: I find that hard to believe.

Maxwell Smart Publisher: Would you believe you need to come back because the entire world is indifferent to Jehovah and Jehovah is upset about that and the end may come eventually?

Me: Not much different. I still find that hard to believe.

Maxwell Smart Publisher: Would you believe you need to come back because the Governing Body tells us to shun you and Jehovah is a real jerk and the time of the Biblical Armageddon is anyone's guess?

Me: Well, maybe. Except for the need to come back.

16

Something I just realized!

by Nikki collins in

now that i'm out if i ever do find someone and settle down and start a family, my parents wont be a part of it.

my dad wont walk me down the isle if i get married, if i have kids they wont know their grandparents.

oh and by the way i had my freaking tubes tied so as not to have kids in this system.

OnTheWayOut

A big platonic hug to you, Nikki.
I have family in the JW's, my wife and my mother and my in-law family. But I realize that my particular situation has enabled me to avoid family shunning. I have no kids that are torn between the world and the religion of my wife. So I am plenty depressed at times about what I am dealing with, but I recognize that some have it worse.

We have former JW's that don't get to see their grandchildren or whose entire family shuns them.

All I can say is that if I had to go through some or all of that kind of stuff, I would rather do that rather than quietly go back to the Kingdom Hall and live PIMO (physically IN, mentally OUT). If I did have little kids, I would get DF'ed because I would want to offer them a real life with extracurricular activities, holidays, birthdays, dating, music, fun. I wouldn't want to skirt the issues to keep peace in the family and let the kids suffer.

And in many ways, I do that for myself. I don't skirt the issues to keep peace in the family. I tell the family to avoid discussion of the religion and so will I. That's peace enough. I lost my JW friends but not the family. I got new friends who are way better now anyway. And if I had to lose the relatives, my good friends are up to taking their place.

You do need to slow down, but not stop living a regular life. You can pursue a love interest. Just know that you might need to find yourself more than find someone else. But no harm in doing both. "Road to nowhere" above said it beautifully. My half-brother is so much younger than me and we don't really know each other. I have reached out, but his family situation is really damaged by his circumstances. I don't know how it's working out, but he married a lady with kids and who was tight with her family. He embraced her family because they were what he needed. I hope he's happy. I hope you find what you need and embrace it.