Posts by laverite

C.O.B.E.Beef, what is the update? How have you been and where are you now in relation to The Truth™? Perhaps I've missed some stuff in the last five years. :)

9

My JW mother asks me to be 2nd on her "Medical Directive" card

by OnTheWayOut in

jw
friends

my mother's parents, my grandparents were not jw.

my jw mother had medical power of attorney and her husband (never jw) was secondary on that.

when grandma needed blood, mom let her husband sign off.

"She said she doesn't want the elders making decisions." Wow. THAT is interesting! It's also interesting that she's found a way for things to happen in the past without being directly involved. I like her.

16

JWs and Field Service Attire

by laverite in

jw
friends

this morning the jws are working my neighborhood.

i have a birds eye view from my upstairs office.

on my side of the street is three men with a baby in a stroller.

laverite

I'm fascinated by these replies. Thanks for sharing everyone. I didn't know this was so standard now. The thing is that I am often working from home weekdays, and my street is worked (waaaaaay over worked, fact!!) and it's almost always sisters working week days. Sometimes, I see older men working the street, but they are always dressed in their entire JW uniforms. I think it's so rare for me to see youngish men working this street, that the combination of the shoulder bag, clothes, etc. seemed in such contrast to what I am used to seeing on my street.

Thanks all!

16

JWs and Field Service Attire

by laverite in

jw
friends

this morning the jws are working my neighborhood.

i have a birds eye view from my upstairs office.

on my side of the street is three men with a baby in a stroller.

laverite

They looked 30-something maybe?

21

By Way of Announcement, Darlene Jefferson Has Been Disfellowshiped

by Cold Steel in

i was watching a jw video where the announcement was made of a young lady's being disfellowshiped, and it happened in a regular kh sunday meeting.

this struck me as being a bit...cold.

is this when the shunning begins?

laverite

Pale, you have a healthy attitude and outlook on the entire situation. This will serve you and your daughter very well in future. I am so glad that you will be able to provide a good example for her outside of the religion. There's a lot of irony, for sure. Interesting and so typical they wouldn't let you go out on your own terms, but seemed to want to have ultimate control. They almost seem to need that, perhaps as a way to deal with the cognitive dissonance that they surely must experience from time to time.

Cold Steel - they don't announce what people did/didn't do during DFs or Public reproof. I think regardless of whether it's a DF or PR, people who don't know will wonder. There's usually at least a few and often more than a few who do know. Ultimately, most will know. And, this kind of thing takes on a life of its own -- often growing way out of proportion. You could have a sister being disfellowshipped for having an affair with a co-worker, and over a couple of weeks, this turns into having had sex with an entire football team in their locker room, multiple times whilst being filmed... The stories take on a life of their own.

21

By Way of Announcement, Darlene Jefferson Has Been Disfellowshiped

by Cold Steel in

i was watching a jw video where the announcement was made of a young lady's being disfellowshiped, and it happened in a regular kh sunday meeting.

this struck me as being a bit...cold.

is this when the shunning begins?

laverite

Pale,

You wrote: 'Funny you should mention shunning, only a few hours ago i was getting on a bus with my little girl and an elder and his wife were getting off. I smiled and said "hello" like any normal human being would, to which the elder replied "hello <daughters name>" and walked right past me.'

I know it's not funny. BUT...I couldn't help but laugh reading that. That kind of reaction is so ridiculously immature. I laugh but I also cringe a little too. And I'm sorry you had to go through that.

If you were in a shop or around people in close proximity, you could always say out loud (just loud enough for others to hear) 'Are you really going to shun me in public because of the petty Jehovah's Witness rules? Why must Jehovah's Witnesses such a cruel people? Do you know what shunning has done to its victims? Do you not care?'

9

September 17th 19...

by LogansRun in

jw
friends

one decision one day one event , today is the anniversary of the plunge that ruined my life .i was young and now i'm old and feel screwed over - ok my personal pity party is over if you made it this far thank you for just being out there.. now my fading update, no meetings for 3 weeks they don't know yet i'm not coming back but thanks to this site and many helpful youtube stories i have some tools to know how to play this game.

because this is a fade i have not been able to tell my story but it really is unique ,i can say at this time there is no wife or kids involved but i do have siblings in this and my oldest brother is a super strict witness to the point of being a bully but thankfully most of my extended family are not j-dubs and that's what's going to help me get through this along with all of you .

have a great day folks !.

laverite

I agree with pale.emperor. If/when you're ready, we'd love to hear your story. Pale, I think that when the stress of life as a witness -- never being good enough, never doing enough, needing to always reach out more -- is lifted, that one can't help but be better at dealing with life's other stressors. It's easier to be kind, funny, more relaxed when that weight is lifted. How many times did you feel dread at the thought of getting ready for the meeting or field service, while also saying at the same time how wonderful and what a privilege it was to be a witness. That kind of cognitive dissonance isn't pleasing to experience. All those conflicts, all those stressors and pressures -- gone. I don't take any of it for granted. I feel so very profoundly fortunate to have gotten out.

16

JWs and Field Service Attire

by laverite in

jw
friends

this morning the jws are working my neighborhood.

i have a birds eye view from my upstairs office.

on my side of the street is three men with a baby in a stroller.

laverite

Thanks, Berrygerry. I think the entire combination is what struck me -- The khaki trousers, combined with a colorful diaper bag, the blue stroller, the lack of book bags, and the orange over the shoulder bag the brother had just seemed so very casual. BUT, there were ties! Had the ties not been there, they would have looked like they were ready for a day at Disneyland.

21

By Way of Announcement, Darlene Jefferson Has Been Disfellowshiped

by Cold Steel in

i was watching a jw video where the announcement was made of a young lady's being disfellowshiped, and it happened in a regular kh sunday meeting.

this struck me as being a bit...cold.

is this when the shunning begins?

laverite

Did they really say she had been disfellowshipped? I thought they simply say 'So and so is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses'.