Posts by tracylee

125

JWs Not Allowed to Post on Websites?

by StandFirm in

this seems to be a favorite topic to bring up to any witnesses who post on any website where there are any opposers, either here or topix or anywhere.. so, here is the one and only place i will be discussing it.

who can prove that witnesses are specifically told not to post on websites about them?.

tracylee

It's mere advice? Really? Mere advice that you can ignore whenever it suits your personal needs?

So, can we apply that to EVERYTHING the Watchtower says?

Also, although it's not a sin to post on "anonymous internet forums", I'm pretty sure it's a sin to post on APOSTATE internet forums. Clearly you know this is not just some cute little anonymous internet forum where we trade grocery coupons and fashion tips. How far is your head buried in the sand that you actually believe that you're not doing anything wrong by associating with us?

If you truly believe this is okay by the WTS, please, by all means, tell an Elder what you're doing. Heck, you should ask if you can count this as field service time too while you're at it!

31

My Experience as JW

by umadevi in

hello, i am new to this site and it is comforting to know that i am not the only one that has problem with wts.

i'm 36 and single parent with 8 year old son.

i work full time from 8am to 5pm in order to support both of us.

tracylee

Welcome!

My mother was a single mom of 4 kids. She missed a lot of meetings and field service because she was working at least 2 jobs at any given point.

She was told by an Elder (and several "caring" sisters) to just QUIT working and get on welfare so that she could devote her time to more field service and not miss meetings anymore. That's right, the WTS wanted all the taxpayers to pick up the tab for her AND her 4 children, so she can go be an unpaid employee of the WTS.

12

my mind is screwed has anyone ever felt like this?

by deservingone26 in

jw
friends

my mind is screwed.

i am so messed up and there seems to be nothing i can do i can try to be as positive as i want but it always comes right back to this!

right back to me hating myself.

tracylee

The JW org really mind-f*cked me too. (sorry for the crudeness, I really can't think of a better expression).

If I could, I'd give you a hug. I've definitely been in your shoes.

42

Did you miss out on "higher education" when a JW but go to college later?

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

i did.

still not finished with a degree yet but i'll get there.. how about you?.

tracylee

I was frowned upon for choosing to go to college, pulled into the back room with the Elders over my "pursuing worldly knowledge" over God's knowledge, and found that people in the congregation were just cold and distant from me, in spite of putting in 40+ hours in field service every month, rarely missing meetings, etc. I definitely felt the disapproval.

But I'm stubborn and went anyway.

One of my reasons that I told the Elders why I needed to attend college was to be able to support myself financially and that I was not going to just rely on some man to do that for me (my parents divorced, and my mother had to work 2 or 3 jobs at a time to support 4 children). I was then told I was disrespecting the headship principle, LOL!

63

How Many of Them Do You Know About?

by clarity in

after flipper's thread about the wt child abuse cases, i started to think about how many children i know of personally who have been sexually abused by a jw!.

as someone who is not especially 'in the know', it's amazing that i do know five of them.

one who was a small baby, at the time!.

tracylee

Me. (by a former elder)

My childhood best friend. (by a circuit overseer)

That makes 2 more. Nothing ever happened in both of our cases, and our parents were, in hindsight, disgustingly complacent about the whole matter. I don't understand it at all, because I have daughters, and I would feel a blinding rage if anybody touched my girls (or my son) like that.

73

How I Know The Assembly Parts Are Made Up

by lovelylil in

jw
friends

we had a co looking for a certain experience for an assembly part coming up and the elders in my hall at the time sent him to see me, since i usually had good experiences out in field service.. anyway, after speaking with the co, i was sorry to inform him that i did not have an experience that suited the type he needed.

he told me that was o.k.

because he could use me anyway for another part.

tracylee

My friends have given "experiences" at assemblies and conventions, and I remember sitting there, bewildered. Like, "Why have I never heard that experience from my best friend who I always go out in service with because we're room mates, who I've known since I was 4? Why am I hearing this awesome experience for the first time TODAY?" I never confronted any of my friends about their suspicious "experiences", because honestly I preferred to keep my head in the sand at that point (and was tired of being dragged into the back room with the Elders for asking too many of the wrong types of questions... I swear I was in that back room every other Sunday)

151

Introducing Myself

by StandFirm in

jw
friends

hello to jwn!

this is standfirm.

i mainly post on the topix jehovah's witness forum, but i decided to give it a try over here also.

tracylee

To me, the problem of the WTS is not so much their core doctrines, they even might be closer to the socalled "truth" than most other religions, the problem with the WTS I see, is that they go totally "pharisee" with the main message of the bible, rules and regulations, control and prominence. (just look at the last WT study article)

The fact alone, that we only can have those discussions in an anonymous internet forum, and not at the kingdom hall, shows of the repressive nature of the org.

Inbetween, I completely agree. I agree with many (but not all) of the non-mainstream stances that the JWs take, but will never attend another meeting or attempt to get reinstated (I disassociated myself 9 years ago) due to the strict controlling bureaucratic nit picky BS (amongst other bad personal experiences).

151

Introducing Myself

by StandFirm in

jw
friends

hello to jwn!

this is standfirm.

i mainly post on the topix jehovah's witness forum, but i decided to give it a try over here also.

tracylee

Hi Standfirm.

Would you openly tell your fellow brothers and sisters that you were actively participating on a forum that was filled with disfellowshipped and disassociated JWs and apostasy, engaging in spiritual discussions with them? Or is this hobby of yours something you'd prefer the Elders didn't find out about?

22

Hello from NW USA

by Haulin Oats in

jw
friends

hey there, gang.. i'm haulin oats.

i came to full awareness recently after finding a work-mate who also had "seen the light" finally.. i was born/raised a jw, having made some pretty big sacrifices in the name of the organization, even moving to where the need was greater before the start of high school.

needless to say, small mid-west farm towns don't look too highly on jw's.

tracylee

LOL about Hall & Oates being "demonic". That reminds me of the time my mom and her friend decided to lisen to all my Mariah Carey CDs to make sure there weren't any swear words in her songs... My mom also did that with my Kenny G CD. OH, and anytime my mom had a nightmare, she started throwing away things from our house, anything from dressers, furniture, electronics, trading cards, even YARN... because clearly those things were demonized and that's why she had a nightmare. It's a shame she didn't use that demonized yarn to make a demonized throw blanket for the couch. That could have livened up our living room decor for sure.

Anyway, welcome! I live in the PNW (a little north of Seattle).

I remember when I was a teen, that was the time I was most involved in the organization. It had a lot to do with needing the socialization involved. I was very shy and awkward and an introvert, and the congregation gave me automatic friends with no real effort or social skills required. It was "safe" and easy, and I clung to that a lot during my awkward teen years, especially because i was made fun of at school (which was my main source of worldly contact). Once I got more comfortable in my own skin and confident in myself, I found I didn't really "need" the social safety net of the congregation. Your daughter probably really enjoys the social aspect and feeling of belonging that the JWs are giving her right now.

42

Today's WT Study Stupidity About Df'ing

by metatron in

jw
friends

in today's watchtower study, towards the end, you had one of those typical comments by a former df'ed witness expressing appreciation for being shunned.

these comments always remind me of a stalinist show trial in which the accused enthusiastically accepts being executed for the greater good (probably to save his family).. after this kind of nonsense is expressed, you will get a flurry of self righteous comments emphasizing how important it is to shun your disfellowshipped relatives, so that they can come back in the "truth".. oh, really?

do any of these people raising their hand realize that, if the "success" of disfellowshipping depends on your shunning, then the "repentant" person is "coming back in the truth" for the sake of their relatives -and not because of fearing jehovah !!!???.

tracylee

Shunning by the congregation didn't make me go back. It just forced me to finally develop some actual social skills, so I could make new friends. =P

Also, it was nice to finally have everyone leave me alone, as opposed to being constantly harassed for not attending meetings etc. It was like the wicked witch of the west was sending out her flying monkeys to attack me. But once I disassociated myself, I was free! (see? There's an upside to shunning! Though it was a bit awkward when I was at Best Buy and the only employee working the sales floor was a JW who wasn't allowed to talk to me about the speakers I was trying to buy... )