Fantastic news. It makes it feel even sweeter when you know what the alternative could have been, had you not made the courageous decision to leave. I'm always thankful when I think of the joyful, free lives my own two got to live, compared to the dismal existence I had for 11 years. What many take for granted (those who were never trapped in a cult), we appreciate perhaps more. Enjoy!
Gulf Coaster
JoinedPosts by Gulf Coaster
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10
My son is going off to a university this fall
by Tameria2001 inhello everyone, i have some really good news, and just can't hold it in any longer.
my youngest is going off to a university in august, and he will be majoring in business management, and marketing.
when i see what my son is doing with his life, it makes the decision to leave the jws, i made all those years ago, when his older brother was just starting school, all the more worth it.
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51
" you will never grow old..."
by mrquik in" you will never grow old..." a more grievous lie is hard to imagine.
i heard this one first in 1957. i was 6. my mother had just converted.
i heard it many times after that.
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Gulf Coaster
My JW mother is quite bitter about that trope. She'll be 88 and her health isn't the best. When she talks about her many aches and pains, she'll often petulantly add "I wasn't supposed to grow old!".
She had swallowed that one hook, line and sinker. So much so that when I walked away years ago, she screamed at me that I was going to die and she'd live forever, with a smug look on her face. We don't discuss her cult anymore since it's a guaranteed way to make the conversation descend into vitriol but I can tell there's a lot of disappointment in it for her. There's certainly no joy. Going to meetings and conventions seems like a chore for her now. I guess she wasn't expecting to have to endure that soul-crushing boredom for so long (46 years).
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Disco Haters - Buzz Off
by berrygerry inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jozs6lgqyi.
the beegees were awesome, and our scientology bro travolta had the best white man moves, period.. stay alive, baby.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_izvabhexy.
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Gulf Coaster
That was my era. I was 16. And hot for Barry and John. I mean, Barry's hair! Wow! And those tight white pants. I believe he was going commando. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmmmm.
Yeah, but stuck in the JW world, I couldn't dance much, not like that anyway. I played those records when my mother was out. Loud. Or stuck my headphones on at night, played my Bee Gees and Saturday Night Fever soundtrack on my little cassette player. Loud.
Just played it loud now. Great memories. Thanks.
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Since My Mom's Death--not a JW in sight !
by minimus ini had one lovebombing when she died by the congregation and since then---- nada.
lol.
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Gulf Coaster
It's been a long time for me but I always got the message from the dubs that you shouldn't make a big deal of a loved one dying because you're going to see them in the new system. And that if you grieve too much it means you don't have that faith, so there's something wrong with you. If you're not a JW, then they just don't care about you anyway.
Sorry for your loss, I know it must be really rough for you.
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physical and emotional abuse from JWs
by 060702015 inis physical and emotional abuse taken seriously in jws ?
do they address this form of abuse that their members inflict on others?
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Gulf Coaster
Smacking young kids if they were noisy or fidgety at meetings was a normal thing at my KH. If that didn't work, then it was the typical 'grab the kid and haul them to the back, or outside, in front of everyone, to give them a good walloping'. You could often hear the smacks or the howls of the assaulted child. I don't know if that falls under "physical abuse" for you, but it does for me, given it wasn't for really good or serious reasons. Even then, it'd be abuse. It's unreasonable to expect young kids, 2 or 3 years old, sometimes younger, to sit like good little JWbots in their seat for the whole meeting.
It went far beyond just one smack on the butt, which I'm okay with on the rare occasion when nothing else works and it's a really serious matter. Bruises were the norm and it was inflicted on older kids too. I remember parents talking quite proudly about their disciplining their kids this way to each other. It made them look good in the eyes of the KH. I often skipped P.E. because I didn't want the bruises on my arms and legs visible to my classmates. This was back in the day when you didn't report this kind of thing - 70s.
When I was about 19, I couldn't maintain the pretense anymore, having woken up at least 4 years earlier and loathing every minute of the JW existence forced on me, the advice my mother got from an elder's wife, as to "what to do about my spiritual weakness", was: Beat her. This from an elder's wife. Note the word "beat". No shame in it either. I don't know about today. I hope it's not as bad.
And the emotional abuse, well, like others here have said, that's part and parcel of the cult.
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Governing Body Anthony Morris gives talk at convention. Child refuses blood dies
by Watchtower-Free inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yxw_wxyviu .
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Gulf Coaster
I wish the legal system would see that it's not really a choice, especially for young ones. It's coercion. You refuse blood because of the consequences you will suffer. Not by the sky fairy but your own family and community. That's huge for anyone, let alone a kid.
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We live a simple life
by hoser inthis is a video on jw broadcasting to quit your full time career, sell your house and belongings and start a window washing career.
i agree with some of what is presented but not all.
it is good to live within your means as presented in this video.
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Gulf Coaster
JWs always paint us normal people & our lives in the worst possible light. Not all jobs are stressful and few jobs are always stressful. Plus, some people thrive on stress and find it challenging and exhilarating, especially if it pays well. Most times, there is the option of getting another job if you can't take it.
But it would be far more stressful to be financially unstable and not have enough money to live comfortably while working and after when you're retired.
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Governing Body Anthony Morris gives talk at convention. Child refuses blood dies
by Watchtower-Free inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yxw_wxyviu .
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Gulf Coaster
I could be mistaken but I believe the boy was from the UK. A quick google came up with a Josh McAuley, from the West Midlands. He was 15 and the article says he told doctors he didn't want blood. It was 2010 though, so perhaps the system was changed there, to avoid this horror in future.
Of course this talk could have been about another Josh. Hopefully not.
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Morris has JW's CLAP for child that died from "NO BLOOD"
by wifibandit inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yxw_wxyviu.
thanks to anon for the source video and to cappytan for video editing & upload!.
anthony morris iii, knoxville tennessee sunday 2016-07-03.
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Gulf Coaster
Smarmy little man, that Morris. How easy for him to stand up there, healthy and alive, and pontificate about Josh providing "a good example of faith in the face of incredible stress and "persecution". What was the persecution? The doctors were trying to convince him to save his own life with necessary medical treatment, as they would be expected to do. And that's "persecution"?
What's really persecution is the coercion that goes into this whole "choice" of refusing blood. They'd be up for persecution from their own cult, even their own family. Persecution in the form of being looked down upon as weak. Maybe even disfellowshipping. Would they DF someone over making the choice to live?
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We live a simple life
by hoser inthis is a video on jw broadcasting to quit your full time career, sell your house and belongings and start a window washing career.
i agree with some of what is presented but not all.
it is good to live within your means as presented in this video.
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Gulf Coaster
Saename, good for you for going to university. Seems like it's more accepted by the JWs these days, or at least most of them. In my day, it was verboten. Hence, I did not get to go to university after high school, despite being a stellar student. I got in with a good company who paid for part-time night school to upgrade my skills, so I could work my way up and earn a very good salary. I still would have done a bit better with a proper degree though but I managed quite well anyway. Learning a good trade is another wise option.
Living within your means is always good advice, and the JWs didn't invent that. But to deliberately hobble yourself educationally and financially is stupid advice, and the JWs did invent that one. The end is just around the corner apparently.