Posts by Billy the Ex-Bethelite

14

Changing meanings of words: "Brother" and "Sister".

by Open mind in

ever notice how most jws use the titles "brother" and "sister"?

in my experience, 99% of the time it was not a term of endearment.

it was actually a term of formality very much like "mister", "mrs.", "miss" or "ms.".

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

It was actually a term of formality very much like "Mister", "Mrs.", "Miss" or "Ms."

Especially since "brother" or "sister" was followed by the person's last name. It was awkward to use in a congregation with a dozen "Sister Jones". Neither endearing nor practical. It sounds very institutional. Calling on someone from the platform you'd get, "Sister Jones, Mary." I assume they didn't use "Sister Margret" or "Brother David", because it sounds too Catholicy.

In my family, if my sister was named "Elizabeth Jones," I wouldn't call her either "Sister Jones" or "Sister Elizabeth". Of course, I'd call her "Lizard Breath". For aunts and uncles, it would be their first names prefaced with "Aunt" or "Uncle". For grandparents, it was a grab bag.

15

Apathy carts - Apathy D-2-D

by Zoos in

i think it was punkofnice who came up with the phrase, "apathy carts".

how apropos.. yesterday i encountered a car group of witnesses in my community as i was coming home from the gym.

actually, their van was blocking me from entering my driveway.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Why didn't they come back to my door after they knew I was home.

Evidently, they returned invisibly.

27

Message from an elder

by paradisebeauty in

elder: plese watch the november programm on jw broadcasting.. me: what i hope for is the change of the doctrine that states that jesus is not the mediator between jehovah and all jw's but only between jehovah and the 144000. i believe jesus is my mediator even if i am not one of the 144000. .

elder: may jehovah open your mind and heart.

me: may he open everyone's mind and heart.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Elder: Please watch the November program on jw broadcasting.

Me: Please watch Pastor Gas on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtW5upD5oW4

30

If I've been testy lately, here's why.

by cappytan in

jw
friends

my parents are visiting for not-thanksgiving.

dad started bringing up spiritual stuff and i almost screwed up my fade.. it's so hard to have a genuine discussion about the issues in the organization when you have become an atheist.

it feels icky and disgusting to have to pretend and nod your head at such platitudes as "you just need to have faith"..."trust in jehovah"..."jehovah will correct it"..."remember ray franz?

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

dad said Tony was a loose cannon and that if he doesn't straighten up, Jehovah will deal with him. He brought up Ray Franz as an example

Tony will continue to be a loose cannon and will never straighten up. That gives you a win-win situation:

Tony keeps saying stupid sh!t and Jehovah doesn't deal with him--Dad, you said Jehovah would get rid of that crazy but he keeps using his position as a soapbox to spew weird personal ideas. That's how the holy spirit works?
Tony somehow gets removed from the GB--Dad, it looks like these GB dudes aren't really channels to God because they get appointed with no real abilities, say dumb stuff, and get removed. That's how the holy spirit works?

12

Cracked under pressure

by breezy in

a big problem i have always had when talking about anything related to jw teachings, is that i get aggravated and frustrated when logical black and white concepts/scriptures are not seen/interpreted in a logical way.

it really frustrates me having to hear '' oh no this does not apply here '' in every scripture that i bring to my parents attention.

starting from when i was 16 to about 20, my frustrations would lead to these anger fits.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

It sounds like you're growing and maturing... thinking and learning. But WT doesn't allow that. They want conformity and obedience.

And it will be very frustrating for you to try to combat the brain-washing that has been done to your family. Protect your own sanity first.

Ordinary JWs have been reduced to mindless drones drugged by the never-to-be-fulfilled-promise of eternal youth in a panda-petting paradise.

11

Kingdom Farm in S Lansing NY sold for 2.8 million in March, 2015 - news article

by dropoffyourkeylee in

this is probably old news and was commented about in early 2015, but the ithaca news reported on the 3/15 sale of kingdom farm in s lansing ny.

this is the property that was directly across the road from the old gilead site, which had sold a number of years ago.

but about 500 acres still was operated by the jws as kingdom farm.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Sold for $2.8 mil.

I remember when they drew up plans to develop that site similar to Patterson. Since it was kinda midway between the downstate NY properties and the Canada branch, GB1.0 reasoned that it would be a good place to expand.

According to GB2.0, the way to expand is to $ell branch facilities and kick bethelites out to the congregations... and take the money away from the congregations, too.

11

Happy Thanksgiving!

by Oubliette in

jw
friends

happy thanksgiving everyone!

i know that we are an international group here and that thanksgiving is an american holiday (and not even all of us in the us celebrate it), but i thought it would be nice to have a thread dedicated to sharing the many things we have to be thankful for: .

i am thankful for: .

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

I'm thankful for:

grocery stores with abundant food from around the world
safe gas ovens and stoves
refrigerators
indoor plumbing
central heating
automobiles
television
Internet
my freedom from a cult
my siblings and their freedom

23

"Don't think too much...."

by Tornintwo in

jw
friends

a couple of middle aged jw sisters dropped round unannounced the other day, they were only being kind i suppose, after some awkward silences i voiced a couple of my issues with the religion, (the safe ones), sort of an explanation as to why i'm no longer attending, namely: everyone else will die, lack of support for young ones, mistreatment/judgementalism by prominent ones who get away with it because 'they're imperfect and we have to wait on jehovah' etc.

well, after sympathizing and telling me horror stories about awful elders and their own kids' issues in the past (how some left the truth, had bitter divorces from fellow witnesses etc) they then begged me to 'come back to jehovah', 'he misses me' apparently.

finally, the more pushy one summed it up with 'you're thinking too much, it's not good for you', 'some issues you just have to put in a drawer and forget about....'.. hmm nice reasoning sisters, theocratic school training at its finest!

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

I think you left off the last part of her quote:

the more pushy one summed it up with 'you're thinking too much, it's not good for you. It's better to mindlessly trust our caliphate leaders in Syria', 'some issues you just have to put in a drawer and forget about. Just strap on your bomb, walk into a crowd and blow yourself to heaven.'

19

Yeah, my parents plan to will everything to this parasitic organization and forsake their seed

by Phaedra in

jw
friends

yeah, they'll leave it all, their home, savings, etc.. never mind helping out their struggling children who never had a chance.. fuck this organization and everything it stands for when its members think god will favor them more by willing everything to a corporation instead of their own struggling seed..

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

These are hard times for Bronze Age desert gods. Back in Jesus' day, he told his followers to give to the poor and Jesus didn't have an expensive home, watches, pinky rings, and closets full of suits. After generations of sacrificing at a temple, Christianity promised freedom from such burdens.

Now in WT's day, the sheeple are told to give their money to a corporation. A lot of their giving used to be toward local congregations, but now the corporation is trying to squeeze every buck for "mother". The leaders are building an expensive, new, rural retreat for themselves, have abundant jewelry and clothes that they flaunt on their internet evangelist broadcasts.

Stack the GBs expenses on top of the current lawsuits and expected future liabilities and what's a JW to do?

37

Did I imagine a brief thaw in the Watchtower injunction against going to university?

by slimboyfat in

okay i was talking to an elder and he said me going to university was a bad idea and i should have listened to the society and not gone.

but i said that when i went to university the watchtower was saying it might not be a bad idea to go to, as long as you do it for the "right reasons", don't associate with worldly people, and keep clear of "damaging ideas".

but basically they said it was okay, in this "changing world" and job market to go to university.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Before I went to bethel, WT had established their anti-education policy. After I got to bethel, I saw how those with legal, medical, and engineering degrees got royal treatment. It was clear to me that it was wrong to pursue a degree, but if you're still a JW after you get one, they will be more than happy to "use" you. Yes, they did soften their stance on advanced education, although it was enforced to widely varying degrees by the JW clergy hierarchy. It was a loophole for those who could exploit it. By the time I left bethel, they had clamped down on it again.

Okay I was talking to an elder and he said me going to university was a bad idea and I should have listened to the society and not gone.

Going to bethel was a bad idea. After slaving there for years, I left with little more than memories. My degree and everything I learned in university is something of great value to me for the rest of my life.

I also slaved to qualify to be appointed an elder and never received financial benefit from my years in that position. I was removed at the whim of the others on the body of elders. My degree has tripled my earning potential and it can't be taken away at the whim of some elders in a windowless room.