Posts by AllTimeJeff

22

Crimes Committed by Jehovah's Witnesses...... and Catholics, and Baptists and......

by AllTimeJeff in

please allow me a small opinion, sparked by some drum bangers who are determined to expose and "bring down" the wtbts.

one way that this is done is by attaching a persons religion to a crime report.. for example, rapists who are jw's are frequently brought up here.

child molesters and pedophiles.

AllTimeJeff

Yeah, bad spellcheck on my part, I corrected it before you got the edited version...... Thanks though!

22

Crimes Committed by Jehovah's Witnesses...... and Catholics, and Baptists and......

by AllTimeJeff in

please allow me a small opinion, sparked by some drum bangers who are determined to expose and "bring down" the wtbts.

one way that this is done is by attaching a persons religion to a crime report.. for example, rapists who are jw's are frequently brought up here.

child molesters and pedophiles.

AllTimeJeff

Please allow me a small opinion, sparked by some drum bangers who are determined to expose and "bring down" the WTBTS. One way that this is done is by attaching a persons religion to a crime report.

For example, rapists who are JW's are frequently brought up here. Child molesters and pedophiles. However, recently we have been reminded again that the largest Christian denomination, The Catholic Church, also suffers from the same problem. You will on occasion have their religion brought up, but, the only thing it means is that the person happened to be Catholic, or a JW, or ..... Did they commit the crime because they were Catholic or JW?

Well, if its child molestation we are talking about, probably so. It is pretty clear to see by now how pedophiles use organized religion and their protected status in this country to hide and commit their atrocities.

My point though is simple. Other crimes, such as murder, or theft, or drug possession, and we hear about it on these boards. As if we are trying to prove something.

In a sense, I do think it needs to be exposed for any lurkers here. At the same time, any reasonable lurker who is a JW, perhaps is doubting, will not try to attach any more to the crime then any other reasonable person would.

In short, I strongly feel that trying to attach the "they were a JW" to criminals who happen to be JW doesn't really accomplish a whole lot. I was a JW. I am not a murderer, a pedophile, a drug dealer. I am an upstanding citizen in most ways. (although Republicans might hate my guts....) In any case, my being a JW, or leaving JW's had little to do with me being a non criminal, tax paying citizen of the United States.

I do the right thing because thats how my momma raised me. I still harm no one. I went in the JW world from being the best to a level just above Satan and Judas, all because I disagree with the GB. So their labels I don't care too much about.

I get that the idea is to say "See? Hey you doubting JW lurkers, when you read in the WT that you are part of the greatest little religious club known to man, you aren't, you got just as many weirdos as the next religion, so cut it out with how great you are..." I get that. But you know, it was impressive 15 years ago, and now?

Now, whether you like to believe this or not, JW's are an accepted part of the religious scenery of this country. People get that JW's are weird, will knock on your door and tell you that Paradise is a Watchtower away. Many people today aren't going to fall of JW's line of crap. They are going to go on the internet and compare what others are saying.

That's why sensationalism works against "the cause". (whatever that is these days) Information, reasonably presented with life stories that report instead of exaggerate, that minimize emotions instead of emphasize them (no matter how painful or real those emotions are to us) continues imo to be the best way to expose JW's for what they are.

I think we also have to realize, there are a lot of damaged people in the world, and they gravitate to cults. JW's are the cult we know best, but they aren't the only cults out there (see: Scientology) and if they don't go here, they WILL go somewhere else, I assure you.

So relax. Imo, to make the exposing and taking down of JW's as one's life work is to still give ownership of your life to the WTBTS, just from the other side of the tracks.

Love you all. (ok, most of you I love... some of you I tolerate... )

23

Shunned to death!

by koolaid-man in

jw
friends

thousands of jehovah's witnesses, and the number could be as high as 100,000, are being disfellowshipped each year in the watchtower org.

their religious policy on disfellowshipping is not biblical, and the punishment is cruel and inhumane.

the punishment of being shunned has many consequences.

AllTimeJeff

KoolAid Man, I admire anyone who speaks out against the Jehovah's Witnesses. I don't mean the people, but the leadership, the Governing Body. It has always been clear to me that your aim is to expose the leadership and all it's cruel doctrine.

As someone who wishes that they would somehow go away, I am wondering why you think more exposure of Jehovah's Witnesses is the key.

To wit, most people are aware that JW's shun. Also, JW's are not the only religion that shuns, and truthfully, in the bible belt South, JW's are admired in many parts for their disfellowshipping policy. So fundamentalist Christians, while hating that JW are monotheistic instead of trinitarian, will never care about practicing cruel religious dogma. They often do anyway.

Most people are aware that JW's do not take blood medicine. Even if "we" former JW's point out the weird shift on being allowed to take blood fractions, it isn't enough to force a nationwide ban on JW's.

JW's aren't the only religion by a long shot that could be blamed for mental illness, depression, and suicide.

Are you aware KoolAid man that your approach is something that I, and it appears others, take exception to at times? It's not your desire to expose JW's, its the idea that your "sensationalized" approach to get attention is what gets me.

You have had call ins that I have enjoyed. Others, such as those that suggest there is Satanic worship going on at Bethel (please) actually offends me, and many others who have spent any amount of time in the inner circle of JW's.

Again, I think with the negative publicity of Scientology, a religion that acts in some ways like JW's do, it is reasonable to expect that the internet, and former members who speak out, will continue to have an effect.

However, most people are affected by reasonableness. When I go to your website, I can never tell if I am going to get solid information, or some item I might read about in the National Enquirer.

This isn't an attack on your motive, but a serious critique of your approach. I know it is impossible for everyone to like you, so I am not expecting you to be affected by one persons opinion, but I really hope you will give some thought to being more reasonable in what you say about JW's, because I really believe it backfires on your stated motive to expose JW's.

In short, no one goes to your website for real information. There isn't anything there but information charecterized by your own strong views of JW's. You don't allow anyone to come to their own conclusions, as you are hellbent on selling your own. That is probably, imo, the biggest weakness of the information on the website.

14

It's Not A Hollywood Movie, It's Your Story

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

a philosophical ending.. in the end, real life doesn't have happy endings for the happy.

it's even better, because its real.

you are real.

AllTimeJeff

I think its important to realize that our movies, our stories, are not over. And one thing I know in reading the life stories here is that no one who has left has a boring life, a boring story to tell.

It's only half over.

Heaven, those are the Seven Habits. That book I read while moving up the JW company ladder. I still have it with me. I really do identify with a lot of those concepts. That book alone is a big reason why parts of me were kept from being sucked into the JW personality meat grinder.

80

At a 2 day assembly ...the point that the brother spoke about that drove me mad....."don't hug your husband, wife or child during prayer".

by crazy2try in

i attended one day of a two day assembly and did ok until the very last talk.

the brother was from bethal and well jw's pay closer attention to their talks, cause that is when some new info is given,,,right.

well anyways i lost focus and began to daydream, cause it became one of those talks that just talks about wasting time.

AllTimeJeff

I don't know whose bright idea it was for this. Could it be Morris or Jackson? What the freaking hell?

Oh wait. It's a cult. Looking for logic here is an absolute waste of time. Control is the only thing that ultimately motivates the GB to do anything. Sure, THEY have their own reasons, but lets face it, common sense isn't at play here. Delusion is.

10

Funny book review for "The Secret"

by palmtree67 in

i was searching on amazon for books and came across this review.9,248 of 9,637 people found the following review helpful:the secret saved my life!, december 4, 2007by ari brouillette (kensington, ca united states) - see all my reviews.

this review is from: the secret (hardcover) please allow me to share with you how "the secret" changed my life and in a very real and substantive way allowed me to overcome a severe crisis in my personal life.

it is well known that the premise of "the secret" is the science of attracting the things in life that you desire and need and in removing from your life those things that you don't want.

AllTimeJeff

Satire is awesome!

17

Just Curious

by cult classic in

jw
friends

why do some of you care about being outed for being on jwn?.

i mean in all fairness, if anyone identifies you on the board it only.

means that they were on the site too.....right?.

AllTimeJeff

If you feel you need to make a personal decision about this, it is only tantamount on you to respect other people's personal decision. There is no such thing as a "one size fits all" decision.

Make a decision for you, and make it work. We don't walk in anyone else's shoes but our own, and the reason why someone may want to out themselves or stay anonymous should be the last subject for criticism or 2nd guessing in my opinion.

14

It's Not A Hollywood Movie, It's Your Story

by AllTimeJeff in

jw
friends

a philosophical ending.. in the end, real life doesn't have happy endings for the happy.

it's even better, because its real.

you are real.

AllTimeJeff

(spoiler alert, for movies, and for real life)

Toward the end of my sojourn as a JW, there was a trend in my congregation and a couple of others where sisters would end their talks with the householder turning down the literature or offer of a study. It was reality, no happy ending. No Hollywood ending.... Reality. Which for a JW, was a 10:1 ratio of being turned down. Hey, don't worry, their dead, you're not... "And now for talk #4..."

Well, you haven't seen movies lately if you think a Hollywood ending is happy.

In "500 Days of Summer", Summer is a girl who woos Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character for over 500 days. You are so rooting for them. They are so right for each other. Then, BAM. They break up. Levitt's character learns valuable life lessons, and the end of movie doesn't feature a happy ending, but a hopeful beginning. (in his case, with another woman he just met....) It's not a happy ending, but its his story....

"Up In the Air" stars George Clooney as the ultimate road warrior, who is going for 10 million frequent flier miles, as his job is to fire people as a consultant. 2 women are in the movie and play roles, one of whom gets Clooney's cold, road warrior character to rethink his aversion to being "settled", only to find out the woman that caused him to feel this way can't be with him. Again, not a happy ending. A philosophical ending.

In the end, real life doesn't have happy endings for the happy. Endings for our lives, come from the stories, and believe it or not, its up to you and me if its a happy ending.

Oh, wait. Your life isn't where you want it to be. Reality sucks. Hell, you were likely born a JW or decided for some damn reason to join up. Yeah, it be nice if your movie ended like an Officer and a Gentlemen. Hell, some days, you'd probably settle for the ending for the first "Smokey and the Bandit". But more and more, your life feels more like "Apocalypse Now" would be a great ending at this point......

At this point, I would like to pause and give an illustration that never originated with JW's, but I know made the rounds. The butterfly illustration.

It's all about 2 farmers. One saw the most beautiful butterfly, and though harvest just started, he had to have that butterfly. Of course, butterfly's being almost uncatchable, he never caught it, and missed the harvest.

The other farmer saw the butterfly, but knew he had the harvest to take care of. At the end of the harvest, after all the hard work, it turns out that the butterfly ultimately landed right on his finger, as he sat on his porch at the end of the harvest.

The butterfly represents happiness. (aka, the happy, Hollywood ending). If you chase it, you will never catch it, but if you keep working, happiness will find you, even through the hard times.

(Because JW's are so f*cked up, I have no idea how we ever applied that as a JW, so don't let that distract you....)

The point is twofold, first of all, we are all distracted by the happy ending, esp if it's someone else's. Whether its Hollywood, or whatever. There is this "idea" of what "happiness" is. We all look at movies, or people who weren't JW's, and they have the life we (think we) want. Except we didn't want it for a while, we discovered it after we learned about the life of our JW life. However, to chase after it isn't a luxury, there is a lot of work to get that harvest.... We think if we live like other people, and be like other people, we will be as happy as other people. We seem slow to realize though, that we can be just as happy, just being ourselves, and owning our life. Hey, I promise you, few have done what you have done, seen what you have seen, and have dealt with what you have dealt with.

The second lesson is to borrow a somewhat trite, but true, saying: "Life's a journey, not a destination." Remember, for a time, we at least felt happy as a JW. So hopefully, we know that feeling happy for a time isn't that deep personal fulfillment, that peace of mind, that acceptance of ourselves that leads to real happiness.

Did I mention that happiness is ultimately accepting ourselves and being at peace with who we are, and respecting the journey we have been on?

I know I have, since I have left JW's, got a lot of emails and messages about my life, and being able to be a missionary, as if that life was better then yours. Like hell! I have had a lot of depression, a lot of doubt, a lot to fight through...

Thats my story. Whats yours?

Did you have to force yourself out to knock on doors? Deal with psycho relatives and family? Deal with discovering who you really are?

Your story doesn't suck, its awesome. It would make a great movie. It's even better, because its real. You are real. REAL. You are AUTHENTIC.

Unfortunately, we think at times that we are at the end of the movie. The part that sucks, that part that's sad. We forget that the happy ending is waiting for us. The movie is only half done, time for the ending to be happy.....

It doesn't come from chasing happiness, or what we think we lost. It's all about working the field of land that is us. The saying "We don't' have a row to hoe" doesn't apply. As long as we draw breath, we have one row to hoe, one life to cultivate, something to do still, even if it is only to prove something to ourselves. No one else ultimately matters...

The ultimate spoiler is this; your happy ending is owning your life, loving yourself, being at peace with where you were, where you are now, and honoring that. It isn't being like anyone else, or making your life like anyone else's. It's hoeing your row, and making your amazing life that much more.

Your happy ending, my happy ending, isn't reaping what we have sown up till now. It's about planting for the rest of our life, cultivating that crop and......

at the end of the harvest

you look in the mirror

you see you.

You smile. You nod to yourself because you know.

And you go to bed, warts, scars and all, with a smile. And you breathe a bit easier, at peace.

It's your happy ending.

4

Exposing the Governing Body! What are they?

by wannabe in

:" {hebrews 3:1-6 niv}.

according to them, they are the appointed head of jehovah's house.

"{matthew 24:24 niv} next luke:.

AllTimeJeff

Here is an easier way to explain the Governing Body.

A group of men who self annoint, then self appoint themselves, as mystical leaders. Who dabble in prophecy, and have been wrong everytime. Who practice institutionalize shunning to squelch dissent. Who through an idiot dogma, deny blood based medicine that has caused the death or medical complications of tens of thousands.

If you still believe Jesus, he said something to the effect "by their fruits you will recognize them."

So, in about 100 less paragraphs, we can all agree that the Governing Body is full of crap. No doubt, that would be hard to figure out on your own....

10

What is being trampled on today?

by wannabe in

jehovah was the king of that city at that time.

" {genesis 3:14,15 niv}.

" {matthew 24:9 niv}.

AllTimeJeff

I trampled on a centipede yesterday. They are surprisingly squishy...