independent_tre

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Posts by independent_tre

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  29

  Hey bethelite monitoring this site

  by Evidently in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i dare ya..........just post and say your're there.......come on, i dare ya, just one post........nothing incriminating, just say "whas up aposties"!!!!!!.

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  independent_tre

  They address some of these issues at Conventions, Assemblies, Etc.At times they say things like:"Apostates are stepping up their efforts.

  Very true, at this past DC, a brother giving a talk made a point of saying,

  "most leave the organization due to their conduct, NOT due to doctrinal issues". He made it a point to mention this again in the closing prayer. Apparently, they've gotten wind of all the doctrinal issues that are causing folks to DA or fade. Also during the baptismal talk, they warned the candidates that people will tell them they are joining a cult.

  Wonder where they got all this info that they felt compelled to address at the district convention.
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  53

  The Friends Ain't So Friendly

  by StAnn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been thinking.

  a lot of posts i read here say things about how the jws are all victims; how people feel so sorry for them; how people believe that the jws they know are really good people who are trapped in a lie.

  then i read a lot of other posts about the cruel things the jws do, like shunning, ignoring df'd people on the side of the road with a flat tire, refusing to be charitable to their fellow humans, delighting at the impending deaths of millions of people, and blaming all of their coldness and heartlessness on the fact that they're just following orders from the gb.

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  independent_tre

  And I also know that he is not alone in this kind of cold, heartless conduct toward DF'd family in dire need.

  StAnn - But isn't that case a bit extreme, or does/did every JW you know/knew behave as cold, calculating individuals that are simply trying to get ahead? In your previous examples, the JWs did not practice shunning knowing or thinking it was dispicable. In fact, they believed that they were doing the right thing. ( where I believe the real problem lies, not in people being inherently evil ) . Many have absolutely nothing to gain by participating in shunning behavior, but everything to lose if they don't. Like so many other R&F witnesses, they are caught between a rock and a hard place and don't know what else to do. Most probably have not been on this site or been enlightened by reading anti-witness material.

  I just don't feel right sitting as judge and jury and condemning folks( as evildoers) when I don't know what's going on in their heads or why they behave in such a way. I'm leaving an organization that instills this type of sweeping condemnation of folks and I have no desire to hold on to that type of good/evil, black/white us vs. them mentality.
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  15

  my story while listening to "the great gig in the sky" by Pink Floyd

  by paranoid android in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  looking back i realize that the way it was handled was probably the best of my experiences with committee meetings.

  at this committee meeting, they asked me if i was disfellowshipped 3 months ago, i couldnt believe that!

  " i asked him why the announcement hadnt been made and he said he didnt know.

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  independent_tre

  Your story almost brings tears to my eyes and I'm so sorry for all you've been through, but nonetheless...a big 'ol WELCOME to you.

  Believe it or not your story helps so many lurkers, new ones and probably even the old schoolers because it helps many feel that they aren't alone and everywhere there are those who are going through this, and everyday there is someone who has the courage (and time) to post his/her experience.

  I wrote my letter of reinstatement which was rejected.

  Everytime I read statements like these, I'm absolutely dumbfounded. Disfellowshipping is such a horrible practice, yet many WT publications make it sound as if its just a matter of unrepentant ones not wanting to 'turn around'. The fact that this incredible power over peoples lives is treated so haphazardly even dysfunctionally is a gross sin and I pray this will come to light in this man-made organization.
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  53

  The Friends Ain't So Friendly

  by StAnn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've been thinking.

  a lot of posts i read here say things about how the jws are all victims; how people feel so sorry for them; how people believe that the jws they know are really good people who are trapped in a lie.

  then i read a lot of other posts about the cruel things the jws do, like shunning, ignoring df'd people on the side of the road with a flat tire, refusing to be charitable to their fellow humans, delighting at the impending deaths of millions of people, and blaming all of their coldness and heartlessness on the fact that they're just following orders from the gb.

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  independent_tre

  Most if not all on this thread were involved to some extent with JW's. Everyone's hindsight is 20/20.

  It's not fair to broadly categorize many of the people still involved as heartless nazi's with a superiority complex. In fact I'd say the majority aren't mean spirited or even blind to the problems in the org. Even though I'm fading, and may one day be completely out, I'd have a hard time looking back, pointing the finger and saying, "HA!, I've left and therefore I am way more morally upright than anyone who's still in! How blind and by extension, evil, you are".

  Who would have the superiority complex then?
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  12

  looking for information on material

  by bite me in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i had a discussion the other day.

  the swore up and down that they are or have never been told that they could not read material outside the wts.

  i said prove it, look at this (it was a bible study book that i had, nothing for or against any religion just questions to help) well they put their hand up in a defensive way and said no.

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  independent_tre

  Independent thinking is difficult, unpopular and even suspect. Thought conformity is the order of our day. To seek solitude for meditation is frowned upon as antisocial and neurotic

  you've got to be kidding me...... If that is not the most cultish statement I've ever seen in print....... "Thought Conformity?".....are you serious?

  "Independent thinking is difficult"

  Maybe i's keep lettin dat dere watchtewer do's the thanking fo' me....duh....
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  26

  Witness work at 2 a.m.?

  by Fatfreek in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  a non-jw friend in a southern state has close ties to a jw with a late teen-aged son.

  this son is pioneering during late hours, meaning 11 pm to 2 am.

  i'm told his car group calls on, among others, convenience store workers where they apparently have much idle time on their hands.

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  independent_tre

  Can you imagine coming out of the restroom and being approached by some religious nut? It's a good way of getting punched if you ask me!! Not very safe!!

  lol, picturing some guy exiting the john, zipping up and yelling "WTF!?!!" after being startled by someone shoving a watchtower in his face at 3am
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  41

  Did you enjoy being a JW meetings,field service ect??

  by karter in

  1. jw
  2. experiences
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  independent_tre

  Field Service - I used to think something was wrong with me. Why didn't I enjoy this wonderful 'privilege' bestowed upon me? And when I would hear others say that they found this activity upbuilding and refreshing, I was wondering what they were smoking, because I definitely needed a hit of that to enjoy one excrutiating minute of field service. I seriously cringed everytime I ever thought about participating, and therefore I barely put any time in. Like avi8tor, I also thought we were bothering people with normal lives and I wished I could be at home or doing just about anything else.

  Book Study - My least favorite meeting. As a child they were boring and it seemed we always had to come in from playing to get ready and it was a real drag in summer. As an adult, I didn't like it either. One book study in particular was at a sister's house who despised me for no particular reason. She was petty & wouldn't speak to me and would speak to everyone else. She made me feel terribly uncomfortable, so this was hardly motivation to keep going. I got sick of her and stopped going just for that reason.

  The public talks were really the only part I enjoyed. This is what drew me back as an adult, because I had a lot of life problems and it felt better to chill out and listen to something about the bible, something I found uplifting. I also enjoyed assemblies because I have tons of relatives in and when we would all go, it was like a large family reunion and everyone shared food.
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  32

  I cant afford to eat anymore : Grocery Store Horror stories :)

  by SnakesInTheTower in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  first... i am in no immediate danger of starving damn groceries are getting expensive .

  as an example... i love breyer's all natural ice cream... .

  first...the story of the incredible shrinking ice cream box.... for years and year the box was one half gallon (us)...2 full quarts...then somewhere a couple years back, it shrunk to 1.75 quarts...but in the same size box..... today, i was at the grocery, and seen the stuff was on sale..... hmmmmm...something fishy.... yep... it is now 1.5 quarts.... and i carefully compared the 1.75 box in my freezer with my new 1.5 box.

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  independent_tre

  Is it no wonder that poor people in this country have the worst eating habits? The only food they can afford is full of crap. And that is if they are educated enough to look. I knew alot of this...but taking a nutrition class...OMG....... I am scared of how much I don't know...Sometimes ignorance is bliss...

  Exactly, it costs a grip to eat healthy. I try to eag sugar free, whole foods, and you really have to search high and low to find groceries that don't have some form of sugar in them. The cheap stuff is full of sugar and chemicals you should never eat.
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  283

  News from Mother ship

  by jefferywhat in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  1. bethel in ny suspect high level apostate, cant identify it but know its there.

  2. major organizational changes about to start rolling out, one is changes to the "service committee" and titles, po to be done away with, thats all i know for now.

  was told that if you are the sort of person that cant handle changes, you wont stay in the org for long.

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  independent_tre

  BOOKMARKED!!
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  39

  Wow-I didn't know.

  by QuestioningEverything in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am shocked and saddened by the things that i have learned from this website and a few others i've seen.

  my grandma was a witness and my mom started to study seriously when i was 8 yrs.

  i was baptised at 13-way too young.

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  independent_tre

  Answering feenx.. I think she's referring to the change in 1981- it used to be okay to be cordial to a disfellowshipped person and you could still speak to your DF'd relatives. The September 15, 1981 WT changed all of that. If this were really from the Bible, you would think it wouldn't take over 1,900 years for this 'new light' to be understood, but that's how the WTS operates.

  Questioning... Welcome! I feel like I'm in your same situation as I have always had doubts, but once I came to this board, I was blown away. I'm about a quarter of the way through "Crisis", and between that and this website, I continually am suffering from headaches and have been feeling really depressed and upset, but I can't stop researching and reading because this is very important to me.

  I agree with the poster that suggested reading Ecclisiates (sp.), one of my favorite books of the Bible. It really helps to adjust my thinking and helps me to relax. Just remember that because you're questioning what the WT taught, by no means are you rejecting the Bible or God, as they have trained so many to believe. Daily Bible reading (no longer reading the NWT) still encourages me.

  Again Welcome, and I look forward to reading more of your posts.