Posts by morrisamb

83

Judge Bans Shunning

by Farkel in

today i spoke with a former jw i've been in touch with for several years and discovered what i think could be a major bombshell for the wts.

as we all know, shunning is the most powerful weapon the wt cult has over its members and for decades the wts has been able to get away with practicing it at their whim.

the us and other courts have permitted them to to use it, even though it destroys families and has ruined countless lives.

morrisamb

This is a really great thread! Thanks for posting the articles Undisfellowshipped.

This shunning thing is the real reason I left the Witnesses in '85...not because I couldn't wait to "sin"! I just could not rationalize shunning my siblings any longer since I was a sinner myself.

Now my siblings and I are very close and we don't recognise such words...shunning..what the f*%!? Who's going to tell us who we can talk to?

The next delemma we needed to solve was how we would handle Witnesses when our Witness mother passes on. I told Mother one of her Witness "Sisters" can go up and read scriptures (wear a head covering, as if I care) representing her faith (as we respect her right to believe as she does and have a funeral in accordance with that faith), but absolutely NO MALE ELDERS OR THE LIKE!

I said, "your four kids are the most important people at your funeral and no way is some Elder going to give your talk to comfort us when he can't even say hello to us!!"

This bothered me for YEARS until I figured out this solution. Mother is okay with this. By the way, the service will be at the funeral home, no way at the Kingdom Hall.

All of us here know what shunning is like, and it is a horribly unchristlike behaviour, if you ask me!!!

11

Another quick poll:

by Monster in

jw
friends

good morning everyone.

not trying to force any of you to tell your ages, but how many of you were around durning the 1975 scandle?

did you believe the world would really end?

morrisamb

Not trying to force any of you to tell your ages, but how many of you were around durning the 1975 scandle? I was there!!

Did you believe the world would really end? Hell, yeah!

What did you give up waiting for the big A? At first I thought you asked, when did you give up waiting? That would be last year! But you said, what did you give up? Well, more than anything else...inner peace.

What were your opposing families like towards you? They liked me. They really liked me!

Did you hide food thinking you would need it later? I think I ate everything in sight.

Last, what happened with your lives after the big A didn't happen? Since I was 15 at the time, I went to school like usual...My brother though, had quit school in '73 to pioneer...he was only 16! I remember thinking that was ridiculous! As for the big picture, the truth is, talk of the end in '75 had no impact on me whatsoever...we were living in Armageddon with my abusive Father..so the big doom day seemed something to look forward to!

Edited by - morrisamb on 10 December 2002 20:45:46

25

So What Was The First Thing That You Did...

by Englishman in

jw
friends

..after you were baptised, and how did you feel?.

i went for a swim, having got baptised at orchard beach, new york.

i was disappointed that i didn't feel any sort of warm glow.. when my dad was baptised, it was at epsom circuit assembly, london.

morrisamb

Odd, I can't say I remember what I did afterwards ('79), but mere seconds before...

...in the change room...

..I had impure thoughts!!!!

Can't believe I admitted that!

6

European JW uses Father's Touch to help cong.

by morrisamb in

this is a letter i received from a european witness.

i had hoped my book would help victims...otherwise, why bother writing it..but, it gives one hope when even witnesses learn something from it!

dear donald,

morrisamb

Yes, JW's can do loving things...it's just that it's rare that they do them to we that have left! And this makes it very difficult for us...I was one of the ones who left quietly and made noise years later for things having nothing to do with being a JW. So I've made it difficult for them to really "hate" me..if you know what I mean...yet honestly, I never know what reaction I'm going to get...

I've been in a supermarket where there are 3 Witnesses who know me but they are all in different places...one looks right through me; the second one has to wait on me, so there's this icey "stepford wife" smile and the third one? "Oh hi Donald..how are you?"

When you get such a wide variety of reactions, it makes it very difficult not to be reserved, cautious. It's taken me a long time to get here, and I'm not sure if I've succeeded, but I try to be my happy, fun-loving self, despite the possibility of antagonist forces. But some days it's tough!

6

European JW uses Father's Touch to help cong.

by morrisamb in

this is a letter i received from a european witness.

i had hoped my book would help victims...otherwise, why bother writing it..but, it gives one hope when even witnesses learn something from it!

dear donald,

morrisamb

Hi Celia...yes, I hope my book is eventually translated into other languages...it is 340 pages.

As for requiring a strong stomach, I know what you mean but from the feedback I've received, most people say it's a page turner and they like my sense of humour. Yeah, that may surprise you but my story isn't a boo hoo one, or a self-help lesson...I just tell it like it is and tried to incorporate novelistic qualities into it. Of course, if I was sucessful or not, readers will have to be the judge of that!

6

European JW uses Father's Touch to help cong.

by morrisamb in

this is a letter i received from a european witness.

i had hoped my book would help victims...otherwise, why bother writing it..but, it gives one hope when even witnesses learn something from it!

dear donald,

morrisamb

Thanks Grits! Witnesses are warned not to read anything written by an X-JW...but they do, I know they do..from the response I've received from Witnesses who tell my mother what they think of my book. One told her, "It was an eye opener...but the Elders, it was one of the first cases, and they didn't know how to react....later she retracted this and told my Mother, 'You know what, no one can tell you and your children how you should feel. We weren't in your shoes.'" Interesting, eh!!

6

European JW uses Father's Touch to help cong.

by morrisamb in

this is a letter i received from a european witness.

i had hoped my book would help victims...otherwise, why bother writing it..but, it gives one hope when even witnesses learn something from it!

dear donald,

morrisamb

This is a letter I received from a European Witness. I had hoped my book would help victims...otherwise, why bother writing it..but, it gives one hope when even Witnesses learn something from it! Dear Donald, ....one of my friends did read your book, Father's Touch, and called me to say thanks for giving her the book. In no way she found the book exaggerating as she sayd that "this is exactly the way it was and could be for many abused children growing up in a congregation" Just now I am taking care of a group of sisters (5 fleshly and spiritually sisters) all abused by their father, and my thoughts are to give them a book each and then ask them to read it so we can have it as a ground for their grouptherapi. If that seems to fall out good I will continue to use the book as an aid for victims. The only problem I see is the english language. Not all is good in english, but on the other hand the way you wrote the book the english is so easy to understand, so I think it will work out well. Since my sisterfriend and I started to (pound) the brothers with this problem it seems that they have got a better understanding of the problem and we do not have the problem like I can see in USA. They treats us with respect and they are trying to help out where we point on the problems. Some brothers have indicated that this years the ministryschool are taking up the problem. As a matter of fact my husbond is there today and tomorrow so I am eager to hear what conclusions and actions there is to be taking. But in cases we have pointed out, the nessessary actions have now been made to help the vitims first of all and not the molesters. We have found that the brothers have taken the problem real seriously even where we have pointed out their wrongdoings against the victims. In our dialouge with the branchoverseer and circuietoverseers and some elders we do make sure that we are wellequipt with knowledge and cases to underbuild our dialouge. We have never meet the problem of threats like it seems in other countries. I have come to understand that a lot of elders are lacking knowledge of abuse and its consequences. Its like its to unbelievable to beleave such a horrible things are going on. So they choose to supress it cause its to hard to take it in to their minds. Your book is not just for the victims but even for the brothers who have to deal with the problem. Its like they have been trembling and we all have as well. They have no words for this horrible crime. You have by your book given us words that make this crime be visible. To let them read your book and to get information and knowledge I am sure they now will understand and take a fast actions against molsters so that no one, in our congregations, now and in the future will have to go through what you had to. If it happens and come to my knowledge be sure I and my friend will have our thumbs in the their eyes. Especially greetings to your mother my sister in faith

45

Michael Jackson shocks crowd in Berlin

by Brymichmom in

jw
friends

click on where it says, "more on this story:" pictures.

it's just shocking!

what is wrong with this man dangling a small child out of the hotel balcony????.

morrisamb

I was never one of those who believed Michael abused that boy whose parents took a million to be quiet...innocent until proven guilty...but I have seen this video and I find his behaviour extremely abusive...there is no excuse for a 40+ year father of 3 children to dangle a baby over a 4 floor balcony. He's needs therapy and surpervised custody of his children!!!

31

ScARY Man.. Michael Jackson

by Country Girl in

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/021114/161/2oheh.html

morrisamb

Hi Sabine

An Elder who studied with me in '78 (I was 17) told me whites should marry whites and blacks, blacks. I said, "That's ridiculous." He said, "It's not a prejudice...it would just be easier for Witnesses to marry within their culture."

And who said, Elders don't preach their own philosophies!

As for Michael Jackson...oh so sad...I totally believe he hated how he looked because his father told him he was ugly when he was a child. I might be a circle of one here, but I'd rather he remained a Witness and not destroyed his appearance, then his fate now: being made fun of by everyone but his father

8

ELDER: "In case he has a change of heart.&...

by morrisamb in

jw
friends

my witness mother received her regular visit from an elder (she lives with me)...she told me he said they have something new, where the circuit overseer could talk to disfellowshipped ones [i'm disassociated 7 years, out 17] if the disf.

one so wishes, and be invited to attend the meetings.. mom said, "donald just wants to be left alone.".

elder: "jehovah knows peoples' hearts.

morrisamb

Ozziepost, That's why I like the word dissassociated much better the disf. I had some say in the matter.

But in my case, even that's not true....they nailed me because I wrote a public column on my sexuality 10 years after I left. They called and said,

"We want you to meet with us."

I said, "No, I haven't been a Witness for 10 years."

He said, "You're still a baptised member of our congregation."

"I won't."

"Then what you're saying is that you want to dissassociate yourself."

"I never said that."

Then he goes back to square one, "We want you to meet with us."

Round and round in circles we went...Finally I said. "Do whatever"...and hung up. Mom said they announced I disassociated myself the following week.

My god, go back? For what? Pennence. Twelve lashes with a wet noodle. To feel the love tonight. Nope, I've rented Harry Potter. I'm going to watch it with Mom.