For those of us that were in the organization in 1975 and prior it seems absurd that some one is trying to tell us that we are mistaken that the watchtower society never pointed to 1975 as when armegeddon would begin. I too remember it vividly all the talks about how close the end was, how we who were in our 20's would never grow old, those who left would not have time to return.....we were on a sinking titantic.etc one elder told me he remembers telling people at the door in 1975 that he would not be back talking to them in 1976 as the great tribulation was for sure coming in 1975. I remember all the talks that all the signs of the time of the end had been fulfilled and whenever the world says peace and security then sudden destruction will be upon them. well that was said and here we are in 2012. i am now 59 growing old and accepting my mortality. As a young person i remember being terroized by the pictures in the paradise lost to paradise regain book, the earth opening up swallowing up people and cars. everytime there was a threat of war between russia and the us (this was the pushing and shoving from the king of the north to the king of the south), earthquakes etc we thought armeggedon was about to start. they scared the living shit out of us constantly. as a child i remember being so frightened all the time....would i be swallowed up or would jehovah protect me. Talk about child abuse when i think about the terror they made me feel and others and to this day still spew this fear from the pulpit and especially at the conventions....it makes me sick..... they control by fear and lies. I left in 1985 when i woke up to the fact i was involved in a cult. My cousin and his wife are still witnesses and were there in 1975 to hear all this hype. when i saw my cousin in 2001 he was trying to get me to come back. when i asked him so when are they now saying that armegeddon is coming since they cannot claim the generation that seen the begining would see the end which according to them was 1914 (we were always quoted the average life span was 70 and if special might 80) he got mad and called me an apostate. They cannot stand their own literature being used against them.... It makes me think of a quote that fits the watchtower ... grucho marx said... who are you going to believe me or your lying eyes. for me i am glad i believed my lying eyes.
molly1
JoinedPosts by molly1
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278
Children of 1975
by d inwhat was it like to live in the 1950's 1960's and early 70's as a jehovah witness.when they started to push the 1975 date..
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Jan. 15th WT- Go to Meetings to Fight the Blues- Eliminate other Activities
by flipper inour jw contact sent us the " witness only " wt's again and i just had to make a thread on this mind numbing article.
starting on pg.22 in the jan.15th it deals with " coping with discouragement ".
it seems lots of jw's are under intense stress these days ( can you blame them ?
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molly1
i can so relate to all the comments. the magazines, meetings, assemblies did nothing to make you feel good about yourself they were designed to make you feel worthless, guilt ridden and fearful...this is the way they control the masses. everything was "your going to have to answer to jehovah" so if you missed an oportunity to witness you were blood guilty, if you spent time on hobbies when you could be reading the watchtower and awake you were made to feel guilty, vacations well you better have used the oportunity to give a witness , grocery shopping, riding a bus, fellow workers etc. or you were blood guilty. the three years before i left were spent in cycles of depression. i would go to the elders for help and get a temporary bandade. i was married to an unbeliever and he was so frustrated at what he could see my faith doing to my mental health. he would try and have calm reasonable discussions with me. he would show me articles that proved the watchtower was delibertly misrepesenting the facts in their publications, i was terribly torn between what i was finding out about them and my loyalty to the organization. he use to say one day the light is going to go on and you are going to see that it is not you but what you are forcing your self to believe. it happend just that way. the mountain of evidence was overwhelming that my belief system was a sham. not an easy pill to swallow. i did not have children because we did not want to bring children into a divided household, i went down to part time work and didn't put money into rrsp till my mid thirties because the end was coming. when i left i felt like a women who had left her abusive husband who made her feel worthless, controled her every thought and movement. it was like i was let out of prison. i can hardly believe i allowed this to happen to me. i feel so sorry for those still trapped in this cult and mind set. the price they pay cannot be measured. i love having my mind back to have critical thinking which is a big no no with the gb. they want you dumb down, follow the status quo don't ask questions. i have been gone for over 25 years and never been happier. i have healthy self esteem, peace of mind and a lust for learning. i have thrived since leaving. i was around when 1975 was the big year that the end was coming, it was eminent. they kept saying that those who had left might not have enough time to come back the door will soon be shut and they will be destroyed along with the worldlings like in the days of noah. when i left i got the same line, i was going to be sorry etc. as i say that was over 25 years ago and they still have the gall to say were wrong.
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2010 District Convention - Some Thoughts on the Sunday Afternoon Session
by Olin Moyles Ghost inout of a sense of morbid curiosity, i recently attended the sunday afternoon session of the district convention.
the session consisted of a drama and the infamous "remain in the secret place of the most high" talk.
overall, i got a sense that the wts is in damage control mode because the end hasn't come yet.
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molly1
like george carlin said religious belief is mental illness. because of fear from the invisible man in the sky people unquestionably accept the crap in the bible even if its so ridiculous and cruel they see it as righteous and true. imagine if the things that were written in the bible were carried out in modern life. do you think parents would get away with stoning their children, should a couple be stoned to death for having sex because the wife was menstrating, should 70 thousand people loose their lives because the head of state took a census how about a child put to death for the sins of the father and mother, what would we think of a father who was willing to murder his son because he belived it was to show god how loyal he was , how about the justification of slavery, the invasion of a near by town and slaughter every one except the good looking women you want as a conquest. i could go on and on with the ridiculous examples in the bible that are held up us as ethical and moral. once you go down that road you have to throw reason out the window. i was a jw and had to try and justify these stories to my unbelieving husband. when i left i had to go back to the beginning and look at the bible with a critical eye to set myself free from fear and delusion. i did research on every thing i was taught as well as the watch tower society. knowledge is power. when your trapped into a cult like mindset there is nothing that those in control can't tell you you won't believe or do. your mind and free will is not yours any more. to question sets off a chain of events that once you go down that road there is no turning back pandora's box is open. for many the price is too high not to go along with the status quo. to admit you have been duped, the loss of friends and family, to face your mortality this takes courage. i was lucky to get out and regain my mind. looking back on the person i was as a witness, afraid of information that threatend my belief system, the guilt and depression because of never feeling like you measured up. it was like being in an abusive relationship with no voice. i can hardly believe i let this happend to me. it saddens me to think of so many trapped by something that is not real. the price they are paying whether its realtionships, their precious time wasted away in meetings and door to door work and especially freedom of thought. i keep wondering how long this cult can continue to exist but this latest generation thing proves that the gb knows that they have control of the masses...they have to accept it and drink the kool aide.
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Were you Stalked or Chased After Once you Exited the JW's by Elders ?
by flipper ini tried to fade off the map by moving 30 miles initially in 2004 after i exited in late 2003 .
the first several years they didn't bother me.
i ran into a elder from my former congregation in late 2005 in an antique store - he tried telling me i was wrong for stopping attending meetings.
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molly1
i knew the day i walked out of the kh in august 1985 that i would never return. i had been struggling the last 3 years of being a jw with what i was finding out about them and for that matter the bible. i was married to an unbliever who had the patients and kindness of a saint. he tolerated my being a jw for 10 years....he should of left me but i am glad he didn't. he use to say to me one day the light is going to go on and you are going to see it's not you but the lies and deception you are trying to justify. i constantly thought satan was trying to derail my faith. i would go to the elders for help but they did not give me satisfactory answers to my questions. i got advice like don't think so much, jehovah will reveal it in time, just attend the meetings, the truth is simple all little pat answers. they don't want thinkers they are a threat. a month after i decided to leave they showed up. i was warned by a jw friend to say nothing to them but i am a honest truthful person and let them know my concerns. i was very respectful but i held nothing back my husband was in the room with me. by the end of the visit it went from lets help her to we have to shut her up. about 6 weeks after their visit i get a phone call that they wanted me to appear to before a jd committee to face my accusers. i was caught off guard and shocked that they had gone on a witch hunt to see if i had talked to anyone so they could use it against me. although i was ready to give up the religion i still had realitives and friends that were jw's and did not want to be df. i started crying and told them they should be ashamed of themselves and hung up. i then got mad. i waited for their next phohe call and was ready. i said i would love to meet with them and their accusers and i would be bringing my lawyer with me as i feel i have been slandered, harrassed and suffered emotional distress. this shocked the elder and said there would be no meeting if i brought a lawyer. so i said so you demigods think you have the right to call how this goes down and i should show up with no one on my side. he said we will get back to you. the next phone call 2 weeks later had another elder on another line (you know the 2 witness thing) i told them my husband was on our other line also. he proceeded to ask why i just did't disasociate myself as i wasn't going to meetings i replied well john your daughter doesn't go to meetings either maybe she should disasociate her self too. boy did i strike a nerve. he said do you consider yourself a good person ? i said your damn right i do. he says well why did you try to hurt me by attacking my daughter. it was ok to attack me for this but not his daughter. he then wanted to read me a scripture which i had been telling them they had no more power over me nor did the bible. they insisted i listen to the scripture that i was a pig in the mire and a dog returning to its vomit etc. such loving sheperding really made me want to come back. i brought up incidences that i had seen elders handle etc. that made them uncomfortable. when they seen they could not intimidate me they ended the conversation and said they would get back to me with their decison. 2 weeks later we get a phone call and my husband answered. the elder said "can we speak to your good wife" really that's what he said. i must of scared the bejesus out of them because he said we have decided you have done no wrong and if you ever want to get back on track call us. i have never heard from them again. lesson stand up to the bullies and take no shit. the emporer has no clothes.
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Thousands of people have come and gone from this site....is this part of the healing process???
by Witness 007 ini see alot of new names here lately and if you look at the log on names here there are thousands who have moved on....every 2 years the posters change.....some vent and leave, others stay on for years.
i guess moving on with your life is a good thing, i think this site helps...any thoughts?.
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molly1
i am a newby to the sight. i left 25 years ago...............so happy i did. i was very devouted and believed all the bs. when i allowed myself to investigate the organization pandora's box was open and i could not go back with what i found. i wish a sight like this was available in 1985. this site helps a lot of people to realize they are not alone and to work through a difficult time of adjustment. i love to read the posts and feel good that people re regaining their lives and are happy....i sure am especially to have my mind back to have critical thinking without guilt of doubts etc.
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If you felt/feel that you had/have good, close "friends" in the org, how did/does it feel to just give them up?
by Crisis of Conscience inthis is my biggest dilema.
although mentally i really feel i could walk away from the org right now, i still have genuine love for the people i have come to know over the years.
i love people!.
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molly1
like so many of you i lost beautiful friendships. i am a very loving open person who gives my heart and soul to my friends. i had many close relationships in the jw's. i knew in leaving that i would be branded an apostate and loose my dear friends but i had to be true to myself. when i left the elders who delt with me were viscious when they seen i was not coming back. I remember saying to one elder who i got the phone call from "how do you expect me to attend meetings and go out in the service if i don't believe it any more" he said you knew what you were doing when you got baptized and i replied yes with the knowledge i had at the time i thought i was doing the right thing but new information has come to light and i cannot support some thing i no longer believe in. to me it was like finding out santa claus isn't real how do you go back and believe. it was very painful to loose my friends it takes courage to walk away knowing the cost. those left behind would like to think that you were just stumbled. how shallow to think you would give up your convictions because some one offended you.....i guess its easier for them to believe this. i harbour no hard feelings with the flock but i hate the governing body and the cruelty with which it rules. i was lucky in that i am a very out going person and have made wonderful friends and lead a full and happy life. i still think fondly of my jw friends and feel pity for them trapped in a mind set that is destructive to them and waiting for promises that will never happen.
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WT Society's Sly Guilt & Fear Tactics on Young People in Nov.15th WT
by flipper inas many on this board are aware- the wt society is losing younger members in big numbers.
statistics show that 2 out of 3 jw's raised in the cult leave between the age of 18 to 35. so like they always do- if the wt society sees a " need " or " problem " arising they address it in wt study articles.
thus notice how manipulative the wt society uses fear, guilt, and put down type comments to intimidate young jehovah's witnesses in this wt study article in nov. 15th issue.. under the titled article " young ones - what will you do with your life ?
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molly1
it's so sad that generation after generation falls prey to this cult. i reflect back to when i was a wittness and swallowed it all. no one at the time could tell me that i was being manipulated and brain washed. they do a good job of making you feel guilty for independent thinking "look what happend to adam and eve for independent thinking" etc. i remember at every assembly young ones being made to feel guilty if they were thinking of going to college when they could be pioneering and would have to answer to jehovah. the end was always just around the corner that was 35 years ago for me and they are still saying its just around the corner for that matter they have been saying that for over a hundred years. all of us who have left wish you could open the eyes of those who are being duped before they have given so much of their life for a fairy tale..... a cruel one at that. education is the enemy of the watchtower society. they must be in terror of the internet.....all the information about them at the tip of your fingers. for me i am so happy to have my mind back and have critical thinking. it's a precious thing to have freedom of thought and to question without guilt. i am so greatful that i did not spend an entire life trapped in a close minded controlling religon as so many have waiting for empty promises of a new world. they are so desperate to control the young now that they are pushing young baptism. they claim that baptism is the most important decision you will ever make more important than marriage yet you wouldn't want children or teenagers to enter into marriage. you want then to have maturity and appreciation of such a serious committment but child baptism is just a desperate attempt to try and keep control. isn't it interesting that the bible says jesus was not baptized until he was 30.
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I've Got An Idea: Sue An Elder!
by minimus ini honestly think that if individual elders thought they personally might get sued, they would back off from talking to you or trying to hunt you down.
i know i always was nervous that i'd havv=e to hire a lawyer and pay $$$ out of my own pocket.. what do you think?
might that not discourage elders from violating your rights or harrassing you?
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molly1
when i decided to leave, the elders came around for their attempt to bring the lost sheep back. i voiced my concerns over many issues in sincerity but i had no intentions of going back. by the end of the visit i could tell it went from lets help her back to we got to shut her up. they went on a witch hunt to find out who i might have voiced my concerns to and thus accused me of apostasy. it wasn't long after the visit that i got a call from the elders telling me they wanted a meeting with me to face my accusers. at first i was very upset as i did not want to be disfellowshiped. i had family who were witnesses and cared for many. i had been a faithful and loyal witness and when i left i did not try to destroy others faith. that didn't matter they were determined to get rid of me. when they called back to set a date for the meeting i said that was fine, my lawyer and i look forward to your meeting because i feel i have been harrased, suffered emotional distress and have been slandered and i would like the names of my accusers. they said well there will be no meeting if you bring a lawyer. i said so you want me to come to your meeting by myself so you can gang up on me with no protection for my rights. they then proceeded to read me scripture how i was a pig in the mire, and a dog returning to its vomit etc. it was a pathetic attempt to control and beat me down. i stood up to the bullies and the next time they called they said they decided there was no need for a meeting as they could find " no wrong doing" even asking when they called "can i speak to your good wife". i am sure if i didn't threatened them with a law suit they would have disfellowshiped me. there intimidation usually works with the masses as they would like you to believe you have no rights.
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New light: Generation
by 5thGeneration ingot some info from the annual meeting.. unofficially, the 'generation' is now categorized as 2 groups.
the first is 'the 1914 group' and the second is the younger anointed 'contemporaries' who 'actually work for a period of time with those anointed ones'.. the 'generation' is now 'the lifespan of those who actually saw the beginning of the sign and then the lifespan of those who worked with those who saw the beginning of the sign'.. here we go again....
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molly1
I left he organization 25 years ago. my parents became involved when i was 5. they divorced and were both disfellowshiped when i was 10. they were always believers though. i got involved again when i was 22 and been married for 3 years to a non believer. the hell it wreaked on my life because i thought it was the truth can't be measured. my husband and i decided not to have children and bring them into a divided home. i would have given up my marriage to a wonderful man who should of left me. he put up with me being in this cult for 10 years. he would point out during this time all the lies and inconsistencies of the watchtower but i was always thinking it was the great satan trying to take me away from"god's organization" the 3 years before i finally left, my days were spent in inner turmoil and deep depression. my husband always said one of these days the light is going to go on and you are going to see that its not you its the organization that has lied to you. finally after one circuit oversear visit whose talk thoroughly disgust me i started looking up all those sources they so lovingly put in the back of the watchtower and awake for you to cross reference. i could'nt believe the out right distortion of what was being said from their sources. i realized these were delibert acts of deceiving the "sheep" knowing 99 percent would never look the information up. ...afer all we could have complete trust in the virtues of the gb. they would never lie or deceive. it was like how a young child has complete trust in their parents. my whole world as a jw came crumbling down, to realize i was so duped all these years and sacrificed so much for a lie. i can't tell you how many times i asked the elders for help to my questions over the years only to be told pray to jehovah, just read what is in the watchtower and go to meetings. when i left, the elders went from lets help her find her way back to lets get her. that's for another time to discuss. i have always wanted others to wake up to the watchtower society's lies but it takes real courage to look and admit you are wrong. it comes at a great cost, i was a devout witness and had many strong friendships. i knew leaving that i would be labled an apostate and would loose their friendship. it was truly gut wrenching but when pandors's box is opened theres no going back. how could i go back to the kingdom hall and listen to this crap they were dealing out and go door to door. it cost be a lot to leave but i gained a precious freedom. i had my mind back free to investigate claims without feeling like the demons were out to get you. the society always wants to make you feel evil for independent thinking... thats what got adam and eve in to trouble don't you know. they want other people to look into their religous beliefs but are not willing to put their own beliefs to the fire. Even though this riduculous "generation" thing they are trying to pass off as new light..... most of the following will swallow it.... they have to. the cost is too much to leave and too scarry. to loose your family and friends, admit you have been wrong all these years to outsiders who you have preached the "truth" to. not many have the strength or courage to do so. its easier to go along with the status quo. be a good jw and take it. fear and guilt are the tools of the gb and of course the boogey man "Satan and his demons"