I was the golden boy with the presiding overseer. He had been a circuit overseer for many years before retiring to Palmyra, NY. We would decide the fate of all the other elders. I had the circuit overseer ask me about my college age daughter who was living at home at the time. He asked me about studying with her. I replied " She's 20 years old and had decided the religion was not for her." He never said another thing. At the elders' meeting, he brought it up again & recommended my removal as an elder. The presiding overseer had never even gave me a heads up before the meeting. I WAS PISSED. I TOLD THEM DON'T BOTHER TO VOTE OVER THIS, I'M OUT. The presiding was apologetic. I never asked to be an elder again. It was the beginning of the end for me.
mrquik
JoinedPosts by mrquik
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40
How Are Ex Elders Treated In The Congregation?
by minimus inare they pretty much left alone?
are they respected for their having been elders at one time?
are they treated like crap?.
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mrquik
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JW Grandparent Drama
by What Now? inmy mom and sisters have not had any contact with my family for the past year and a half.. we even recently announced a new pregnancy and none of them acknowledged it or called to say congratulations or anything.. this past week my non-witness grandfather passed away and i had thought that for the sake of his death and funeral, it being "necessary family business" that they would at least be civil in front of our other family.
all of them still ignored me, my sisters didn't even speak to my children at all - to be honest i don't think my kids even knew who they were.
for the sake of my grandmother i made a small attempt at the end of the day to say goodbye to my mother and she kind of just brushed past me and said goodbye without really looking at me.. anyways my grandmother told me later that my mom spoke to her and said "i love my daughter and i love my grandchildren and i'm so upset that she won't allow me to see them".
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mrquik
There's a difference between family & blood relatives. I have a number of blood relatives, including a daughter, sisters & brothers who I don't consider family. As they were told by the cult, the cult is now their family. So be it, but expect me to cut all ties as well. I have others who are not blood relatives whom I view as family. People who care about me & will stand with me. These have become more than enough especially considering they aren't blood relatives. People who love & care for you are family; that's the bottom line.
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why does no one ask questions ?
by midnight ini always felt bad for asking questions , did anyone else ?
what question did you ask or want to ask but feel it was wrong ?
mine was regarding the circuit assembly and the amount defecit anounced .. also 1975 i got a stern reply too when i was studying in the 90,s.
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mrquik
What happened to "The Make Sure of All Things" book or "Make the Truth Your Own" ? How about the Boreans who were praised for " examining closely" what was told to them? How, in fact, can you prove anything to be true without asking questions. If it is indeed the truth, questioning it will only make it stronger. The cult has become delusional if it believes the members aren't looking for answers.
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How Far Up The Ladder Did You Go In JW Land?
by minimus ini pretty much did it all.
vacation pioneered as a youngster and became a regular pioneer out of school.
i became a ms then an elder.....the organization pushes you to be somebody within the confines of their realm.
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mrquik
Father-in-law was born in 1898. One of the anointed. Knew Rutherford personally. There was a letter Rutherford had written to a local in the Newark, NY area looking for spiritual guidance. Rutherford sent him to my father-in-law. Letter was framed & hung in the Palmyra, NY hall for a number of years. The father-in-law knew everyone. The Schroeders' were close family friends. I met a number of DO's, CO's & Bethelites. Many were regular guys you could talk to. I climbed up the ladder quickly thanks to the family. Servant, elder, worked the stage at all the assemblies, assembly talks, school overseer, worked on the RBC plumbing crew for a number of years. Looking back on 50 years in the cult, I view it as all a waste; that I had made First Mate on the Titanic. All these older ones that I looked up to, that I trusted, that told me I was going to live forever.... all dead. Thanks....
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last convention before global attack on witnesses
by Phoebe inso it's not enough that i'm dealing with post traumatic stress/anxiety and panic attacks all related to my life as a jw (50 years baptized -- i stopped going a couple of months ago) at 3 a.m. i get an email from the other side of the world.
'you have to go to the convention.
bro sanderson says we must watch the news, things are happening.
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mrquik
"Armageddon cars". Hadn't heard that phrase since going out in service in 1965. The elder we rode with had a 1964 Ford sedan that was his "Armageddon car". He's gone as well as all his cars. Take a deep breath & repeat after me: "It's a cult, it's a cult, it's a cult, it's a cult......" After 50 years in, I've been out about 8. It gets easier every year. Here's a new goal for you. Repeat it to yourself every day. " Live Well...Enjoy Life..."
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When You See a JW Do You Get Flustered?
by minimus ini used to dread seeing a witness coming toward me.
now i am quite comfortable and hope that they may say something to me..... does your blood pressure rise when you see a jw coming toward you?
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mrquik
Running into witnesses who don't know me make my day. My act gets better with every encounter. I usually just stick with refuting 1914 as it makes no sense from any perspective. They may not agree when they leave but I know they're thinking about it.
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Hello from Rio Rancho NM
by MattS. inhowdy all, i think i was on here a long time ago, but i digress.
i live here in rio rancho, new mexico and was wondering if anyone here is from around these parts as well?.
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mrquik
Just came back from dental work in Juarez. Spent a few days in El Paso. You people need to plant a few trees out there.
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10
Young Couple Stopped with Invitation
by mrquik ini had a young couple stop by yesterday to drop off an invitation to the memorial.
i told them i was a bible student & had studied a number of religions.
i got into all the hot topics.
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mrquik
I had a young couple stop by yesterday to drop off an invitation to the Memorial. I told them I was a Bible student & had studied a number of religions. I got into all the hot topics. 1914, pedophile payoffs, overlapping generation nonsense, etc. I had them for a good 1/2 hour on my porch. The husband kept spouting the company line & the wife never said a word. As he realized he was just digging himself in deeper, he finally said a hurried good-bye. As they left, I encouraged them to ask questions. If what you believe is true, questions will only strengthen the truth. I feel bad that another young couple will waste their lives serving men.
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Local Elder Mentions this Site from the Platform
by James Jack ina local elder had the part this week on the "good news" brochure.
he said: "if the householder has any questions, direct them to jw.org, don't say, just look up jehovah's witnesses on the internet(an older sister said this at the door), if you do they will be directed to a site visited by apostates and weak witnesses!
" "this mistake, would cause the householder to never accept bible truth".. i thought to myself, wow, i'm sure some listening to this part, will get curious now(many in the hall are just being exposed to the internet, and practicing with their new tablets) and do, just what they were told not to do..
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mrquik
I still remember when JW's were encouraged to do research. Remember the "Make Sure of All Things" & "Reasoning on the Scriptures" books? Remember when the Boreans were praised for examining the scriptures?
NOT TODAY. Go ahead JW's, question a belief to the elders. See where that gets you. Yet, how do prove anything to be true without QUESTIONS? Wouldn't they just reinforce THE TRUTH if it was indeed the truth? These are indeed the declining years of the cult. Hope I'm still around when it dwindles down to an irrelevant handful of zealous minions.
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How many years did you waste away in the Org?
by Tallon inin my case; 27 years.
7 of which were as a ministerial serpent ... sorry, i mean 'servant' ;).
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mrquik
Gave my first talk at 9. Left the cult at 59. I left because my JW marriage of 34 years was falling apart. Met the love of my life (not a JW); divorced the JW batshit crazy wife. Of course I got kicked out & while out I read C of C in 2 days. Researched everything on JWfacts. That was all I needed. By the way, thanks Paul.