Posts by Half banana

21

Hello from the other side

by Theburstbubble in

well it's been 18 months since i left the witnesses.

my goodness what can i say?

well let's start from the beginning.... 1) i am happy, yes i am (i know im not meant to be as the jw's would like to believe).

Are they either leaving or going full on 'cult mode'? No quarter.

by punkofnice in

it might just be me imagining things.. i hear things from my jw spies.. from all that's being said, it seems to me that the rank and file(tm), are either waking up to the scam and fading/leaving.

they are going full on 'cult mode' and acting like 'spiritual police'.. is it just me and my imagination?

have others noticed this?.

Hard to tell isn't it? Whatever happens, a doomsday cult is always tightening the screws, cranking up the paranoia since the prophesied doom can never come. So it has to keep taking new measures such as snitching on friends to keep the faithful in a state of sufficient fear to remain dependent on the leaders and afraid to leave.

My JW son and DIL are for a change happy to speak with me and even invited me and my partner round to their house...the first time in their six years of marriage. I wonder if the assembly next week will alter their new-found friendliness?

My hope is that the day will come when the management realise that the congos are full of non believers who just outwardly appear like JWs. At that point they might as well give up the whole religion business...but perhaps that is what they are already recognising... and they want to clear out the 'dead wood'?

37

Elders harassing me

by raven in

hi everyone, it has been a while since i've last updated!

(refer to my previous posts for the full story) here is a quick re-cap: 2 months ago my mother found out that i am living with my boyfriend, she told me i was discovered by an "anonymous" tipper who turned me in for "living in sin".. first of all, that is nearly impossible, the congregation i was in is 100's of miles away from where i currently live.. no one would have ever known i was living with my boyfriend unless i told them, which i never did, i cut off all communication with that congregation in part of my attempted fade which was blown into pieces and discovered.. anyways, my mom tells me if i don't go to the elders and confess like a good little sheep, then she is obligated to tell them.. ( don't see why, i don't even live under her roof ) well i never went to them because why should i?

so they met with my mother and she told them i live with my boyfriend... let me remind you, this was two months ago.. i was told i was going to be df'd and that was that.

Half banana

Will your mother shun you when you are announced as not being a JW or if you are disfellowshipped in the absence of attending a jc? It surely is not going to help her if you are unable to speak to her.

Is she just using the DF threat to try get you back as a JW? If so it's a hopeless course of action since humans want liberty not slavery to a crummy religious cult.

The main thing is that you are able to live happily on your own terms... ignore those idiotic JW elder zombies or tell them to grow up and get a life.

All the best to you Raven.

8

Warning bells! Any organization that promotes spying or reporting on one another should raise concerns!

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

we all know that the society promotes a culture of reporting on one another to the elders for any breach of wt policy (not actual crimes - just breaking of wt rules).

many here have been "caught" researching facts about the society on sites such as this one.. surely that should raise alarm bells??

only high control cult-like groups operate like that!.

Half banana

The spirit of the JW org is "You must conform or we will punish you". Any high control cult needs spies to maintain conformity.

This attitude only arises when the basis for authority is insecure. (The apparent only validation of a cult is in its smiling and uncomplaining membership).

All JWs and in particular the leadership of this cult are in denial of reality. . . but all fruitlessly cling, like drowning sailors, to the hope that if there is a God they will be rescued.

34

How Many People are Living a Lie?

by awokenjw in

jw
friends

one of the things i often wonder about at the meetings is how many of these people are actually living a lie or sinning in secret?

and more importantly, how do these ones stomach it?

in my case, i have secretly dated and done things disapproved by the wt with a pioneer sister in my congregation for years and we both go to the same meeting twice a week and pretend everything is perfect and nothing has happened.

Half banana

Awokenjw, when you were an active Witness yet acting contrary to what you were teaching, your public preaching was in effect a performance, doing what was expected of you.

I want to know at that time did you think Big J and Armageddon and paradise were real things?

34

How Many People are Living a Lie?

by awokenjw in

jw
friends

one of the things i often wonder about at the meetings is how many of these people are actually living a lie or sinning in secret?

and more importantly, how do these ones stomach it?

in my case, i have secretly dated and done things disapproved by the wt with a pioneer sister in my congregation for years and we both go to the same meeting twice a week and pretend everything is perfect and nothing has happened.

Half banana

I think a lot of JW enforcement of rules chimes with the protestant or even puritan streak found in English people who become Witnesses. I did observe that those from other more easy going cultures or even from the Catholic tradition would play it more like a game or not take it all so seriously...to the consternation of those who did.

Some just carried on as if there were no penalties and no Big J or Armageddon...and quite right too!

So in answer to your question, I imagine that most of JWs have doubts and a third will be prepared to bend or break the rules and (just guessing) about one eighth will be non believers just sitting there enduring the ritual.

It would be almost impossible for JWs to admit this because it is against the rules to say they don't believe it.

Like an idiot I took it seriously! but awokenjw you perhaps ought to share your scepticism with your friend...it could lighten the burden for both of you.

44

i'm leaving this site forever

by stan livedeath in

as the title says--i'm out of here for good.. the site is full of atheists, communists, 7th day adventists, creationists, believers, deceivers, receivers, football supporters,.

dodgy types, cantleave---and assorted wankers.. so no place for me--because i'm none of the above so dont fit in.

so--this is goodbye forever my friends--its been almost average knowing you.

Half banana

I can see the attraction not ever having to read these columns again and be tempted into hastily posting some ill thought out idea with spelling mistakes.

But couldn’t you just fade?

You are not obliged to go to an ExJW judicial hearing... you could just ignore their emails and incessant phone calls to bring you back into the fold...or more exciting; to discover that your jocular outpourings conceal the fact of your being an undercover GB agent posing as an ex JW?

25

My daughter graduated Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours yesterday.

by Xanthippe in

.

Half banana

Well done Xanthippe daughter and justifiable pride and satisfaction to you!

35

Well... im disfellowshipped now.

by pale.emperor in

very long story.

i've been away from this site for a while.. basically, i tried to leave.

handed in my disassociation letter, it kicked up a storm and 2 weeks later i was disfellowshipped.

Half banana

Pale Emperor we are of course with you on your exit. I faded having realized TTATT some years before stopping going to the meetings. The consequence was that my wife became the most zealous JW zombie possible and would literally stand between me and my three young children when I wanted to speak with them. Everything I said to my children was edited by her for religious correctness. I was an incarnation of Satan as far as she was concerned. The upshot was that a gulf was created between my children and me... just what she wanted.

I say this because after a few years we parted and I handed the children over to my wife for the sake of her wellbeing not so much for the welfare of the children. She would have been even more devastated than she was to be parted from her children but in retrospect I would have rather have had complete custody, which I could have done on the basis of her unreasonable religious behaviour, which was recognised as emotional abuse by the social services.

So my thoughts are that you might arrange a watertight agreement through the courts as to the upbringing of your daughter. A case can be made on the basis that as a rational father you want your daughter to grow up properly educated and not forced into an irrational religious cult which places the life, mind, emotions and activity of its members into the hands of the JW governing body. It would be easier to exclude toxic JW belief if you were in a position to look after your daughter yourself.

Nevertheless it's early days and not an easy path ahead for the moment but you have shown your determination to follow your conscience and you will get support from us. All the best to you PE.

48

Animals not meant to eat meat

by Carl in

jw don't believe in evolution .

how come animals teeth are designed to chew meat?

sharks for instance have razor sharp pointy teeth these are not to eat vegetation .

Half banana

@Bonsai...just like the GB live off their gullible followers.

lol! berrygerry