BonaFide

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Posts by BonaFide

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  33

  So, how many of you stayed single or childless for the sake of the Kingdom? And how many people in your Hall are single or childless for that reason?

  by BonaFide in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in my hall growing up, i remember 6 childless couples.

  some have died, some are still alive.. i stayed single for the kingdom, hope to change that.. presently in my congregation, there are 4 brothers over 30, two over 40, that are single for the kingdom.

  and about 10 single sisters over 25.. three of the five married elders have no children.

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  BonaFide

  Wow, its almost too sad for them to realize there is no New System with a perfect mate wating for them.

  BF
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  34

  $6,600 Expenses For a One-Day Assembly At a Fully-Paid-Up Hall? WTF!

  by Room 215 in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  the wife just got back from a one-day special circuit meeting (or whatever they call it) at the regional assembly hall.

  it's got a capacity of about 1,200, fully paid for, staffed by volunteers and in use for less than eight hours.

  then the guy making the announcement tells the crowd that the one-day expenses for the gig was about $6,600 (?!!!)...

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  BonaFide

  I did realize growing up in the truth that there was always a deficit, but I thought they had to announce that to get the friends to contribute.

  Recently, though, when I started to realize stuff, I was talking to my family about the Special Assembly Day. I mentioned the cost, $8000, for one day at Norco. They said electricity and supplies are expensive for 1200 people. No reasoning there, they really think its that expensive.

  BF
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  21

  Can most Witnesses distinguish between God and the WT Organization?

  by BonaFide in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yesterday, in one of those conversations i try to have, i talked to an older sister.

  she was waiting outside the hall for her ride, so i sat down and talked to her, just about like old times as a witness, theocratic history.

  she has been baptized 38 years.. anyway, i was saying about why did some leave in 1975. she replied, "well, they got impatient with jehovah, and they took it out on him by leaving.".

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  BonaFide

  Yes, first chapter.

  BF
• 
  40

  What finally pushed you over the edge?

  by keyser soze in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  was there one issue or incident, final straw, so-to-speak, that made you leave once and for all?

  i know there was for me.. i had been having doubts for years, and had stopped believing it was the truth.

  but i labored on as a jw, in part because of my family, and in part because i had invested so much of myself in it.

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  BonaFide

  Keyser, your post really moved me. I did the same thing, in fact sometimes I still wish the Witnesses were right. I gave my youth to the Organization. Now I am in my 40's, still single. I tried so hard, and I suffered so much. I let others judge me and I thought they were from Jehovah.

  Not sure if you knew this, but when I was a C.O., we got extra info from the Society, comparing our percentages of re-activating, disfellowshipping, and other numbers, to compare with other circuits. No wonder C.O.'s are so number conscious, I was.

  BF
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  21

  Can most Witnesses distinguish between God and the WT Organization?

  by BonaFide in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yesterday, in one of those conversations i try to have, i talked to an older sister.

  she was waiting outside the hall for her ride, so i sat down and talked to her, just about like old times as a witness, theocratic history.

  she has been baptized 38 years.. anyway, i was saying about why did some leave in 1975. she replied, "well, they got impatient with jehovah, and they took it out on him by leaving.".

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  BonaFide

  I think we can do it, we just need a good system. Or else as so many have pointed out, we need a big scandal or another GB leaving.

  It would be nice if everything came crashing down before Ray Franz passes away. He deserves to see it happen after all he has done.

  BF
• 
  33

  So, how many of you stayed single or childless for the sake of the Kingdom? And how many people in your Hall are single or childless for that reason?

  by BonaFide in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  in my hall growing up, i remember 6 childless couples.

  some have died, some are still alive.. i stayed single for the kingdom, hope to change that.. presently in my congregation, there are 4 brothers over 30, two over 40, that are single for the kingdom.

  and about 10 single sisters over 25.. three of the five married elders have no children.

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• 

  BonaFide

  In my Hall growing up, I remember 6 childless couples. Some have died, some are still alive.

  I stayed single for the Kingdom, hope to change that.

  Presently in my congregation, there are 4 brothers over 30, two over 40, that are single for the Kingdom. And about 10 single sisters over 25.

  Three of the five married elders have no children. They are in their 40's and 50's. Other than them, there are two other couples with no children, and they are over 40.

  There are 12,600 congregations, so that means even a moderate estimate would be 100,000 single Witnesses over 30, and 50,000 childless couples.

  Wow

  BF
• 
  43

  so why do we do this???

  by oompa in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  why?........is it therapy or revenge?....or wanting to save others from the real truth?..what else is there?...........i feel all three...and why do i so want to help others...does not evryone have a right to their own belief?.......oompa.

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  BonaFide

  This site saved my life. I was brought up in the truth, I believed all of it. I studied, read the Bible 5 times. (NWT) I became a pioneer at 16, MS at 20. I went to MTS, became a missionary. I stayed single. After that I served in Bethel. I suffered terrible guilt when I made mistakes sometimes. I worried about my skills preaching. I stressed about giving talks and parts and judicial committee stuff. Elders school, C.O. visits, all of it was so hard. I thought I was happy, but every day was so hard.

  Then one day brother Charles Velours, the District Overseer, at the Circuit Assembly, said: I know we are all tired. I wake up exhausted every day. But we have to keep going.

  I realized then I wasnt the only one.

  Then, after some other events I mentioned, I came on here. This site has helped me so much. It was terrible at first, all those emotions and anger and regret about a wasted life. Or some of it wasted anyway. Wow.

  So I need to read others experience on here, that helps me. And I want to help others get out, so I want to figure out the best way.

  Yep, this site is FANTASTIC.

  BF
• 
  21

  Can most Witnesses distinguish between God and the WT Organization?

  by BonaFide in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  yesterday, in one of those conversations i try to have, i talked to an older sister.

  she was waiting outside the hall for her ride, so i sat down and talked to her, just about like old times as a witness, theocratic history.

  she has been baptized 38 years.. anyway, i was saying about why did some leave in 1975. she replied, "well, they got impatient with jehovah, and they took it out on him by leaving.".

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  BonaFide

  I don't think they can. Yesterday, in one of those conversations I try to have, I talked to an older sister. She was waiting outside the Hall for her ride, so I sat down and talked to her, just about like old times as a Witness, Theocratic history. She has been baptized 38 years.

  Anyway, I was saying about why did some leave in 1975. She replied, "Well, they got impatient with Jehovah, and they took it out on him by leaving."

  So I said: You mean they got impatient with the Society

  Sister: Yes, that's right, they get angry with Jehovah because the end hasn't come yet

  Me: No, I mean they don't get angry with Jehovah, they get angry with the Society

  Sister: Well, yes. They should be patient and wait on Jehovah

  Me: I think what the problem was that the WT said the end was coming back then and it didn't

  Sister: Yes, well, no one knows the day nor the hour

  Me: Oh, ok

  Nowhere to go on that one, I tried three times. So I just talked about something else. But even though I know I was like that, it's amazing to actually see it. Most Witnesses make no distinction between Jehovah God and the Organization. THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME. They don't even THINK FOR A SECOND that the Organization is not run by Jehovah.

  How are we going to get past that?

  BF
• 
  10

  Why do Witnesses think the world is so bad? Here's another reason

  by BonaFide in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know the fact that the publications say the world is bad, and the beginning of so many public talks.

  and the introductions in the field ministry.. but here is something i have been thinking about.. jw's are not exposed to people from all walks of life.

  growing up in the truth, most of the bro's in my hall worked in construction, cleaning, office workers, or ups.

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  BonaFide

  I know the fact that the publications say the world is bad, and the beginning of so many public talks. And the introductions in the field ministry.

  But here is something I have been thinking about.

  JW's are not exposed to people from all walks of life. Growing up in the truth, most of the bro's in my Hall worked in construction, cleaning, office workers, or UPS. Only a couple in our Hall went to College.

  So we didnt mix with people who had real careers. Most everyone we knew had money problems, and no insurance, and the stress that comes with that. Our conclusion? THIS SYSTEM IS REALLY BAD.

  Even in service, we would view those who had a nice house as "materialistic."

  Now that I am getting to know more people that are outside the Organization, I talk to Doctors, Attorneys, Artists, people who have an actual career.

  They are pretty happy.

  BF
• 
  22

  One house or piece of property is donated to the Society each week

  by BonaFide in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  when i was last visiting bethel in 2007, i saw some of my old buddies.

  without giving myself away, i have it on authority that approximately one house or one piece of property is bequeathed or willed or donated to the society each week.. thought you might like to know.. bf.

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  BonaFide

  The ones that are donating houses and property are Witnesses who have been active for many, many years, decades.

  So their property is sometimes worth A LOT. One of the older sisters that said she put the Society in her will bought her home with her husband 40 years ago at $20,000. Now it is worth $750,000, even in today's market.

  All that dinero going to Bethel....

  BF