Posts by Bungi Bill

42

Did anyone in the congregation discourage you from going to college?

by Trapped in JW land in

i remember being out on service with an elder when i was 17. he asked me what i plan on doing after high school.

i told him i was thinking of going to college to be a teacher.

he then asked me, "do you think this system is going to be around that long"?

Bungi Bill

They did more than just "discourage" me - I was outright bloody well stopped from even completing high school, let alone going on to university.

This is why I am currently almost half way through the Advanced Diploma course, which will get me admission to the Institute of Engineers of at least "Engineering Associate" grade (and possibly, with my previous industry experience, get admission to the next level up of "Engineering Technologist"):

- about as much as a busted @$$ electrician like me can aspire to!

As to the often-repeated pep phrase "it is never too late":

- in the absolute sense, true enough, but at a practical level, there does come a time when gaining a four year degree would be too late to make any impact on ones career. Were I to have undertaken the degree course rather than the AD one, by the time I graduated, I would be about ready to "hang up my spurs", as the saying goes. My wife would certainly be disappointed if I didn't anyway. She has already given her opinion about any suggestions of me continuing to work into my seventies! Not that I can blame her in any way for that.

In summary, for their anti-education stance, the WTS should be - using the vernacular of the district where I grew up - "shot with a ball of their own $h*t

Bill

16

Reunion- Stepping Back to a Time Before All the JW Stuff Started

by OnTheWayOut in

although i was exposed to the jw's as a child as the only religion i knew, i was not a jw until i got out of the navy as a conscientious objector.

so i was typical "worldly" when i hit 18 out of high school and i got to see the world before personal catastrophy involving heavy drinking made me turn to the lies that i thought were "the truth.

" so just over 30 years ago, i got the special privilege of serving as the original crew of a brand new ship with a crew slightly over 200. i served 5 years on the "uss worldly" and then left to become a jw.. when you are the first crew, you learn together how to use that ship, how to run things smoothly.

Bungi Bill

After breaking with the JWs some 20 years ago, I found that I was unable to move on until I had re-discovered the person I was before the Watchtower madness took hold. This process took a number of years to complete, but was worth it - and also contained some very pleasant surprises:

I'm happy to report that my pre-JW associates have accepted me back into the fold unconditionally

- and that was one of them!

Bill.

9

Call from my JW brother that I have not heard from in 5 yrs

by troubled mind in

jw
friends

early this morning i get a phone call from my jw brother i have not heard from in 5 yrs .the first thought in my head was someone has died .

so i answer cautiously ......hi is everything okay ?

he just starts talking as if we had always been in contact.

Bungi Bill

Interesting that over the years he could justify not having a relationship with you, because the Bible tells him not to, yet kept on over-drinking.

In my experience, an all too common situation amongst the Witnesses:

- If not shunning a DF/DA relative, then there is will be some other outward show of piety (like "gets his hours in" or similar)

- meanwhile, his best friend continues to be a character called James Boag!

Bill

14

Anyone every been cut out of family pictures?

by love2Bworldly in

jw
friends

i've been thinking about something lately that bothers me.

i mean it happened years ago, but it just seems really sick.

when i was disfellowshipped, my sister took all of her pictures that had me in it, cut me out and saved the rest of the pictures.

Bungi Bill

I well and truly got in my father's bad books over the JW religion - not when I left it, though, rather the opposite.

He didn't object when I got baptised in September, 1972. The stuff hit the fan blades some three months later, when the elders made me throw in my apprenticeship ( the "end was too near", and all that!).

The immediate effect of that was to cause one almighty brawl, when my father stormed into my place of work, intent on punching me clean into the middle of next week! While never much of a one for violence, on that occassion I felt obliged to protect myself by hitting back in exactly the same manner - maybe even a little worse.

Anyway, for four years after that, my name was never even mentioned at home. And after my father's death, I found some family photos in which my face had been removed.

That whole sorry business caused a rift in the family that never was completely healed.

Bill.

42

Do The Writing Committee Believe?

by jw07 in

does anyone personally know jws serving on the writing committee?.

what is their outlook regarding the end; are they still truly convinced?.

are they expressing doubts or seem demotivated?.

Bungi Bill

All very good observations!

Never to be underestimated, though, is the way that propaganda can work even on those expounding it:

i.e. if you either hear enough lies being told for long enough, or tell enough lies for long enough, you can end up believing it yourself.

This has been the experience of a number of persons who have lived under totalitarian rule.

For example, Robert W. Ford, an Englishman who operated Tibet's radio system, was taken prisoner when the Communist Chinese invaded that country in 1950. As a prisoner, Ford was subjected to a merciless program of indoctrination ("brainwashing"). He figured thay if he wanted an early release (or even any release at all) he had better pretend to go along with this indoctrination program. However, he later remarked that the scary thing about this was, that towards the end of his time as a prisoner, he was actually starting to believe this nonsense.

I strongly suspect that Crazy Fred Franz, the deluded bloody fool that he was, ended up believing his own propaganda about 1975.

No wonder the more extreme cult leaders are so easily able to convince everyone (including themselves) to swallow a cyanide cocktail!

Bill.

53

If Someone Mocks Jehovah's Witnesses Does That Bother You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

every once in a while i hear people purposely make fun of jws, calling them hovas, jeehoovers, etc.

i don't think that's a good way to reach them..

Bungi Bill

It may not be the best way to reach them, but oh boy, it always makes me feel good!

Bill.

45

2014: do you see Witnesses ramping up activity? What will the aftermath be in 2015?

by JimmyPage in

jw
friends

jw's often say they don't serve with any dates in mind.

but the fact is many of them can't fathom why the end just hasn't come yet.

since 2014 marks 100 years of invisible rule many witnesses can't help but think this has some special meaning.

Bungi Bill

If their activity is in any way "ramping up" around here, I have seen no evidence of it yet!

The last time they called in at our house was over 12 months ago, during the Memorial invitation campaign for lastyear.

Bill.

35

Critical Differences: JW's Today Vs The Past

by metatron in

jw
friends

jehovah's witnesses have always been a fringe, anti-intellectual movement, almost by definition.

there is nothing new about faddish health concerns, attitudes that ignore history and science or even beliefs that defy common sense ( false prophecy for what, 130+ years?).

however, there are two differences with jw's of the past that will prove critical for the survival of the organization today.. 1) poor financial conditions - in the past, it was possible to hold all sorts of nonsensical beliefs and still be a functional member of the human race, generally.

Bungi Bill

"it means that the WTS is accumulating ever greater numbers of weak, dependent people with empty wallets and fragile health"

And the JWs are singularly ill-equipped to deal with people who are in this state. How many times did you hear it spelled out:

- "Jehovah's organisation is here for only one purpose, to preach the good news of the kingdom."

Anybody requiring welfare existence is directed to whatever services are provided by the state - or if these are unavailable or insufficient, to those offered by charitable institutions.

Furthermore, they have no qualms whatsoever about directing their own R&F to charitable services that may be provided by the much-maligned "Churches of Christendom".

I experienced this directly some 30 years ago, when my children were very young and my wife was hospitalised for three months. Accused by the congregation of "trying to use people" when I sought some help with caring for my children, I received instead assistance from a group run by the local churches. I tell you, the irony of that was not lost on the people of the small town in which we lived!

Bill.

20