It is sad to see the increase even knowing that the figures are massaged and inflated does not help. It is human nature for people to cling to things that are familiar and JW programming is extremely strong. It takes tremendous will power and courage to walk away knowing what you will loose. Most people will stay even though they are miserable and stressed because the thought of doing something differently does not occur to them.
Posts by nugget
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153The antidote to the myth that JWs are declining
by slimboyfat inone of the most persistent myths on this website is that jws are already in decline, the rot has set in, and the descent of the watchtower is inevitable from here on in.
unfortunately the facts do not bear this out.
jws are still increasing even in most developing countries, and they are still growing worldwide at a faster rate than the general population.
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82
My Mom has decided to turn me in... I am not afraid (Letter Inside)
by sosoconfused inthe only reason i am posting this is because i know many of you are going or will be going through something similar and wonder if it is worth it.
i personally feel that it is worth it regardless of what i lose.
my wife is backing me and i have my children.
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nugget
She has reverted to type falling back on all the old JW argument and rhetoric. I feel for her since she is unable to see the truth and deception despite your explanation.
She says she loves you and that is a positive. She qualifies that by saying she loves Jehovah more but what is sad is she allows herself to be manipulated by a group of power hungry men. She is unable to process difficult information at the moment. It is always hard in the beginning but having close family supporting you and knowing that the children are free of the corruption is strong motivation.
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43
Fading ... and Feeling Lost
by What Now? inprior to that we had been in a new congregation for about 9 months, and we were just irregular.
my husband rarely went, and i would go occasionally with our toddler son just enough to show our faces and keep the elders off our backs, and for the sake of some friendships in our old hall.
all of the reasons i had for going were just no longer important.
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nugget
Friends are out there but as witnesses we did not have to make an effort. Here are some of the things we did that helped us to build a network of solid friendships.
We reconnected with old school friends and worldly relatives and apologised for being total idiots.
We joined sites for ex jws and meetup sites and got involved in activities.
We offered our home as a venue for get togethers and held events and meet ups of our own.
We made sure that we kept in contact with those we met up with via facebook and were there for them if they needed help and reached out to them when we needed help.
We were open to opportunities in the neighbourhood, did volunteer work and made an effort to speak to people. I connected with another working mum who had issues with short term childcare. I look after her children on teacher training days and she drops my son home when I am working in the afternoon and can't be at the school to meet him. We do things together as well.
What I have learnt is being passive is not helpful. People will not generally come to you. As witnesses we carry a barrier around with us and other people sense it. It makes us hard to approach. When we left I started telling people that we were no longer witnesses and why. I made sure that I sent Christmas cards to everyone who had helped with the children and were our neighbours.
Take up a hobby or take a class, find people who are interested in the same things there are many people out there looking for someone to connect with and although not everyone wants to be your friend, many are open to the idea.
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77
I just informed the parents about me and the TTATT... heart wrenching
by sosoconfused inwell first i want to thank everyone here for the good points etc... i have received over the last few months.
you guys have really been helpful!.
so the other day my mother wrote me a 3 page letter telling me how she was so scared for me because she could tell my love for the truth was gone etc.. so i decided i wanted to totally rip the band-aid off and get this matter over and done with.
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nugget
There comes a point when you need to take the irrevocable step when lying is more painful than the consequences of truth. Your parents have feared this moment and so have you but now the worst is over. It sounds like your mum is more affected by the revelations but at least she took the time to read what you provided and she can see what motivated you to reach your decision. Whether she will reach the same conclusions you did is difficult to know but certainly she is shocked by what you showed her. Give her some space to let it sink in.
I wish you well and hope that your relationship with your parents can reach some kind of balance.
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14
Congregation Loans
by sosoconfused inwhat i am trying to figure out is wether or not the society actually collects interest on the money they loan for kingdom hall construction.. .
for instance if we have 70k in the bank and need 90k for project and we get a loan from the borg - do they charge interest on the loan or is just the base 20k paid back over time?.
i never actually paid attention to this process, does anyone know.
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nugget
Over the last few years the situation changed and congregations were encouraged to sign the halls over to the society. They still pay all the bills and maintain the property but the hall no longer belongs to the congregtion.
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Cultural JWs
by wizzstick infollowing a comment by sapphy on another thread on cultural jws, it got me thinking about my circle of 30 something jw friends.. they fall into roughly two groups.
couples without kids, couples with kids.. the couples without kids are the most interesting.
they're mainly career types, but with one foot firmly in jw land.
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nugget
JWs just accept that is the problem and the danger. The question is that what are their limits and what will they draw the line at?
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14
Congregation Loans
by sosoconfused inwhat i am trying to figure out is wether or not the society actually collects interest on the money they loan for kingdom hall construction.. .
for instance if we have 70k in the bank and need 90k for project and we get a loan from the borg - do they charge interest on the loan or is just the base 20k paid back over time?.
i never actually paid attention to this process, does anyone know.
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nugget
Not really the banks lend you money to build your home or buy your home. At the end of the process and once the loan is paid your house is yours.
The society lends congregations money to build a hall, the congregation pays back the loan but at the end of the process they give the hall to the society. In fact they are paying to build something they will never own. Not what banks do.
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14
Congregation Loans
by sosoconfused inwhat i am trying to figure out is wether or not the society actually collects interest on the money they loan for kingdom hall construction.. .
for instance if we have 70k in the bank and need 90k for project and we get a loan from the borg - do they charge interest on the loan or is just the base 20k paid back over time?.
i never actually paid attention to this process, does anyone know.
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nugget
The irony is the coingregation takes out a loan from the society to build a hall. They build the hall, pay the bills and pay back the loan. The congregation may believe it is their hall. However they have passed over the ownership of the hall to the society. So the society loans someone else the money to build something for them and the congregation pays for the privilege.
It's daylight robbery.
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Jehovahs Witnesses couple accused of neglecting child by feeding only fruits, vegetables and juices
by Sol Reform inhttp://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/jehovahs-witnesses-couple-from-jupiter-accused-of-/nyhx3/.
posted: 2:50 p.m. tuesday, june 11, 2013. jehovah's witnesses couple accused of neglecting child by feeding only fruits, vegetables and juicescomment(31) 21 191 22 477relatedview larger louis, claudelview larger louis, vanessaby alexandra seltzerpalm beach post staff writer.
a suburban jupiter couple is in the county jail today after they refused to give their 19-month-old boy the nutrients he needed, causing him to end up in a local hospital's intensive care unit.claudel and vanessa louis face charges of neglect of a child with great bodily harm.palm beach county sheriff's deputies were called to st. mary's medical center in west palm beach on june 5 to investigate the child neglect case.. the 19-month-old boy was admitted to the hospital may 24 after he had trouble breathing.the boy's doctor told the investigating deputy that the boy was severely malnourished, underdeveloped and was in respiratory distress, according to a sheriff's probable-cause affidavit.
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nugget
These people are bad parents who happen to call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses. If they were regular attenders then it would be shocking if noone saw the child's condition and did nothing. It is more likely they were not regular attendersprobably citing the child's "illness".
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Feeling Guilty
by naazira ini am feeling gulity because i will not be going to the summer convention.
i just can not sit through the talks they are sooo boring.
im cutting off all contact with the witnesses.
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nugget
There was no guilt just relief. The talks are of no value or merit and serve no purpose there is no need to attend it is rather a positive action not to attend and to draw a line in the sand. Take pride in your decision.