Posts by exwhyzee

63

Great campagne in Portugal (ex-JW)

by TJ Curioso in

i like to tell you what we've been doing these past few days here in portugal (ex-jw).

we create a brochure and printing, so we can send to the maximum of congregations in portugal.

some individuals were also covered in this campaign.. the title of the pamphlet is: "when will the kingdom arrive?".

exwhyzee

This looks quite authentic and the familiar format is something even an active JW would feel comfortable looking at.

5

Is it my imagination...

by dynamiterose77 in

or are the beasts in this photoshop alteration familiar... and very funny.. http://boingboing.net/2014/05/12/hardy-boys-no-199-the-hard.html.

exwhyzee

Maybe as a sideline the Watchtower publishes "other" magazines...you know, to help make ends meet.

35

Live Forever on a Paradise Earth

by HeyThere in

sometimes this sounds good...but....forever?

forever in a jw idea of perfection?

does this mean no sports, or detective tv shows, or bad neighborhoods?

Since we are all former JW's and were programmed by them to beleive they are Gods chosen people, it seems like some of us haven't quite gotten rid of that idea and are still assuming that JW's will even be allowed into the "Paradise" let alone be the ones running it....if it even happens.

35

Live Forever on a Paradise Earth

by HeyThere in

sometimes this sounds good...but....forever?

forever in a jw idea of perfection?

does this mean no sports, or detective tv shows, or bad neighborhoods?

exwhyzee

Well....there'll be no more "somebody done somebody wrong...cryin' in your beer songs" to listen to . Every story written will have a happy ending

Might get kinda' old after a few million years.

21

Missing my Mom

by exwhyzee in

she and my dad brought us to the u.s. from ireland in hopes of giving the 4 of us kids a better life with more opportunities.. mom went to school in her village where her mother (my grandmother) was the teacher and the bible was part of the curriculum.

they even used the name jehovah.

her father was a plymouth brethern (think amish or quaker) who was shunned for the rest of his life for marrying my grandmother who wasn't "in the lord"...she belonged to church of ireland.. when the witnesses came to the door after we arrived in the u.s, mom was a shoe-in candidate for their recruitment.

exwhyzee

Thanks again for your kind and most welcome comments everybody and for sharing a bit of your own stories as well.

21

Missing my Mom

by exwhyzee in

she and my dad brought us to the u.s. from ireland in hopes of giving the 4 of us kids a better life with more opportunities.. mom went to school in her village where her mother (my grandmother) was the teacher and the bible was part of the curriculum.

they even used the name jehovah.

her father was a plymouth brethern (think amish or quaker) who was shunned for the rest of his life for marrying my grandmother who wasn't "in the lord"...she belonged to church of ireland.. when the witnesses came to the door after we arrived in the u.s, mom was a shoe-in candidate for their recruitment.

exwhyzee

Thanks everyone for your responses. Looking back at my original post I realize it's pretty sad. We did have the sadness I spoke of but we also had moments of great fun all the same. I must tell you a few things I thought of later that brought a smile to my face.

My Mom, as bright as she was, could also be a bit absent minded. For instance:

She played the piano at the meetings. One evening in her rush to get to the Hall on time she forgot to put on her dress. She put her coat on straight over her slip and didn't discover it until she rushed into the Hall just as the meeting was starting, sat down at the piano and began unbuttoning her coat. Luckily she realized what she'd done just as she was about to throw her coat off her shoulders. We never let her live that one down.

She didn't know one kind of car from another. Color was the only way she could tell them apart. She was forever getting into other peoples cars that were the same color as ours. One time our whole family was waiting for her to come out of a store. We watched in delight as she got into the car parked across from us and demanded and explaination from it's occupants as to what they thought they were doing in our car. Then she saw all of us roaring with laughter in the next car over and had to do the walk of shame over to the right car.
Another time out in field service, the car group was parked in the street waiting for her to finish up at a door. She came down the driveway and got into the householders car and wondered where everyone had gone.

As kids we knew if we were going to be punished that if we got her laughing things would be ok. I remember her coming after me with a wooden spoon for being a smart @ss. She was swatting away at me, going around and around in circles. I began singing the Lucky Charms commercial with a mock Irish Leprechaun accent and doing a jig all around her .

Me: " Yer always after me lucky charms !

Mom:" You'll be needin' more than Lucky Charms once I get a hold of ya"

Me: " Oh but they're magically Delicious "

Then we both burst out laughing and she , all out of breath said.

Mom: "Yes well you'll be laughin' on the other side of yer face as soon as your father gets home"

She often used some "expressions or figures of speech" from her part of Ireland that didn't always translate well in America.

For instance when we were all teenagers (ready to mock anything) we were in the living room and heard her on the phone talking to a "discouraged" sister from our Congregation who's name was Sandy.

The conversation was winding down and to our horror (and delight) instead of saying something like "Well, hang in there Sandy" or "Keep your chin up Sandy" she said " Well Sandy...keep your pecker up"

We all broke up laughing and heard Sandy shreaking with laughter on the other end of the phone. Poor Mom had no idea what she had just said because where she was from that was a completely normal thing to say. (You should have seen her face when we told her what that means in America.) I'm guessing ol' Sandy's depression lifted quite suddenly after that one.

To me she was just regualar ol' Mom. But I remember her comming to my school at the beginning of each year to explain the whole JW stance on holidays and birthdays and being so embarrassed by that yet at the same time so proud later when the teacher would remark on how beautiful or gracious she was or the kids would ask me if my Mom was a Movie star.

Mom would be in her late 70's now and who knows what trials she would be facing had she lived. Avoiding all that I guess was the only good thing about having lost her so early.

Anyway, like I said, we had moments of great fun and it helps to remember the good stuff.

21

Missing my Mom

by exwhyzee in

she and my dad brought us to the u.s. from ireland in hopes of giving the 4 of us kids a better life with more opportunities.. mom went to school in her village where her mother (my grandmother) was the teacher and the bible was part of the curriculum.

they even used the name jehovah.

her father was a plymouth brethern (think amish or quaker) who was shunned for the rest of his life for marrying my grandmother who wasn't "in the lord"...she belonged to church of ireland.. when the witnesses came to the door after we arrived in the u.s, mom was a shoe-in candidate for their recruitment.

exwhyzee

My mother and father died before I fully "came out" of the organization. I kept them at arm's length over thirty years because, of course, they were "worldly" and I couln't be contaminated too much by them

Such a shame Quandry....and the difficult part is there is no one who will take accountability for having caused this kind of damage. It's a faceless orginazation unless there is praise to be had. This is why so many in our position would love to see them publically brought down and go to almost crazy lengths sometimes just to be heard....to be recognized. Thanks for your kind words.

Thanks for sharing your story, when I met you I heard the story about your sons but not about your parents.

You're welcome Startingover...yes there's always more it seems. Once you wake up after having been in the religion enough decades, you realize that you've been been dismissing at a lot of things that have happened to you as being isolated incidents. When you finally dare to list them out one after another in cronological order it makes you realize how duped you were.

Immigrants such as my Mom and and your relatives as well as those isolated from their normal support system for some reason, are really vulnerable. Of course we all learned to view these ones as "sheeplike or crying and sighing ".

21

Missing my Mom

by exwhyzee in

she and my dad brought us to the u.s. from ireland in hopes of giving the 4 of us kids a better life with more opportunities.. mom went to school in her village where her mother (my grandmother) was the teacher and the bible was part of the curriculum.

they even used the name jehovah.

her father was a plymouth brethern (think amish or quaker) who was shunned for the rest of his life for marrying my grandmother who wasn't "in the lord"...she belonged to church of ireland.. when the witnesses came to the door after we arrived in the u.s, mom was a shoe-in candidate for their recruitment.

exwhyzee

She and my Dad brought us to the U.S. from Ireland in hopes of giving the 4 of us kids a better life with more opportunities.

Mom went to school in her village where her mother (my grandmother) was the teacher and the Bible was part of the curriculum. They even used the name Jehovah. Her father was a Plymouth Brethern (think Amish or Quaker) who was shunned for the rest of his life for marrying my grandmother who wasn't "in the lord"...she belonged to Church of Ireland.

When the Witnesses came to the door after we arrived in the U.S, Mom was a shoe-in candidate for their recruitment. She was already used to crazy strict religions, knew and used Jehovah's name, was lonely for friends and family and these nice ladies at the door were her first contact with anyone. Poor Dad basically had his life hijacked. His wife and kids were gone three nighs a week. He put his foot down and tore up Moms books....even broke the coffee table in half when she woudn't stop Witnessing to him. He felt terrible afterward and promised to give it a try. He studied for years and beleived all of it but could never bring himself to "engage"in the door to door work which of course as we all know, is a requirement of baptisim, so they dropped him because the end was so close and they couldn't waste their time on anyone who wasn't progressing. (that's what Jesus did...right??)

Mom however progressed rapidly. Slam went the door on all the opportunities we came to America for. Those things weren't for JW's especially since the end was so close. Mom was very studious (a qualified school teacher herself) and was already streets ahead of her bible teacher right from the beginning. She was a natural at the doors. People were blown away by this tall beautiful lady with the lilting Irish accent who showed up at their door offering a free Bible Study. She wasted a lot of her time and was disapointed often when she'd realize that people were only showing intrest because she was a novelty. Anyway, she threw herself into the religion...even taught herself how to play the Harp beautifully so she could be in the Assembly Orchestra every year. She was quite a sight for sore eyes sitting up there behind a full sized guilded harp. People use to rush up to the Orchestra afterward (especially the little kids) just to talk to pretty the lady with the Harp.

The photo below was taken at our Kingdom Hall when she was 57 years old (same age I am now). Little did we know that she would pass away from Cancer within the year only a week before Mother's Day. (this is a tough time of year for us). If she'd have lived, I do beleive she'd have eventually left "The Truth". She'd get so annoyed whenever the Society would announce some kind of "New Light" at the assembly and everyone would just sit there with glazed over faces. I remember her looking around at everyone when they said in one such Assembly that the Society never indicated the tribulation would begin by any certian date. She said outloud " Oh...But They Did ! " It stumbled her for a time but she had us kids to think of and was convinced that there was nowhere else to go.

My Dad passed away a few years after she did due to lack of blood during a surgery. You see, the only thing he ever knew about Blood Transfusions was learned during his study with the Witnesses. He signed the "No Blood Directive" at their advice and wouldn't you know, this was the rare occasion where something went wrong and blood was needed.

The Brothers and Sisters were wonderful during Mom's illness and we held her Memorial at the Hall. When Dad died, they assured us kids he'd be in the New System because he died upholding Jehovah's Laws , however because he wasn't baptized, we couldn't hold his memorial at the Kingdom Hall.

I think had our Mom lived, this refusal for use of the Kingdom Hall and because of the allowance of Blood Fractions a few years after his death, she would have called it quits as a JW. She'd have realized that these faceless men in New York have no more inspiration from God than anybody else.

This post is a bit of a ramble thanks for reading this far....but today is once again Mother's Day and I'm feeling kinda' sad as I do each year, that we never did anything special specifically for our Mother. Everybody loves their Mom but mine truly was special somehow. She was like a beacon of light in our lives and as they say in Ireland " A bit of your own light goes out when your own Mother dies" .

My non JW Son and his GF came by today with flowers for my Wife but our "still in" JW Son and his Wife although very loving toward her, can't observe the occasion with us and I can't help but wonder how far into the future the JW influence will continue into the family line because my Mother responded that day at the door all those decades ago.

76

What is the biggest regret or source of resentment because of being a Jehovahs Witness?

by stuckinarut2 in

i'm sure we could all write long paragraphs about this question, but in a few words, what is your biggest regret, or frustration in life due to being a witness?.

what missed opportunities did it cost you?

.

exwhyzee

I would say the biggest regret is that I NEVER pursued any of my interests or talents because they were "bad" and the end was so close. Now my youth is gone. It's not that I regret all of my life choices, it's just that all my choices were never really mine. I was allowed to "choose" from certain items that were already picked out for me, so to speak. Everything from recreation to a marriage partner was strictly regulated. My "choices" were picked for me.

You nailed it !!

3

22 Characteristics Of A Cult

by Bangalore in

jw
friends

22 characteristics of a cult.. .

source : http://thewatchtowerfiles.com/destructivecults/.

if the leader or leaders write their own material and claim that it is from god or inspired by god or from the mouth of god then they are a cult.if the leadership tells you that you cant read anything written by any other church or religion and only can read what they write then it is a cult.if you are forbidden to speak to or read anything written by someone who has left the group for reasons of conscience or belief then it is most definitely a cult.if the leadership has to write its own version of the bible and call it improved or more accurate and the use of that translation is unique to that religion then it is most definitely a cult.if personal choice and independent thought is considered to be evil then it is most definitely a cult.if asking difficult questions is discouraged then it is most definitely a cult.if, when finding a particular question difficult or impossible to answer you are told to just have faith or wait on the lord then you are probably in a cult.if it is forbidden to disagree either privately or openly with the leadership on any point then it is most definitely a cult.if you are encouraged to sever ties with anyone not affiliated with your religion then it is most definitely a cult.if the group actively solicits membership it is probably a cult.if an interested person is only given enough information to pique their interest but not enough information to scare them away then it is most definitely a cult.if you are told to teach just the good stuff during the initial phase of a person studying with you then you are most definitely in a cult.if there are aspects of your teaching that are purposely kept hidden until the student is very far along in the indoctrination process then you are most definitely in a cult.if the members are instructed to be especially nice to new visitors then it is probably a cult.if the leadership teaches that they are the only ones with the truth and that everyone else is deceived then you are in a cult.if the members are encouraged to turn other members in for infractions then it is 100% most definitely a cult.if you are given a litany of rules and regulations to follow then you are most definitely in a cult.if your schedule is booked with group activities to the point that you have little or no time to yourself then you are most definitely in a cult.if you are told to have little or nothing to do with anyone, including close friends and family members, who choose to leave the group, then you are most definitely in a cult.if your leadership is nameless, mysterious, aloof, unapproachable, unaccountable or otherwise nebulous then you are most definitely in a cult.if your leadership doesnt have to report their income to you or the government then you are most definitely in a cult.if higher education is considered evil and strongly discouraged by the leadership then you are most definitely in a cult.bangalore.

exwhyzee

Thanks for posting this....now where's my facebook page.