Posts by hybridous

17

"I still miss it Dad" My 41 Year Son Admitted

by 1234 in

jw
friends

on the 18th of september i turned in my disassociation letter in to the tigard congregation, 19 years ago.. my son turned in his letter in november 2001, 19 years ago shortly after me.

he was 21 years old.. two days ago we were working together on a wrap for his a/c unit on his bus.. out of blue, he says "i still miss it dad.

not the religion.

hybridous

Perhaps what he really means is (and I've felt this myself)...

We miss the comfort of the comradery and certainty.

Of course, the comradery hinges on the certainty of the belief system. And once that certainty fails, the comradery fails once a person can no longer go thru the motions.

And then we realize that the comfort we derived from these delusions - was false as well.

I do know the sentiment, though. I still hold places in my heart for all my childhood friends in the religion. We are all in the same boat, so-to-speak...stuck there to validate our parents' delusions.

Go ahead and meet these people later in life...life has a way of dragging us in divergent directions. See how very, very little you have in common with these people now - especially if you left the religion and they remained within.

I think we miss the comfort of things as they were. Knowing now that it was a false comfort helps to lessen the sting. If we were comfortable, it's because we were ignorant.

23

So the elders gave my 19 year old daughter a shepharding call depression ensues!

by nowwhat? in

against our wishes she got baptised at 16 because she got brainwashed by her cousin.

the last year or so she hasn't been so gung ho about the "truth".

anyway the elders came down on her for not getting her time in the last couple months because she absolutely hates zoom letter writing.

hybridous

This is excellent news: even the "elduhs" don't think the "end" is near. She's got at least 4.5 years to do what she wants and then she can still "repent" and survive armageddon.
Wasn't there a time the jws said a "five year plan" was worldly and unnecessary?

This is great!

'Brother?! A 5 year plan?! Don't you read the Society's literature?! We're in the FINAL PART....of the FINAL PART...of the last days! Who needs a plan THAT long?!'

23

So the elders gave my 19 year old daughter a shepharding call depression ensues!

by nowwhat? in

against our wishes she got baptised at 16 because she got brainwashed by her cousin.

the last year or so she hasn't been so gung ho about the "truth".

anyway the elders came down on her for not getting her time in the last couple months because she absolutely hates zoom letter writing.

hybridous

Bring the hammer down and tell them that had better NEVER happen again. Your 19yo daughter does not need to be meeting two adult men when they had promised otherwise.

AGREE!! This is unacceptable in ANY context.

I would consider contacting them directly and telling them so, in UN-ambiguous terms.

JWs think they can behave in sketchy-ass, weirdo behavior, while in service to their cult.

The well-being of your daughter is WHOLLY, and uncontestedly YOUR BUSINESS, And their ambush shenanigans reek of pretense for abuse.

If you call them, and call them out, out of concern for your daughter...you might put them on the defensive, and that may serve to cool their application of pressure on her.

They damn-well know that sketchy behavior doesn't fly outside of cult-world. From that direction, I would bring your concern for her to bear on them.

24

JW's and the National Anthem/Flag

by Anony Mous in

one thing we were always taught in the past is how we should sit down and pray (kneel) to jehoober whenever we were at an event where they played the national anthem.

we had to actively disrespect the flag and anthem and be no part of the world, because we were our own country with jesus as king.. given kneeling/sitting for the national anthem is now the favorite pastime of the far-left and if you do so, you get associated with democrats, how do jehovah's witnesses now 'become no part of this world' when they have to disrespect the flag?.

hybridous

I was taught to respectfully stand at attention during the flag salute at school.

Why this principle ought not carry over to the National Anthem...no JW or WT article was ever able to provide good explanation for...

Then I realized it wasn't about any underlying principle, it was about the Tower's desire to have JWs make a spectacle of themselves, as if that somehow serves as a 'good witness' to the community about how great people they all are.

12

Miney under the table and retirement

by road to nowhere in

i know several older retired witnesses who comolain abiut how little social security pays.

all of them made more than i ever did but were self employed.

they fudged the amount t they reported on taxes and thought they would never get old.

hybridous

I am one of those who was burned because I believed at the time that JWs had "the truth" and I lived accordingly - as if the end of the world were imminent and billions of lives were at stake. Did you ever believe it?

Magnum - I was born-in but left as a teenager, so the years I most fervently 'believed' were the pre-teen years; not too many life-altering decisions (sans baptism) being made then.

As a teenager, I started asking myself just HOW MUCH I was personally convinced of this belief set, and HOW MUCH I was going along with what my parents/grandparents wanted...

There were plenty of examples around the Kingdom Hall of devout JWs who spent their lives in service to the 'religion' at great cost to themselves. I saw very sincere people forego children, homes, & even the smallest sliver of financial security in deference to what the WT asked of them.

Growing up rather poor exposed me to the reality that it wasn't really the blessing it was made out to be, and I couldn't see myself being happy to scratch out a living for whatever decades I had left to my life. I live in a relatively affluent area, and I could plainly see the comforts that a decent career brought and I wanted those comforts for myself and my future children - no apologies offered. Not everyone who was financially successful spent all their time lusting after every dollar - that was just more WT nonsense.

Once I stepped off the JW hamster wheel, I had more time to spend doing what I wanted! Some of this time was spent in professional pursuits, and some was not, but either way, it was now my choice to exercise.

Those of you who did get 'burned' by the Tower's advice can now do the most good by using your experiences, telling others, and helping to starve the WT Cult of future support - I applaud your efforts!

12

Miney under the table and retirement

by road to nowhere in

i know several older retired witnesses who comolain abiut how little social security pays.

all of them made more than i ever did but were self employed.

they fudged the amount t they reported on taxes and thought they would never get old.

hybridous

The greatest irony is that those who have most diligently adhered to the WTs advice over the decades, regarding matters of education, marriage & children, career, saving for retirement, etc....

These are the ones most BURNED by the WTs faulty predictions about the end of the world. Their obedience and devotion has earned them a S-O-L situation whereby they must navigate years in a world they were never prepared for because they were told they would never see it.

Believing that Jesus coming in on a white horse is going to bail you out of a bad situation is the basis for all sorts of bad life decisions.

32

What the Heck are they talking about in todays meeting 7-19-20 Wife in full on cult mode

by goingthruthemotions in

so what the heck are they brainwashing today in the meeting or what ever.

she is in full on cult mode talking about the end of the world.

she asked me to listen to a couple of talks and i respectfully declined.

hybridous

Demonstrating unconditional love, as her God and organization never will, can go a long way in healing your relationship.

VH7, this is incredibly kind, and long-sighted. I wish I didn't find it so daunting....

i wish they'd make another prediction just so there could be a nail in the old coffin (hopefully..)

Yes! I do wonder about the medium-to-longer term effects of the Covid fear-mongering (as it applies to the WT Religion). If they bet too hard on Armageddon proceeding from this current pestilence, and things subside and return to normal, perhaps the burn-out/exhaustion will sap the zealotry from another batch of devotees.

Another instance of the short-term and long-term goals of the WT Religion being at odds with each other. I am keenly interested in seeing which narrative dominates.

59

Guns...Are You For or Against Legally Owning Them?

by minimus in

jw
friends

there is a surge going on of people buying guns, especially first time buyers.

with talk of police defunding and rioting in the neighborhoods, some people want to protect themselves.. do you support owning and using a gun if needed?.

hybridous

2nd amendment was created specifically to allow the citizens of the USA to have a revolution. Never intended as a way to protect life and property, that was just a bonus benefit of having the right to overthrow the government if the citizens felt that was in order.

Are these concerns not ONE and the SAME?

Should you be compelled to over throw the government, one would assume that it was not fulfilling its role as far as protecting life & property....

What other circumstances can be imagined that one would endure, where life and property were in jeopardy but revolution was somehow NOT on the table...?

80

Quit Quietly now more than ever

by gone for good in

the amazing exoneration of info sekta in swiss court has finally reinforced the proper way to exit an abusive cult.. never write a letter of disassociation.

- no need to invoke shepherding or judicial action from elders.

make a written, dated statement of your free-will choice to have abandoned the jw religion - secure this document with a friend -a trusted friend (not the jw kind).

hybridous

Most (I would assert ALL) of the shunning is not really voluntary reaction by individuals but rather is the result of the industrial level coercion from the ecclesiastical chain overhead -bullying to be blunt.

This is a false dichotomy. The bullying and voluntary actions are not mutually exclusive.

The bullying is present, but individual JWs still have to CHOOSE to follow the religious commands. Individual JWs are responsible for their actions.

Don't let individual JWs off the hook for the role they play in abuse. Without their willingness to shun, the 'ecclesiastical chain overhead' has no power at all.

49

Unique Words and Expressions Of Jehovah’s Witnesses

by minimus in

jw
friends

system of things comes to mind.

what does that mean to anyone not a jw?.

how long have you been in the truth?

hybridous

Practical.
Buying a car? Is it practical?
Clothes? Practical?
Job? Practical?
Housing? Practical?
The list goes on and on.

Wearing a suit to a Zoom meeting in your own kitchen or living room?

Practical?!

Eschewing a solid education and career to Pious-Sneer, knock on doors full-time, build no savings and rely on the generosity of others for mere sustenance?

Practical?

Yeah - funny that how 'practical' considerations go right out the window when the Organization wants you to be IM-practical...