I was raised in a Catholic home well my dad was a very devout Catholic attended mass everyday ,and my mom was a convert, kept dad happy. But anyway something I have always wondered about, the no meat on Friday thing. I can honestly say until I was 17 I never ate meat on Friday. The first time I did it was pepperoni pizza, I honestly was almost afraid to swallow it, it was scary. But anyway back to the sacrifice of not eating meat...we would go out for crab legs and shrimp, tell me how was that a sacrifice, it never made sense to me. Kind of like, "you can't have beer"...."here drink this $150 bottle of Dom instead we are being pennitent(sp)".
nita6368
JoinedPosts by nita6368
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JT - we're both right and wrong
by bluesapphire ini just wanted to tell you that i found information in an old catechism.
basically, it shows that *some* archdioceses abstained from meat on all fridays prior to vatican ii.
it is up to the bishop of each archdiocese and most dioceses in the roman catholic rite in the us had that.
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Are JW Kids Worse Disproportionately?
by patio34 inin a conversation with my son, we were going over all the young people he grew up with that were jws.
there seemed to be an inordinate proportion of felons among them, compared to the "worldly" people in his school.
and also compared to the people at work that i know whose kids are doing fine now.. our tentative theory is that raising kids as jws can be very damaging to many of them.
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nita6368
I agree that JW kids are basically "taught" to lie. If they told the truth about any normal kids activities they would be shunned, df'd or
the dreaded "marking". The sad part about it, most of the ones who stay in the org with their double life but truly want to be a witness can end up being pathological liars and the type who have to continually try to make someone else look bad to make themselves look good..hey I guess thats the jw philosophy after all isn't it. -
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Let me give you my story....
by nita6368 inhi there everyone, i have posted a few times but after reading some life stories i decided to put mine on here in a condensed version.i don't know about anyone else but it helps me to read other peoples life stories, kind of validates that "hey, i'm not crazy, it was the org.
that was so warped.
" ok, here goes...i was raised catholic-12 years of parochial school and all only to find myself pregnant at 18 and being told by the monseniour(higher-up priest, really old guy)that it would be bettter for my child to be born a bastard(exact word used) than for me to marry the unbelieving father-he was a baptist.
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nita6368
Thanks home_and_dry,
Sometimes its rough for the boys because he is still their dad no matter how warped his thinking is but their counselor is working on their self-esteem because as she says and we all know the JW's have to beat someones self esteem down before they trap them. So far we are doing good.I was in counseling for two years after I left, now I am a social worker myself.
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Let me give you my story....
by nita6368 inhi there everyone, i have posted a few times but after reading some life stories i decided to put mine on here in a condensed version.i don't know about anyone else but it helps me to read other peoples life stories, kind of validates that "hey, i'm not crazy, it was the org.
that was so warped.
" ok, here goes...i was raised catholic-12 years of parochial school and all only to find myself pregnant at 18 and being told by the monseniour(higher-up priest, really old guy)that it would be bettter for my child to be born a bastard(exact word used) than for me to marry the unbelieving father-he was a baptist.
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nita6368
Hi there everyone, I have posted a few times but after reading some life stories I decided to put mine on here in a condensed version.I don't know about anyone else but it helps me to read other peoples life stories, kind of validates that "Hey, I'm not crazy, it was the org. that was so warped." Ok, here goes...I was raised Catholic-12 years of parochial school and all only to find myself pregnant at 18 and being told by the Monseniour(higher-up priest, really old guy)that it would be bettter for my child to be born a bastard(exact word used) than for me to marry the unbelieving father-he was a baptist. That was the last time I stepped foot into a Catholic Church.My son is wonderful nearly 16 now.His father didn't stick around to enjoy him, his loss. When I was 20 this guy that I worked with would always talk to me on my breaks about the church he went to, he'd always bring the little red book and show me the pictures and ask if I'd like to see my son in the paradise(guilt trip), to make a long story short he got me to go to church with him, he was a pioneer and he even set me up with a bible study with an elders wife then he asked me out(I guess it was ok because I was studying, in his mind anyway)
Soon after he was disfellowshipped ...ooooppps...Within a year I was baptised and he reinstated and within 2 years we had our first child.I honestly have to say I progressed simply because I couldn't tell my bible study instructor NO, I used to be a pushover and she would guilt trip me into feeling awful about myself, come to think of it, thats why i got married, the old guilt trip to make everything right in Jah's eyes.Well anyway during the course of our marriage this "brother" was privately reproved, twice and finally disfellowshipped for adultery, pornography..you name it.5 affairs total.After we divorced he moved in with his girlfriend two months later, is not reinstated yet but has her studying now. I have been out from the org for about 5 years now, I was privately reproved for an incident and I asked them to disfellowship me because I didn't want to be there...so they df'd me over the speaker phone at the hall, they called me up after I had gotten home from my meeting. But I have the satisfaction of knowing that I wouldn't tell them any details about anything I refused and went home. I found out later that the PO who sat on the committee was a child molester, unbelievable. My ex and I have many problems as far as our kids go, he is on his KH kick again and forces them to go when he has them and tries to guilt them into not celebrating holidays, birthdays and such but he allows them to play sports---double standard, but we are making it, the kids are in counseling and are getting to an age where they realize how twisted his thinking is and they really don't want much to do with it.Well thats about it, I just wanted everyone to know where my thinking was coming from in my posts, 10 years in the org, 2 years as a reg. pioneer, pioneer school the whole 9 yards...what a waste. Love the board, love the stories:) -
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JW Rules That Are Just "Too Much"!
by Ephanyminitas ini'm curious: what rules have you dealt with that were just "too much" -- whether they were "official" (i.e.
in print) or not?.
i think a good, general one is r-rated movies.
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nita6368
Ritualistic Voodoo Twist, now tell me someone doesn't have too much time on their hands:)We were also banned from the twist in KY but elders actually thought the macarena was an appropriate dance at gatherings, imagine that.No ninja turtles, power rangers, squirt guns.
It was said that women who did not wear panty hose to meetings in summer but went bare legged were not submissive.I remember going into the movie rental store and if I even read the jacket of an R rated movie it was like looking all around to make sure no other witnesses saw you, crazy:)First thing I did when I left the org...bought a 2 door car and got a tattoo:) people avoid me like the plague. -
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I've been studying for about a year now...
by Meow921 ini've been studying with the jw's for about a year now.
i know that by nature (or nurture!
) i have an addictive personality so i have tried to be real careful that i'm doing the right thing by getting involved with them.
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nita6368
Meow,
I also studied for about a year before being baptized. I was dating a witness and it seemed like the thing to do, I couldn't believe how friendly everyone was practically smothering you at the hall. Only by accident did I find out that behind my back I was the topic of conversation between the sisters...the worldy girl trying to get brother so and so into trouble. I didn't know anything about the witnesses until after I was baptized, no matter what they tell you here is an honest summary of what you have to look forward to in the org......you will have to avoid your family who are not witnesses, they will be considered bad association, any friends that you have on the outside of the organization will have to be avoided also, bad association...if you have kids they wont be able to play with neighborhood kids, bad association...your kids will be made fun of at school because they will have to refuse birthday cake and refuse to pledge allegience...no Xmas programs at school...you won't be able to attend "worldy family" get togethers for holidays or mother's day or anything like that.....you will be expected to be at every meeting and have every publication studied...you will be expected to participate and answer and give talks and go out in service at least on saturdays....you will be expected to sit in a hot car all day if thats what necessary to get your "time"in....you will be expected to aux pioneer at least once a year...you will be expected to attend out of town assemblies no matter the cost or your financial situation...you will be expected to contribute extra money at the assemblies and kingdom hall quickbuilds even if you are broke...
I could go on and on but I think you can see from this list, the jw's don't tell you everything. I was in the org nearly 10 years and my kids are in counseling now. The presiding overseer in my hall was a child molester...unbelievable stuff happens in the congregation.My advice...don't jump into anything and don't let them talk you into anything, they are good at that...
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BEATING KIDS IN THE WASHROOM
by Rags ini am 36 yr old female originally from toronto ontario canada.
was raised jw till i was about 14. has anyone else had this happen in their hall?
the mom's (thank god never mine!
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nita6368
I have three boys of my own and remember how their dad, my ex, used to take them outside-he never took them to the restroom. My children
are in counseling now and have told their counselor that he would take them outside and spank them with a belt and then give them a lifesaver so they would quit crying. Sick, huh? I remember one time a bethelite was in town visiting his family and we went to see a stupid slide show and when they shut off the lights my son started crying and the PO of that hall came and told me that I needed to take my son to the back and discipline him and if I didn't want to he would do it for me...last time I went to that hall. the ironic part of it is his son was the bethelite and he was kicked out of bethel for fornication almost immediately when he went back to New York. In Port Jervis New York Hall, there was a sister, a very large italian sister who would walk around the hall with a big leather belt thrown over her shoulder and a wooden spoon in her purse that she used to beat her kids, they were 4 and 2.I am told by my kids that their dad spanks their 1 1/2 year old brother when he wakes up in the middle of the night when they are visiting him, they can hear him spanking him and hollering at him to shut up or he's going to spank him some more.So I guess the abuse trails on into the home life even at a young age. -
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I Went To The KH Yesterday Afternoon
by TheRecordCollector ini went to the kh yesterday afternoon.
i met a friend there that i haven't seen in a while.
she and her husband used to be regulars there until her husband died, then she moved back to california to live with her daughter.
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nita6368
I look at this board quite often but haven't posted too often but this post actually made my boaring day a little brighter. I have been
df'd for about 5 years and ironic as it may seem the PO who sat on my judiciary committe was a child molester we have found out now.But this certain PO would always give the same talk and at the end of the talk he would give the same illustration...a boy...a father and a train rolling out of control...and everytime he gave the talk the cong would say...oh , Brother XXXX, is so gifted and wasn't that illustration wonderful...it was like they never heard it before...absolutley amazing they are like drones who just sit and hear but never listen. And then we would re-study the Paradise book and re-study the Creation book.I particularly hated the part in the KM about destroying the motel rooms at the District Convention most of the times the rooms were crappy and in a high crime area or at an airport that was always refreshing. It is so wonderful to be free.... -
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I AM NO LONGER A JW STATISTIC
by Cassiline inthis has taken a lot of courage to post.
my life with the jws has been one hardship after another.
i am sharing this to help others see that jws claim to be loving and forgiving people while they are not.
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nita6368
It is so nice to find a site that offers support like is offered on this site. I was referred to this site by Bill Bowen, an old friend. I have been disfellowshipped for several years and will be the first to say that the horror stories that are being told from former members are the truth, not exaggerated in any way. I attended the hall for 10 years. I was not born into the cult ( I am sorry but I'm not going to call it anything that it is not), I married a fine young pioneer brother.Oh..wait, if he married me he couldn't have been a fine.....Oh well, I was the bad one who corrupted him and even into my pioneering days I was fondly known as the worldly girl who got XXX into trouble.When my husband cheated several times, he was privately reproved and I was told to give him more attention. Pornography, affairs were all given a slap on the hand. I have seen small babies spanked for crying at the kingdom hall. I have seen toddlers beat with belts for refusing to sit still.My children have been friends with children who have been sexually molested by their elder father and have seen the whole congregation shun the child for being a difficult child.I have witnessed a P.O tell a disfellowshipped person that he could not speak to him when the man told him he was thinking of killing himself, what is really sickening is the PO was the mans best friend before the df.Brotherly love? There is none in the organization, its every man for himself, do unto someone else before they do unto you. My heart goes out to anyone trapped in fear of leaving the organization.If anyone reading this thinks that these things are not happening in your congregation, take my advice, talk to some of your difficult children, your troubled teens, your inactive publishers, not only talk but listen with an open mind. Believe me I live in ruralsville, it can happen anywhere.
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MAJOR UN/WTS NEWS- UN LETTER & 1992 Press R...
by hawkaw inas of 6:02 pm last night i received a facsimile from paul hoeffel at the un on the wts.. he gave me 3 of the 4 things i requested in two paragraphs.. i have sent a scanned version to steve bates and someone else.. i sent it to kent and randy.
and kent and randy have posted the official united nations letter on their web sites.. here is the letter - put your cursor on the image and then right click on your mouse and hit "save image" to your computer.. .
after you look at kent's web site and you people still think this it is a fake letter, phone paul hoeffel yourself at (212) 963-8070.. hawk
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nita6368
That gentleman responsible for the email said we disfellowshipped ones are: "that means they are adulterers, fornicators, liars, thieves, murderers, perverts, and apostates. in short, this means they are the dumped-out refuse who no longer choose to remain in a clean and high caliber organization, amongst clean and high-caliber people. thus, they no longer are quite fit to remain in it." I have been disfellowshipped for several years and I am none of those and never have been.Judging from the state of the "organization" , we are not the ones who are unfit.Child Molestation, The UN...whats next? Hats off to everyone working hard to uncover the cult!