help me understand why i could not stop laughing watching this apparently serious video?.
https://youtu.be/xluj6cpznw4.
His earnest and emotional tone and some facial expressions amused me when he was talking about such mundane, boring realities of being a JW.
I don't know if anyone without experience being a JW or being closely associated with JW's would really quite understand all he was talking about. I like him. I agree that he's a really nice person and am glad he's freed himself.
growing up in the 70's and 80's in the jw religion who remembers the massive stadium gigs the watchtower used to hold?.
we used to denounce false religion in the starkest of terms.
we were right and by god we were letting anyone who listened know it.
I started "publishing" in 1963, at the age of 15. I got to go to an international convention in New York with JW's who were strangers to me. I was the only one in my family they were able to fool at that time. I had never been anywhere except Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, so going to New York was the most exciting event in my life!
The JW's took me to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes, a ride on the Staten Island ferry, Rockefeller Center, and to some nice restaurants. The assembly talks and dramas really got me pumped. I was well-behaved, so the JW's liked me and made it a point to be extra nice to me.
Since I was the lone wolf JW in my family, I didn't experience the harshness at the KH that some kids did. The congregation I attended (not the one in my territory, but in the territory of those who studied with me) was in the wealthiest neighborhood in town.
I loved the circuit assemblies, too. I got to stay in a motel (something else I'd never done before) and talk to other JW's about their problems, and listen to the adults gossip about the ones in the congregation who they did not approve of.
I stayed in until 1979, at which time I had married a controlling elder, and the whole experience and disappointment about 1975 turned the whole experience sour. I realized that I had been a better person before I became a JW.
I'm glad I don't have to deal with their sad fantasies anymore.
im new to this forum, i dont know where else to post my story, sorry if im wrong for posting this on this subject.
as i begin to wake up from being in the org i thought id introduce myself to this forum with how i was raised in the org..., ive been beginning to look at everyones stories from being raised as one and how they left, and i find comfort in knowing im not alone, so maybe another young person like me will find the same comfort reading my story.
as you can tell by my username, i am posting this on an anonymous account because of fear of what the elders would do to me and my parents if they found out who i was.
I'm so sorry! Congratulations on having lived through all this pain and rejection. Do you know of others in your area who have chosen the "apostate path" so you might have someone who understands because they've been through it, too? Do you have a job that pays enough for you to live on? Did you graduate from high school?
I'm sorry about all the questions, but I am trying to assure myself that you will be able to get out of your situation and start a real life. I am lucky that I had a pre-JW life, so it was not as hard for me to function in the real world.
At your age, all I knew how to do was obey. I recommend that you read Dr. Wayne Dyer's book "Your Erroneous Zones." I read it just before I exited the org, and it helped me to let go of guilt and fear and begin to think for myself without having to ask someone else what I should do every time I had to make a decision.
It sounds like you have learned enough to get started. I hope you will take one day at a time and be patient with yourself and kind to yourself (hard to do when you've rarely heard anything good about yourself).
Best wishes for a happy future. Keep us posted on your progress.
my parents are in there late 60s, they have a net worth of 2 to 3 million dollars and a 2500 sq ft home.
my dad works a hobby job at a service station for boredom reasons.
it’s a kiosk type between glass but it does require some contact with the public.
I notice that there are certain types of people who need busy work to feel comfortable and useful. I am not one of them. If I had a lot of money, I would be traveling the world, getting better educated, and working with charities. However, I wouldn't be doing any of these things if I wanted to just hang out on the beach or stay in bed watching a good movie and eating bon bons.
Let me say I envy you if you stand to inherit a substantial portion of that money.
let's share some notable wts quotations that demonstrate the arrogance, ignorance, hypocrisy etc.
of the watchtower leadership.
“‘zion’s watch tower’ has, we believe jehovah for its backer, and while this is the case it will never beg nor petition men for support.
I have been free of the WT since 1979, so my memory of their bizarre prognostications has faded. I do remember, "Stay alive 'til '75!" Hilarious!
a bit late in coming, but i have a new article on the cry of peace and security at https://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/peace-and-security.php.
this was prompted by trump using the term peace and security a few times in 2017 and 2018, and the excitement this generated amongst jehovah's witnesses.
i would love to see other quotes you like on this topic, or texts and experiences..
Back in the '70's, I used to go out in service often with a fellow wife of an elder. She was also a regular pioneer. She told me that Nixon had "already cried peace," but I'm not sure of which occasion she was referring to. Personally, I do not recall Nixon's saying anything about peace and security. Her assertion might have had something with China coming out of the shadows and joining the UN, which prompted a lot of speculation among the witnesses of that time.
the point of the letter was how many are feeling disappointed these days.. no circuit assembly, convention, how we can't fellowship at the k.h.
disappointed we might have had a love one die, etc etc.
he then goes on to write about how disappointed jehovah must have felt when his first human creation rebelled.
JW's are not the only peoople going through this. I think the worst aspect of it is the financial hardship many are having to endure.
it is quite a step to register, still in.
old family in, good marriage in.
i dont know exactly how much to say and not let too much out to get caught.
Are you a convert or "congenital/born-in?" Are most of your extended family JW's? The process of breaking away is probably much harder for those brought up as JW's and/or who are from JW families.
There are some good suggestions here. I recommend that you read some books, such as "Your Erroneous Zones" by Dr. Wayne Dyer, "Crisis of Conscience" by Raymond Franz, and "The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses" by Gary and Heather Botting. To understand the Botting book, you will need to have read "1984" by George Orwell.
Best wishes with doing whatever you need to do to have peace and contentment.
jw's around the globe have been encouraged to write letters to putin and the russian government.
they are expected to give their personal details on the envelope.
i appreciate that this might be normal when writing to your own government if they are tolerant, but is this not a bit strange that the gb want to give putin the address of every jw in the world?
It sounds like a set-up to trigger persecution. The GB gets some free publicity, and JW's get to feel like martyrs. The world sits up and takes notice of JW's. It's a win-win for the old guys at the top.
i understand a lot of you have had experience with different situations but i just need to see if there is anything to shed light on my situation.. i separated from my wife of 13 yrs (been apart for the past 2 now), and left.
this was our second separation.
i couldn't deal with her ways anymore so i chose to leave.
Your situation is not an easy one. It's clear that you care about your kids a great deal and want to have a good relationship with them. It's best to not try too hard to control things. If your kids choose to be JW's, it's best to just let them be and make sure they understand that you're there for them no matter what they believe. When you are with your children, it's best to appear to be happy even if you're really feeling down. Kids don't remember everything you say, but they do remember how you made them feel.
Someone else suggested hiring an attorney who has some understanding of how JW's operate. You may need to educate your attorney about what you're up against. No matter what you tell him/her, or anyone else, put it in writing as well. It's only when things are written down that the arguments over who-said-what can be shown accurately. People are forgetful as well, and misconstrue things you say. So, write it down.
Meanwhile, go on with your life. Decide what you want to do, set goals, and take steps toward living the life you want for yourself.
Best wishes,
Mum
