Posts by 20+wastedYRS

52

If You Leave The Organization Where Else Must You Go?

by minimus in

jw
friends

it seems the watchtower leaders believe that if you were to think about leaving the organization (and listen to "apostates") that you must have a place to go in return.

they feel you must have something, if you were to not accept the organization.

you need hope and belief in something.

20+wastedYRS

That very question is, imo, a HUGE reason that "fence sitters" dont leave!! What a great tactic to get ppl to stay..

Hell, thats one I use on my friends when Im not ready for them to leave!- "You leaving?..Where else you gonna go?"

100

To you what was the Watchtower Socity's biggest lie ?

by The Almighty Homer in

yes, what was the biggest lie that you can think of, that persuaded you to realize that they were not who they said they were ?.

for myself it would have to be the year they picked as the destruction of ancient jerusalem 607 bc.. i have an assumption this was done purposely to coincide correctly with making 1914 an a important pivotal date.

in human history, which by all factual evidence it was not.. unassuming and deceiving manipulation for self marketing purposes.

20+wastedYRS

1975 hit me pretty hard recently!!! I heard the assembly presentation (believe it was Norr..?) where they told everyone that the day was coming in 1975!!! Then ever since then we were told that they never said it... and that we "witnesses" misrepresented what was said!!! I was floored when I heard that on Utube!!! There was no way anyone could possibly "misrepresent" what was said!!!

All those years I was told that the bros back then were mistaken and sold EVERYTHING (Making them look like fools in current witnesses eyes!)

Has anyone EVER sued them??? I told my wife, I feel like they stole over 20 yrs of my life with their lies and felt like suing them! (they prob have too much money to beat, anyway) Just a thought...

8

Forum is GREAT, but...are there any ex JW chatrooms if we need a steady dialog?

by 20+wastedYRS in

i am happy to have found this forum and will be reading and posting frequently.

but... i have wished at times that i could have a good steady dialog on certain, more puzzleing issues and a chatroom would be perfect for those instances.. anyone know of one?.

also, one other quick question... while very active in "truth", i researched the whole beard issue and came up totally empty on my search.. btw: i have a beard now!!!

20+wastedYRS

I am happy to have found this forum and will be reading and posting frequently. But... I have wished at times that I could have a good steady dialog on certain, more puzzleing issues and a Chatroom would be perfect for those instances.

Anyone know of one?

Also, one other quick question... While VERY active in "truth", I researched the whole beard issue and came up totally empty on my search.

BTW: I have a beard now!!! WAHOOO!!

THANKS, 20+

19

HELP! Sinning Elders can stay as elders if they have blessing! when did this happened?

by cyberjesus in

ok i have heard that at the beginning of the 80's the instruction said that the elders could remain as elders even if they had sinned 3 years before as long as their lives looked like they had jehovahs blessing.

i heard this instuction was givien in elders meeting.. does any one has more information?

i needed asap.

20+wastedYRS

The Elders, MSs, Pioneers, etc... are supposed to be taking the LEAD in doing whaAt is sinful right! And to be held MORE accountable for their actions/behaviors! (at least thats the way I always understood it to be!)

17

My first "real" Thanksgiving...

by SnakesInTheTower in

jw
friends

do you remember as a jw those pseudo-thanksgiving dinners we used to have?

you know the ones, where we ate turkey, dressing, and all the rest....but we did it on friday so we woudn't be celebrating thanksgiving like the "world"?

the excuse was that everyone in the family was off, the turkey was on sale, blah blah... well this year will be my first real thanksgiving dinner.

20+wastedYRS

"Just about the time you start to slice the Turkey, I can guarantee two guys in suits will be knocking at your door. "

Mormons?

19

HELP! Sinning Elders can stay as elders if they have blessing! when did this happened?

by cyberjesus in

ok i have heard that at the beginning of the 80's the instruction said that the elders could remain as elders even if they had sinned 3 years before as long as their lives looked like they had jehovahs blessing.

i heard this instuction was givien in elders meeting.. does any one has more information?

i needed asap.

20+wastedYRS

Thats CRAZY!!! I got removed as a MS just for not enough hours in the field circus!!! Was pretty bitter bout that one, bcuz I was sooo "toiling and loaded down" by all the assignments... I had trouble maintaining good FS numbers!!! I sure didnt commit any serious offense!! hmmm... INSANE!! Priorities are just a tad bit off!!!

49

New "apostate" here! Recent WT study- 'We may ask you to do something that may not understand' (basically- DO IT)

by 20+wastedYRS in

jw
friends

i will get to the big shocker that i read within the last year or two in a wt study article, so please bear with me... i am new to this forum and have been reading postings for several days now, and can relate totally to many of the issues that many ex-jw have.

i was raised "around" the truth and although my parents were never "dipped", they wouldn't allow us to celebrate holidays or stand for natl anthem (not that i care now).

so i basically had many of the pressures and stress that witness kids had growing up, but with no spiritual support, as we attended only a handful of meetings while my parents studied when i was 5or6.

20+wastedYRS

Thanks, all, for all your posts and help! I saw at LEAST two or three posts from recent watchtowers (which surprised me there were that many, although it shouldnt now!) that said essentially what was to be the "final blow" that knocked me out of the "truth"!! The number of articles of this sort, seem to be ever increasing!

49

New "apostate" here! Recent WT study- 'We may ask you to do something that may not understand' (basically- DO IT)

by 20+wastedYRS in

jw
friends

i will get to the big shocker that i read within the last year or two in a wt study article, so please bear with me... i am new to this forum and have been reading postings for several days now, and can relate totally to many of the issues that many ex-jw have.

i was raised "around" the truth and although my parents were never "dipped", they wouldn't allow us to celebrate holidays or stand for natl anthem (not that i care now).

so i basically had many of the pressures and stress that witness kids had growing up, but with no spiritual support, as we attended only a handful of meetings while my parents studied when i was 5or6.

20+wastedYRS

Yes, Mr. Flipper, you are right.. I need to "debug" my brain from this brainwashing I had with dirty water. Funny thing is, that we used to joke (im sure you have heard this one) "Thats ok... maybe all of us could use our brains washed from this old system's nastiness". (we were real suckers)

They sure are damn good at it too!! That article I referred to earlier, is not the only thing that I noticed...Over the years a few things I saw were small, but definately noteworthy. Like a time where I was getting trained for a new position in sales, for my secular job (never having been in sales, prior). My stomach got very upset the one day I was sitting there during a service meeting trying to pay attention to their teaching of "witnessing" techniques. I saw EXACTLY the same techniques used in the sales job I was training for! I thought... what?? I am "selling" religion the same way my company wanted me to sell windows and siding!! It bugged me to think that God "called" me and millions of others by THIS means!!! SALES!! these guys are just teaching us to be a bunch of salesmen! (no offense to sales ppl) Seems similar to a pyramid scheme! or at the very least an avon sales team! (love avon, btw)

Another thing that bugged me (Im on a roll here...) was how my wife and I struggled DAILY, to make our bills because we were trying to keep our lives simple and not work overtime and drive fancy cars, so that my wife could pioneer someday and maybe I could eventually join her!! We passed up job opportunities and a solid future because the "brothers" are telling us from the platform that this is what we should do! Thats fine, we chose to do that...BUT.... The ones that were up there telling us that, were living in a VERY comfy lifestyle and not at ALL "picking up their torture stake" to join us! Meanwhile us, and others like us in the cong. struggle (as we were told) to "do more" in service. Those "brothers" had the means to do exactly what they instructed us to do, and didnt! I kept shrugging off the hypocrisy of their actions, making excuses for them in my head.

The "Revelation" book really had me scratching my head too... I cant even begin to count the amount of times that I saw one of their statements that blah, blah, means... thus and such... which was backed up by MAYBE, MAYBE one scripture! Then it would go on to say that "since that is the case, this other scripture means... blah, blah, blah... PARDON MY FRENCH... BUT WTF????

Disfellowshipping.. to be treated as a man of the world?? NOT!!! TREATED AS DIRT!!! YES!!! (I fell into that one too, and shunned good friends, too that needed my help!) SAD!!!

One more thing..(sorry, venting here!) I came to the conclusion (may be wrong) that the whole door to door thing is ENTIRELY a farse... just their way to keep you busy so that you stay in their fold!!! They have published (on limited occasions) that the door to door work doesnt get many converts, yet they PUSH it so much! Their study habits are the same... designed to keep you so busy and bogged down that you couldnt possibly get it all done!! An older "sister" and elder's wife, actually told me that, when I expressed how tough it is to get all the studying and preparing done properly (as they say they want). She said that you cant! That they intentionally give you more than you can handle, to keep you busy!! MORE LIKE "TOILING AND LOADED DOWN!!!" Some kindly "yoke" they have put upon their members!! Maybe thats why they thought it best to remove one of the meetings!! The SHEEP ARE DYING FROM THE HEAVY LOAD, BOSS!!

Done venting for now! Thanks for the ears, and kind words from all! I really, really needed some fellow ex JWs to talk to!

20+

49

New "apostate" here! Recent WT study- 'We may ask you to do something that may not understand' (basically- DO IT)

by 20+wastedYRS in

jw
friends

i will get to the big shocker that i read within the last year or two in a wt study article, so please bear with me... i am new to this forum and have been reading postings for several days now, and can relate totally to many of the issues that many ex-jw have.

i was raised "around" the truth and although my parents were never "dipped", they wouldn't allow us to celebrate holidays or stand for natl anthem (not that i care now).

so i basically had many of the pressures and stress that witness kids had growing up, but with no spiritual support, as we attended only a handful of meetings while my parents studied when i was 5or6.

20+wastedYRS

BABAYAGA,

Thanks, but that is not the one I saw. It is similar, but not nearly as direct!! The one I saw used words like 'soon, you may be asked to do something that you do not understand or may question, but... (you should basically do whatever it is they will ask of you) NO JOKE!! It totally blew me away!!! It almost inferred that it wont seem to be from the bible, or along the lines of anything we have asked of you before!!!

Probably was from 4mos to a yr ago. (sorry, im not much help!! sounds like im full of crap, but I read and re-read it!!) It was in a study article, which they have always said is the primary means of distributing "food" from Jah's throne thru the FDS!!! That is also one thing that raised my eyebrows!!

49

New "apostate" here! Recent WT study- 'We may ask you to do something that may not understand' (basically- DO IT)

by 20+wastedYRS in

jw
friends

i will get to the big shocker that i read within the last year or two in a wt study article, so please bear with me... i am new to this forum and have been reading postings for several days now, and can relate totally to many of the issues that many ex-jw have.

i was raised "around" the truth and although my parents were never "dipped", they wouldn't allow us to celebrate holidays or stand for natl anthem (not that i care now).

so i basically had many of the pressures and stress that witness kids had growing up, but with no spiritual support, as we attended only a handful of meetings while my parents studied when i was 5or6.

20+wastedYRS

Thanks, guys!!

I really have had some GREAT struggles with the "truth" over the years and never could figure out why I couldnt "hang" very long! Quite honestly, my current wife, did some research online while I was first going back, and I was curious what she was looking at that made her so against the JWs. I looked at a couple things and it didnt really phase me the way that I thought "apostate" material would! (not exactly sure how it was supposed to affect me...horns would start growing out of my head??) So, I owe my permanent exit to her!!!

I best explained it to her like this in a text to her today, "If you go (to meetings), you feel a sense of satisfaction, with a TON of stress (for not measuring up)!!! But if you don't go...a TON of guilt!!! (which can last for YEARS)"

I researched looking for some sort of support system because NOBODY would understand unless you have been there!!! I AM SO THANKFUL I FOUND THIS SITE!!!

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND COMMENTS!!!