My wife was raised in a tiny, rural, congregation. After we left the area when we got married, a younger and VERY ARROGANT CO came through. The in-laws were too far from one of the CO apartments(as were other congregations in the large, rural circuit) so the CO would need to stay in someone's home. He was such a snob that he refused to stay in anyone's home and made the impoverished cong. put him up in a local motel. Now, some of the publishers in the hall did live in some semi-squallid conditions, but there were a couple of just fine accomodations he could have chosen from. Nothing fancy but adequate. My father-in-law used to really steam about how that CO wasn't in that role to "live the high life" and had taken on a "position of sacrifice". He could never make the connection that maybe that CO wasn't the "spirit appointed man" he was supposed to be. Anyway, this was the same CO who a couple of turns later rotated to the Minneapolis area where we were. We witnessed first-hand how he was living high with Prince and Larry Graham! He also had THE MOST PUTRID ASSEMBLY PART EVER interviewing Larry Graham! It was a pivotal moment in opening our eyes toward our exodus from the org.!
NoRegrets
JoinedPosts by NoRegrets
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44
CO Visits=encouragement?
by lifestooshort inwhen i was still a jw i remember my feelings of confusion caused by the co visit.
i just found them so discourging.
i knew what he was going to say.
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Was Your Life As A Jehovah's Witness HORRIBLE???
by minimus ini can't say my life was ruined because i was a witness.
still, i wish that my upbringing was different.
there's a lot i don't like at all about the witnesses but by the same token, there are some very good people who happen to be jws.. i'm sure some of you hated your life as a witness and i'm sure you have valid reasons..
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NoRegrets
To me it's not how bad it WAS, it's how good it WASN'T! Even my best days as an active JW were empty in so many ways. At the time, I didn't really comprehend the fog I was in. I just knew that something didn't feel right. Now that I'm out, I realize that my heart knew what it felt but was being suppressed by one of the most elaborate hierarchies of control ever devised!
As far as the tangible abuse I endured from my parents? I'm not sure if it would have been better or worse had they not been witnesses. My father always had a horrific temper even before he became a witness. Sometimes I wonder if him being a part of the JWs might have prevented him from being more abusive because he had to be accountable to the phony "justice" of his religion. I don't know and never will, but I am thankful EVERY SINGLE DAY to not be a witness anymore. Whatever conclusions I draw about morality, or religion, or anything: THEY ARE MY CONCLUSIONS! I get to decide for MYSELF!!!
That is priceless..........
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Dreams can bring back pain.....
by NoRegrets inanyone else have dreams about their jw relatives they've had to leave behind.
it's always hard because the dreams are always vivid and tense with fighting/arguing.
anyone else have this a lot?
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NoRegrets
That's very vivid! I usually dream more about my family that I mostly miss who are trapped in the WT. The dreams start with frustrated arguing and often escalate into violence between me and my father (who I frankly don't miss).
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How many ex-JW's are musicians on here?
by NoRegrets injust wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed.
i have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise!
i played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind!
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NoRegrets
Great to hear everyone's stories! Music is so wonderful and soothing!!
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How many ex-JW's are musicians on here?
by NoRegrets injust wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed.
i have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise!
i played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind!
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NoRegrets
GREAT TO HEAR EVERYONE!!! Happy to hear how much music has helped you all!!!! It is a great emotional outlet!
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How many ex-JW's are musicians on here?
by NoRegrets injust wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed.
i have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise!
i played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind!
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NoRegrets
Very cool 00DAD! Wish you lived near me here so we could play together! I'm in MN. Where R U?
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How many ex-JW's are musicians on here?
by NoRegrets injust wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed.
i have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise!
i played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind!
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NoRegrets
Quarterback: Sounds like we're on the same page! Love Hendrix, SRV, blues in general and probably what I do best! I actually was told not to play Stairway at a guitar shop once! (I.E. Wayne's World!)
Farkel: Believe me, I'm no country bumpkin. But the mandolin does appeal to me more on a bluegrass and ESPECIALLY Celtic music level! Here's an example:
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How many ex-JW's are musicians on here?
by NoRegrets injust wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed.
i have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise!
i played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind!
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NoRegrets
Very cool to hear so many varied experiences! I started piano lessons at 5. Stopped taking lessons but never quit playing. When I was 12, I started to dabble with the guitar with my cousin of the same age (also a JW). Found a lot of joy in it and played tons through my teens. Started a band with some others, played some cong. parties. I continue to play the guitar mostly and started picking up the mandolin in the last few years. Something different than the guitar for sure! Too bad we don't all live closer, it would be cool to have a jam session! Music is such a healthy emotional outlet!
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How many ex-JW's are musicians on here?
by NoRegrets injust wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed.
i have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise!
i played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind!
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NoRegrets
Just wondering how many of us on here are musicians, what we play, and if we had witness bands and/or performed. I have had quite a few funny moments of being in bands that wanted to be cool, but always had to nerf the edginess of any songs we played and watch the noise! I played with different elders who loved to rock out, but when they played at a congregation party didn't even want to use overdrive of any kind! (Such hypocrisy!)
Anyway, I play guitar mainly. I also play bass, piano, and mandolin. Is there a connection to music and leaving the JW's? Is a musician more pre-disposed to be an open-minded, liberal thinker?
NR
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Weird things JWs can't own or wear
by lilbluekitty inalso posted on the yuku forum.. i thought it might be amusing to make a list of things i remember when i was a dub that we couldn't have or own or wear.
(some of these things vary by where you live, in other places dubs have them, it just depends).
obviously the list goes on forever, but feel free to add things.
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NoRegrets
My dad had a bible study who's daughters LOVED the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the '80s. (I actually did, too, but kept it on the DL.) Anyway, we
had a Sunday public talk speaker go off on a personal tangent against said Turtles. Needless to say, it was the first meeting that the bible study had attended........and it was his last!