Posts by jamiebowers

42

Worldwide Church of God collapse

by cog_survivor in

jw
friends

on my introduction post a few people expressed interest in how the worldwide church of god (wwcg) imploded.

i think maybe in hopes something similar will happen with the jws.

i think the jws will also eventually experience a meltdown but probably not in the same way since the power structure was a bit different.

jamiebowers

Donny:

I remember a Witness who saw me with a Plain Truth magazine in the early 1980's commented that it was written by "the evil slave." It seems that

a rumor was being passed around the Witness circles that H.W. Armstrong used to be a JW or International Bible Student and split after Russel passed. I

believe Mr. Armstrong even had a small article in his magazine stating that he was never part of the Society

Terry:

I heard that one, too!! In fact, the person who brought me into the JW's told me that as though it were established fact. He added a spin to it:

"That's why Armstrong calls it the Plain Truth."

My jw mom told me the same thing about 30 years ago.

21

It's Time to Pull the Plug on the Watchtower Cult: Are YOU Willing To Do YOUR Part?

by headisspinning in

jw
friends

to all of my friends on jwn:.

as you know, very big things are happening in regards to the watchtower on a weekly and even daily basis.

they have stepped up their hatred towards those who have left, strengthened their stranglehold on those still stuck in and continued with their harmful policies that damage families, protect pedophiles and sacrifice children.

jamiebowers

While I agree with LW and ATJ, I also think that there isn't a thing in the world wrong with encouraging and/or participating in exposing child molesters and the organizations that protect them. The Watch Tower probably won't fall if the pedophile database is obtained and published, but it will go a long way in validating past victims and prevent future victims.

19

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE TO CHANGE

by SethBridge in

accept the challenge to change.

that is the way we feel in the congregation, there is a missing piece, you.

there are a lot of the friends who ask about you and tell us to tell you they love you and miss you.

jamiebowers

I'm sorry, but I don't have the heart or the stomach to wade through so much bullshit. I did manage to catch a few lines, though. I'll list a few of what my responses would be. If you want to use them, you'll have to Google some reference material. I read so much that I can never remember where I read it. In the meantime, try to remember that your mother is under the influence of cult mind control. And no matter how hurtful her words are, they are also worthless.

Accept the challenge to change: It doesn't work on most people, and for the ones it does, there's no evidence that they are not still gay at heart.
Concern about an eating disorder and suicide attempts: These are symptoms of people who are not accepted for who they are. Once acceptance is gained, (with or without family and friends), most gay people don't continue to self harm. For those who do, they at least have a chance of getting better with therapy.
Worry about AIDS: Anyone can get AIDS. It's not the "gay disease".

25

Newbie - Not ex-JW

by cog_survivor in

jw
friends

i've been lurking on the forum for over a year now.

i'm not an ex jw but have some weird connections to the group none the less.. i was raised in the worldwide church of god.

a lot in common with jws.

jamiebowers

Welcome!

28

update on my boy

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

my son came to visit today, he and i are getting a lot closer since he left his jw home and thanks largely to his mother and step father alienating him big time.

he needs one of his parents to help him out at times and he can't turn to his mother.

thats sad but its her loss, and his i guess.. anyway, he recently got himself a girlfriend, a worldly girl at that.

jamiebowers

Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

30

Nugget's Aposta-Birthday Party

by cantleave in

jw
friends

.

jamiebowers

Loved the photos! Your son has a beautiful face. I could see him on a Campbells soup can.

24

Kinda new here. A Backstory.

by SethBridge in

jw
friends

im kind of new here.

i was a former member of this site, a little over a year ago.

had planned on writing a backstory of what happened in the past year but decided to keep it simple.

jamiebowers

Jamie - My life is okay now. I've still been dealing with a lot of drama from my family but not living in the same city as them has really protected me from it. My coming out was almost like a hit and run. I've only been back in my hometown twice and one time literally was only for a few of minutes. Which of course, with bad timing, ended up with me having to speak to JW grandfather and also a cousin of mine that had previously accused my sister and I of being lovers... Haha. JWs truly are sweet aren't they. But in regards to your question, Id be lying if I said I was doing that well. Its been tough. And I truly believe that my family were the loves of my life. I grew up with a huge family and we were all so close. Even the ones I talk to still accuse of being stubborn and they think that the situation is partly my fault. I dunno. I have a very strange story about how weird my situation is with the majority of my family that I will share later.

Well, I'd think you beng gay would've put an end to any suspicions of you and your sister being lovers. You should've asked, "What would put an idea like that n your head? Is that what you did with your sibling?" LOL!

Dearie, you can't pick your relatives, so go out and form your own family wit some really good friends. You might have a head start with the ex-jws in Denver.

343

Anonymous Message to Watchtower

by jwleaks in

http://www.bit.ly/jwleaks-anonymous.

hello citizens of the world.

we are anonymous.. dear brothers and sisters,.

jamiebowers

I agree that the police/government should have these files and investigate each one....also that most accusations probably have substance to them. However, publishing names indiscriminately, without first verifying facts could prove libelous and damage the reputation of some innocent individuals. I know some teachers have been falsely accused by students with malicious intent.

Well, that's the Watch Tower's fault. If the organization would've done the right thing in the first place, these cases would've been reported to the police, so they could've been investigated by professionals.

Bill Bowen has been saying for years that the society has a database with the names of more than 23,000 child molesters. I hope Anonymous can bring it to light. Here is what they've done so far:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_events_associated_with_Anonymous

24

Kinda new here. A Backstory.

by SethBridge in

jw
friends

im kind of new here.

i was a former member of this site, a little over a year ago.

had planned on writing a backstory of what happened in the past year but decided to keep it simple.

jamiebowers

Welcome to JWN! I hope you respond to Diest and meet up with some other ex-jws. Your parents reaction is sad but predictable. How is your life now?

16

Questions about disfellowshipping and 'non-sanctioned' shunning

by Steve_C in

basically, i have a couple of questions about the current rules regarding disfellowshipping and shunning.

by current i mean since 1999.. sorry, but i have to put a bit of my history to clarify my situation.. i was a born-in who was baptized in 1983. got married to a sister in 1984. then the kids came.

by the mid-1990s my wife and i had become increasingly irregular, so that by 1999 we were both inactive and only went to the memorial and conventions.. in 1999 i committed adultery, confessed to the elders, and had a judicial committee.

jamiebowers

So sorry for the loss of your mom. It sounds like your sister put her cult shield down on that phone call. It's a shame that it took your mother's passing for her to be able to do so.