Posts by garybuss

8

EEK! They came to my house!

by just_a_girl in

was expecting a girlfriend over this morning - rushed to the door when bell rang.

to my surprise/horror, there were 2 jws ... apparently when my mother was visiting last summer, she had mentioned to these "sisters" to come stop by every once in a while, to encourage me to go to meetings.

they were inviting me to the special talk this sunday ... i politely told them, thanks for the invitation but i already had plans for sunday (sleeping in) ... i don't want to be rude, b/c these 2 particular women are pleasant (it could very well be a farce) but how do i get across to them that i do not wish to be visited in the future?

garybuss

Send them to me. I love to talk to em.

gb

20

Need insider info on this past wk's mtg!

by nativenyr23 in

jw
friends

ok. just read the thread on the "special talk" today and how they mentioned apostates.. well, that explains why i had such a painful conversation today with my sister-in-law.

she called to let me know that she and her mother had reached a painful decision today....to abide by the shunning rule.

up until today, we had a great relationship....everything was fine.

garybuss

nativenyr23

I applaud your husband. I wish my wife had the guts to do the same.

gb

10

Hooray for Men In Funny Hats

by Uncanny in

jw
friends

do any of you other lurkers or posters ever give a thought to the poeple - not publishers - who may have helped you learn 'the truth about the the truth?

' i'm talking about ex jehovah's witnesses like myself who have been there, done that, seen the light, and are trying to shine it on others.. just over 2 years ago now when i got banished to the bottom of our earth - to a dying mining town in western tasmania on my first and last mts assignment - yours truly started wondering what the heck had become of his life.

i got lonely - real lonely - then on the net, only to find, not solace, but salvation; by discovering all the stuff i'd swallowed from the wtb&t society for the previous 20 years had really been just a pack of dated, if even manipulative theories.

garybuss

Spender

One chap wished he had two of em :}

gb

10

Hooray for Men In Funny Hats

by Uncanny in

jw
friends

do any of you other lurkers or posters ever give a thought to the poeple - not publishers - who may have helped you learn 'the truth about the the truth?

' i'm talking about ex jehovah's witnesses like myself who have been there, done that, seen the light, and are trying to shine it on others.. just over 2 years ago now when i got banished to the bottom of our earth - to a dying mining town in western tasmania on my first and last mts assignment - yours truly started wondering what the heck had become of his life.

i got lonely - real lonely - then on the net, only to find, not solace, but salvation; by discovering all the stuff i'd swallowed from the wtb&t society for the previous 20 years had really been just a pack of dated, if even manipulative theories.

garybuss

Several people have commented about my hat(s)

\

20

Need insider info on this past wk's mtg!

by nativenyr23 in

jw
friends

ok. just read the thread on the "special talk" today and how they mentioned apostates.. well, that explains why i had such a painful conversation today with my sister-in-law.

she called to let me know that she and her mother had reached a painful decision today....to abide by the shunning rule.

up until today, we had a great relationship....everything was fine.

garybuss

Hi nativenyr23, All,Sounds to me like you got lucky. Be glad, not mad. It's like thinking I have a sack of flour in the cabinet ready for baking and when I open it, I find it has been wormy all along and I didn't know it.

The principle is: "Find the wormy flour before you need it and replace it."

Same applies to people. I am thankful when someone identifies themselves as "wormy" before I relied on them for something important and then they failed.

People who inform me they are going to start treating me like crap are doing me a favor. I just inform them they are out of my life forever and drop them off my radar screen.

Often they try to communicate with me by network like a true worm but I do not allow them to do that. Once they shun me, I set the rules.

gb

21

de-lurk yet another life story...

by iggy_the_fish in

ive been as occasional lurker here for a little while, trying to get oriented.

my theocratic autobiography: my mother became a jehovahs witness when i was approx.

10. my father opposed this, but they still live together to this day.

garybuss

Hi Iggy,

Your story is similar to mine in many ways. Glad to see you are confronting your Armaphobia. It is a social and secular crippling element of our Watch Tower Corporation influence and also an effective stealth re-recruiting tool.

I will be interested to read your comments if you continue your research and look at theism itself and the history, nature, and merit of the sacred writings.

You seem like a real pragmatist and I expect superstition, tradition and ritual behaviors will get your attention in the future.

Thanks for posting and thanks to other new posters who have shared their experiences.

At the end of it all for many of us, is a calm indifference, and a sort of a sad reverence in reflection. Many of the settled survivors happily move on, so they are not very visible here. Other's lurk and post occasionally. A few stay and enjoy the comradery and the fun.

My best to you and all.

gb

47

Complete reversal: from Witness to atheist

by Ephanyminitas in

i'm pretty new here (five minutes old!

) and i'm curious: how many have left the organization and, in time, become athiests.

i was raised in the organization, so growing up, my thinking was -- of course -- stifled.

garybuss

Hi "Ephanyminitas", You wrote:

For me shedding the god idea and seeing life as pointless are two very different and separate issues.

I definitely often saw life as pointless as a Jehovah's Witness. Seeing life as pointless, seems to be a common symptom of people with a depression. Pointless is hopeless is dreamless is not very enjoyable.

Some time you might like to look at the difference between atheist and non-theist. Actually the theist and the atheist are the same. A secular humanist does see a point to life in a rational, objective way and works for human solutions to human problems.

A theist goes into a restaurant and studies the menu and prays for a meal and waits . . . and waits . . . and waits . . .

An atheist goes into a restaurant and studies the menu and refuses to pray for a meal, says "See there is no god." and waits . . . and waits . . . and waits . . .

A non-theist goes into a restaurant and orders, eats and leaves.

Just my thoughts . . .

gb

25

Out with a bang....plus Elders (Gestapo) visit....

by TheApostleAK in

jw
friends

just da'd myself the other day...announcement tonight.. -------------------------------.

alan xxxxxxxxxx.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

garybuss

Hi Alan, All,

When a person is on the defensive, they will use one of three tactics, or all three. This is very typical of the Watch Tower Corporation's agents, the elders.

1. They personally attack the messenger, i.e. name calling, labeling, condemning. If the messenger can be discredited, so can the message.

2. They will question the messenger's motives. If the motive is not agreeable, neither is the message.

3. They will question the messenger's sources. That is to cast doubt on the message . . . . This tactic is called poisoning the well.

These are all straw men and serve to divert attention away from the real issue.

Thanks for sharing the experience. Hope all goes well.

gb

13

realization

by musky in

jw
friends

i just realized this today.

i started doubting the witnesses teachings about 16 years ago.

being raised a witness made it difficult to believe that this was not the truth.

garybuss

BOO

23

Life at School - as a Witness

by trevor in

life at school.

as a schoolboy i lived a double life.

in the evening i would go from door to door with my father or attend a meeting.

garybuss

Hey Trevor,

In the days when I was in school, a congregation was called a <company> after the military since we were in a <Theocratic War> with the devil and <his> old world system. We had <service> an hour before the book study Tuesday nights. We had to be at the house where the study was held at 6:45 pm, left by 7 and did about one hour magazine work before the book study that started at 8 pm.

In winter it gets dark at 6 pm here. The neighborhoods were rough and dark, there were no sidewalks and dogs ran loose and nipped at our heals. Sometimes we would have a pack of dogs following us and barking and nipping at us. I started this when I was 7.

Every Wednesday night was <back call> night and we again met at 6:45 and did back calls till 9 pm.

Thursday evening we had to leave home at 6:30 pm to get to the hall by 7 because my dad was a group leader and liked to be there early. Often those Thursday night meetings lasted till 10 pm. It was not unusual for the Company men to meet after the meeting for a second meeting lasting till 11 pm. Then I had to go to school Friday with lack of sleep and no homework done all week at all.

gb