Posts by pale.emperor

13

What's it like these days for teenagers?

by JeffT in

jw
friends

i converted at age 22, and left 15 years later (1988) so i don't really know what its like to be in high school as a jw.

for those of you who do know: do teenage jw's hang out with each other?

worldly kids?

pale.emperor

My teenage years were the mid 90s to early 00s. Looking back I'm suprised I turned out relatively well adjusted.

I wasn't an elders kid so I wasn't in the clique. Always left out of parties and wedding invites when literally everyone else my age in the KH was invited. I wasn't allowed to play out with friends because they weren't JW. The only JWs in my school were my two sisters and one of my cousins. I did manage to make friends in high school - being a geek I was in the geek gang but I really enjoyed it. It was great to have friends (about 10 in our gang).

Wasnt allowed to stay after school for clubs like sports or extra classes that I actually would have loved to do. I always wanted to learn German and my school offered it after school on Thursdays and Tuesdays... meeting days. But I wasn't allowed to join after school clubs snyway so it wouldn't have mattered.

By age 15 I started to just ignore my parents demands and I would stay behind after school to use the internet with my friends. Internet wasn't allowed at home due to some Watchtower article or something my parents had read. My mum actually said "I don't like the internet. It's full of information". So Yh, that's the sort of mentality I was up against. But my dad relented because I was learning guitar and all the sheet music was online free so it was actually helping me. My dad came from a very musically inclined family so he was over the moon to see me take an interest in music.

One major thing for me about high school was handling bullies. I was never bullied as such, but kids knew they could do whatever and I wouldn't hit them back. My asshole mother had indoctrinated me since day 1 that to fight back is unchristian and I should wait for Jehovah to handle them in Armageddon. Bullies didn't make an issue of the JW thing because one of the tough kids that everyone liked had a dad who is a JW and min servant (this kid was fortunate enough to have a non JW mother and wasn't raised as one).

I didn't seem to have it as bad as others. I genuinely believed the Watchtower crap. So wasn't ashamed of being identified as a JW.

Eventually there sprouted up a great party scene in the NW of England and my sisters were always invited because boys liked them. I would tag along and slowly broke out of my very shy self. There was a party almost every weekend. Manchester, North Wales, Liverpool, Bolton - you got to meet loads of people and I have some great memories. Funny, the vast majority of these people have all woke up and left!

I remember one guy used to host epic parties. He'd empty his house of all the furniture and every room was bouncing. It was so good he got disfellowshipped for it. Now THAT was a party.

17

August 2018 Study Watchtower - Some wise words for JW's to consider!

by The Fall Guy in

do you have the facts?.

page 3 - as true christians, we need to develop the ability to evaluate information and reach accurate conclusions.. page 4 - it is especially important to avoid (view) websites promoted by apostates.

(awakened jw's) their whole purpose is to tear down (inform) god’s people and to distort (reveal) the truth.

pale.emperor

It's very strange to read. The things they're accusing "the apostates" of are the very things they're doing.

They advise the reader to look for reliable information, then tell them not to waste their time! How can someone know if information is factual or not without even looking at it in the first place???

To make good decisions, we need solid facts. Therefore, we need to be highly selective and to choose carefully what information we will read. (Read Philippians 4:8, 9.) We should not waste our time viewing questionable Internet news sites or reading unsubstantiated reports circulated via e-mail. It is especially important to avoid websites promoted by apostates.

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-study-august-2018/do-you-have-facts/

12

Appointments

by asp59 in

how big you think the percentage of reaching out for appointments in organization is base on:.

a brother wanted receive praise from other'sb wanted to marry thought having appointment would make that possiblec wife push him if he was marriedd pressure from other'se a career pathf possibility to dominate/control othersg he wanted to have appointment cause of love and wanted to help others..

pale.emperor

I never wanted to be a MS or Elder. But i did get a lot of "positive peer pressure" from my elder father in law.

I saw F happen a lot though. The G's tended to stay MS's indefinitely i noticed.

10

Cardinal George Pell Senior Member of the Vatican on Sex Charges in Australia to stand Trial.

by smiddy3 in

cardinal george pell will return to court in a fortnight ,he has been committed to stand trial relating to multiple complainants .. magistrate belinda wallington struck out about half the charges including the most serious of them .. cardinall george pell denies all charges against him.. the world media is watching the outcome of this trial he is the most senior member of the vatican to be charged with such an offence and by, all people , australians who have conducted their own arc into institutionalized child sexual abuse of children .. we wait with baited breath ( for a just outcome ) in all of these investigations ..

pale.emperor

Isnt this the guy who said he'd never report child abuse to the authorities if it was reported to him?

39

How many people have been woken up by the A.R.C??

by karter in

jw
friends

i know of 1 that watched the video and never went back.. i think for some it was a the sum of the total or the "last straw" if you like.. karter..

pale.emperor

I'm in the UK and I never learned of the ARC until I left. When I was a JW I was aware that "apostates were making up lies about us having pedophiles in our organisation" and of course I dismissed these claims immediately believing that Jehovah would never allow such a thing so it can't be true.

If I mention it to witnesses today they think I'm just making it up.

52

My JW Elder Brother Passed Away

by minimus in

jw
friends

he was basically a good man, just a believer in the religion.

when we were both elders we were best of friends and then things deteriorated when i was not an elder for a while.

then after becoming an elder again, i slowly drifted away from the religion and he drifted further away from me.

pale.emperor

Sorry for your loss Minimus. Keep the happy memories if him alive.

14

Jehovah is true

by JehovahMyRock in

i feel as is he himself wants me to find a life my lost life..affordability jobless almost homeless doe to rent cost..i trust jahova witness and respect their teachings cause to before i liked and understand their mind..but my heart didn't resolve cause my brain not very helpfully i understand i have a important future roll i trust for the first time in jahova..i respect and my person addiction brothers please pray for me, please brothers and sisters please i don't want become a homeless or b more lost in wonder i one jobless truly if am here is because of jahova..the fact of loving a somebody not approved by god or nature i feel as if i like to serve jav as becoming a bomb to kill bugs that harm the good really.

pale.emperor

God is true. Jesus is true.

If they are they're at least incompetent deities, and at worse psychopaths

10

Dog Day Afternoon at the Carts

by berrygerry in

https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/8fsaxu/so_this_just_happened/.

.

pale.emperor

He's doing what we all want to do.

23

There is No Way Out For Me

by Addison0998 in

i have come to the conclusion that there is no way for me to ever leave.

although i have some friends at work, my whole social structure are witnesses.

even if i move congregations, my parents have contacts everywhere who will tell them if i’m not active.

pale.emperor

I can relate to what you're saying, as im sure many on here can too. A few things to remember:

You don't have to rush it. I was planning to fade out over a matter of years. You don't have to inform everyone that you're leaving and suddenly drop all attendance and ministry. Unless of course you want to. Different situations call for different tactics.
There are many, MANY PIMO's in the JWs. You just don't know of them because they're keeping it private like you are. And you know how scary it is to speak out. I know of at least one apostate in my old congregation who, like yourself, feels he can never leave because his wife, kids and entire social structure is JW. And i can name about 6 in that hall who don't believe it but just go along because they have to.
It's likely that, in years to come, friends and family you have will be DF'd or leave themselves. When that happens they'll be looking for someone on the outside that they can come to for support. That could be you!

If I were you i'd slowly reduce your ministry and miss the odd meeting. If people ask say you're going through depression or anxiety. Refuse elders visits and where possible talk about the bible and how wonderful the bible is - bible, bible, bible.

Keep us posted, we'll support you on here where we can.

226

Wealth, Poverty, and Morality

by SecondRateMind in

jw
friends

i am interested in the approach this forum takes to money.

apart from sex, (which i am quite relaxed about) it seems to me that wealth is the surest divider between those who are moral, and those who are not.. it seems jesus thought so, also.

luke 16:19-31 kjv describes well enough his dusty attitude to the rich who do not succour the poor.. and this world has many poor: so many, it might seem that we can do nothing about it, and twist his words; 'the poor ye shall have always with you, but me, ye shall not have always.

pale.emperor

I think many in public service would be thoroughly insulted by your assumption that the only incentive that matters is a selfish, financial one. On the contrary, such as soldiers, nurses and politicians develop their careers, say from sergeant to colour sergeant, or nurse to specialist nurse, or back-bench MP to junior minister, out of a sense of vocation. Given their skills and aptitudes, experience and contacts, there is no doubt that all these types could take home a bigger pay-packet each month in the private sector. Yet they stay. How do you account for that, in the tawdry, self-centred, money-grubbing little world you propose?

Im not suggesting for one moment that these people got into their vocation simply for the money. In fact, you raise the point of:

there is no doubt that all these types could take home a bigger pay-packet each month in the private sector

You're right, the doctors and nurses should indeed be earning more (certainly more than $33,000!!). Don't you agree? But they're not. Because, again, the system is set up to benefit the top 1% who are brokers/bankers.

The reason they're not in the private sector is that it's very competitive to get hired in private healthcare. You have to be the best. And the best in the public sector do indeed go over to the private sector.

You say that capitalism works. I agree that it works reasonably well for some. And for a few it works extremely well indeed. But it does not work at all for those in vulnerable penury, who are liable to die from entirely preventable starvation and hunger related disease. And we should not leave them out of the calculus, when congratulating ourselves on how well the system works, just because they do not have the currency to express economic demand.

The problem with poverty in lack of healthcare is simply a matter of their government not treating this as a problem. We know it is a problem, but some countries would rather spend their money on nuclear weapons or furnishing their lavish private residences while they're in power. There's absolutely no need for any African nation to be in poverty. As we know, the world has enough resources to feed everyone many times over. But giving everyone $33,000 would just make the people selling water and medicine bump their prices up.

I hope you understand, i dont wish the world to be like that, but it is like that.