Posts by ambersun

58

How did you long-timers do it before the internet / Ray Franz books / abundant information?

by irondork in

jw
friends

with all the tools and information at the disposal of newly awakened ones, it's still no easy task coming to terms with the magnitude of it all.

it still takes a lot of gut-wrenching time and effort to get to the point where you are sure you made the right decision to leave.. .

how did you long-timers (old-timers, respectfully) manage it without crisis of conscience, christian freedom, jwn, jwfacts, freeminds, access to thousands of fellow survivors with stories just like yours?.

ambersun

Alarm bells started ringing for me when it was announced from the platform that we were to hand in any books written by Russell or Rutherford to be destroyed on a bonfire as the teachings were out of date and therefore misleading and could lead to stumble people . This was back in the early 1970s I think. I had never seen any of these books and was curious as to why they were considered to be so dangerous.

One day I was sent to help care for a very elderly brother of the Remnant and he had a bookshelf full of literature by Russell and Rutherford that had escaped the destruction. I spent several hours reading through them and was absolutely SHOCKED by the changes that had taken place in the basic Society teachings since the days of Russell. This was supposed to be the religion chosen by Jesus to be nearest to the truth, that he wanted to represent him on earth, yet almost every basic doctrine had been changed!!! It was also a huge shock to learn that Russell was a Pyramidologist.

I had to keep all this to myself for fear of getting into trouble for reading it, but the seeds of doubt were well and truly set. Without the internet I had no idea other witnesses also had doubts so I lived with them for years making excuses not to go to meetings whenever possible and starting to fade, having to put up with being called 'weak' by the congregation. Eventually I plucked up the courage to tell my practically born-in husband that I couldn't stand it any longer as it was all lies. To my absolute relief he also started to fade soon after that and moving to a new location helped us to complete our fade. I still had no idea there were others out there going through the same trauma as us as there was no way of knowing without the internet, and certainly no help or counselling available.

36

The real truth is that you know you've recovered when you stop caring about JW's

by gubberningbody in

jw
friends

it's perhaps sad, but perhaps a bit of wisdom to come to realize how insignificant jws really are.. .

you finally get to the point where you don't even care what happens to the borg one way or another.. .

this said after almost four years..

ambersun

I can never stop caring for a very good reason. Whenever I look a my lovely young JW nephews and nieces with their lives ahead of them, yet not being able to think for themselves or get an acceptable career other than pioneering, and with the sure knowledge that one day they will hit retirement age with no pension and maybe realise too late that it was all a sham,

I want to yell at them to wake up and smell the coffee! Yet I can't do that without ringing their apostate warning bells.

I HAVE to keep caring so I can be there if any one of them DOES wake up and needs their dotty old aunt who would know only too well what they were going through. Maybe for that reason alone it is good if I never fully recover.

61

Brits

by NewChapter in

jw
friends

i hear americans called yanks---and it never even made me blink an eye.

so i'm not sure---and almost used the term brits a minute ago and edited to say british people.

so tell me----is it offensive?

ambersun

I'm an English Brit and I certainly don't hate you NewChapter

Brit is just an abbreviation of the word British so I don't see how anyone could be offended by the term.

20

Has anybody given any thought for Calebs freind ?

by smiddy in

jw
friends

after all, this unidentified freind of caleb gives him a toy, which calebs mom finds objectionable , shouldn`t she just have said to caleb ,give it back to your freind ?

and not dump it in the trash can ?

what sort of a message does that send to caleb (or any other children who watch this video ) calebs mom should have acknowledged that his freind gave him a present, and it should be appreciated , not to disrespectfully throw it away in the trash can with no thought to the giver of the present.. smiddy.

ambersun

not to disrespectfully throw it away in the trash can with no thought to the giver of the present.

I think this is the part of the video that disturbs me most. It highlights the JW view of 'worldly' people being of no importance except to be preached at.

Any normal mother would have questioned Caleb being given an expensive gift from another small child. Had his friend actually given it to him, or had Caleb begged his friend to lend it to him, to be returned the next day? Or, had Caleb actually stolen it from his little friend? After all, he seems an intelligent child and may have already learned that stealing or borrowing was the only way he could ever get his hands on a desirable toy such as Sparlock. His parents sure as hell would never buy him one!

It just gives me great pleasure to imagine Caleb's friend's furious parents turning up on the doorstep with their tearful son in tow, and demanding that Caleb's mother pays for a replacement Sparlock!!

33

November KM do not upset the branch with with your relatives or friends trying to get them to become JW's.

by life is to short in

i just thought that the question box of the november km was strange the way it was worded.

i tried to scan it but could not get it to come up so i will type it out.. ("who should fill out coupons and internet requests?.

our publications often contain coupons that can be filled out and sent to the branch office to request literature or a visit from jehovah's witnesses.

ambersun

Publisher who have received a notice to call on someone who did not personally request a visit have found themselves in an awkward position when the individual expressed irritation.

So, let me get this right. They are claiming it is wrong to put publishers in an 'awkward position' by making them call on people who did not request a visit and expressed irritation, yet this is exactly what they expect the rank and file to do on a daily basis. It does not make sense.

Encouraging publishers to go out en masse at Christmas when people are in the middle of opening presents or enjoying their Christmas dinner is also fine apparently, even though the householder most certainly did not request a visit on that day.

Talk about feeling awkward, I wished the ground would open up and swallow me sometimes. I can remember only too clearly the number of times I was yelled and sworn at by furious householders wearing party hats, and feeling embarrassed as I knew I would feel exactly the same if the situation was reversed.

Unbelievable!!

9

And once again... I unknowingly befriended a JW!!

by Free!! in

jw
friends

this is like the third time it happens!!...

so i am a corporate trainer and meet lots of new people every week... i always click w one or two of my students but for the last 2 classes i have clicked with two jws!!!

i did not know they where jws and they have no idea i am da'd... but after i befriended them on fb i realized ohhh ish!!!

ambersun

I suppose it really depends on how close your friendship is going to be with these JWs. At the moment they are just your students and have no right to know anything about your private life. All that concerns them right now is that you are qualified to teach them.

If you start meeting them socially then I suppose you might feel obliged to tell them at some point, but I would be as casual as possible and just say it is part of your past life, that you respect their beliefs but would rather not talk about it if they didn't mind.

I am still on friendly speaking terms with almost every JW I know even though I DA'd over 20 years ago, we just keep off the subject of religion lol. There will always be the odd few fanatical JWs who think you have sprouted invisible horns and there are demons dancing round you

I would deffinately keep it to yourself for the time being until you have got to know them more as individuals so you will get a better idea of how they will react to knowing you are DA'd. Please don't worry too much about it.

32

JW leadership vacuum - explained!

by sir82 in

jw
friends

jw leadership shows an appalling lack of creativty and originality.. -- meeting attendance down across the board?

let's keep the same 1940's format anyway!.

-- missionaries quitting their assignments?

ambersun

Other organizations encourage, nurture, develop, and reward leadership skills. The WTS encourages, nurtures, and rewards mindless obedience to concepts and structures developed 60 or 70 or more years ago, by people long dead.

This is a brilliant post sir82, you are spot on with your analysis. We are living in an ever changing world where innovation and fresh, new ideas are the only way to keep any business or organisation afloat, especially when it involves capturing the enthusiasm of today's young, vibrant, techno savvy generation. Why, for instance, should JWs in 2011 feel inspired to go out knocking on peoples' doors as they did in the 1930s and 40s? We live in an age of instant access, when messages and images can be blasted around the world within seconds via internet or phone!

The elderly men at Brooklyn are already so far out of touch with the youth of today it is laughable, they are having to rely on guilt tripping the parents and grandparents in order to keep the youth in line, but they must realise they are fighting a losing battle by insisting on keeping to these outdated concepts.

110

A truly creepy 2007 public talk by Ciro Aulicino - You Will Be With Me in Paradise

by Tatiana in

i searched for this here and didn't find any posts about it.

i just found this while searching for info as i was debating a jw on another site.

this is the most mind-blowing, spaced-out, insane bunch of mess i've ever heard.

ambersun

You took the words right out of my mouth punkofnice. I can picture him dressed in a Nazi uniform giving that bitter, hate filled speech.

I really feel a need right now to address a question to current JWs who may be reading this thread at the moment.

If any of you are currently shunning relatives who are apostate or gay, I implore you to listen to the talk by Ciro then stop and think it through.

Even if you feel justified in shunning loved ones who have left the Organisation due to not agreeing with their policies, or maybe because they are gay, would you really wish for such a terrible and violent end to the life of your husband, wife, son, daughter or grandchildren and be happy to join Ciro in laughing and praising Jah for causing such suffering and destruction? What harm have these people done other than express a difference of opinion or a desire to share their lives with someone of the same sex? They are still loving, normal people just trying to live their lives and do not deserve to die.

How could you picture looking at their stricken bodies after armageddon and not mourn their loss? You would now be living in a world ruled by a Governing Body who are all thinking along the same lines as Ciro who will order the execution of anyone who fails to fit into their mould, just like in Nazi Germany.

A world without suffering or pain? REALLY????

Please, just think it through.

Thank you

7

New Mentality

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

no,i am not talking about being "mentally diseased",lol.

it's just wonderful to allow myself to have my own thoughts and opinions.. i'm still around family and some acquaintances who are witnesses.

and i cringe every time i hear a phrase or belief ,that now i realize is totally wacky.. for example: relatives talking about a newly reinstated man's unbelieving wife.

ambersun

I'm still around family and some acquaintances who are Witnesses. And I cringe every time I hear a phrase or belief ,that now I realize is totally wacky.

EmptyInside, I know exactly what you mean. At family gatherings with JW and non JW relatives, it is funny how JWs can often forget they are talking to 'worldly' people when they are relaxed in comfortable surroundings and are totally oblivious to how wacky they sound.

Out come their ridiculous stock JW phrases and, if the TV is on, passing hate filled comments about gay presenters, expressing disapproval of women in 'mens jobs', or making disgusted scoffing noises if a narator of a documentary mentions evolution or carbon dating, or anything at all which contradicts what the WTS has indictrinated them to believe.

Recently we were watching a fascinating and well informed documentary on how the ice age transformed the landscape over thousands of years and one JW relative huffed and puffed and said loudly "why won't they just admit that it was all due to Noah's flood instead of all this nonsense?!!"

They just presume that everyone in the room will automatically agree with their biased views, and I just watch the stunned expressions on the 'worldly' relatives faces as they usually just ignore it to avoid any conflict which they have already learned from experience is utterly pointless.

36

Encouraging sigleness

by Dudu in

do you think is one of the unhealthy teachings among the wt?

i mean humans has been created with emotional and physical needs that relationships provide, right?.

ambersun

This reminds me of a particular talk on staying single which sticks out in my mind as being one of the most irresponsible and shocking talks I have ever heard. I think it was at the 1969 International Assembly at Wembley but can't be certain.

The speaker said that brothers and sisters who found it impossible to remain single were wasting valuable time searching for a suitable marriage partner which was interfering with their worship and pioneering. There was only ONE requirement for a JW and that was to find another JW who was as spiritually minded as yourself. Nothing else mattered. You will automatically be compatable by your mutual love of the 'Truth'. Then just get married and pioneer together, maybe even become missionaries serving where the need was greatest.

He made no mention of love or even being remotely physically attracted to each other, let alone a courtship. No, if you really can't stay single then just marry anyone, as long as they are strong in the 'Truth' It seemed to me that all the Society was concerned about was marrying you off to the nearest single brother or sister to prevent you from committing fornication.

I was appalled and felt quite sick. There was one single brother who made it obvious he fancied me but he gave me the creeps and the thought of being married off to him filled me with horror. He must have been rubbing his hands together with glee listening to that talk! Fortunately, I found someone else who was lovely. We fell in love and are still together today, free from the Borg and its influences thank goodness!!!

How many disastrous marriages took place as a result of that totally irresponsible talk I wonder