Giordano

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Posts by Giordano

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  49

  What happens to Bethelites?

  by rickroll in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  so if someone puts their life into serving the cult for free at bethel, then say after 25 or 30 years they are not able to for one reason or another such as illness, or family issue or old age, does the cult have any safety net for these people or is it you serve until you can't and when you can't you just go away?

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  Giordano

  What happens to Bethelites? In general nothing good.....unless they have some really good contacts out in the world. The problem with Bethel is it doesn't teach you how to think for yourself. So it's going to be an uphill battle to gain a place in the real world.

  When Raymond Franz exposed the mystery of the Governing Body....that they were ignorant people and self serving a lot of soon to leave JW's took note.

  The interesting thing about Raymond was when he left Bethel he rejected the paying position offered to him as a special pioneer.

  Of course his 40 years as a loyal and effective worker at the Branch level and as a GB member was tossed out when he was seen having lunch with the EX JW brother who employed him and who housed him and his wife. Ray was DA and shunned.

  R. Franz found out that his life long service to the WTBTS counted for nothing financially or spiritually. He reclaimed his spirituality and helped free..... probably thousands..... from the grasp of the Society.

  Unfortunately Ray learned that he and his wife were not covered by Social Security or Medicare. It would take him ten years of full time work to qualify for those programs.
  

  Russell and Rutherford's Books are out of print and nothing his uncle Freddy Franz ever dreamed up is presented as the Truth.

  In poor health Ray managed to write two major books that live on in the hearts and minds of the ex JW community.
  
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  20

  Role Call, Number of Family Members Who Have Shunned You!

  by The Bethelite in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just one left, my sister.

  i haven't talk to her in over 15 years.

  the rest are all dead.. i'm not counting my ex wife and all her family.... .

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  Giordano

  My wife and I left in the 1960's.......... back in those days and into the 1970's a person could disassociate without being shunned. You just lived your normal life. Family would be disappointed but they wouldn't (in general) slam the door in your face.

  When Bethelites tried to study the bible (not the WT publications) they were subjected, as of 1980, to being thrown out of Bethel and disfellowship as was GB member Raymond Franz.

  Since Jesus welcomed two or three gathering together to study his words this was an extreme position to take by the WTBTS. Sought of Satan's position if you think about it.

  Matthew 18:20
  

  "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

  The Society went on a witch hunt for anyone that wanted to follow Jesus' idea that two or three could gather together and read from the bible in Jesus name.

  This bull shit lingers to this day.

  How dumb is this?

  In our case my one remaining JW niece (her uber JW mother died when she was 13) decided to shun us. She was born seven years after we left the religion.

  Unfortunately I have forgotten the names of her children.

  When a family member makes this kind of decision there is nothing one can do about it.

  Of course we made sure to disfellowship them from our Will.
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  15

  WTS No longer "welcoming" people to Brooklyn

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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

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  Giordano

  Hi Zeb,

  "Why is the lake and air polluted there?"

  Read about it here:

  https://jwtalk.net/topic/21280-warwick-site-contaminated/
  

  Apparently they.......... the WT Society didn't do their due dalliance in selecting this site for their new headquarter's......... or maybe they did know as a way to sue for damages.

  Warwick site contaminated

  By Jimspace, June 10, 2015 in Interchange of Encouragement & Worldwide Brotherhood
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  10

  Letter Detailing My Latest JW Encounter

  by Roger Kirkpatrick in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  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.

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  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.
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  15

  WTS No longer "welcoming" people to Brooklyn

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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

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  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.
  
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  12

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

  by lancelink in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  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/.

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  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????
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  15

  I realize that this is kind of personal, but

  by stillin in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.
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  16

  The reactive mind vs the thoughtful mind...

  by RayoFlight2014 in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.
  
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  21

  What can a therapist really do?

  by Thetruthhurts in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  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.

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  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.
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  17

  I finally did it

  by paradiseseeker in

  1. jw
  2. 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.

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  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.