Posts by 3rdgen

24

BadAss Bethelites, did they really peak in the 1960's?

by was a new boy in

in the 70's a bethel elder told me that every morning in the 60's the paint and scaffold crew, (which was located on the 5th floor of building 4) would go up to the roof and walk around the perimeter on top of the ledge, which i doubt was more than 12" wide.

then they'd go render sacred service to jehovah..

3rdgen

My husband, (Baalam's Ass) was a Bethelite in 77-78 ish. After hearing his accounts of life and experiences there I believe that many, after seeing how the organization is actually run, are severely stumbled.

Those without a decent support system, are broke, and disillusioned, can easily become despondent. Who can they trust to share their doubts with? Certainly not their family, if they are Staunch JWs!

I had a close JW friend whose boyfriend went to Beth-Hell, came home and shot himself. He was a handsome, intelligent, person who couldn't bear the burden of "The Truth" anymore.

38

Did you ever meet someone born in the 1800’s?

by Fisherman in

i met freddie franz who was born in the 1880’s and many others from the 1880’s.

but as a very small child i remember someone very old aged 106 and that person was born around 1856 which means that he was around people from the 1700’s..

3rdgen

Yes,

My Paternal grandparents were born in 1875 and 1877. Grandma, who became an IBSA died before I was born. However, I knew my grandfather well because he lived with my parents and me for about a year when I was between 6 and 7 yo. (1958) He was 83.

What a character he was! Unlike grandma, he was not a Watchtower believer. He was, like grandma, a child of original California settlers. He had a huge cattle ranch in parts of Lassen and Tehama county. He even built a summer resort that is still there called "Childs Meadows".

Grandpa was a lot like Ben Cartwright on the old show, Bonanza. Although he LOVED his whisky he was never a mean drunk. Sometimes when he had a snootful, he would invite little me up on his lap and tell me stories and say, "You are my only little granddaughter and I love you dearly. Then hand me a $20.00 bill! That is like giving a 6yo over $200.00 regularly. I had no idea about the value of the money. I just felt the love and affection he showed me.

Thanks for the memories, Grandpa.

18

Jehovah`s Witness Elders who were Business men in The Congregations I Attended.

by smiddy3 in

a number of topics have covered work experiences by members who have encountered crticism for having a full time job .in the last few congregations i had attended this was never an issue as elders had businesses they owned and employed brothers and sisters .. while i personally never worked for a jw, both my young sons did at one time or another and my wife did also .i have always worked full time in secular employment and have never been criticised for doing so .and to my knowledge nobody else ever had that experience.. in the first cong.i attended an po as they were called at the time was an insurance agent and his bro.

was an assistant po also worked with the same ins,agency.. other congs,i attended one elder was an owner of a cabinet making firm while about 3 other different elders were self employed builders who ran their own business and employed others to work for them .. at the same time a couple of ms servants had their own plastering business going on supporting these elders business.. so i`m just wondering whether this is just depending on where you are from in the world and what time period we are talking about.. the time i`m talking about was in the sixties and seventies and the area was in s.e.

qld.

3rdgen

In addition, I'm sure these Rich elders I mentioned above, are counseling the younger ones to "Keep their eye simple"

Easy for them to say...

18

Jehovah`s Witness Elders who were Business men in The Congregations I Attended.

by smiddy3 in

a number of topics have covered work experiences by members who have encountered crticism for having a full time job .in the last few congregations i had attended this was never an issue as elders had businesses they owned and employed brothers and sisters .. while i personally never worked for a jw, both my young sons did at one time or another and my wife did also .i have always worked full time in secular employment and have never been criticised for doing so .and to my knowledge nobody else ever had that experience.. in the first cong.i attended an po as they were called at the time was an insurance agent and his bro.

was an assistant po also worked with the same ins,agency.. other congs,i attended one elder was an owner of a cabinet making firm while about 3 other different elders were self employed builders who ran their own business and employed others to work for them .. at the same time a couple of ms servants had their own plastering business going on supporting these elders business.. so i`m just wondering whether this is just depending on where you are from in the world and what time period we are talking about.. the time i`m talking about was in the sixties and seventies and the area was in s.e.

qld.

3rdgen

I can name at least 10 brothers who started Businesses in the1980s who are now multimillionaires

They worked very hard and did not live beyond their means at the time. They were not "Used" as "Servants or Elders" they were not considered "Exemplary" even though they usually had at least a few JW employees.

Now that 30-40 years have passed they retired/sold their businesses, are FILTHY RICH, and are now ELDERS.

By ignoring Watchtower councel Then, they have great lives Now. They are the happiest of JWs -Rich and Prominant.

I was in their social circles then and might still be if it weren't for learning TTATT. I can't stomach the phony JW life anymore and my former "friends" clearly haven't missed me.

44

Miniimizing 'Punishment' - marrying a non-JW

by doasthouwilt in

i’d like to marry my best friend of 30+ years, turned ‘secret’ girlfriend of 1 ½ years who is a jehovah’s witness, born into it, baptized and an active ‘pioneer’.

our marriage would happen prior to letting any of her jw friends and cohorts know that we are together.

once married she may simply come forward and ‘admit’ or we may wait until it’s found out – one way or the other, the reason for this marriage is not customary – i am hoping that by doing so she can avoid being ‘marked’ or possibly ‘disfellowshipped’ once our relationship is no longer a secret and due to our already being married at that point, there can be no notion from society elders about her ending the relationship.

3rdgen

Something else to consider. Her Bible says "There is nothing hidden that won't be revealed." If you marry and If by some miracle she is not disfellowshipped she might always wonder when she might be found out. Not a good start for a marriage.

To me, she must learn to accept that Jesus' sacrifice paid for her sins. She needs to be helped to reason that the sacrifice is enough to put her right with God. There is nothing she can add to it or works she can do to be "more" forgiven. No meetings she can attend or amount of hours she can preach to buy her salvation.

Mind you, I no longer believe in Christianity AT ALL but if a person does, either the ransom is enough or it isn't. Simple as that. How many churches did Jesus build?

She needs to leave JW's for you two to be happy. So my final question is: If she remains a fearful believer, how happy can she be if she becomes what the Bible calls "Unevenly Yolked"? How happy can you be if she is not happy?

44

Miniimizing 'Punishment' - marrying a non-JW

by doasthouwilt in

i’d like to marry my best friend of 30+ years, turned ‘secret’ girlfriend of 1 ½ years who is a jehovah’s witness, born into it, baptized and an active ‘pioneer’.

our marriage would happen prior to letting any of her jw friends and cohorts know that we are together.

once married she may simply come forward and ‘admit’ or we may wait until it’s found out – one way or the other, the reason for this marriage is not customary – i am hoping that by doing so she can avoid being ‘marked’ or possibly ‘disfellowshipped’ once our relationship is no longer a secret and due to our already being married at that point, there can be no notion from society elders about her ending the relationship.

3rdgen

I have a few questions.

You say you are not engaged but you would elope. Have you actually asked her to marry you? Has she accepted?

Is she aware of your plan to elope and announce your marriage to the congregation afterward? (which would deny her a wedding)

Is she willing to be disfellowshipped for this marriage? (the most likely outcome)

My take on this is that indeed she may have been scared by 9/11 into returning to good standing with JWs in order to survive Armageddon which seemed imminent. But when did she start pioneering? Was it after you two became more than friends? If so, that would indicate that in her mind, she is trying to pay for her sins with you by doing extra work for Jehovah. (kind of like penance) The trouble with that is her religion and her God don't officially accept it. Therefore, she is wasting her time pioneering.

The world is a scary place to be right now. (especially for someone with a JW background) She needs to be reminded that 9/11 came and went without Armageddon and so will today's events. She needs to be reminded that since the late 1800's the Watchtower has preached that Armageddon is imminent, that we are now living in the generation that will witness the end of the world- either by surviving it or being destroyed. The fear of being destroyed has to be replaced or she will always be a mental slave. Can you live with that? Can she?

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

3rdgen

Not just you Ozzie.

27

Pimo's walking out

by Foolednomore in

jw
friends

is it possible that jw's would get so worn out by watchtower 's bullshit that they would stand up gather their stuff and walk out of a meeting or a convention.

i can see a small number doing it..

3rdgen

OTWO,

I agree that it's probably rare to literally get up and walk out in the middle of a meeting. In my case, there were many many things that I found troubling within the organization in the nearly 60 years I was in but I took them to be allowed by J as a test of loyalty. That's what is drummed into the flock by the GB.

Yet, over time these things continue to pile up higher and higher until just one more straw breaks the cart. It doesn't even have to be big- just one too many. If it just so happens to be said or done at a meeting..... well out you go.

11530

It's been a long 9 years Lloyd Evans / John Cedars

by Newly Enlightened in

original reddit post (removed).

3rdgen

So I am really REALLY late to this party but want to say "Hi" and hugs to Dagney and Audi and mention how great it is to have Kim Silvio and Katy Kitten giving their perspectives on this walking Debacle better known as Lloyd Evans.

I was new to this site when "John Cedars" made his appearance. At first, I thought it was great to have yet another ex Elder on the board to share his insights and "inside information". But as we all know, he was ALWAYS about self-promotion rather than helping others. He was and is childishly offended over the slightest criticism.

I tried watching a few of his videos but never finished any because he takes HOURS to say what someone concise could deliver in 15 minutes. When you leave Watchtower as old as I did you don't want to waste any more time than necessary on the subject. Besides, I personally respond better to humor than many of his imaginary scandals.

In stark contrast to "Floyd Nevins", no, no I mean Flawed Evans, there is the absolutely DELIGHTFUL Katy Kitten whose videos are as entertaining as they are informative. Thank you for those Katy! I would love to meet you in person.

27

Pimo's walking out

by Foolednomore in

jw
friends

is it possible that jw's would get so worn out by watchtower 's bullshit that they would stand up gather their stuff and walk out of a meeting or a convention.

i can see a small number doing it..

3rdgen

I want to add that when I returned home I told Hubby about walking out of the KH and why specifically I was so upset. This was not a case of "Persecution". Where were the ones who studied with her and in the congregation who knew this savage abuse was ongoing? Why didn't they intervene? Call the authorities? SOMETHING? ANYTHING????

Nada... Nothing... Just "trust in Jee Ho Va" who "makes a way out" Well, I made my way out of that toxic, abusive, organization. It was the best decision of my life! So happy to say we have become mostly EX EX JWs.