Posts by Phizzy

43

Research paper on Effects of Shunning

by peacefulpete in

after being around this site for 21 years now, i've heard many recount their stories and feelings.

many times i can immediately relate but other times they seem to have had a very different experience with the church.

i'm sure that is because not only are all of us different in personality, but congregations and family dynamics vary as well.

Phizzy

" It saddens me that most ex JWs seem to see all Christian denominations through the prism of the Watchtower. My experience in Christendom, probably like yours and Mrs Ozzie , bears no relation to the experience of JWs ."

As soon as we left, my wife and I attended a number of different churches, different denominations, and one wonderful "independent" church that was self financing, lead by a very loving but vibrant preacher,with lots of families, a wonderful christian Rock band, etc etc.

No organised worship is for us now, but if we wanted it, we would go there ! You could feel the love and concern that was there within the congregation, but was immediately extended to us. These people were real followers of Christ.

33

Everyone else burns new UK sitcom

by Mickey mouse in

jw
friends

i'm looking forward to this, having watched a trailer i think ex-jws will enjoy it https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/everyone-else-burns-simon-bird-first-look-exclusive-newsupdate/.

Phizzy

" I hope we can find a way to watch it here in the USA."

Channel 4 have an on-line catch-up service, maybe you could access that ?

10

OPINIONS PLEASE: I propose a new strategy against the Watchtower policy of DISFELLOWSHIP

by Terry in

i need your opinion and a discussion...tell me what you think, both pros and cons...the governments of norway and russia have both targeted watchtower's severely inhumane policy of disfellowship separating and isolating members by ostracizing them and labeling them as 'mentally diseased", etc.

dis fellowship.is a mushy concept unfamiliar to non-jw's.that word doesn't convey brutal, cold, and uncaring shunning and the impact on vulnerable persons cut off from family and friends.i propose swapping the phrase "religious apartheid" for the term "disfellowship" because it is significantly more impactful, familiar, and gut-wrenching.jw's teach practice and promote discrimination, opprobrium, and animus in punishing by isolation those who disagree with their doctrines.

moreover - it is a de facto death sentence both spiritually and (according to the expectation of armageddon) literally as well.

Phizzy

"Religious Apartheid" is a good expression IMHO.

282

How Will They End 1914 Teaching?

by EmptyInside in

i'm sure this has been discussed, but 1914 has to go away.

instead of, the overlapping generation teaching, they should have just ditched 1914. .

they should have done that a long time ago with 1975. it's the last of the teachings in the charles taze russell era.. i'm thinking they just will stop talking about it, and it will be out of the mind of the rank and file loyal witnesses .

Phizzy

"the convoluted selection of ‘2520 years’ doesn’t even have any direct biblical basis." I would suggest it doesn't have any indirect basis either.

The Book of Daniel is agreed by a consensus of Scholars to be a thinly veiled political/religious tract against Antiochus Epiphanes 1V, no way was the seven times/years envisaged by the writer to be any longer than what the Chapter says, seven years of madness for the King. "Daniels" prophecies were supposed to happen very soon, apart from the vague apocalyptic stuff.

To extrapolate 2520 years from "Daniel" is a twisting and misuse of Scripture, and you have to be deranged to accept it.

4

feeling nothing in common

by enoughisenough in

i feel like there may be some old jw friends that i could call- they may not know i left jw- but somehow i am not inclined to.

i would have to play a game with them...i feel like i have nothing in common with them anymore.

i feel like if i did talk to them, i would want to tell them they have been duped and that will go over like a wet balloon.

Phizzy

I feel affection for the many friends we left behind in the mental prison that is J.W org. But, BIG BUT, I know I have nothing in common at all with them now, and when I speak with J.W family members I am still conscious of the need to "tread on eggshells", so conversation is stilted.

Having been out for so long, I am not the person I was when I was in, I feel that I never was a J.W, I know I have the memory of the experience, but nothing of what the JW org put in me is there any longer. I have no desire to speak to religious weirdos of any stripe.

I love the company of my real friends, who have never been J.W's, I relax and am the real me with them, a pain in the arse I expect, but they don't care. My friends, and non-JW family that I have bonded with in recent years, are the most lovely, truly great people, J.W.s with their conditional "love" and "friendship" are not.

32

The Hubris of the Governing Body

by cofty in

it's difficult to comprehend how arrogant the members of the governing body must be to sanction much of the content that appears in their literature.

they identify themselves as the 'faithful and discreet slave' - that alone requires an astonishing degree of pride.

but what is even more amazing - arguably to the level of insanity - is the way they then use that phrase to elevate themselves above the rest of the organisation.

Phizzy

Another thing this Thread has reminded me of, was when as a fairly young man I met a member of the Writing Committee, not quite a G.B member, but he was an arrogant, proud Twat, and enjoyed getting special respect from the R&F, respect that even to me then, as an active J.W, seemed unmerited.

I had to sit through a Public talk this guy gave, with the air that he was imparting wonderful words of secret wisdom, it was boring and had zero what I called at the time "spiritual" content. A family member of this guy had visited him at the K.H he and a number of other G.B attended in N.Y, and said that Meeting was most "unspiritual" and boring too !

Their Arrogance extends to not bothering to put any effort in to anything much.

4

UK kingdom halls closing

by Farmer Jim1 in

jw
friends

can anyone out there that is pimo give an update on the rate of kingdom halls closing in the uk?.

i was expecting a fire sale a few years back but i haven't heard much.

some congregations that were struggling back in my day still seem to be holding on to their halls..

Phizzy

I too would be interested to know up to date info. on Congregation mergers and K.H sales.

I just wonder if the Org. has called a halt on the old Scam of K.H turnover for a while in the U.K, as Property prices and sales have stagnated, they may have an eye to the future, for when the Market recovers. More £££ to be made then.

There may be some "hidden" decrease as well, where say three Congregations were sharing a Hall, and those three are now two ?

7

Internal server error

by peacefulpete in

i've had this happen a number of times.

i know an archived thread regarding luke 22:exists as i was recently reading it, but now is no longer available.

it does not come up when using any combination of words that i know to be in the thread.

Phizzy

Thanks for raising this Pete, and thanks to Simon for the remedy ! I just thought it was me not putting in the correct words needed in "Search", but it is not always so.

Mind you, I have therefore wandered into some interesting Threads, not what I was looking for perhaps , but fascinating and informative, some really old ones, by or including you PP !

32

The Hubris of the Governing Body

by cofty in

it's difficult to comprehend how arrogant the members of the governing body must be to sanction much of the content that appears in their literature.

they identify themselves as the 'faithful and discreet slave' - that alone requires an astonishing degree of pride.

but what is even more amazing - arguably to the level of insanity - is the way they then use that phrase to elevate themselves above the rest of the organisation.

Phizzy

This hubris, this crowing about how they "got 1914 right", the COMMAND to obey THEM, not be guided by Scripture, all that added to an already building Cognitive Dissonance in me, which culminated in my waking up, and after about a year, leaving for good.

Thank you Cofty, this may help J.W's reading here, once seen, never forgotten with things like this. I remember too, when I was first alerted, after leaving actually, to the "Loaded Language" they use generally i.e "Honest hearted ones will......... " and dozens more phrases like that, again, once seen, it jumps out of the page at you !

Good Thread.

170

Staying in physically for all the benefits

by Indoubtbigtime in

i wonder how many are like me staying pimo for the great association and gathering etc.

also find it very interesting having a front row seat watching the collapse of borg.. im not wasting any more time or money on anything i don’t want to do like preaching and mostly just go on zoom .

there is nothing i want to do that would be considered disfellowshiping sin, i’m married and want to live by bible principles but i have serious doubts that the gb were chosen by god and are his one and only spokesmen on earth.

Phizzy

Really, it is my considered opinion that once you have left, and tasted freedom of thought and action, and found wonderful friends in the real world, you will say, why the hell did I not do this LONG AGO !

It is actually horrible to be a liar, and by pretending to believe, you are lying to the people you say you respect and you want to be your friends, that Sir, is a low, dirty trick.

Be truthful to yourself, and your "Brothers and Sisters", they at least deserve that.