Posts by exjwlemming

21

Thoughts on Sundays wt about persecution

by nowwhat? in

so let me get this straight.

even though law enforcement has their hands full with illegal drugs and guns on the street, child traffickers, dangerous gangs and such.

they are going to now pool all their resources to confiscate bibles and religious literature?!

exjwlemming

"Religion is opium for the people." Karl Marx

Straight from Wikipedia:

Marx was making a structural-functionalist argument about religion, and particularly about organized religion.[3][4] Marx believed that religion had certain practical functions in society that were similar to the function of opium in a sick or injured person: it reduced people's immediate suffering and provided them with pleasant illusions which gave them the strength to carry on. Marx also saw religion as harmful, as it prevents people from seeing the class structure and oppression around them, thus religion can prevent the necessary revolution.

How true.

21

July 4 th Independence Day... Do You Know Any Witnesses That Celebrated?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i knew of a ministerial servant that was called out because he used fire crackers on the 4 th of july.

we had to have an emergency meeting as to his qualifications.

i remember imploring the body to not make a big issue over this and it was decided to just “counsel” him about being involved in a patriotic holiday.🤨.

exjwlemming

"It's not a lie, if you believe it." George Costanza. My JW mom would serve a turkey dinner on Black Friday because it technically was not Thanksgiving....and turkey was cheaper and sold at a discount after the holiday. We still had a Christmas dinners on Christmas but no gifts. JW's had Memorial Day and 4th of July pool parties and picnics. They engaged in Labor Day picnics and other practices, but on Sunday they would use their comments at the washtowel study to shake their fingers and chastise worldlings for celebrating something. I live in the upper midwest (USA). When I was in deep, they would visit a cheap ski mountain on Christmas Day or New Years Day and 99% of the people on the hill were JWs since worldies are celebrating with family....and lift tickets are sold at a discount. There are more JWs at "Devil's Head", "Christmas Mountain", Alpine, and Cascade on a holiday than at most circuit assemblies. Many were inactive and "spiritually weak" but wanted the camaraderie since they are PIMO and didn't have anything to do with their biological family since they cut them off years ago. I've been out for quite a while, but I'm sure they still do it.

3

"Educated" a memoir by Tara Westover

by Gayle in

jw
friends

i recommend this book by a gal raised mormon.

but her father was more offshoot, more anti-government, anti-medicine, anti-institutional education ( list goes on) .

she never was in classroom till 17 years old.

exjwlemming

My never JW wife read it several months ago for her book club. Knowing my JW background, she recommended it to me, so I read it too. It is a great book and many things are similar with the JW life.

30

Control of Microphones?

by Peeringin in

hello all, first post so a whistle stop of who i am first!.

’unbelieving husband’ here married to pimi wife living in uk.

anyway on with the post.... i attend the kh this weekend with pimi wife, i’ve been a handful of times before.

exjwlemming

I had worked the microphones were they were corded and wireless. Walking up and down the aisle with a corded mic was always a tripping hazard since the 2 aisles were very narrow. The corded mics were on booms and the rows were short enough to reach to the center from both sides. This prevented the mic from being dropped and blowing out the speakers or a child getting a hold of it if it was passed down the aisle. Later, congregations went cordless in my area of the USA. They were still on booms if the rows were short. I moved to another congregation were the rows were very long, nearly 20-25 seats. The mic was just passed down the aisle. It was always a ticking time bomb of when the batteries would go dead in the middle of a comment and you would have to switch them out. Kids always tried to get their hands on them as they were being passed down the aisle though.

20

Kingdom Hall Renovation

by geevee in

jw
friends

hi all, quick question related to renovating k halls.. my in-laws live in another city and the two congs there are in a ten week process of completely renovating the hall.

the plaster board has been taken off, all the toilets and air cons even the roofing iron and insulation are being pulled out and dumped to be totally replaced.

it seems like overkill to say the least.

exjwlemming

As someone who had spent his whole career in the trades, ST ADD, DOC, and Rubadub are probably correct. The removal of drywall and insulation is a tell tale sign of mold issues. I could see the addition or removal of bearing or a non bearing wall for a typical remodel. The blanket removal of insulation and drywall seems like a mold abatement project. Mold removal requires trained people with the correct tools and personal protective equipment. You just don't rip into it with uneducated and unskilled conscripts. I hope these people have the knowledge and equipment. Some areas even require a governmental certification and licensing. Environmental testing before, during, and after the activities is sometimes warranted. It can be quite a health hazard to those working in and around. I knew of 3 KH in just my circuit had serious mold issues. So serious, that members of the congregation that were severely affected started going to different halls. Look up, sick building syndrome.

16

married young--in the cult--divorced ?

by stan livedeath in

following on from mrquik's thread.... who of us married at an early age to another j-dub ?

how long did the marriage last?.

how did it end ?.

exjwlemming

Both of us were PIMI and were married at 21 after starting to date at 17. We had our first kid in year 3 and the 2nd kid in year 8. We were married for 25 years. I woke up and became PIMO. We divorced and I became POMO. She is an extremist PIMI. Currently being shunned by my kids and parents. Now, I'm living a great life and very happy and hoping that they all wake up one day.

27

Why the BIG 4.5 day elder "school"?

by eyeuse2badub in

just wonderin' if anyone has heard of anything about something big going down in the borg?

good friend of mine just told me today that he will be attending a 4.5 day elder "training school" all nest week!

the "special" elder "schools" are usually only 2-3 days.. lots of dumbing down coming?.

exjwlemming

It just heightens the feeling of self importance bestowed upon these "gifts in men" that are chosen to lead the sheep. The first day and a half is a synopsis of what they will learn in the next 3 days.... thus 4 1/2 days of elder school

519

Tony Morris video footage of him buying a dozen bottles of scotch

by UnshackleTheChains in

i was howling watching cedars latest video of tm111 buying a dozen bottles of scotch ((maccallans scotch).

you can't write this stuff.

right, i'm now off to buy a bottle of maccallans 😂..

exjwlemming

I don't spend $800 on a month's worth of groceries must less during a visit to the liquor store. I've probably bought 12 bottles of liquor in the past 20 years. He should just get an alcohol license for Warwick and just order his hooch straight from the distillery. They seem to be able to hide their invoices for 1st class flights, Rolex watches and expensive suit bills from the rank and file Bethel slaves. Now that he is outed, he is going to need to find another way to score his booze. Get an unknown Bethel flunky or GB helper to run your "errand." Dude, set up a shell company to purchase your booze. No need to get out the flasher's trench coat and take the caddy for a Sunday morning ride in the country. Wouldn't surprise me if he frequented peep shows and strip clubs in Jersey as well.

25

A Question for Born-ins Who Had a Parent Leave the Cult Before They Did

by jp1692 in

question: have any of you that are now exjws had a parent leave the religion before you, and you shunned them because of that?

if so—and while you were still in the cult—what, if anything, could your parent have done to reach your heart and begin a reconciliation?

it’s been almost ten years since i left the religion and my two sons continue to shun me and rebuff all efforts i make to reconcile.

exjwlemming

As a parent myself, I subscribe to slimboyfat's view of the situation. I am being shunned by my kids who are in their early 20's now. It started about 4 years ago when I was Dfed in absentia. I figure that every time that I would reach out to them, they would have to actively make a decision to shun and ignore me. This would just reinforce their conscious decision to be loyal to the org. I was not even invited to the wedding reception for my oldest. Every Exjw clearly understands that this has nothing to do with god but the org's rules to keep a tight control on their cult. I'm hoping that just giving them their space that they will start to see the org for what it is. They are bright kids and hope that they wake up one day. The media reports, bad PR, and the batshit crazy assembly videos make spark some curiosity on the TTATT. I heard that my oldest was going to start to go to a foreign language congregation. Many have left the org after the constant indoctrination subsides while learning a foreign language. I hope this proves true.

17

Do you think its stupid that JWs can't date regular people?

by nowawake14 in

jw
friends

that is absolutely the number one rule that i resent.. i feel sorry for some of those poor dependent minded jws who can't find anyone to marry.

all because they were only allowed to be with witnesses.

what a bunch of boloney!

exjwlemming

The prohibition of dating those outside the JW org is a protection. It truly is a protection for "worldly" people. Sure, everybody has their baggage. Due to allegiance to the org, JWs tend to have much more baggage when it comes to life in general. I wouldn't wish a stunted JW spouse on my worst enemy.