some of you may remember larc and zazuwitts, who used to post here regularly.. .
i heard from zazu today that sadly larc passed away this morning.
he died peacefully in his sleep of heart failure.
Be vewwy vewwy careful!!
Thanks for the warning Andi. :)
Carl used to wonder why JWs were so fearful of demons and/or other spirits when bringing home used items. He used to say, "If I was a spirt why would I hang around in a smelly old couch--I would be out flying with the eagles."
some of you may remember larc and zazuwitts, who used to post here regularly.. .
i heard from zazu today that sadly larc passed away this morning.
he died peacefully in his sleep of heart failure.
I use a Mac computer at home and can't edit posts that I've sent to the JW Forum. While quoting from Jerry Bergman in the first post, I used the spelling found in his book for Carl's last name. It didn't look right when I used it, but . . . .
Carl's last name is spelled Thornton, and not Thorton. I'll bet my old friend will get me for this one way or another. :)
Jan, if you're reading this, I'm sorry about the mistake.
some of you may remember larc and zazuwitts, who used to post here regularly.. .
i heard from zazu today that sadly larc passed away this morning.
he died peacefully in his sleep of heart failure.
Carl's Thornton, (larc on the JW Forum) died early Monday morning while in the hospital. He was weak and in for treatment of a severe infection and was receiving high doses of antibiotics. Carl's heart failed, and he died in his sleep. He was 65-years old. I've known Carl for nearly 20 years, and to say that I'm saddened is an understatement beyond words.
Like many on this forum, Carl grew up in a JW family. Unlike most JWs of his time, he went to college and received an undergraduate degree B.S. in Chemistry. Graduate school followed and he earned a Ph.D. in field of Psychology. His students knew him as Doctor Thorton, Professor of Psychology at GMI (the college changed names to Kettering University not long ago) in Flint, Michigan. I knew him as a friend, not a professor.
Carl wrote the Preface in "The Mental Health of Jehovah's Witnesses" by Jerry Bergman, Ph.D. He was honest about Bergman's research saying, "Dr. Bergman and I differ in our viewpoints in one particular area. He stresses more the environmental impact of the J.W. culture in precipitating mental problems. While I share this view regarding psychosomatic illnesses and neurotic depression, my review of the research in the areas of psychosis and alcoholism leads me to believe that there is very strong genetic component to these problems." But he also added, "Nonetheless, I share Dr. Bergman's concerns. The tragedy, as I see it, is the total ignorance among the congregational elders in the Watchtower hierarchy regarding the etiology and treatment of mental conditions. This ignorance can have devastating impact on someone suffering such problems. J.W. members stand a good chance of committing suicide or becoming chronically and permanently impaired as a result of the improper treatment they receive” (p.5). Like many health-care professionals, Carl saw the caused by high-control religious sects.
Twenty-years ago I read an interesting article in one of the few newsletters that was reaching out to ex-JWs. This was before the days of the Internet, and groups like this forum. Dr. Thorton wrote the article, and the newsletter had his P.O. Box address, which was in the same city I live. I wrote to Carl, and a few weeks later he wrote back. Thereafter we met at a coffee shop several times and we became friends, and that’s how I came to know Carl.
He was always willing to share articles, booklets, books, etc. If I had a dollar for every cup of coffee we drank together, I’d be a rich man. The fact is I’m richer today because of Carl. I sincerely believe this forum is richer too because of him. I will truely miss him.
Goodbye old friend.
good morning everyone, i am so happy, it is finally november the month that i wait for every year.
good things alway happen in november, my birthday is in november my sisters birthday is in november, thanksgiving is in november and basketball season is in november.
the air outside feels and smells diffrent this time a year.
I'm so very happy that I got my time in for October; I only had to lie about 9.5 hours! :))) I'll stop lying about my hours when the Tower stops lying about their past.
i'm 36 yrs.
old and was a jw for 35.i did everything from pioneer to bethel to ms to elder, school overseer ect.
, ect.
I want to add my "welcome" to the forum, also. Thanks for posting, and I look forward to your comments on the forum.
i was raised a witness but never baptised and left when i was 17 causing my father (among other reasons) to be "demoted"?
from being a ministerial servant.
for a very very long time i didn't talk about it and only recently started getting involved in the local ex-jw meet ups.
you pray for yourself and ask god to forgive you for your sins, reguardless if there is a paradise on earth, in heaven or whatever mostly everyone would agree reguardless of your beliefs there is a right and a wrong that we'll all answer for.
jg -- Welcome to the forum. Your thoughts about god, forgiveness, and so forth are normal ways most people think. As you've found out, high-control religions and cults expect followers to be led by the nose ring the sect implants. Hopefully your spouse will shift out of the JW-mindset and see the Watchtower for what it really is--just another cult controlling others.
i was raised a witness but never baptised and left when i was 17 causing my father (among other reasons) to be "demoted"?
from being a ministerial servant.
for a very very long time i didn't talk about it and only recently started getting involved in the local ex-jw meet ups.
It is like being not good enough for any side, not good enough for the witnesses and not good enough for the ex witnesses.
Kaylen -- Like any group, some are good and others not so good. Some of that is determined on what we need from a given group, and what the members are capable of giving. Ex-JWs are not all the same, but some are more understanding of feelings and experiences others have.
I attended an ex-JW group a few years ago that spent a good deal of time praising the lord and helping others find Jesus. That wasn't what I was looking for........
sometimes i just don't know when to keep my big mouth shut.
today i think finally said enough to get da'd.. for those of you just tuning in, a recap: about 2-3 years i came to realize everything i had been taught as a jw was a load of steaming turds.
since then i have managed to fade away more or less, without incident.
NA -- What a story and experience!
This is just one of countless JW stories which proves what cults and bad religion is all about--hate and control! Being married to someone that worships the Tower only makes it worse.
Best of luck to you, NA.
I don't usually take the time to open these, but something made me do it this time.
That was way too funny, and fairly well done! Thanks for the link.
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since i'm relatively healthy, don't smoke, hardly drink (2 beers a day), and if i base myself on my grandparents and parents age, i think that i should live up to anywhere between 85 and 95. which means i should have another 40 to 50 years of posting here.
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I've been around the Tower's "everlasting life" scam from the time I was a kid. It took some time to adjust to the idea that I wasn't going to live forever, and that I would die like everyone else.
I'm 59-years old, and hope to stick around another 20 or 30 years. For the most part, I've greatly enjoyed life after the Tower, and hope whatever time I have left is just as enjoyable. I workout 4 or 5 times a week at the Y, and eat and drink a reasonable diet--I'll let you know how it works out 30 years from now. :)
