Posts by mcsemike

31

Remember how great the get-togethers were in the 1980's??

by PaNiCAtTaCk in

jw
friends

i remembers skating parties at least once a month, volleyball at the park, get-togethers where everyone would play bible charades and sing kingdoms songs, going to the river to swim with the whole congregation after the sunday meeting, spending the afternoon at the lake eating watermelon and water skiing.

it was a great upbringing!

also, i dont want to leave out the strong feelings of eliteness that i had even as a child, of having the truth.

mcsemike

I thought Jehovah was a "happy God" and his people were "joyful" and "singing his praises"?

I've been to meetings, hell, I've been to parties that looked like funerals. These people have no joy. How can they, with a rate of depression and mental illnesses dozens of times the general population?

What first attracted me to this religion was that everyone was happy, smiling, had parties and get togethers. I know now it was "love bombing", but they truly seemed genuine at the time (1971-1977). I first met a JW in 1971 and got baptized and married in 1977. A few years later, I was a book study conductor and the 1980 Bethel purge had occurred. Maybe that was the beginning of the end of any fun.

It's sad to see people, especially young people (including children) so serious and just about "waiting to die" so they can get into the "new system". They just "wish their lives away" in their hurry to survive Armageddon. It's really is a very sad and tragic life they lead.

31

Remember how great the get-togethers were in the 1980's??

by PaNiCAtTaCk in

jw
friends

i remembers skating parties at least once a month, volleyball at the park, get-togethers where everyone would play bible charades and sing kingdoms songs, going to the river to swim with the whole congregation after the sunday meeting, spending the afternoon at the lake eating watermelon and water skiing.

it was a great upbringing!

also, i dont want to leave out the strong feelings of eliteness that i had even as a child, of having the truth.

mcsemike

I guess I would say it was just plain FUN to be a JW. I don't remember in the 70's any attitude among the 20 and 30 year olds about being saved and the world wasn't. We had parties, studies with householders, invited them to dinner and picnics, etc. DF'ing was rare and the elders were actually nice people. They almost acted like they could be voted out if they weren't. After 1980, things got tough. After reading Ray's COC, I now know why.

It's a real shame it changed. Of course, you can't stay in a religion just because they have nice parties. So does the world. But we weren't always in that "us against them, and them are the enemy" frame of mind.

34

This Greber 'coverup' is disgusting, Isn't it?

by AK - Jeff in

i had proven to myself, with help from ray franz and others, that the 'truth' was not the 'truth' about three years back - so in most cases i have paid little attention to further proof.

once proven, always proven, right?.

then this week, i began to do a little research into the greber thing - i typed in greber watchtower to my google seach.. 465 hits - and started to read a few of the websites.

mcsemike

Russell is difficult to take seriously when he thought that the bumps on a person's skull were important, discussed pug-nosed people and their limitations, and spoke like black people were stupid.

76

Am going to be reinstated

by Caine in

jw
friends

hello true believers.

had jc meeting.

will be reinstated next meeting.

mcsemike

Caine: Okay, didn't get the joke. I still wish you well.

27

That feeling that it could al be false how did you experience it?

by GBSJG in

when i started researching i was still convinced that jws had the truth.

so i read some critical articles by ex-jws about certain teaching and i started to do some more research.. at this time i have successfully faded and no longer believe anymore.

but i can remember the moment when i first allowed the thought in my mind that it could all be false and not the truth.

mcsemike

To GBSJG: I slowly stopped going to the meetings. After a few years of research, I quit in my heart within a few months. I was disgusted and angry. I think that is a fairly common reaction. I realized what a waste all that time and energy was. It cost me my family, health, money, career, not having more kids, and other things.

To HockeyMullet: The elders you dealt with sucked. They are swine for telling you that you were "on your own" like they knew that or not. How could God abandon you because you were DF'd when God has NEVER been with the group doing the DF'ing?? What heartless pigs. You are correct, it's better that they didn't "help". Their moronic policies would have hurt your family for sure.

76

Am going to be reinstated

by Caine in

jw
friends

hello true believers.

had jc meeting.

will be reinstated next meeting.

mcsemike

Caine: If you are doing this to be able to have your family and only do the very least required, and do it with the right frame of mind, it should work. But if you truly expect that having a full share in the normal JW activities will help you, I would say from a clinical standpoint that you will probably be disappointed. Almost all JW's get depression because they ARE JW's, not because they stopped going out in FS.

I also don't know what you mean by "true believers". Most people here are anti-JW. Some joined other churches. Some stopped believing in God alltogether, like I did. I don't know exactly what help you will find here, but I hope you are happy whatever you do. My best to you.

17

BIG JW MASS MURDER (another one)

by DannyHaszard in

slain brothers to be laid to rest saturday.

the news journal, de - 18 minutes ago.

dortch and his wife, stephanie, had been members of the congregation of jehovah's witnesses in elkton, md., since it was founded a year and a half ago, ... .......been "going quite well.

mcsemike

I'll say it one more time for the record. I am in the psych field and I know many others who are, including some with Doctorate degrees. JW's are the VERY WORSE patients they have. They have just about the highest rates of paranoia, depression, substance abuse, anger issues, self-esteem issues, and many others. If this is "God's organization", I'd hate to see Satan's. (If God's is supposed to be much better.)

JW's will, for the most part, just not see themselves as they really are. They refuse to step out of the box, so to speak, because they are afraid personally of what they'll find, and because they believe God will not like it. Actually, God would love it, it's the WT that wouldn't like it.

JW's have the lowest rate of college graduates at 4.9%, Jews are the highest at 49%. They also have 40 times the rate of depression that the general public has. That doesn't say much for "God's happy people". (I don't have the sources any more, please don't ask.)

I don't know one JW that couldn't go postal if things didn't work out for him. They are ALL capable of it. I'm glad they hate guns, I'd hate to have JW's with carry permits here in Florida walking the streets. I'd never know when he would pull a gun on me and I'd have to draw mine and kill him. THEN you'd hear about "we are so persecuted".

17

BIG JW MASS MURDER (another one)

by DannyHaszard in

slain brothers to be laid to rest saturday.

the news journal, de - 18 minutes ago.

dortch and his wife, stephanie, had been members of the congregation of jehovah's witnesses in elkton, md., since it was founded a year and a half ago, ... .......been "going quite well.

mcsemike

"Minister" Higgins doesn't know what makes people snap sometimes???? How about the experience of being a JW for years. That will do it. How about not knowing how to think properly? How about believing that no matter what you might do wrong, you'll still get into paradise the second after you kill yourself? This is very dangerous. Many JW's are starting to exhibit the Islamic mentality. "Kill anyone and get into Heaven".

The point about gambling is well taken. I can't buy a lottery ticket for one dollar, most of which goes toward education in my state, but playing the stock market or these "get rich quick" schemes are rampant? How many JW's have gotten themselves and others involved in Amway, Avon, multi-level deals, etc.? I don't know one congregation that hasn't in 35 years. Good points, Mary. Where did the money come from??

To Fairmind: You are correct to a point. But we DO judge organizations by the fruit they produce. Jesus said to do that, did he not?? The WT constantly claims Babylon the Great is NOT the truth because of the results they produce in their members. So I think it's fair to judge the WT by the damage its policies do to its members. As a Psych graduate, I know this subject. It's been established on this forum thousands of times that JW's as a group have far more problems in almost every area of life than the general population. If they had the truth, they would be better people, not worse. Smiling while in the Hall doesn't make up for all the rest of the week when they endure their mental illnesses and other problems.

47

anyone else out there land on a psych ward after being df'd???

by Messy in

its a long story that starts with panic attacks going door to door and ended with a 2 month vacation in the cornwall on.

psych floor for two months.

i was stalked by the elders for 3 years after i stopped going to meetings.

mcsemike

TSOF: I hope you do okay. If any elder bothers you, tell the authorities or if appropriate, take care of him yourself. Most elders are cowards when you really get in their face and demand your rights.

47

anyone else out there land on a psych ward after being df'd???

by Messy in

its a long story that starts with panic attacks going door to door and ended with a 2 month vacation in the cornwall on.

psych floor for two months.

i was stalked by the elders for 3 years after i stopped going to meetings.

mcsemike

Hi Messy and welcome:

I think many, if not most ex-JW's feel like they are one step from a psych ward at times. I have a degree in Psych and it affects me too. Many are suicidal.

I have a few friends out West in Psychology work. One nearly has her Doctorate and told me every JW patient she has is severely mentally disturbed. Another almost has her Master's and said the same thing. All they encounter is fright, dysfunctional families and paranoia. It comes with the territory. JW's have about the highest rate of mental illness of any religion or national group (meaning the general population at large). They have one of the highest suicide rates in the world.

Yes, most of us want to write books. There seems to be this need to get our feelings out. In my case, my daughter was raped by a JW and it was not handled right. I quit and my wife left me and took my child. I'll probably never see her again. I had to move over 1,000 miles away.

Another reason to write a book is to warn others. But that's a large task. Contacting local columnists for newspapers can get some nice articles published. You can also visit churches and post your story. Every little bit helps. Whatever helps you heal works.

As far as the elders stalking you, I'd call the police. The ones in my case left me alone, but they had been warned that I'd kill them if they didn't. Since I truly would have, and they knew it, they wisely stayed away. They still do. I guess they think they'll survive Armageddon and that's preferable to being resurrected.

I wish you well and post here all you want to. We've all been badly hurt. My best to you.