ctrwtf

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Posts by ctrwtf

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  32

  Hello

  by ctrwtf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought it was time for a formal introduction.

  i've lurked here for literally years, sometimes posting sometimes not.

  but i've never told my story and now seems as good a time as any.

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  ctrwtf

  Thanks to all for the welcome and thanks to JGNAT for the giggles
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  32

  Hello

  by ctrwtf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i thought it was time for a formal introduction.

  i've lurked here for literally years, sometimes posting sometimes not.

  but i've never told my story and now seems as good a time as any.

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  ctrwtf

  Hello All,

  I thought it was time for a formal introduction. I've lurked here for literally years, sometimes posting sometimes not. But I've never told my story and now seems as good a time as any. Hopefully my story will help you who are fading and it's cathartic as well for me. My great grandmother was the first in our family to be contacted by the Bible Students. That makes me a fourth generation born in. There are also two generations more who have the questionable distinction of still being in, although this religion is a shadow of what it once was.

  I remember in my teenage years being at the bookstudy doing the Finished Mystery book and thinking this was a load of crap. Really? The U.N. attacking religion? I went along with it though, because duh, I was a teenager still living with the Presiding Overseer. Also, I had some respect for a religious group of people who tried to live a moral life because I could see so many around me whose lives ended up in a morass of drugs and bad relationships. So I went along with the flow.

  I went to Bethel and came back, became a MS and then married my best friend and love of my life, the best decision I ever made. My wife was also a real believer. Twenty years of full time service. ( I hate that lingo) We both had parts on Int'l, district and circuit assy's. (Not bragging, just letting you know how heavily we were drinking the kool-aid) Later became an elder and had two terrific kids.

  When our first child was eight, despite having no real college, I somehow landed a good job that required us to move several states away from our hometown. Said job also required alot of travel. I was appointed in our new congregation as an elder, although I knew it wouldn't last long because of my time away from home and responsibilities in the congregation. I was somewhat relieved to step down, (there's that lingo again) because I was finding it more and more difficult to give parts that I no longer believed in.

  At about this same time, I began reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the origins of man. I think Leolalia did a post recently about Noah's flood being debunked by nearly every field of science. The same is literally true regarding the tale of Adam and Eve. To my surprise, I even read a book by Rabbi Harold Kushner that described how even Jews do not take the story literally. This is the one thing that I kept coming back to; if Adam and Eve weren't real then like dominoes, every other belief that stems from this is false. There is no original sin; no serpent bruised; no kingdom etc.

  My wife also began to open her eyes to the problems regarding doctrine, and the increasingly obtrusive way the religion inserted itself into everyday life in a pernicious way. Little did I know however that she was distressed that I was increasingly disconnected from the congregation. Her private struggle ended when after years of praying that I have a change of heart, she was told that God doesn't answer the prayers of people with wicked hearts.

  It took many years, and lots of patience, but today my wife and I as well as our children have escaped this destructive religion. As I think back, I see how this belief system appeals to those who are frightened by the world around them. It appeals to those who want to think that they have "special knowledge." That makes them better than others around them. It also attempts to control and belittle those whose lives cannot conform to the model set by the group. For all these reasons and too many more to mention, this is a destructive religion. My avatar sums up my feelings; I'd love to ask Charles Taze Russell wtf? Ironically he's been kicked to the curb by the religion he started.

  Sadly, I still have some extended family still in and as a family we prefer to not make our stand public. This is perhaps the most destructive aspect of this religion. People you love base their love for you on whether or not you go to meetings regularly. Our hand may be forced because my wife's mother recently sent her a Watchtower with the back handed threat that she will miss her daughter in the new system. Blecch! How nauseating is that?

  So, my advice for you who are fading. Be patient with yourself and your family. It may take several years but you will be successful. Keep heart and remain true to your better self.

  CTRWTF
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  28

  Bethelites - What Were Some of Your Favorite Meals At Bethel?

  by LoisLane looking for Superman in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

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  i ate at brooklyn bethel twice, 23 years apart.

  both times it was fried pork chops, mash potatoes and apple sauce.. just lois.

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  ctrwtf

  The absolute worst was Curry Chicken. Think of a diaper and you wouldn't be far from it.
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  30

  How Do You Respond When JWs Say There Is MORE Growth Than Ever Before?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i hear that comment from my mom that there are more baptisms, more magazines placed, more of everything!

  (a sign of jah's blessing)..

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  ctrwtf

  How about, " I could give less than a fuck." Who really cares about these marginalized cult followers? No One!

  Anyone with a life could give less than a shit about these people who choose to live in lala land and obcess about the number of people that agree with their mindless, ignorant, doomsday, apocolyptic insane rantings. Maybe if they all wandered into the East River after breakfast it would actually make the evening news. Beyond that, no one cares.
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  35

  Have You Ever Spoken To An Elder About Your True Feelings About "The Truth"?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've has conversations with certain elder friends but i never gave them a total pummeling, at least i haven't yet.. what about you?.

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  ctrwtf

  Are you kidding? Only tell the truth to those that deserve to know it. Isn't that the Watchtower Way?
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  19

  Sparlock and a Selfish Organization

  by metatron in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  take a moment and think of all the things that a young boy needs to be warned against:.

  playing with matches, gasoline or fireworks.

  experimenting with drugs.

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  ctrwtf

  Chances are that if Caleb doesn't hate his parents for crushing his soul, he'll listen to them when they offer guidance on the more important topics facing kids today.
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  30

  Have You Ever Gone To Meetings While Under The Influence Of Booze Or Drugs?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had an italian elder friend that regularly drank his wine (daily) and it was obvious that on some thursday or tuesday evenings, he was clearly under the influence of alcohol.

  quite often, we would have a 3:00 sunday afternoon elder's meeting and once again, i could tell he had been drinking.. nobody ever brought it up but i knew him well and he loved his vino and martinis!.

  we had a number of people on meds that would either act like zombies at the meetings or cry or get aggressive.

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  ctrwtf

  Once left the meeting, drove to a liquor store, bought a pint of vodka, drank half in the parking lot of the hall and went back in. How else could you sit through it?
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  34

  It Was Never Enough

  by Bangalore in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  found this on another site a few years back.. .

  it was never enough.. i remember the first time as a kid i comprehended that i could never do enough for the organization.. a circuit overseer was giving a talk and said,:.

  sunday is meeting, and since you are dressed up you might as well do some field service after the meeting.. monday you should spend an hour or so in the evening preparing for the book study on tuesday.. tuesday is book study.. wednesday should be time for your family study, personal study, or preparation for all three.

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  ctrwtf
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  44

  What is your favorite Restaurant in New York City?

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  new york city is on my list of places that i want to live in.

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  ctrwtf
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  61

  How the house of cards comes crashing down, in the WTS' own words.

  by poopsiecakes in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  "rejecting or trivializing the genesis account about adam and eve creates a domino effect that undermines nearly every major teaching in the bible!

  such a way of thinking leads to a host of unanswered questions and a faith with nothing to stand on.".

  footnote: "these include teachings about gods sovereignty, human integrity, good and evil, free will, the condition of the dead, marriage, the promised messiah, a paradise earth, gods kingdom, and many others.".

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  ctrwtf

  Great thread.

  Mankind is just a little older than 7000 years and definitely not originating in Mesopotamia

  https://humanorigins.si.edu/research/asian-research/earliest-humans-china

  Its tough and sobering to realize that you've believed in the adult equivalent of Santa Claus your whole life.