Posts by Giordano

10

Letter Detailing My Latest JW Encounter

by Roger Kirkpatrick in

to whom it may concern: .

i am writing this letter in the hope of reconnecting with two jehovah’s witness elders whom i met at a literature display in downtown new braunfels, across the street from krause’s.

i explained to them that my daughter is a jehovah’s witness and, therefore, i am somewhat familiar with their beliefs.

Giordano

Rodger as a fellow drummer I know we can work four different beats with our two legs and two hands. We can also sing if needed all at the same time. A JW has only one beat unless they have a few minor doubts.

The JW mind set is what the conductor (The Society) wants to hear. They have their Play list and how they play it.

So you jump in and make your point to these trolley JWs and you still don't get it. It isn't that your wrong it's that they don't hear you or simply don't want to hear you.

They have their own band and are not interested in what you have to say even if your right because your not in their band. And if you were in their band and started with your personal bullshit......... that wouldn't be well received either.

Right is what they believe...... wrong is what you have to say cause they are not interested in your music or your opinions.

Stop wasting your time trying to reconvert the converted. There are people trying to break out of the JW world on this and other forums.....try helping them...they are willing to listen.

It only works with people who have questioned their religious beliefs......who have found out some troubling things.....been disrespected. Have cause for what their religion has done to them.

The ones sitting by the Trolley are content.

15

WTS No longer "welcoming" people to Brooklyn

by blondie in

jw
friends

https://www.6sqft.com/welcome-sign-will-soon-replace-the-iconic-watchtower-sign-in-brooklyn-heights/.

.

Giordano

The Society has distanced itself from the rank and file.

At least on a cold day you could have walked into the Brooklyn Bethel to warm up for a bit. Now it's guard posts, walls and fences.... the message is........ your not welcome.

911 shook them up........ as if a bunch of wild eyed Muslims thought they would be a really important target. Apparently the GB didn't think Jehovah was going to protect them.The GB cowards wanted a more secure place to live in.

Lets move to upstate New York!

Let's be honest here......... the plan to move the WTBTS to upper N.Y. was simply a plan to make sure the 'owners'...... the governing body.......... had a secure and pleasant place to live in.

But they picked badly .....unless you think there's nothing better then to live by a polluted lake and on polluted ground. Well the new world is coming..............

High tailing it into a remote area is the usual fall back move of every crazy religion. Build a moat, a fence, or bridge and hide behind the barricades and screw everyone that made this possible.

You got a problem....... don't show up at the new WT facility with your bull shit. There's no one home.

But it's nice to be a GB and have their cling-on helpers and live next to a polluted lake and breath polluted country air. Couldn't happen to nicer people.

12

jw's think that they are above the law,,,, again.

by lancelink in

again the ugly head of child abuse raises its head, and the witnesses are hopefully caught red handed for ignoring it :.

https://www.nwherald.com/2019/10/23/crystal-lake-man-found-guilty-of-more-than-decade-of-sex-abuse/a4fuium/.

Giordano

I think there is another issue in this case.

"The allegations lodged against Hernandez-Pedraza date back as far as 2005. Over the course of more than a decade, Hernandez-Pedraza continued to rape, sexually assault and sexually abuse the girl, prosecutors said."

Now I don't see this happening without some level of permission re the girl's family.

Other then another complete failure from the Society and local Elders......... what does it take to get your head on straight Elders?????

How about finding a pay phone and handing off the necessary information to the local police????

15

I realize that this is kind of personal, but

by stillin in

jw
friends

what does being a "spiritual person" mean to you?

the religion would have had us to believe that our place in the organization is definitive of that.

or how often we pray.

Giordano

A 'spiritual person' to me is a person who can be aware of those things that you can actually hear, see, taste or recognize especially when there is something special going on.

A sunrise or sunset that is wildly different from the norm Is a "hey come look at this" moment.

Whatever it is one realizes it was always there but you just didn't see it or hear it.

Smell plays a role as well. A baking pie or cake can trigger a reaction. That evergreen Christmas tree can cause a spiritual reaction as memories of past celebrations flood in.

It's like a door opening up or a window letting in the smell or sight of something that triggers a response.

It can be a collective moment like fireworks, a stilling of the crowd as everyone watches the spectacle. Or a music performance.

Being a spiritual person has nothing to do with religion....... though religion has always claimed it.

It's a special moment when you see or hear something....... that allows you to get beyond yourself.

16

The reactive mind vs the thoughtful mind...

by RayoFlight2014 in

jw
friends

a thought came to me as i was posting on another topic.

my reactionary mind, responding to watchtower's cruel and hostile treatment of genuine truthseekers who can no longer reconcile with watchtower's narrative was, " may the collapse begin".. but then my thoughts turned to how that would affect my parents and siblings who are blissfully oblivious with their collective heads in the sand.

all their hopes and future joy has been postponed for decades awaiting paradise while fighting off the black dog that is depression.

Giordano

Eric Hoffer wrote in his book....... The True Believer:

"All active mass movements strive, therefore, to interpose a fact-proof screen between the faithful and the realities of the world. ...by claiming that the ultimate and absolute truth is already embodied in their doctrine and that there is no truth nor certitude outside it. ...To rely on the evidence of senses and of reason is heresy and treason. It is startling to realize how much unbelief is necessary to make belief possible.

What we know as blind faith is sustained by innumerable unbelief's."

It is dangerous to believe in illusions. Putting your life in the hands of a Publishing and Real Estate holding corporation keeps the illusion.......... alive and well.

21

What can a therapist really do?

by Thetruthhurts in

hi all, i've not read the forums for awhile as i've been trying to move on with my life but i'm back and posting for the first time feeling like i cant get a grip.

so i'm wondering for those of you that have seen a therapist and say that it truly helps, what can be accomplished?

i'm just really skeptical, but starting to feel desperate.

Giordano

This is not just a problem for the JW's who want to leave......a heck of a lot of people are trying to get distance from their high control religion....shake off the gilt.....create more down time and distance.

Here is an excellent place to look into. It's free and you can read the information on line.

Check it out: Religious Trauma Theory

http://journeyfree.org/rts/rts-its-time-to-recognize-it/;

Therapists have no real appropriate diagnosis in their manual. Even in the commonly used list of psychological stressors, amidst all the change and loss and disruption, there is no mention of losing one’s religion. Yet it can be the biggest crisis ever faced. This is important for therapists to be aware of because people are leaving the ranks of traditional religious groups in record numbers1 and they are reporting real suffering.

17

I finally did it

by paradiseseeker in

jw
friends

it's done.. during the last month i've been talking with my closest friends about leaving the org and yesterday i finally talked with my parents.. it's been almost 5 months after i said that i would do it, but i think that this extra time has been beneficial.

i've said several times that i would opt for sending a resignation letter, but after talking to my best friends some of them suggested me becoming inactive and blocking my congregation's elders.

i've changed my mind and i will do that because the people that i care the most now know what's going on so they won't be worrying about me not attending the meetings.

Giordano

So having been out with my pioneer wife for some 53 years I can agree with those 'short timers' lol......... that it was the best decision we ever made.

For a while it was just the two of us and a few 'leavers' who also opted to walk away. I would have become a 'bystander JW' just to keep some old friendships intact but realized that you couldn't stay in that tribe and be indifferent to their beliefs and customs.

So It was over for us.

These days the JW's really close ranks if you no longer want to be a part of all of their meetings, assumptions and silly beliefs.

If new friends and/or acquaintances are on your to do list.......... keep in mind that real relationships and real friends don't happen immediately........ a friendship has to be grown organically. Your not going to instantly bond with people who come from all walks of life. In the JW world being a JW gave you a certain level of immediate access.

My wife and I found that getting involved with a volunteer community activity was one of the best way to meet the best people and do some real good in your community.

Good luck to you. Your a real hero in our eyes. Now make your life work for you.

21

Take a Moment and Think About How Awesome You Are

by Simon in

jw
friends

it's easy to get bogged down with life and think you're not getting ahead or progressing.

but regardless of where we think things may be going, pretty much everyone who's come through this site is an achiever who's done an amazing thing in one way or another even if they may not think about it.. so think about it!.

you got past and over your programming and indoctrination.

Giordano

I wasn't a born-in....... started at the age of 12...... got baptized at 16, met my wife at 18 and we left the JW world in our early 20's. It took me 2 years to think my way out. This was in the early 1960's. Very difficult to find the truth about the Truth. With everything that's available now........ it would have taken me two days to see through the entire JW construct. Ok two weeks.

I needed to tell my wife that I wanted out. I lined up my arguments and sat her down and told her I was not going to be a JW any longer. She stopped me. Then she told me a life time of truth in five words......"I never believed in it."

We exited the religion together and good things started almost immediately. We had a son born a little before they changed the draft and it was no longer possible for fathers to be drafted (Vietnam). Since I did not have my Minister's deferment this was a huge change for us. I was planing on going to jail or at the least being a conscientious objector.

The Society announced 1975 was going to be a big deal. It came and went. We were celebrating the new year 1976 when I started to laugh. I had totally forgotten about that big 1975 Whoop.

In 1987 I needed open heart surgery and there was a problem...... they needed blood to finish the surgery and pumped in five liters of blood. I was back to living my life within a couple of weeks.

Many more good things would happen over the next decades.

With our community volunteer work both my wife and I feel like we have made this world, especially our community........ a tiny bit better.

I also like what Simon had to say about making those changes and being proud of living your life as best as you can.

There are a lot of hero's on this forum.

13

Reaching out

by Reg andeson in

jw
friends

hi everyone my name is reg anderson i am from new brunswick canada.

i have currently relocated to toronto canada.

i am currntly working in downtown toronto .

Giordano

Well said Doc!

Getting professional help is very important....especially when your involved with the JW's or other high control religions like the Amish or Moonies (also called Loonies in their day).

Therapists are the enemy of cults.

Let me put it this way.

Your in the hospital and you need surgery and that surgery calls for a blood transfusion.

The JW Hospital Liaison Committee (two or three JW Elders with High School diplomas) counsel you to not accept a blood transfusion. They quote a scripture or two and berate the dangers of accepting blood. Three days later while you are now near death you look out the window in your hospital room and those same two or three brothers are outside washing your window and every other window.

When it comes to blood or getting your head together you don't want to involve the untrained and most often totally ignorant policies of the WTBTS to interfere with the best medical care you can get.

In short never trust medical advice from a high control religion.

13

Reaching out

by Reg andeson in

jw
friends

hi everyone my name is reg anderson i am from new brunswick canada.

i have currently relocated to toronto canada.

i am currntly working in downtown toronto .

Giordano

Hi Reg,

Jhine told you the truth........this is not a pro JW forum. However who better to hang with then former JW's who had to fight to keep their marriages together and their children from shunning them?

Or would you rather associate with JW's who have tossed their 18 year old child out on the mean streets ( a JW policy). Because they no longer wanted to be associated with one of the most damaging religions ever.

On the bright side we do have a fair number of people who have gone through everything the JW's can throw at them and are still capable and well meaning.

There are people on this site willing to understand what you are experiencing......your isolation and a serious lack of interest by your fellow JW's. These are people who were JW's for 50 years or more who have come to an understanding that it was not the truth.

Listening to what you said.......... I'd look for a therapist who would be able to work through your issues apart from the religion.

Or you can be a part of this forum and ask questions and ask for help about personal issues that you can't resolve on your own.

jwfacts.org would be my first recommendation....... it's a brilliant web site that uses the WT's own publications to answer your faith based questions.

The question you should be concerned about is are you unnecessarily vulnerable when you associate with the JW religion?