Everyone. The gossip mill at our cong is downright vicious. I always found it ironic that even though the WT made an entire chapter in their books about the dangers of gossip, it's still so rampant. One of my good friends faded years ago, and she told me one of the biggest reasons she left was because the rumors made her and her parents social pariahs. People always say go to a different KH, but all of them to a degree have the same problem.
Posts by Sorry
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14If gossiping was a D.Fing offence how many in your congro would be D.Fed?
by karter inthere goes at least half the elders wife's alot of the publishers.
karter.
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42
I feel really, really sorry for those born into the Jehovah's Witness religion
by jambon1 insome facts that make the difference between you and me:.
1 - as a person raised by non jw family, my parents have never loved me based on conditions set out by a group of old men who they don't even know.
how does it feel to know that you are in the unique situation where your parents brought you into the world and said 'i'll show love to you.
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Sorry
Yup. When I was little I thought everything was good (even though I never volunteered my religion to anyone, do maybe my subconscious was trying to tell me something). The older I got, the more I realized just how effed up the teachings were. Once I fully explained to a teacher what we believed (paradise Earth, heavenly kingdom in 1914, the generation, why we suffer), she flat out told me that was stupid and everything sounded so cultish. I wish I listened to her and hadn't got so defensive ("we're not a cult!"). She tried to help me realize that not celebrating holidays, not making friends at school, constantly having to study and preach, and being forced to "take a stand" and alienating ourselves was not normal at all.
Being a witness child is very macabre: Ecclesiastes 7:1 "the day of death is better than the day of birth." You can't celebrate birthdays or make any friends because they'll be dead due to not believing what you believe, and they'll be better off. They're the ones causing the wicked and bad things that happen in this world. And if you dare disagree, you'll share the same fate.
Very effed up. I made it a personal goal that no matter how much pressure I receive from my family, I'm never raising my potential children in this religion. They deserve a better childhood than me.
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Welcome to all the Newbies in the last six months
by smiddy ini think all of us on this forum would like to welcome all the newbies that have joined in the last six months or so ,if i`m not mistaken there seems to be an influx lately.. elders , ms ,and sisters.
speak up and make a comment , are you happy you came here ?.
we`d love to here from you.. smiddy.
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Sorry
Thanks Smiddy! Hello everyone! I'll just take this chance to formally introduce myself.
I am 18 and currently baptised. I had my doubts, and my parents told me I should only do it when I'm ready. However, they kept applying pressure on me and asking me why I don't do enough and when am I finally going to take the truth seriously. So, I just decided to get dipped. After a whole year of shoving my thoughts down, I couldn't ignore it any longer and decided to do research. I stumbled across jwfacts.com and the rest is history. After learning TTATT, I began dating a great guy. He's helped me battle my depression and my suicidal thoughts, but he can't do as much as he'd like due to my strict, diehard JW parents.
I have plans to save money, get a car, and move out. Then move to a different area and start my fade (which wont be easy since my parents will try to get their way in the process). I am currently at university obtaining my bachelor's in Marketing, my area has a huge demand for them (being a JW prepared me for at least one thing in life lol).
Any questions or comments, just pm me. I love everyone!
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Survey: Are you Agnostic or Atheist or Christian?
by Iamallcool ini am agnostic.
i will count how many agnostics, atheists and christians that are reading this forum regularly.
please answer my question.
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Sorry
At this time I'm my life, I'm agnostic. But I always have my mind open.
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Question for those that have been Disfellowshiped for apostasy VS succesfully fading
by NikL inthere are quite a few here who have been disfellowshipped for apostasy.. then there are those that have successfully faded.. why the different outcome?
are the ones that got df more out spoken?
or does the discrepancy lie with the elders?.
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Sorry
My best friend's uncle started his fade 10 years ago. He just stopped attending meetings all together. The elders were on him for a good year and a half, but he wouldn't even give them an inch. He always made excuses and used the same "If I need anything, you'd be the first one I'd call." Then he claimed he had super long hours at work (which wasn't a lie) and was depressed. After a while,they just gave up. His family doesn't shun him at all, but the rumor mill at the congregation made him a social pariah.
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black dog comes to visit
by zeb indear friends,.
once again my depression has got the better of me and i must bow out for a time.. "the angels sang glory to god in the highest and on earth peace unto men of goodwill'.
so if that means at this special time of the year then have a happy and safe christmas time all of you.. hugs.
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Sorry
Take care zeb. Will never forget your words of kindness to me in my anxiety and depression thread. If you need any help or someone to talk to, we're here.
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JW Apprentice in Hair Salon.
by Disassociated Lady 2 inmy hairdresser warned me that he had taken on a jw apprentice and asked me what i thought.
she attends the kh that disfellowhipped me.
i told him that i would have to be careful about what i said concerning my personal life as she would report back anything she heard to the elders.
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Sorry
The hypocrisy is astounding. We all know those JW's who live for snitching to the elders. Had a couple of them in our old congregation during high school. And they wondered why they were an outcast at school AND at the hall lol.
And sorry if I sound slow (haven't been here too long), but are you officially df, da or were you reinstated only to fade again? Because if you were df'd or da'd (like your name implies), why are you worried about what's she reporting to the elders? Screw her and her self righteousness.
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Elder wants to stop by with the CO for a visit .
by NikL inso i got a text from an elder who i consider one of the good guys and a friend in his own way.. he asked if he could bring the co by for a visit.
he said it would be "just a pleasant call and visit and will hopefully encourage my wife".
he says that "he knows she is dealing with a ton of pressure".. in all my years around the organization, i never had a visit from the circuit overseer.
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Sorry
Based off of the experiences in my own hall, the elder will more likely than not just leave you alone, especially if you're "bad association". A man in our Cong has been inactive for nearly a decade, his wife has periods where she isn't super active and her fs dwindles. Thanks to his wife's blabbermouth and constant complaints about their situation, the family's reputation is in the gutter as far as the local JWs are concerned. Even then, the elders always make a call to the wife whenever her fs slows down. After all this time and the rumors about him, they don't even look his way anymore. They gave up. She complains about that too.
Nik, if this elder is friendly with you, chances are they are actually there for your wife. Since you haven't done anything, I wouldn't worry about it.
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Do any of the governing body of JWs exercise their conscience?
by Half banana inthe members of the governing body, by being at the reins of a large corporation, must be confronted with situations which force them to think about the validity of their doctrines.. the australian royal commission hearing must have highlighted for the gb, especially jackson, the rational inconsistency of using an iron age dictum of "two witnesses" in a world which has moved beyond such rough justice.
today we have a scientific approach, we examine forensically, we have psychologists who can tell us about individual's minds and behaviour.
today, children's voices are not ignored.. the first and last resort of jws and their leaders is the doctrine of the "inerrancy of the bible".
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Sorry
No. The GB are old egomaniacs that are out of touch with reality. And how could they not? They've had infinite power over the lives of 8 million people for decades. The lower ranks has them completely gassed up, and as a result, they remove anyone who has the slightest criticism. Maybe they did have a conscience once upon a time, but it's definitely withered away after all this time.
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Living with Your Parents Well Into Adulthood the Norm?
by Sorry ini don't want to seem like a jerk.
i know full well economic times are not the greatest.
there's no shame in struggling and staying with your family until you're back on your feet.
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Sorry
Thank you all for your responses. Like most of you have said, economic times are tough, and I agree there's no shame with asking for help. However, I can't help but feel for Witnesses who are up in age and are solely dependent on their parents.
The three daughters I mentioned in the OP have lived with their parents their whole lives. The eldest is 42 and has never been married or had kids. Whenever I'm in service with her, she brags about living simply, having all her expenses taken care of and spending all her days in field service. She keeps telling me I should never move out. Her parents are in their mid to late 70s, what will the girls do when their parents pass? Makes me sad because they are actually nice people. I can't imagine being 42 and never being on your own or the only bill you've ever paid was your car insurance.