Posts by John Free

39

I need some help

by Akid48 in

well let me start with my age is 13 and i have been thinking about this jw thing and i need help i just dont know if i want to be one any more.. the help i need is some one to send me some links to places i can research i just dont know if i want to study with a jw any more..

John Free

Everything is going to be okay akid48. You seem to have picked up on the fact that JWs only like answering certain questions, if you ask questions that truly challenge their belief-they will avoid the question and eventually the questioner. Well done for that. You're still Young and have plenty of time to plan your future and strategy for leaving this group. For now my advice is 1. Avoid confrountation with jw family about their beliefs. This will get you nowhere. 2. Work hard at school in order to one day be independent. 3. Return to this site in secret to seek advice, people here do care and can guide you.

truly you have nothing to fear and you are smarter than me and many on this site who wasted years of life in this group. You have time on your side too.

welcome to the forum.

16

I left the organization

by Issa in

i left the organization.

my awakening was this month of july, the first week of july.

i couldn't answer my own questions about the organization or the doctrines, i couldn't understand the prophecies, i couldn't figure quite well what i was feeling.

John Free

Hello Issa, welcome to freedom. As others have suggested it may be wise to hold off on the DA until you have more perspective. It is something that cannot be reversed and in some ways its what the cult would want you to do, since they can control your family more without your influence. Regardless of how you play it, a warm welcome!

33

Hi from England

by victimofdeceit in

jw
friends

recently quit being a jw because i realised that beyond armageddon i was going to be ruled by people who cover up child abuse, not telling the congregations by their letter where the money they donated in the box is going towards paying compensation for legal battles which they caused, and also i was bullied by elders and discriminated against for being homosexual, even though i am not practicing it.

it wasn't until i threatened legal action for a breach of confidence that the elders were deleted.

so through the media and my own personal experience, i realised that they were no different to corrupt businesses in the world.

John Free

Greetings from Wales victim of deceit. Welcome to the forum. Things, I assure you, will get better as time passes.

6

The REAL Reason I Stopped Going to Meetings

by NoviceLocs14 in

to sum it up in all one word...pride.. i've always kind of attributed my subconscious "fade" to shame for living a double life by dating my non-jw boyfriend (now husband) while serving as a pioneer in the foreign language field.

but i was actually pretty regular for awhile.. my pioneer hours did start to dwindle, however.

i had always struggled with the hourly requirement, but i was really struggling now.

John Free

No it wasn't pride. The washtowel simply creates an environment of absolute humility- in order to exert its control more fully over the drones. So that elders will be obeyed, so that doctrinal flip flops will never be questioned by the subdued subservients. You however were too strong for them, they couldn't bully you into submission.

46

10 years on.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i was a window cleaner, i was at the time unemployed, homeless.

i had no education to be proud of (high school one a two b's rest c's) i was a jehovahs witness.

i had been a pioneer.

John Free

Great post Doctor. What a great journey!

11

Isis and failed prophecy

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

hi everybody, hope you are all well!

i read this today and thought of the jw's and you guys.. it's an article from today's paper about isis and a recent victory over the town of dabiq.

isis have long claimed that this will be the city where good will face evil i.e islam v christianity/western powers.

John Free

They could just say that events have taken place invisibly- then after a few decades simply rewrite the past by indicating that's what was prophecied all along...

20

My 1 Year Update - I've Been Disfellowshipped One Year Today

by pale.emperor in

what a journey!.

it was a year ago today that i was announced from the platform by brother paul "twofaced" castley that i was "no longer one of jehovah's witnesses".

i didn't go to that meeting to hear the announcement because i already didn't believe the watchtower religion.. how was my first year?

John Free

Happy freedomaversary pale emp.

resistance is NOT futile.

20

Dealing with Loneliness and Social Anxiety

by NoviceLocs14 in

hello, this is my 1st initiated post on this site, so i'm a bit nervous.

i did search for similar topics on this site, but a lot of them have been inactive for several years, so here goes.... a little background, i was pretty much born in "da twoof", baptized at 17, pioneered for about 6 years, was part of the rbc part time, and was even in the foreign language field for the last 3 years i was a jw.

so i pretty much had a pretty active social life within the organization due to being part of all of those things.

John Free

Hi Novice Locks 14!

Nice to meet you. You are not alone with these feelings. I am also a sufferer, fish out of water syndrome. Well done on starting a topic, and a meaningful one too.

I guess people in general have long since formed their social networks and are not in the same rush we are to form new friends. I came to the conclusion that it takes time and patience. I joined a hiking group a couple of months back, which is good since there is always something to talk about due to the nature of the activity- aliviating social awkwardness, slowly friendships are being formed.

Welcome to the forum.

23

New Here

by Red.tomato in

hi everyone, this is my first post .. it takes a little bit of courage to do it, i have to admit and even thought i have been lurking for some time as time goes by it gets more and more difficult to keep attending meetings and just been around the friends in the congregation.

ever since i learned about the arc something inside of me just broke and it feels pretty hollow, now i pay attention to every single form of manipulation in every direction, what difference it makes with the catholic church or with any other religions ?

i wonder why the publishers are under obligation to report about their lives and decisions to the elders but they don´t keep informed the congregation about what´s going on legally other than russia.

John Free

A warm welcome to the forum. Great comments, the bday comment and the fact that they are selective as to what legal developments they report to the rank and file.

just don't believe the cult idea that it is 'weak' to leave. It takes strength to leave such a manipulative group that mentally traps its members with fear, obligation and guilt.

great to have you here!

23

2017 International Regional Convention, Toronto – Entertainment at Sony Centre

by SAHS in

jw
friends

i’ve been hearing from several very reliable sources that there will be an exclusive elite gala entertainment event hosted by the watch tower organization, featuring specially chosen jehovah’s witnesses of outstanding talent as well as spiritual reputation, at the sony centre (formerly called the o’keefe centre) in toronto, ontario (canada) as a special “after hours” addition to the 2017 special international convention.. those chosen have to meet very strict criteria, including, not so much technical and popular talents, but, rather, their spiritual maturity which can be easily and practically related to by the audience (i.e., degree of conformity – you know what i mean!).

a notable and very well-known professional “super star” from some other country (i don’t know which one) who has achieved highly recognized and popular talent was surprisingly not chosen to participate in the extra entertainment program, whereas other performers with rather ho-hum musical abilities ended up being selected, ostensibly for their altruistic and “theocratic” qualities.

(something tells me that there is going to be some jealousy and indignant, hard feelings over this rather authoritarian, arbitrary selection process.

John Free

I was involved in arranging one of these events 3 or 4 years ago. While the wbts contributed nil to the expenses of the event; this was the 'privilege' of the local congregations, it wasn't a money making machine. I would say it's purpose was to create an extreme cult love experience.