Posts by Driving Force

for the last few days i was discussing with a colleague of mine at work about the stock market and how some people, even when losing money, they will hold onto their shares because someone said they will rise again.

this may lead to lost opportunities or even losing all their money instead of de-risking and offsetting loses by buying another stock, in other word jumping ship.. this got me thinking about jws (knowing that i am still in).

took one step back and looked at our family and what we have done by sticking to this religion.

Driving Force

D.Furious

It certainly makes sense what you said. I have recently woke and I am now beginning to scramble so that I may have some kind of retirement.

17

Acronyms

by Distracted in

jw
friends

reading through a lot of the forum posts and wondered what tatt stands for (?).

any more acronyms that are special to this site?

Driving Force

Here is one I had problems with and had to ask.

Bttt - Back to the top

It is just to put the discussion at the top of the list, without saying anything.

11

Bethel Germany, the same is happening here

by Driving Force in

this is just to mention that the same is happening in germany as with other countries, bethel family being reduced by 25%, which means 250 persons, and all the rest of the stuff, laundry etc.. i do not have any special privileged information this is from a german website .

http://www.bruderinfo-aktuell.de/index.php/neues-aus-selters/#more-2475.

it is reliable.. there is a letter to the special pioneers which i have translated below:.

Driving Force

This is just to mention that the same is happening in Germany as with other countries, Bethel family being reduced by 25%, which means 250 persons, and all the rest of the stuff, laundry etc.

I do not have any special privileged information this is from a German Website

http://www.bruderinfo-aktuell.de/index.php/neues-aus-selters/#more-2475

It is reliable.

There is a letter to the Special Pioneers which I have translated below:

AI: AK October 11, 2015

TO ALL SPECIAL PIONEERS GERMANY

Reducing the number of special pioneers

Dear Brothers,

Many of you have already been serving for decades as special pioneers, and we really appreciate that. Your faithful endurance deserves a sincere praise!

Recently we received statements from the Governing Body announcing a global restructuring in almost every area of the work. This includes how the special pioneers are to be used, which is why some special pioneers have already been asked to continue their ministry as regular pioneers. In order to get an overview of the current overall situation, we ask you to let us know who of you is in such a financial situation, partially or entirely, to look after themselves. This does not necessarily mean leaving the full-time service. We would very much appreciate it, if we receive your answers by 23 October 2015.

Please be assured that completely irrespective of these considerations and future decisions we appreciate your sacrifice greatly. You have made yourselves available for the most important work, which is now being carried out on Earth. This has allowed you to make many very individual experiences with Jehovah. Please never forget these experiences! Surely you join in the words of King David, Psalm 63:5 which says: "I am satisfied with the best and choicest portion," Therefore, you have just the same desire as David went on to say in the verse, "So my mouth will praise you with joy on my lips". We are firmly convinced that Jehovah will always bless your loyalty in the future by supplying you with the necessities (Mat. 6:33; 2 Sam. 22: 26a).

We are happy to mention you in our prayers and ask Jehovah to continue to give you strength and joy that wholehearted service brings (Col. 3:23). Be warmly greeted.

Your brothers

Branch Office Central Europe

90

Kingdom Consolidation and Sales are coming – Reliable Source

by thedepressedsoul in

i heard form a reliable source that a kingdom hall consolidation is going to be happening in the us.

currently they are looking at every kingdom hall to see if they could and should sell it.

any kingdom hall that has not been updated and is in a bad location (long driveway, not in a visible location etc...) will be sold.

Driving Force

In Germany not far from where I live there is a congregation that bought their own hall 30 years ago. Now what they did was save and take a mortgage from a bank. The building they purchased was adapted for their use on the upper floor and the ground floor was rented by a company. The rent they receive paid the mortgage, after the mortgage was paid back the money they were receiving was more than sufficient to cover all the cost of the building, so it was costing the publisher absolutely nothing.

Then the bOrg comes along robs the congregation account, and takes over the deed to the building and sells off the building, the congregation are precisely where they were 30 years ago.

That is brotherly love JW style, sorry GB style.

8

I may have to go back!!

by Crazyguy in

maybe i'm over reacting but i'm getting tired of all the bullshit.

they truly see you as a demonized one when your gone.

i spoke to my 14 year old about not getting baptized he said he wasn't and understood my reasoning then texts his mother and says some really hurtful stuff.

Driving Force

Maybe 14 year olds are just like that telling you what they think you want to hear and then telling other what they want.

Puberty!

8

I may have to go back!!

by Crazyguy in

maybe i'm over reacting but i'm getting tired of all the bullshit.

they truly see you as a demonized one when your gone.

i spoke to my 14 year old about not getting baptized he said he wasn't and understood my reasoning then texts his mother and says some really hurtful stuff.

Driving Force

@Crazyguy

I have raised two kids, both girls. The oldest who is now 29 decided when she was 14 that she did not want to go to meetings etc. That was her choice and my wife tried everything to get her to do all the JW stuff etc., I personally never pressured her, after all she was my step daughter and I followed the WT advice and leave discipline to the natural parent. I can tell you, this advice does not work. The step parent should get involved. Anyway that is not the issue here, that was just to give you a little background information.

When I learned TTATT and started my fade I needed some support and went and got professional help, much of our discussions were on how to keep my daughter, who is now 15, from becoming a JW.

Things not to do:

1. Never demand loyalty from your child. A child naturally loves both parents, even an abusive parent, because the child has no way to make comparisons, life's experience is very limited.

2. Never talk TTATT to the child, he will not understand and if he goes to meetings with his mother then there is the indoctrination to deal with and will only lead to alienation, and quickly bring up the subject (in the child's mind) about loyalty. "If I stop going to meetings I will upset mom, if I keep going I will upset dad." No child, and a 14 year is still a child, can mentally solve this dilemma, and this will lead to physical symptoms like stomach ache and headache, and even worse. I experienced this with my child, she frequently had headaches and my wife took her to many doctors, and many tests were done. Now that it is clearly defined no more JW stuff for my daughter the headaches have stopped. But reaching that stage was a difficult process for me.

3. Never stop the child from doing JW stuff with the other parent. This may sound odd, but it is the right thing to do. The child is probably coerced into doing all the JW stuff and will develop an aversion, this happens to us all and makes us feel trapped, and at some point we look for a way out. Your child will look for a way out and he must see you as a way out.

Things to do:

4. Offer your child an alternative. This is something that is not so easy to do. I do not mean an alternative religion, but an alternative life-style. Hobbies are a good thing, do it for you-self, and make sure you really enjoy it and let the whole family know, you are enjoying life. Of course you make the offer to your son that he can join you any time he likes, but again make sure you do not bring him into this loyalty question. If he wants to go along with you make sure this what he wants to do and he is not doing it to please you. Offering your child an alternative may even mean moving out and living alone, but enjoying life afterwards and having regular contact with your son so that he can see there is an alternative to JW life.

5. Offer yourself as an expert on what is correct and not correct regarding JWism. This means that you know TTATT and just letting your child know that if he wants to know why you think the way you do, he just needs to ask. Never volunteer information without it being asked for.

Those are some rules that I worked out with my psychiatrist and applied with my daughter and what are the results?

1. By going to the meetings my child saw/heard how I was referred to in the congregation, as an apostate deserving of death, someone even told her I was mentally diseased, but she saw me everyday. I bought a motorcycle and go out regularly. Took up beer-brewing and enjoy the beer every evening. Beekeeping was a hobby I had anyway, but my daughter clearly saw this brought me pleasure. Admittedly none of these things are typically female hobbies, but they showed my daughter that there is a life after the JWs.

2. A couple of months ago my wife went on holidays with some JW friends for two weeks, I stayed home and my daughter stayed with me. I allowed my daughter to do all the things that a normal 15 year old would do, there were strict rules that she had to follow for her own safety and I explained clearly why these rules were set, that they were not arbitrary. After the two weeks, she now has a boyfriend, a normal thing for a 15 year old. One of the most profound things she said to me later was, that after spending much time with her boyfriends' family is that "Worldly People" are not bad at all, and she realized that what the WT says about "Worldly People" is really not true, they are very nice. The sincerity she showed when she told me that brought tears to my eyes.

3. I decided to move out, see my OP on this. When I told my wife this, she immediately challenged the loyalty of our daughter, "Who do you want to live with?" My daughter decided that she wanted to live with me. Why? Because she does not like the JW way of life.

4. My daughter asked about TTATT, so she is now informed, but that was on here terms, when she was ready she asked.

I am not happy that my marriage has broken because of religion, but I am very happy that my daughter has made an informed decision against the JWs. Maybe what I have written can help you with your son, I hope it can.

I wish you strength in your determination to help your son to be free from the JW BS.

17

Awake - February 2015: What do you know about JWs

by Designer Stubble in

true false - 8 questions1 jehovahs witnesses are christianstrue - we are the only true christians.

however, jesus is always secondary to yhwh or yahweh, who we for some reason call jehovah.2 jehovahs witnesses are creationiststrue, we are just not young-earth creationists3 jehovahs witnesses do not believe in doctorsfalse - of course we believe in doctors.

if we can believe in an invisible sky daddy, surely we can believe in the doctor standing before us in flesh and blood.

Driving Force

DS

Thanks for the explanation.

17

Awake - February 2015: What do you know about JWs

by Designer Stubble in

true false - 8 questions1 jehovahs witnesses are christianstrue - we are the only true christians.

however, jesus is always secondary to yhwh or yahweh, who we for some reason call jehovah.2 jehovahs witnesses are creationiststrue, we are just not young-earth creationists3 jehovahs witnesses do not believe in doctorsfalse - of course we believe in doctors.

if we can believe in an invisible sky daddy, surely we can believe in the doctor standing before us in flesh and blood.

Driving Force

50 thousand

I was thinking about this figure too, where the hell it come from.

If we assume that JWs stopped taking blood transfusions from 1951 onwards, that would mean that at least 2 JWs would need to have died every single day since then, and that is a lot.

Even one single death for this reason is one too many. I guess there is only one organization that has accurate figures on this and that is the bOrg itself.