Posts by JeffT

68

1975 selling of houses

by Paul Bonanno in

jw
friends

as 1975 was approaching, many witnesses sold their property.

do you know about specific cases that are willing to share their experience of doing so?.

I became a JW in 1973, everybody was caught up in the frenzy. There was a really nice family in the congregation that had inherited the family farm from his Dad. They sold it sometime around 1973-1974 and moved to "where the need was greater." (Southern Idaho, about three hundred miles from where we lived outside Pulllman, WA) He had calculated how much money he thought it would take to get to the New System and figured they'd come out just right.

A couple of years later they spent the last of the money and he had a nervous breakdown. I don't know what the family lived on.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

JeffT

Something else to think about (writing fiction helps me get inside other people's heads).

We all have a story about ourselves, and no one is the bad guy in their own story. I've had to deal with my inner bad guy, it is neither easy nor comfortable. But the process leads to being a better person. It is also not something you can do alone, that leads to deluding yourself into thinking that you've conquered your problems. Having another person, such as a therapist to call you out from time to time is critical to being honest with yourself.

So far, I don't see any sign of this happening here.

20

Are you convinced what the Gospels say about Jesus is true?

by Fisherman in

probably, the greatest advocacy for the gospels is the jw publication: the greatest man that ever lived.

it convinced me.. everything else that the bible says about the resurrection and eternal life logically follows.. the testimony of a “witness” in court matters only if it is observation not commentary ( expert witness is also commentary): what did you see, what did you hear, what is the magnitude of your measurement.

not, are you convinced; that is only belief.

JeffT

I read that book after I left the JW's. I threw it at the wall when I finished it, and don't think I've opened it since.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

JeffT

I thought of this last night while I was fighting my insomnia.

Victims of child sex abuse do not magically become non-victims the day they become adults. In deed, for some, the victimization may not even start until they are adults. They are still victims. It is a trauma they will grapple with their entire lives, some may overcome the damage of that trauma, but it is still there. Claiming you only hire adult sex workers misses the point: they are still victims.

You can't claim to represent victims when you are making more of them.

10

Favorite Xmas movie?

by peacefulpete in

jw
friends

elf...simply a great movie imo.

funny, heartwarming and well acted..

JeffT

A Christmas Story -- it takes me back to 1950's Christmas in upstate New York.

13

Songs that help recovery

by peacefulpete in

jw
friends

are there songs that seem to speak to you?

maybe especially when leaving the church and losing friends and family.

i still pause when i hear hennly's heart of the matter.

JeffT

Tommy, by The Who. The whole album. I think that salvation through pinball is a perfect analogy for whatever stupid behavior the cult you're in demands of you, like say, counting the hours you spend selling Watchtower magazines. And making yourself deaf, dumb and blind while doing it.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

JeffT

I'll just leave this here, make of it what you will.

Just heard an interesting quote on the History channel. The show is tracing Harry Houdini's dark side, the narrator said "It was not enough for Houdini to succeed, he needed everyone else to fail."

31

Hobbies

by peacefulpete in

jw
friends

i think it's been a while since this was asked.

tell us your hobbies, interests, pastimes, whatever you find enjoyable as a diversion from work and school.

i am lucky enough to live in a small cabin on a lake, i enjoy rowing my old boat and fishing, i play with car projects, and we travel as much as we can.

JeffT

I'm retired and have time on my hands for two hobbies.

I like assembling 1/700 scale model ships. I put together a lot of models as a kid; the newer kits are much more detailed and have more parts. They are more complicated, more fun, and more money. I have ten battleships, five aircraft carriers (one under construction), and a few odds and ends, including the Titanic. These models are typically a little over a foot long.

I also write. I have five novels for sale on Amazon, plus one being serialized on Amazon Vella. One of the novels (and a sequel that I'm revising) plus the serial have ties to my experience as a JW. I haven't made a lot of money, but it's enjoyable. Most of the books are based on history, as are the models, so there's a connection between the two hobbies.

31

How get out of watchtower?

by Hellothere in

how do you get out of watchtower?

am i supposed to write letter to bethel or local congregation telling them i don't want to be a jw anymore?

how are the steps.

JeffT

To write a letter of disassociation is to imply the Watchtower has authority over you.

Strongly disagree, at least for myself. Our DA letter was a public (we sent to a lot of people) declaration of independence, that we no longer accepted the Governing Body as having any authority over us. It might even have counted as a declaration of war. We wanted to make sure that everyone knew that we left because the religion was WRONG. We specifically stated that if they impugned our character we would take legal action.

It wasn't long after we sent it that we saw a car group working field service on Saturday morning cross the street to avoid walking in front of our house. Maybe they thought we would sneeze apostate germs on them.

I would say (strongly) that the important thing is getting out of the Watchtower, not the route you took. Everybody has to find their own path.

31

How get out of watchtower?

by Hellothere in

how do you get out of watchtower?

am i supposed to write letter to bethel or local congregation telling them i don't want to be a jw anymore?

how are the steps.

JeffT

My wife and I stopped going to meetings in 1988 and sent in a letter in 1989. I now recognize that we had some advantages others did not. We were both converts and we no longer had close family and friends in the org. We sent a letter because we wanted everyone to know we did not believe the Watchtower. We've never regretted it.