Posts by Mum

49

A QUESTION FOR JW'S who say, "The brothers were overly zealous" about 1975

by Terry in

"what was the actual significance of that year, then?".

if jw's were overly zealous, what was the exact amount of zeal encouraged by the wts for a non-event which took up.

over 7 years of every jw's time?.

Mum

I remember the book that first "suggested" the 1975 date. It was entitled something like Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God. (Perhaps daughters of God do not have freedom?) I used to recall the page number, but have forgotten it. I also recall a Watchtower article entitled "Are You Looking Forward to 1975?" It was all the talk. People were postponing health care and dental work. People were quitting good jobs and becoming handymen to have more time for the preaching work. The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life (the "Truth book") was published about 1968, and we were instructed to study with people only 6 months and press them to make a decision within that time frame because the end was SO CLOSE!

They can't fool anyone who participated in that collective madness, particularly if we still have a working memory.

I posted this information for those who were not there in the pre-1975 hysteria so they could have a frame of reference if anything ever came up about this issue.

Letting go of our delusions is one of the most painful human experiences, but so worth it!

21

baby or no baby?

by Dudu in

that is the question for the next months ... i am 32 and i will turn 33 on december....i am freaking out!!!

my hubby and i have no children and we are not looking for one right now because im studying a masters.

i will finish subjects in june and after that i will write my thesis (6 more months).

Mum

This is an intensely personal matter. I won't offer advice other than to tell you that the older I get the more my family, especially my direct descendants, means to me. You need to decide what your priorities are because, once you have a child, that child is Priority 1 24/7.

Do you have friends and/or family who can help with child care? I think that will be necessary if you're going to finish your degree and write your thesis.

Best wishes.

31

"The Waters" of Jehovah are drying up in Australia...65% young ones leave!

by Witness 007 in

at the international convention last week i caught up with my old congregation and asked about the young ones...there were 2 answers.

1. they flat out left got a boyfriend etc.

and 2. havent seen them for awhile meaning they faded or went off the grid so as not to be disfellowshipped.

Mum

Generation Y are a different breed, IMHO. They are inclined to question everything and consider FACTS above "authority," especially arbitrary authority. I admire them a lot! I know that I'm making a sweeping generalization, but I think statistics bear out what I'm saying.

29

Do we know for sure what happens after death?

by Yondaime in

christian denominations say we go to heaven, witness say we stay alseep until ressurection.

quran says when we go we grt 72 virgins, unless we blow some people up.. .

i'm not really concerned with death atm, i'm not dead.

Mum

You're getting yourself too worked up. Relax. No one can know what happens after death. There are many "life after life" experiences on record, experiences in which people were clinically dead and saw dead relatives, etc. It cannot be confirmed whether or not these experiences were real or hallucination. Others have clinically died and reported simply not being conscious.

There are many things we don't know or understand. Read the great philosophers and thinkers, and reach your own conclusions. Best wishes on your quest.

47

Divorcing my husband of 13 years...

by 2pink in

jw
friends

my husband and i were both born ins.

i left in 2009, and he followed me out a bit later.

we were one of those couples who followed the script, married young and ended up having nothing in common other than the religion.

Mum

My best recommendation is that you go to the nearest community college and talk with someone there about taking some vocational interest tests and personality tests to determine what kind of work you're best suited for.

In the meantime, will you be able to stay in your home? Will you be able to stay there AND collect child support? Do you have family members and/or good friends who can help you care for the kids?

When I lived in Reno, Nevada, my daughter attended the community college. There's was actually a Boys' and Girls' Club on campus where parents could leave their kids while they attended classes. The same college had a women's re-entry program for women in circumstances such as yours.

Help is available. Please start talking to people and find out which direction would be best for you and your kids.

Best wishes!

24

Well, it was a fine week to LEAVE!

by RagingBull in

jw
friends

....well, i was going to wait.

go out with a bang!?

i decided (like many others this week!

Mum

Good for you! Congratulations and welcome to freedom! People are such creatures of habit that most of them just go along with the program because it's easier that way.

18

Failure

by backformore in

jw
friends

so tonight just sucks ad i just want to vent to people who don't know me irl.. my wife and i have two kids.

i was still in when we got together but my wife never was.

when we actually got married i moved out of my parents place and never went back to a kingdom hall again.

Mum

I understand that there are a lot of children coming in to the U.S. from Central America, and many of them are probably eligible for adoption. Have you looked into this. Do you live in the U.S.? There are so many children needing homes that I hope you don't give up on adoption. Have you talked to a social worker in your area?

52

I loathe authority

by punkofnice in

now i'm not preaching hatred here i am just expressing how i've felt for years even when i was a jw.. i totally loathe the police/policticians...any authority......anyone that is over anyone else.

i have a total hatred of them all.

i wonder if it's because i was raised a jw?.

Mum

The only people who need "authority," IMHO, are out-of-control people, mostly teenagers. Office holders and emergency personnel alike are there to look out for the best interests of the people, not to be arrogant and heavy handed.

When I was growing up, I lived with my grandparents until I was 11. They were not authoritarian, and I came to understand that their "rules" were put in place to protect me from harm, not to let me know who's boss. Then I had to go live with my sperm donor and egg donor, who were just the opposite. I still have issues about them.

I am now my own authority, and I usually know what is appropriate and inappropriate without consulting anyone. If I do consult anyone, it won't be someone with "authority."

15

feeling sad

by berrygerry in

the past number of months have been traumatic for myself and my family.. the fascist practices of the wts have wreaked monumental harm to us all - with 3 members hospitalized for suicide.. researching past events brings one to the overwhelmingly sad story of bethany hughes, and her parents lawrence and arliss.. (arliss was featured years later on a dc for her courage through their ordeal.).

larry did what any normal, loving father would do.. try to protect his daughter.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocex1eu5v6u.

it is doubly sad knowing personally one of the wts lawyers involved, and his relatives who have left the wts despite the harsh consequences.. sometimes, i wish there were a "dante" hell.. .

Mum

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Please get counseling or whatever help you need to help yourself get through this.

34

What makes a "good Jehovah's Witness"??

by stuckinarut2 in

so, i have been thinking...what is the formula or recipe for the "perfect jw"?.

here are a few points i thought of...please feel free to add!.

always dress in the jw manner...no variation in clothing / hair styles / facial hair.

Mum

Where did Jesus say ANY of this? What does any of this have to do with love of God or love of neighbor!

CULT!