Posts by Bungi Bill

106

What REALLY Convinced You To Leave/Lose Faith in JWs?

by Recovery in

id like to know what personally convinced you jws are wrong about a particular doctrine/practice, that they are not gods true.people and/or what made you leave emotionally/physically.

.

Bungi Bill

Not being able to live the lie / keep up the charade anymore.

After the 1975 debacle, I knew deep down, that the religion of the JWs was no different from any others - after all.

However - and I am not proud to have to admit this - I did go through several decades of denial after that. I tried to justify myself with the thought that if this one wasn't exactly perfect, then it was still head and shoulders above anything else. I desperately wanted to believe the Society's post-1975 propaganda that it was all the fault of "some" individual JWs reading more into it than the WTS actually said.

In the end, though, the discovery hit that you cannot hide your head in the sand forever - and all ostritches end up with are cold backsides!

Bill

9

The contrast of the religion's magazines Today as compared to the Past!

by LongHairGal in

just out of curiosity, i picked up several of the religion's magazines that were laying in a public place.

half of them were recent editions of the wt and awake and the other were older editions over 12 years old.. the contrast is like night and day!.

i am not referring to the paper, either.

Bungi Bill

The magazines of 12 years ago contained more substance, and those in the days of Mad Freddy (aka FW Franz) even more so.

He was not averse to using such seldom-used verbal blockbusters as "revivify." While the content of Awake and Watchtower was if anything even whackier than now, the level of writing was at least more advanced. Someone with Grade 5 reading skills certainly would not have even been in the hunt!

Bill.

24

Do jws complain more than normal people?

by Julia Orwell in

jw
friends

i'm a jw, and i have several bills to pay.

me: "oh my goodness, i have so many bills, it's ridiculous!

i have car rego, phone bill, electricity bill, rent...it's terrible!

Bungi Bill

I think that partly, the JW religion is one that tends to attract the complainer:

- the sort of person of the "glass is half empty, not half full" type disposition.

The JW message plays on that, encouraging the view that everything is completely and utterly wrong, that all this is a sign of the "Last Days" and that only God's Kingdom can and will put it right. Early in my time as a JW, I even recall two pioneer brothers being impressed by somebody who "was not happy", and thus regarding him as a potential "study." In fact, that person was just another old moaner - nothing more, nothing less.

Another poster on the old board here (jehovahs-witness.com) once summed it up perfectly that Jehovahs Witnesses are "experts in depressing people."

Furthermore, those of a negative disposition would be further impressed (initially, anyway) by the "love bombing" that all cults shower on newbies. Once more, I can recall at least one specific example of this:

i.e. Another person who was a serial moaner, drawn to the Witnesses largely because of all the fuss and attention that was showered on him as a "study". However, after his baptism, when the love bombing ceased, he soon gave the JW religion away.

Of course, once recruited into the cult , even a formerly well balanced person would find much to complain about!

So in answer to the question, "do JWs complain more than normal people?", the short answer is yes.

Bill.

34

Does The Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses Do Any Charity Work?

by Bangalore in

does the organization of jehovah's witnesses do any charity work?.

answer from a wt apologist.

http://defendingjehovahswitnesses.blogspot.com/2013/05/does-organization-of-jehovahs-witnesses.html.

Bungi Bill

When my three children were very small and their mother was hospitalised for a three month period, I had to get assistance from a group run by the local churches. Initially, I tried to get help from our local congregation, only to be accused of trying to "use people."

I can tell you this, the irony was not lost on that local, church-run, welfare group!

Bill.

57

Attention Lurkers- Consider the effectiveness of your lifesaving work

by stuckinamovement in

jw
friends

hypothetical scenario.

you are a city manager in a major metropolitan city with a population of 3,000,000.. .

if the governing body was truly convinced themselves of the impending disaster and the fact that the end is imminent would they not focus their efforts in spreading the message through effective means such as telephone, television, internet, social networks etc?

Bungi Bill

All I can say is I am thankful that, during a bushfire alert around here, the emergency services don't send their workers around going door to door to warn people when it is time to evacuate!

Rather, radio and TV alerts are sent out well in advance:

- then when it comes time to evacuate, the loud hailers on the emergency service's vehicles issue the actual order.

Of course, if there is no real emergency after all, then the blunt instrument of sending an army of bloody fools out to knock on doors of (mainly) empty houses won't actually cause any deaths!

Bill.

67

Do you detect an underlying sadness ?

by Phizzy in

jw
friends

whenever i talk to jw's, and even in some of the jw official videos, i detect a definite vibe of sadness coming off these people.. i am very sensitive to "atmospheres" and to peoples emotional state, you wouldn't think so, because more often than not i do not react to what i detect, i just let people get on with it.. but i do get this feeling that they are sad, probably because very, very, very deep down they realise that it is all false, maybe ?.

Bungi Bill

3rdgen,

You've nailed it there!

The very one and only instance in which 3 really equals 4

i.e. in the JW world, a three letter word called "FUN" actually has four letters - not three.

They certainly don't want their R&F experiencing that:

- and it shows all too clearly!

Bill.

67

Do you detect an underlying sadness ?

by Phizzy in

jw
friends

whenever i talk to jw's, and even in some of the jw official videos, i detect a definite vibe of sadness coming off these people.. i am very sensitive to "atmospheres" and to peoples emotional state, you wouldn't think so, because more often than not i do not react to what i detect, i just let people get on with it.. but i do get this feeling that they are sad, probably because very, very, very deep down they realise that it is all false, maybe ?.

Bungi Bill

3rdgen,

You've nailed it there!

The very one and only instance in which 3 really equals 4

i.e. in the JW world, a three letter word called "FUN" actually has four letters - not three.

They certainly don't want their R&F experiencing that:

- and it shows all too clearly!

Bill.

67

Do you detect an underlying sadness ?

by Phizzy in

jw
friends

whenever i talk to jw's, and even in some of the jw official videos, i detect a definite vibe of sadness coming off these people.. i am very sensitive to "atmospheres" and to peoples emotional state, you wouldn't think so, because more often than not i do not react to what i detect, i just let people get on with it.. but i do get this feeling that they are sad, probably because very, very, very deep down they realise that it is all false, maybe ?.

Bungi Bill

Certainly their heart does not seem to be in it - i.e their door to door ministry - anymore.

I see this with nearly all the ones that have called at my place over the last five or so years, anyway. They go about their business in the most perfunctory of manner, radiating the aura that they are there only so that they can enter a few "hours" on their Field Service Report for the month, and thus not feel too guilty about things.

Then, if they do meet somebody at the doors who even hints at being perhaps a little too hot to handle, they (the JWs) seem all too happy to have an excuse for disengaging the enemy and fleeing the field!

And, yeah, all along with a facial expression that communicates everything but being happy about what they are doing.

I cannot but contrast this with the spirit of most JWs 40+ years ago, who relished the thought of getting into a verbal sparring session with others.

My observations, anyway!

Bill.

65

1975 - The Killer WT quote

by tim hooper in

one thing is absolutely certain, bible chronology reinforced with fulfilled bible prophecy shows that six thousand years of mans existence will soon be up, yes, within this generation!

(matt.

24:34) this is, therefore, no time to be indifferent and complacent.

Bungi Bill

All interesting observations about how they (the WTS) all but said outright that the world was going to end in 1975. Certainly that thought was left hanging there - repeatedly - and it was patently obvious that they wanted us to believe 1975 would see Armegeddon.

As to their sincerity, though (or lack of it!);

- I do somehow get the feeling that F.W. Franz, deluded bloody fool and orchestrator of this whole debacle, probably came to believe this nonsense himself.

This might be time for somebody like Steve2 to comment about how, if someone keeps spouting lies for long enough, they can end up believing these themselves?

Bill.

33

Ray Franz blamed for 1975 false prophecy

by EndofMysteries in

i was raised a jw and as a kid my family made brief mention of apostates in bethel that falsely prophecied about 1975 and were kicked out of bethel.

i was shocked after i got out and learned that him being removed had absolutely nothing to do with 1975. i think that partial lie spread is what kept my relatives in.

1975 a big let down/false prophecy, then they are told that a governing body member and many in bethel are found apostate and cleaned out, etc.

Bungi Bill

I would have to say that there were rumours circulating in the mid-1980s that the 1975 business was the doing of "apostates". (Well, I certainly heard these, anyway!)

This was closely followed by further rumours about those who left Bethel / were expelled from Bethel to the effect that they had been also invlolved in some homosexual scandal. Both claims, of course, were completely slanderous!

Bill