Posts by AllTimeJeff

7

Mark Noumair - oh yeah?

by TheOldHippie in

some posts a while ago discussed the "fact" that gilead instructor mark noumair was out of patterson and no longer had the position he used to.

much to the pleasure of some here.

but - in the february issue of wt he very much is present in the article on the latest gilead class.

AllTimeJeff

He was my Gilead instructor, and between him, Liverance and Bowen, was my least favorite. I think he is the only one of those three that is still there. Figures.

7

Some Things I Have Learned Up Till Now

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

(interspersed with opinions of course...) .

it will be 6 years since i left the sickness known as jehovah's witnesses.

whew!

AllTimeJeff

(interspersed with opinions of course...)

It will be 6 years since I left the sickness known as Jehovah's Witnesses. Whew! I made it this far.

If anything I write below is helpful, that's great. If it isn't, believe me, I understand. But I feel strongly enough to let everyone know that these lessons work for me at least. Interpret them as you will. As Terry likes to say, 'your mileage may vary.'

First, having a positive mental outlook is a good thing. Not the fantasy that JW's feed your head. But to understand that each day brings with it the possibility for good things happening to you as well as bad. We are conditioned to look for bad things now, and when you leave JW's, I think that is what most see.

To see the good things and change to a positive person, and to get rid of the mental mucas that JW's put in your head, one must change ones thinking. You must expose yourself to different ideas. Read. Go to the self improvement part of a book store. Read about different religions and philosophies and ideas.

Here's the cool things about reading books, you and I can read the same book on the same subject and get two totally different things out of it.

You will not change your life until you change your thinking.

You won't change your life until you get tired of being stuck where you are.

You won't succeed in life without trying new things and failing at them. So learn to fail and do it the right way. Look up books on failure (John C Maxwell and Tavis Smiley have two great books on the subject). Failure is a positive as long as you learn from it and apply it to your future activities.

SET GOALS! Do you want something? Do you want to be something? Does it burn your britches that you aren't THAT? That you aren't THERE? Then that is what you need to do, and no one will be able to stop you. It doesn't have to be right for anyone else, only yourself.

See yourself as a success, and work each day to get where you want to go. You get to define success for yourself, but be careful. Don't make the mistake of selling yourself short. You can do great things, and as you hit your goals, your confidence will increase.

READ! Clean up the mess JW's left in your head. :)

9

I Didn't 'Get It' at First, Until I Got There......

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

if jehovah's witnesses, which number about 7 million right now, are a small subset of the religious world today, what does that make former jw's?

as with any unique group, you have to be one to totally understand, esp if you were neck deep in it at one time.

when i first left, all i wanted to do was say the things i never had a chance to when i was in.

AllTimeJeff

If Jehovah's Witnesses, which number about 7 million right now, are a small subset of the religious world today, what does that make former JW's? What does that make a small internet community like JWN?

As with any unique group, you have to be one to totally understand, esp if you were neck deep in it at one time. When I first left, all I wanted to do was say the things I never had a chance to when I was in. All the weird teachings, all the odd behaviors. All the things that seemed like bullshit to me.

....and so I got to say those things. Here at JWN and on Freeminds. And it got.... boring.

When I first came on this board, I didn't understand why people got so angry over things. I later figured out that it was because they were angry. I wondered why this board wasn't only about talking about JW's. I now know that former JW's grow, change, and become things they never could before.

Politics? Sure. Sex? Yeah, (I know we have to keep some decorum). But those are things that were totally suppressed as a JW. Can't talk about it. Can barely do anything. And it wasn't natural or normal.

This forum isn't about JW's, the cult/religion only. It isn't even about being a former JW only. It's just about people who come from that world, who are growing, and learning, and trying to learn, trying to connect, trying to reach out. Who need the common bond and the bread crumbs they can leave so that they can try things on, even if it is just an idea, even if it is just to argue a political point, even if it is to mourn the lost time, and to celebrate the possibility and hope that comes with new ideas for the future.

I am learning every day and growing, and what is cool about this board is that most of us are on all that same journey, just in different spots.

There are a lot of former JW's who come here and only want to read about how bad JW's (the leadership) is. Which confuses lurking JW's (the actual people) because I think that sometimes, even we on this board forget that there are two kinds of JW's, the people overall, and the leadership from the Governing Body and Service Dept.

Again, who else is going to understand that except people who have been through it?

It isn't my mission in life to bring down the cult. I don't want to spend the rest of my life exposing them. To me, it is good enough to know that they are batshit crazy, and I can leave it at that. That's just me. I am out of inspiration to write and comment on the fact that JW's have zero fullfilled prophecies, dangerous doctrine (like blood transfusions) and just out and out weird teachings and outright lies. I figured it out, got to vent, got to write about it, and for the most part, I am done.

I am now into the human part of this. We were people then, with real feelings, stifled to one degree or another. We are still people, hurt and damaged perhaps, but still people who need others around them who understand.

I sure as hell need that, and that is why I am here, still. :)

40

For Burns....................

by dinah in

jw
friends

a song you posted 5 years ago..................you have bared your skin.

stop calling me a bitch for having an opinion.

that is a beautifil song, the lyrics.

AllTimeJeff

I miss the old Paula Abdul who was the young Paula Abdul, and not the old Paula Abdul who thinks as of 2011 that MC Scat Kat was a real former boyfriend.

25

Hello Jehovah's Witnesses. I was in class 119 of Gilead in 2005

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

my picture is in the january 1, 2006 watchtower.. why am i telling you this?

consider this my small weekend contribution to the cause of real truth.

any jw who has been one for a while, or a born in, knows the regard that pioneers, elders, bethelites and missionaries have.

AllTimeJeff

Good points so far.

Sometimes, it is good to point out that when we talk about Jehovah's Witnesses, there are two groups. The leadership is the most culpable and responsible obviously. When I speak out against "Jehovahs Witnesses", I mean first and foremost the Governing Body and the Service Dept.

While I think that lately, most converts must have issues, by and far most JW's are sincere. They are taught and conditioned to do what they do. I dont' give them a free pass, but they don't make up this stuff, they just accept it way too easily and believe it.

I don't hold the leadership at Bethel (the Governing Body and the Service Dept) in nearly the same warm terms. They know what goes on, and regardless of how sincere they are, or whether or not they really believe their own crap, they act totally for their own self preservation.

I guess the only thing you can do when you are confronted with the facts is to ask yourself how long you can go in promoting things that aren't true? For some, it takes a while. It took me 6 years, but I finally clicked on the light bulb.

25

Hello Jehovah's Witnesses. I was in class 119 of Gilead in 2005

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

my picture is in the january 1, 2006 watchtower.. why am i telling you this?

consider this my small weekend contribution to the cause of real truth.

any jw who has been one for a while, or a born in, knows the regard that pioneers, elders, bethelites and missionaries have.

AllTimeJeff

I think whatever it was has passed. I bet the site got cyber attacked for a minute.

2

Repost of "Hello Jehovahs Witnesses. I Was in class 119 of Gilead

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

i am reposting this because something weird is going on with the original post.

my picture is in the january 1, 2006 watchtower.. why am i telling you this?

consider this my small weekend contribution to the cause of real truth.

AllTimeJeff

Someone needs to let the mods know. This seems to be on purpose.

2

Repost of "Hello Jehovahs Witnesses. I Was in class 119 of Gilead

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

i am reposting this because something weird is going on with the original post.

my picture is in the january 1, 2006 watchtower.. why am i telling you this?

consider this my small weekend contribution to the cause of real truth.

AllTimeJeff

I am reposting this because something weird is going on with the original post. Apologies.

My picture is in the January 1, 2006 Watchtower.

Why am I telling you this? Consider this my small weekend contribution to the cause of real truth.

Any JW who has been one for a while, or a born in, knows the regard that pioneers, elders, Bethelites and missionaries have. Most know of the work and sacrifice one must be willing to make in order to reach these "spiritual goals." I was one of those who sacrificed.

I want you all to know something, esp you lurking JW's: Apostates are just like most every other person you meet. I am writing this because while you have been told that apostates are evil and have been taught and conditioned to be scared of those who leave, you shouldn't be worried. And at the end of this, I am going to bring up a formula that is a challenge to any practicing JW who reads this.

I write this because today, I was thinking of all the fear that I had as a JW. Fear keeps you from the truth. It doesn't lead you to it.

Remember, JW's prime work is to go door to door to " expose " tell others the flaws about their own faith. Yet, they cannot listen, nor read about real flaws and inconsistencies of their own religion. Have you ever wondered why, deep down, you can't look at anything former JW's have to say?

The reason is as you have wondered about, or feared: There is a lot that the leadership of JW's doesn't want you to know. A lot of hypocrisy, a lot of sinning by the leadership, and frankly, a lot of teachings and doctrines that don't make any sense.

Oh, and all the prophecies that didn't, haven't, and won't come true.

I am hoping my fellow posters here on JWN will post some of the doctrines and hypocrisies that run totally counter to any claim JW's could possibly make that they are the one true religion. Maybe you can start with the fact that the date JW's have counted from to 1914 is false. Have you ever wondered why JW's are the only ones who say Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 BCE, when EVERYONE else says 587/586 BCE? Yup, even your school books? Because without 607 BCE, there is no 1914. And without 1914, there is no Jehovah's Witnesses. The leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses have consistently lied about 607 BCE and 1914 for decades to keep their power "legitimate". Nothing could be further from the truth.

Don't be scared to read that. It is true. And there are other lies, many lies. I have nothing to gain by saying this, it's simply the truth.

The other part of the formula as I mentioned at the beginning, is you, and your willingness to do what you ask others to do when you knock on the doors: Be honest with yourself, and be willing to look at the evidence, no matter what it may show.

Are you willing to do that?

9

Uh, What's Wrong with the Topic I just Started?

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

everytime i click on it, it asks my computer to download a file.

not cool..

AllTimeJeff

Lol. It would be funny if it were sabotoged. Oh well. Who knows.

It's a real good thread! Here is the original post again: