Blondie and others, thanks, it's true we have all suffered at the hands of men who are supposed to comfort in times of need. As we all see that comfort turns into abuse of power , injustice, and a lack of love. Sorry you all went through that as I did. Let's keep more comments coming. Thanks all. Peace Flipper
flipper
JoinedPosts by flipper
-
27
What injustice and abuse of power did you suffer at hand of elders?
by flipper inhow many of us suffered in the jws from a lack of justice, love, or abuse of power by elders?
how did it make you question what you believed or had been duped into believing?
would be good to hear experiences so we can bounce ideas off each other on how it freed you from fear of authority or otherwise.
-
-
-
27
What injustice and abuse of power did you suffer at hand of elders?
by flipper inhow many of us suffered in the jws from a lack of justice, love, or abuse of power by elders?
how did it make you question what you believed or had been duped into believing?
would be good to hear experiences so we can bounce ideas off each other on how it freed you from fear of authority or otherwise.
-
-
flipper
R.F. I'm so sorry about your brother. I'm sorry for your loss.I hope you have others around who will comfort you. Mrs. Flipper and I have lost close relatives, our condolences.Alot of us have had to rely on others for comfort because of the elders lack of real fellow feeling.It's mentioned on the platform, rarely put in practice by maybe 80% of the elders. As you stated, some have good sincere motives, but not all. Peace to you R.F.
-
27
What injustice and abuse of power did you suffer at hand of elders?
by flipper inhow many of us suffered in the jws from a lack of justice, love, or abuse of power by elders?
how did it make you question what you believed or had been duped into believing?
would be good to hear experiences so we can bounce ideas off each other on how it freed you from fear of authority or otherwise.
-
-
flipper
How many of us suffered in the JWs from a lack of justice, love, or abuse of power by elders? How did it make you question what you believed or had been duped into believing? Would be good to hear experiences so we can bounce ideas off each other on how it freed you from fear of authority or otherwise. I was raised in the witnesses and always taught that elders were ,"crags in waterless countries to be refreshing to us " in times of need. Only problem was, the congregations I attended, many of the elders were the waterless countries with no refreshment, and many times I found myself more encouraged by some humble brother or sister in the corner, who the elders would consider, inconsequential. So I invite your input. Thanks, Flipper.
-
36
Are we in love with our own pain?
by nvrgnbk ini've been doing alot of introspection lately, and i've been wondering this about myself.. what has been your experience?.
do we carry our pain around for so long that it becomes a companion, a part of our self-identity?.
though we know it will benefit us to let it go, do we hold on to it, not wanting to lose an old friend, an integral part of ourselves?.
-
-
flipper
Nvrgbk, Mr. Flipper here. I think we all internalize our pain as it becomes a very personal thing that we reveal to only those we can trust. Only revealing it to someone who won't use it against us, bashing us over the head for our views, but listening with true objectivity and caring.This is what we all need , someone who is willing to listen in this manner. Personally for myself, in my life I'll always have some things painful that I carry inside, but I don't let it dominate my thoughts. I prefer to learn from the pain, become a more positive thinker and the useful parts of what I've learned I try to apply it in my life, the crappy parts, I discard , and at the end of each day, I don't take it to sleep with me. Plus, I've got a lovely wife who keeps me entertained with her humor and love. That really helps. Get a good woman, if you don't have one at present. You get encouraged in more ways than one
-
12
My Mum Would Have Been 66 Today...
by brinjen init's june 3rd, my mum's 66th birthday had she still been alive.... she passed away in 94 from cancer of the blood, she was diagnosed 3 weeks before.
she'd been experiencing severe pain in her legs and hips for months before hand.
but between taking care of her mother and the dub duties she couldn't get to see a doctor.
-
-
flipper
Brinjen, Mrs. Flipper and I have lost loved ones in death and our hearts go out to you. Take care, The Flippers
-
42
So......online dating sites; yay or nay?
by tim hooper inok, all you lovely people,.
so it's been a year now since mrs h and i went our seperate ways, and even though there are people on the boards that i've come to love very much i've started having a tic in one eye whenever i see a presentable lady in real life.
i guess that means that i maybe ready to start looking for some female companionship.. thing is, it''s been over 20 years since i last went on 'the pull', and i'm a bit rusty these days.
-
-
flipper
Tim, I had some bad dating experiences with "user" type women until I tried E-harmony.com. February of 2006 I met my soulmate and we have been together since. We married in Oct. 2006 and have never been happier. E-harmony is different from other sites because before joining you have to answer multiple choice questions involving your view of emotional issues, mental, moral, social, and any other thing you thought was important, and then some. Then they match you up with women that have answered similarly, so you know you are getting someone who has similar values as you, provided they answer the questions honestly. But if they don't, they're just hurting themselves, so why would they do it, if they weren't honest? So give it a try, it worked for Mrs. Flipper and me. We are as happy as we can be. Worth a shot. Sincerely, Flipper and wife.
-
76
Why did you leave the org?
by A-Team inwere you dfed, did you find out some lies about the org?.
what was the last straw?
-
-
flipper
Mr. & Mrs. Flipper want to welcome icestrm and awake & watching to JWD. You won't regret it one bit. There are alot of caring , genuine people on this board who have gone through many of the things you folks have gone through. So take courage, you are among friends who care, as Dave mentioned welcome to the rest of your life, and although it is a cliche, today is always the first day of the rest of your life. Be happy the light has turned on for you when it has, imagine we all could have been ninety when the light came on!! Don't want to go there!! As for me Mr. Flipper, I was raised in the alleged "truth" from birth. Got out at 43, 4 years ago. Same thing affected my decision as others have said, unloving elders who were accusing me falsely, yet feigning interest when nothing was at stake. Hypocrisy in beliefs. Also, didn't they say in 1925 or whatever, "millions now living will never die"? I think they are all dead now so they don't have to worry about answering to all the pissed off people who inherited that line as years went by. And finally as you have been aware of the child molestation coverup lately, it just solidifies in our minds we have all made the right decision for the protection of our families against mind disabling cultish control which would do us harm. So wecome all newbies on here if I missed anybody, may you have peace in your lives, all of you. Mr.& Mrs. Flipper.
-
116
The Story of Minimus
by minimus inwhen i was a teen, i aspired to be an elder.
from my pre-teens until i was 18, i was in every circuit assembly and district convention----having either ministry school talks or parts or experiences.
at 20, i conducted a bookstudy in the afternoon, also regular pioneered, was the theocratic ministry school overseer in the 2nd school and regularly taught the main school.
-
-
flipper
Minimus, fabulous post!! Mr. Flipper here.I've always sensed your fairness and reasonableness in discussing issues which has been a big encouragement for my wife and I. My dad, still in the witnesses, an elder of 50 years and older brother, elder of 35 years always left a "false" sense of legacy for me the younger son to live up to. But when I got out 4 years ago I realized I didn't have to live up to that. You, Blueblades, Blues brother and other ex-elders show that all of us ex-witnesses have something valuable to contribute to this board with genuine caring, unconditional love, good advice, and a sense of fairness and justice which is never tainted with the orgs. company line of conformity, right or wrong. I thank you for your story. I'd like to hear more stories from people like you, so we can all understand where we've all come from in our experiences. Sometime Mrs. Flipper and I will share ours. Thanks, much peace to you Minimus. Flipper.
-
105
After reading many topics.. I'm confused. Is this a JW forum or an ANTI-JW?
by MichaelM ini'm studying with a jehovah's witness and it makes quite a bit of sense but i've been reading many topics on here and it seems that i can find every christian denomination and every religion except jehovahs witnesses.
do any jw's actually browse here?
maybe i'm just getting unlucky and picking the wrong topics where everyones discussing about how they used to be jw's.
-
-
flipper
Michael, Mr.Flipper here. I was raised a witness and got out four years ago at age 43. There are alot of grounded, caring, balanced people who are very sane and not mentally ill on this site. They will be caring to a fault for you and your situation. You will not get that objective caring in the witness organization. It will always be on the condition that you agree with everything they teach, say, or do right or wrong. As has been mentioned already, they are in the midst of a secret child molestation coverup that they don't want you or the rank and file members to know about. Ask the person you are studying with if he knows about it?? I doubt it. But they paid out millions to 16 child abuse victims so they wouldnt go public with information about it. Remember it's their image they want to protect,not you, Michael. I have a 22 year old son about your age who also left that organization because he wants to further his education. I'm helping pay for that, which most witnesses won't for their own kids. I say these things because I care. Don't want to see you waste years of your life like I did, to be a self taught psychology major, but be in the lifelong profession of Janitorial because you were'nt allowed to get a college education. Good luck to you. Think, think deep. Peace, Flipper.
-
7
Questioning a Judicial Committee.
by Blueblades insome questions i had when an individual was disfellowedshipped by a judicial committee: you may know of someone who could use some of this info.. i was used by this body and lied to concerning this case.
i did not serve on it.. what training did a certain elder have in matters of ethics / jurisprudence prior to sitting in judgment on the judicial committee?
new elder on the case.. did he come to his own conclusions in agreement or was he persuaded to change his decision based on peer pressure?
-
-
flipper
Blueblades, Mr.Flipper here. It's so good to see you post the variables of what elders should look into before jumping to judgements on various JC matters. I was raised in the org., dad has been an elder since the 50's, so I've seen alot. I got out 4 years ago. Although some, maybe a few elders with decent motives would go the extra mile to apply the things you stated so they would get it right, I'm afraid that the majority of them don't take the time, are too lazy, to see any extinuating circumstances which arise which would affect a fair and just outcome of JC meetings. They are too afraid of outside appearances by the"mother" organization and other elders that might ratfink on them if they try to be too just and upright. I see why you stepped aside and applaud you for doing so. Just hope you had your say and got your licks in before you did, give 'em a peace of your mind if you know what I mean. Good post by you,. Thanks, I relate. Peace Flipper.