Posts by SafeAtHome

18

Anybody here from Romania

by skipperdino in

jw
friends

hi guys,.

just wandering if anybody here is or was from romania?.

skip.

I am 50% Romanian. My grandfather came to America in February 1912, he was from the Arad area of Romania. Not sure where my grandmother was from in Romania. My dad was 1st generation American. I grew up hearing the native tongue spoken among my grandfather, my dad and his 3 siblings. Back then, Akron Ohio had quite a few Romanians, they mostly belonged to the Baptist church. Some of them became involved with the Witnesses (may have been called Bible Students then) and got my grandpa involved. That was the beginning of it all for my family. There were a few older Romanians in our Kingdom Hall as I was growing up. We were of the peasant class (ha, ha). Did your family ever make freesa cleesa? I have no idea how to spell it, I am sounding it out. You sit over a campfire with a chunk of bacon and let the fat melt onto a big slice of thick, crusty bread. Some put chopped green onions on it, but as a child I liked it without. That's some good Romanian peasant food! Too bad, none of us kids grew up learning the language.

59

On my way to Cleveland for the 2011 "Let God's Kingdom Come" District Convention!

by MrFreeze in

well, i would be... if i were still going to meetings.

i live in pittsburgh, pa. for as long as i can remember we've always had our conventions in cleveland.

i think the year i was born was when we started going there.

SafeAtHome

Hey, Went to the Indians game last night (was a rain out after sitting there for 2 hours) and again saw Witnesses walking down the street. It was funny, some guys selling tickets on the street offered them tickets. They just shook their head and said they weren't going to the game. My daughter thought that was hilarious! With so many events up there all the parking was $20, instead of the usual $10. We usually park at a Catholic Church (ST Marons) but I KNOW the JWs wouldn't park there! Don't know why they would park so far away from Wolstein and walk so far in this heat. I never was at Wolstein, do they not have enough parking there for the events? Mr Freeze, like your new avatar. The Pirates are kicking some serious butt this year. Too bad the Indians are starting the slide to the basement.

42

Was there anything different about you that helped you escape the WT?

by Giordano in

for me i know it was because i was a reader.. i began reading books at the age of 13, this was in the 1950's.

because there were some serious family problems i had two escapes i could count on reading and associating with my friends at the kingdom hall.. as i devoured steinbeck, hemingway, wolf etc.

my world view expanded....it had to.

SafeAtHome

That is such a thought provoking question. Growing up in a JW family, and extended family, I often wondered what is was about my family that was so special that we were so blessed by Jehovah to be one of the few on the narrow path. Now, after having been out for 25 years, I often wonder what it is about me (and my sister, as well as a few cousins) that I am so LUCKY to have seen the light and walked away from this controlling religion. Maybe that is it, it is so controlling and I have deep resentment that I missed out on so much , mainly a college education. I was in high school in the 60's and it was repeatedly pounded into us that 1975 was just around the corner and a college education would be a waste. I was an honor student, taking all college prep courses (why, I don't know) and my teachers were baffled that I was not applying for scholorships that I would surely have qualified for. When I got married for the 1st time in 1972, my mindset was , "Well, at least I will have 3 years to know what it is like to be married and have my own home".

I always questioned so many things, mainly the unfulfilled prophecies that lead to wasted lives. When we first became witnesses, even though I was only 10, I thought it odd that there were so many older couples in the KH who had no children and so many older, single men. It was later I learned how in their youth they were discouraged from marrying or having children, just as my generation was from higher education. And, I never really felt a close connection, deep down. I was always embarrassed in high school when I couldn't stand for the pledge or alma mater or anthem. I didn't wear it as a badge of honor of my faith, but rather an embarrassment I didn't understand. Later, as a woman, I ALWAYS resented the diminishment of women and their intelligence and their abilities. I saw so many strong, resourceful women subject themselves to real a**holes with inferior intelligence. I personally knew of a few who even wrote their husbands parts on the service meeting because the men were not capable of doing it themselves.

When it came time for me to walk away, I did so without a look back of regret. There was just so much about the authoritative nature of this religion that made me bristle and made me feel empty. The feeling of freedom, even after 25 years, is something I am thankful for everyday. The internet and sites like this only strengthen my resolve that I am indeed one of the fortunate to have left.

59

On my way to Cleveland for the 2011 "Let God's Kingdom Come" District Convention!

by MrFreeze in

well, i would be... if i were still going to meetings.

i live in pittsburgh, pa. for as long as i can remember we've always had our conventions in cleveland.

i think the year i was born was when we started going there.

SafeAtHome

I wouldn't mind meeting some of you, if it was close to me in Akron. That is, if you let "newbies" into your group. And, an old newbie at that. You guys all sound young enough to be my children! I'll just say, I was 10 when my parents joined the JWs, I was in for 25 years and have been out for 25 years (although family still in). Do the math, I am really old.

59

On my way to Cleveland for the 2011 "Let God's Kingdom Come" District Convention!

by MrFreeze in

well, i would be... if i were still going to meetings.

i live in pittsburgh, pa. for as long as i can remember we've always had our conventions in cleveland.

i think the year i was born was when we started going there.

SafeAtHome

NewChapter, Boloney in, boloney out. HA! My last memory of that assembly is eating lunch in the parking lot in a hot car with my cousin and his wife. I was going thru a divorce, thought my life was over , but actually, was just the beginning because it was the start of my journey out of "the Truth". Now my favorite place just down from there is the Country Maid Ice Cream place, we stop there every fall after one of our hikes during the fall hiking spree.

59

On my way to Cleveland for the 2011 "Let God's Kingdom Come" District Convention!

by MrFreeze in

well, i would be... if i were still going to meetings.

i live in pittsburgh, pa. for as long as i can remember we've always had our conventions in cleveland.

i think the year i was born was when we started going there.

SafeAtHome

It's nice to attend events, like baseball games, that stadiums are intended for. My only trip to NYC was in the early 60's for one of those 5 day conventions at Yankee Stadium. What an ordeal. That was our family "vacation" for that year, but there was not much time for sightseeing. I think we went to the top of the Empire State Building, but that was it. Another time we went to Detroit, another to Buffalo, which we actually did get to go over to Niagara Falls after that one. Woo-hoo! Man, I hated those conventions.

59

On my way to Cleveland for the 2011 "Let God's Kingdom Come" District Convention!

by MrFreeze in

well, i would be... if i were still going to meetings.

i live in pittsburgh, pa. for as long as i can remember we've always had our conventions in cleveland.

i think the year i was born was when we started going there.

SafeAtHome

Hey, I'm from the Akron area and the last big convention I attended was at the old Cleveland Coliseum (a misnomer, since it was in Richfield , about 30 minutes south of Cleveland) in 1984. Man, that place was the pits, or as you said, maybe it was because of the circumstances I had to be there. It was the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was torn down in 1999 and is now an overgrown field. The conventions are now held at the Wolstein Center on CSU campus, I think. It is not far from Progressive Field. We were up there for an Indians game one time, the same weekend a convention was going on and we saw a few JWs crossing the street. It was a hot, summer day, and there were these guys in suits and women in their "southern church lady" dresses with their badges on. Kind of hard to not recognize who they were. I was more appropriately dressed in my Tribe gear!

30

JWs always deny the information control

by AuntBee in

an active witness on fb just told me that they are taught to "always question what we are taught" and use not only the wt publications, but any research materials, and come to a conclusion about what they find!

this is not what i've heard from you guys!

does she go to some unusual-type kingdom hall, or is she mesing with my mind?.

SafeAtHome

Ask her why a JW reading "Crisis of Conscience" while living in a JW home would have to hide it and sneak time to read it. Or why do JW's dismiss and label any other literature as apostate without so much as a glance inside or consideration of the credentials of the writer?

12

GREAT BOOK ! May free your JW loved ones.

by wobble in

i have just finished reading a great book entitled "believing bullshit" by stephen law, published by prometheus books of n.y. www.prometheusbooks.com.

in it the author outlines how we come to believe total claptrap most often because of the dubious methods used by the promoters of these ideas.. he does not set out to debunk the ideas themselves as the main purpose of the book, though in passing he has to do so with some .like alien abductions, christian science and homeopathy etc.

his main purpose is to expose the methods used to get people to believe,,and how even if the idea being put forward may be good, or a truth, to use such methods is not justified, and leads one open to being sucked in to an intellectual black hole if you are duped by them.. if this book is read by an active, believing jw they will not smell any rats, but by the end of it, if they are honest with themselves they will see the methods used by the wt as totally dishonest and reminiscent of snake-oil salesmen.. it may just free their minds enough.. i cannot praise it too highly, it is a valuable read for anybody, and shows why even college educated, intelligent people can be fooled by bs..

SafeAtHome

Thanks, Open mind. My library has this one also, I just put it on hold. Sounds interesting.

12

GREAT BOOK ! May free your JW loved ones.

by wobble in

i have just finished reading a great book entitled "believing bullshit" by stephen law, published by prometheus books of n.y. www.prometheusbooks.com.

in it the author outlines how we come to believe total claptrap most often because of the dubious methods used by the promoters of these ideas.. he does not set out to debunk the ideas themselves as the main purpose of the book, though in passing he has to do so with some .like alien abductions, christian science and homeopathy etc.

his main purpose is to expose the methods used to get people to believe,,and how even if the idea being put forward may be good, or a truth, to use such methods is not justified, and leads one open to being sucked in to an intellectual black hole if you are duped by them.. if this book is read by an active, believing jw they will not smell any rats, but by the end of it, if they are honest with themselves they will see the methods used by the wt as totally dishonest and reminiscent of snake-oil salesmen.. it may just free their minds enough.. i cannot praise it too highly, it is a valuable read for anybody, and shows why even college educated, intelligent people can be fooled by bs..

SafeAtHome

Thank you, wobble, for the recommendation last month. My library got the book in and I just finished reading it. Wow. I had to remind myself that this was written for the general public, not aimed solely at JWs. In fact, although JWs aren't mentioned by name, they certainly can be included when religions, or cults in general are spoken of. Of particular interest is Chaper 8, Pressing Your Buttons. It talks about the methods that are used by others to shape our beliefs. It reminded me so much of what Raymond Franz said in the final chapter of "Crisis of Conscience" about how to be genuine, our faith must be individually arrived at and not be the borrowed convictions of others. The subheading, Belief Shaping Mechanisms, points to the exact methods the Witnesses use: isolation, control, uncertainty, repetition, and emotion (fear in particular). (Ray talked about these methods in his book.) Pressing Your Buttons calls these ones "mindless and uncritical followers"...who are "immune to reason, trapped inside an Intellectual Black Hole at the mercy of those who control the ideas at its core". Sound like any organization we know?

As the others said, I don't think you could get a JW to read it. They would say they haven't the time with their own literature to keep up with, or if by a miracle they did read it, they probably wouldn't recognize any of it as applying to themselves. Thanks again for the recommendation, I really enjoyed this book.