Posts by Billy the Ex-Bethelite

43

How a Gay Jewish Boy from New England Came to Be and Leave the JWs (and what he did next)

by CalebInFloroda in

born in cambridge, ma to a liberal couple that escaped the conservative south, my parents raised me better than to become a jehovahs witness.

funny thing was they got mixed up in it first.. while that is a story for another time, i myself had to go along as the third of five children in my family.

dads job transferred him to texas and my mom worked fulltime herself, but eventually we found ourselves drinking the kool-aid of ambiguity intolerance and full-fledge belief that the bible was literal fact and that salvation was found only by those who were smart enough to enter the confines of the watchtower.. its weird how many people claim they fear children raised by two gay parents will grow up to be gay.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Welcome! Thanks for sharing your story.

26

A Titanic Thread

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

14 april 1912: rms titanic struck an iceberg during her maiden voyage in the north atlantic.. 15 april 1912: after two hours and forty minutes, rms titanic sank, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.. according to watchtower, when armageddon strikes, it will be the equivalent deathtoll of 4,000,000 titanics sinking.. praise jah?.

b the x.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Cool indeed snugglebunny!

Jehovah killed a bunch of people in Noah's day that refused to serve Him.
He's about to do it again. Don't say you weren't warned.

Wait, are you saying that the story of Noah's ark is based on the Titanic? Were Russell's Bible Students warning people not to get on the Titanic because it was going to sink?

In case you are trying to give me the opportunity to provide links to my other informative threads that clearly prove that the Noah story is a fable, here they are:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/183719/from-noahs-ark-australia-awake-jan-8-1969-pp-5-8

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/202031/tower-babel-built-babies

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/254990/exjw-psychology-102-how-ask-question-when-questions-arent-allowed

27

What to cook for the CO?

by fulano in

jw
friends

the funniest i have seen since ages..... http://www.forevereating.com.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Here's a couple of suggestions:

Just keep telling him that dinner will be ready very soon now! Tell him all the special appetizers, the plentiful meats and casseroles, finished off with the sweetest deserts he will ever taste. And keep him waiting the entire week until he has to leave to go mooch off the next congregation to preach his empty promises of "paradise very soon now".
Tell him that you're prayerfully relying on Jehovah to provide the food. After all, if Jehovah could help some dude find a leak, as described in the WT broadcast this month, surely Jehovah could arrange to feed his faithful preachers by arranging for a pizza delivery driver to crash into a Chinese food delivery driver in front of the KH, right? Not only could they get free food from the wreckage, but they could count their time witnessing to the crash victims about how doctors have evil worldly educations, and how they should refuse blood therapy based on the dietary restrictions attributed to a Bronze Age god, and if they die now as nonJWs they have the privilege of being resurrected in a Panda Petting Paradise after their families have been slaughtered in armageddon for not being JWs. If that grizzly scenario isn't in harmony with jehovah's will, what is?

16

Videolink speech by a HQ member this Saturday

by Powermetal4ever in

jw
friends

so this saturday we are going to have some kind of videolink speech, by a james mantz from headquarters apparantly.

how very exciting... or not.

thats what my mum said anyway, and i just thought like " yeah right" i can t remember we have ever had it before, is it a new take?

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

When I was there, Mantz was a heavy in the Writing Department. Can't remember where his wife Sarah worked. He and Lloyd Barry (GB 1.0) were close. I think they both had been missionaries in Japan. He did Barry's memorial service. Not sure what a director of Kingdumb Support Services, Inc. does. Maybe he has been entrusted with taking briefcases full of cash to off-shore banks.

Of course, he can be glad that he's not in Japan now. After years of month over month growth back then, WT has been in steady decline in Japan for years.

26

A Titanic Thread

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

14 april 1912: rms titanic struck an iceberg during her maiden voyage in the north atlantic.. 15 april 1912: after two hours and forty minutes, rms titanic sank, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.. according to watchtower, when armageddon strikes, it will be the equivalent deathtoll of 4,000,000 titanics sinking.. praise jah?.

b the x.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

It's not just Tax Day... I made my final Roth retirement contribution for 2014 this afternoon!

He came to our Hall when I was a kid. He was an old man then and there was quite the to-do abuot him being there.

The bad news is that he was supposed to be part of the 1914 "generation" that wouldn't pass away... but he did. The good news is that you are now part of that "overlapping generation" that won't pass away.

91

Setback

by EdenOne in

i saw this coming since my mother-in-law's funeral .... the congregation's "love-bombing" over my wife had its impact.

i watched her drawing closer and closer to her friends in the congregation.

then she decided she would attend the memorial.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Sorry to hear your situation Eden. I'm not sure what advice to give, and I'm an old single dude... yet, somehow, I always have something to write, eh?

It's hard to imagine what more can I do for her to be a great husband. I've always been this way, and part of the problem is that she takes me absolutely for granted, that, no matter what, I'll stick by her side. I could see it was a shock for her when I told her that another betrayal ( read: spying on me and report to the elders ) would terminate our marriage. I think she took it to heart, but in this fallback it's unpredictable how she will behave.

Don't just focus on being a great, love-bombing husband, be a happier, healthier YOU for your own sake, in your independent non-JW time, on your own. Two reasons come to mind: 1) If she's had a history of emotional problems, that will probably be resurfacing, and you'll need all your energy and strength to help her when the "friends" decrease the love-bombing and start telling her she needs to "do more". 2) In my relationship with my parents, I've found it interesting to use the tactic that when they have something that makes them happy, I have something in my life that makes me just a little bit happier ;-). I was miserably depressed as a JW. I've been as clear as I can be that since fading, I'm just never as depressed as I used to be. I don't miss anything about the meetings because I have plenty of other productive and enjoyable things to do. And I don't miss the "friends" because I'm fine with what acquaintances I have now. Plus, I'd rather be alone than put up with a lot of their JW nonsense.

I'm comfortable in small numbers

So, putting on a suit and wasting most of your weekend sitting on an uncomfortable seat in a dreary building with thousands of JWs just to spend a couple of hours at Olive Garden with conditional friends isn't your idea of "comfortable"? Personally, I prefer doing whatever the hell I want among a group of strangers to be more fun!

As far as getting any disapproving looks, I think I'm pretty good at switching from "Captain Obvious" to "Captain Oblivious" on things like that. It's certainly not always easy, but when I feel the situation is worth it, I don't acknowledge certain looks or statements and motor on through with whatever I think is more valuable and interesting to talk about.

26

A Titanic Thread

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

14 april 1912: rms titanic struck an iceberg during her maiden voyage in the north atlantic.. 15 april 1912: after two hours and forty minutes, rms titanic sank, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people.. according to watchtower, when armageddon strikes, it will be the equivalent deathtoll of 4,000,000 titanics sinking.. praise jah?.

b the x.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Another anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Back in 1912, Pastor Russell and his IBSA were sure that there were only 2 years left before "the end". Today, WT Corporation is continuing with the teaching that the end is very near. The WT magazine has a long and rich history of false prophecy.

48

How many here gave up having a family for the sake of the "truth"?

by stuckinarut2 in

this is a sensitive topic for many of us i know, but i am wondering how many here actually gave up the idea of having a family "in this system" for the sake of "kingdom activity or service"??.

start the count here with my wife and i.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Were John and Eunice the young couple in the "Children" book that decided to go their separate ways in order to put the kingdumb first?

In the late 80s there was both a Discrap Crapvention talk and a Botchtower study farticle entitled "Responsible Childbearing in the Time of the End". And there was lots of encouragement to pursue the "gift of singleness".

Was I one of the few that paid attention to both the singleness and childlessness crap that WT spewed forth? Maybe all the mind-controlling talks we got in bethel poisoned me more.

36

How do stop myself getting too Bitter?

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

you know, i always maintained that during this fading process, and while learning ttatt, i would not let myself get "bitter twisted and angry".... but, in all honesty, if i examine myself, i have become quite bitter toward the org, toward the false friends and the gb.. i have become angry as i see the extent of damage i feel being raised in "the truth" has done.... i feel hurt towards the lost opportunities in life etc.... how do i not allow myself to get too swallowed up by such bitterness?.

i have always been a very happy, positive, selfless person.

i can put people at ease, i am someone people feel comfortable chatting to.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

When I feel the anger, bitterness, and frustration welling up inside of me, I like to go to my "happy place."

I picture myself in a beautiful, peaceful, natural setting like the Swiss Alps. It's a beautiful, clear, warm day, with the rugged mountains, forests, and storybook Swiss houses covered with flowers providing a beautiful backdrop. I hear the sound of cowbells and chirping of birds. Swans and ducks swim by as I stand in a beautiful blue lake about chest-deep. And in my hands, I'm holding Stephen Lett under the water. After I see some bubbles come up, I pull his head up for a couple of breaths and then "splash" back under that paradisaic water he goes. Repeat until I'm content to leave my "happy place." Lett can be replaced by any member of the GB, COs, DOs, elders, etc.

48

How many here gave up having a family for the sake of the "truth"?

by stuckinarut2 in

this is a sensitive topic for many of us i know, but i am wondering how many here actually gave up the idea of having a family "in this system" for the sake of "kingdom activity or service"??.

start the count here with my wife and i.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

I was postponing both marriage and children until after the big A.

Little did I realize that "the big A" would be Apostasy!

So now I have to get serious and figure out if I've really got myself together and want to marry. Someone my age with or without children? Someone younger and start a family?

Since much of my family is similarly childless and painfully aware of the mistake of not having kids, seeing new growth on this aging family tree would be very, very interesting.