I went to exactly 2 meetings and a JC meeting since I was df'd almost 20 years ago. The first meeting was a book study at of course the kingdom hall. It was between them telling me I was df'd and them telling the rest of the cong nobody knew yet but of course I was not permitted to go to anyone's home. I remember the elder that was on the committee was in that book study but not the conductor. I could tell the kids already knew because of how they were looking at me. I had gone with my wife at the time and we were sitting together near the back but I remember at one point during the study the elder stood up and walked to the back of the room behind me for a few minutes. I don't know if he was looking to see if I had studied or what I didn't know what was going on. The next meeting was the Sunday meeting I did the whole get there late sit in the back thing I inadvertently sat in someone's seat who had taken their baby out so when they got back I had to move. I looked around a little and caught the eye of a "sister" who was giving me the most evil look you could imagine. The funny thing was her husband had just been df'd around 2 months prior and was at every meeting since. I have no idea what he was df'd for but maybe she thought it was for homosexuality and I was his lover. I swear that's how evil the look was she was giving me. I only went because I had sort of promised my mother that I would work myself back in I only said it because it was what she wanted to hear not because of what I wanted. After that meeting I said the hell with this I don't want back in and never stepped foot in a KH again. Well actually I did for a JC meeting as I stated. They called me and asked if I wanted to meet, it had been about a year and since I got df'd I wrote them a letter and came clean about all the sinning I had been doing since my teens. Anyway they asked if I wanted back in I said I guess t would be nice to be...another elder interrupted NO DO YOU WANT TO BE BACK IN?? Like I said I guess it would be........DO YOU WANT TO BE ONE OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES?? I guess not really. You called me by the way. I will always regret going to those 3 meetings. Actually I regret every meeting I ever attended. The early ones I had no choice but my dad was an unbeliever so as I got into my teens I should have just refused to go like my older brothers. But no I had to be one to get baptized and make mommy proud. But now she talks to the 3 who walked away years and years ago and never got baptized including one who's been in and out of jail since he was about 15 but has no dealings at all with me. Aint that some shit
Darryl
JoinedPosts by Darryl
-
16
That Most Uneven of Judicial Procedures~The Gradual Lifting of Restriction After Reinstatement
by TMS inthose with substantial experience as jws will likely agree that judicial matters are handled with considerable inconsistency.
elders certainly vary in skill level, understanding, compassion or even knowledge of the talmudlike watchtower rules.
the punishment and, it is actually punishment, for similar offenses can result in anything from private or public reproof to disfellowshipping or sometimes an elder will choose to simply offer private counsel without even bringing the matter before the body of elders.
-
-
-
36
Brother & Sister-in-Law Return to Kingdom Hall After Two Decades, Quickly Get Stumbled
by TMS init was a mild surprise, learning that a brother and sister-in-law had began re-associating with jehovah's witnesses after at least 25 years of being away.
the couple, of hispanic ethnicity, are in their early 60's, with their five children all grown and independent.
the family had been considered nominal jws, infrequently attending meetings, rarely in field service, but using the annual convention as their family vacation.
-
-
Darryl
I'm sure if the kingdom hall had developed a serious and expensive plumbing issue this person would suddenly be an approved associate in good standing and qualified to do the work for free.
-
16
I need a little help
by Darryl inmy story is i've been df'd for about 20 years.
a couple years after i started attending church and found it to be a tremendously uplifting experience.
from the people to the music, message everything drew me in.
-
-
Darryl
Thanks all actually do go to the gym. What attracts me to the churches is some of them are actually doing good work. The one I attended donated money and food to the local food bank. They looked after the elderly, had a summer enrichment camp for the kids, gave to various charities. I believe when its all said and done the main question is what did you do for other people? Knocking on empty houses for 2 hours every Saturday is not even a productive plan to reach the masses with your message. I mean how many people do your normal witness encounter in a week? If it's anywhere like it was when I was in usually at most you will get in a solid hour of actual door to door work. In that hour you might get 5 or 6 people to answer of those 6 maybe 2 will allow you to get your spiel out. Invariably someone in your group will remember that they have a return visit that they been trying to catch and want to see if they're home even though everyone knows they won't be. But I digress I just feel like making a positive difference in someone's life is better than handing them a tract or watchtower but that's just my opinion.
-
16
I need a little help
by Darryl inmy story is i've been df'd for about 20 years.
a couple years after i started attending church and found it to be a tremendously uplifting experience.
from the people to the music, message everything drew me in.
-
-
Darryl
My story is I've been df'd for about 20 years. A couple years later I started attending church and found it to be a tremendously uplifting experience. From the people to the music, message everything drew me in. However I was still torn because I didn't totally believe the doctrine. I just can't accept the whole Jesus is God thing as well as everybody is going to heaven. As far as heaven goes I truly have no idea who's going, who's not going if everyone is going or if no one is going. I definitely don't believe that only a handful of Jehovah's witnesses are going, I have a spiritual side in me that wants to believe in God and Jesus and the whole thing but it's getting difficult. I see a lot of corrupt leaders in the church as well.
I did at one time feel that the witnesses had the truth but I always knew that I couldn't live up to the demands. It always kind of irked me when the fds thought they knew the exact meaning and prophecy behind every scripture in the bible. If there was a scripture that mentions donkey poop laying on some dirt they can decipher the scripture and tell you who the greater donkey poop and the greater dirt is. And don't even mention the book of Revelation, that whole book was written about Jehovah's Witnesses particularly the fds. Nobody else just them-Babylon the Great of course, nations all that but the good news only pertains to the Jehovah's Witnesses. Do you think when John got the vision Jehovah allowed him to look in on a Watchtower study way off into the future, or maybe a convention drama, watch a 6 year old give a tract presentation at a door? I just don't believe 6 or 7 million people and when you think of it how many of them are on the up and up? There might be some active witnesses reading this sentence right now and if so you are not in the number I just quoted. But let's just say 7 million people just 7 million meet God's approval the other 4 billion, yes 4 billion will be destroyed. Can you imagine? Airplanes falling out of the sky, cars and trucks crashing, can you imagine the fires, air pollution?
Anyway I need help I want to believe in God but quite frankly I don't know what to believe anymore
-
36
But where else should we go? Can you answer this question?
by purrpurr inhaving watched many jc youtube videos one question that gets asked is "where else would you go?".
in other words if not jehovah's witnesses then what other religion or organisation would you go to?.
it's one that i have trouble answering, what would you say?.
-
-
Darryl
As far as the witnesses go maybe all of the moral stuff is in theory the best way to live. Don't lie, pay your taxes, don't commit fornication, treat people the way you want to be treated, don't steal,kill, or harm your fellow man in any way.But really all churches teach that to a certain extent. Witnesses are the only ones who police it the way that they do, as well as instruct the members to police each other. The other stuff is what I had a huge problem with, all the tedious boring meetings, service, assemblies, conventions, all that was required of you. Way too much. As far as children go I happen to believe it's the cruelest most horrible thing you can subject your child to religion wise. No child should ever deal with the hurt and shame and disappointment that I and countless other witnesses had to endure. I vowed that my children would never step foot in a KH.
-
16
JW Acumen & Education = NO VALUE IN THE REAL WORLD
by Black Man inhaving been out of the cult for a few years now, i can finally sit back and accurately access the good, bad and the ugly, especially as it relates to education and having a sense of self-worth and realizing your potential.
in my opinion, religion is a total crock, but at least in some religions there is at least some value that you can translate your experiences and education gained in such into the real world.
for example, the mormons have their own accredited university where you can obtain a degree and you can actually put that down on your resume and use it in the real world.
-
-
Darryl
I remember a conversation I had with my mother, I had already left the org and had started attending a Baptist Church and what struck me about attending church was how uplifting an experience it was. Of course I learned all my life that churches were full of evil people who are attached to false teachings and all that. I don't think that I ever bought into all the doctrinal stuff. However the people I encountered were good people. They were involved in the community. They had a scholarship fund to help young college age kids. They encouraged and helped the young kids to be as great as they could be.
Then I talked about my upbringing and how sports, other extra curricular activities were strongly discouraged. College was a huge no no. I told her how much I resented the fact that I never went to college and thus was forced to work a job in manufacturing. It's a good paying job but still my options were severely limited. Then she says this and sadly it almost got her cussed out but I expressed my anger the best way I could and respectfully although I was boiling inside.
What she said was well the Society has changed their view on that slightly and they understand that at least some college might be necessary in the times we are living in. Yeah it was pretty fucking necessary in the times that I was a teenager as well. She continued in fact brother W is putting his Son's through college Jr just graduated this year. I knew Jr when I was in that cong Jr was at least 15 years younger than me. Brother W was your typical asshole elder. Law and order, frowns all the time makes up new rules just in case the ones coming from NY wasn't strict enough. He was definitely a stay the hell away from college guy when I was growing up and his boys were barely walking. Now that they are all grown up he's putting them through college. I asked my mother don't you think that's pretty fucked up??? I didn't use those words but that is the message I wanted to get across. She thought nothing of the society changing their view on something just another example of the "light" getting brighter and brighter. My ass. Never ever ever going back.
-
31
Serena
by Darryl ini was watching serena win yet another wimbledon title recently (congrats to her) but it got me to thinking about her for a moment.
she identifies herself as a jw and if you look up any info on her it will tell you that her religion is jw so that means that she herself and the rest of the world identifies her as a jw.. for those of us who are df'd as well as those of you who are about to be df'd what is the reason?
and what is the main difference between a df and a fade away?
-
-
Darryl
Yes very good I said all those things. This is just an open forum of ideas and thoughts correct? I'm not lodging a formal complaint against Serena Williams to the society. You said that they Are ignoring what she's saying now even though she's saying she's a jw. That's because everything is good and positive if it becomes not so good yes trust me thats another story.
-
31
Serena
by Darryl ini was watching serena win yet another wimbledon title recently (congrats to her) but it got me to thinking about her for a moment.
she identifies herself as a jw and if you look up any info on her it will tell you that her religion is jw so that means that she herself and the rest of the world identifies her as a jw.. for those of us who are df'd as well as those of you who are about to be df'd what is the reason?
and what is the main difference between a df and a fade away?
-
-
Darryl
So if she does something really horrible and is all over the news for that and in the same report they say she's a jw do you think they would let that fly??
-
31
Serena
by Darryl ini was watching serena win yet another wimbledon title recently (congrats to her) but it got me to thinking about her for a moment.
she identifies herself as a jw and if you look up any info on her it will tell you that her religion is jw so that means that she herself and the rest of the world identifies her as a jw.. for those of us who are df'd as well as those of you who are about to be df'd what is the reason?
and what is the main difference between a df and a fade away?
-
-
Darryl
And how exactly do you know that first of all. Secondly let me state this as simply and succinctly as I know how. I don't want the society to do anything. Never did I ever use the words the society needs to ........ Plain and simple a normal unknown person goes out in field service thus becoming a publisher is recognized as a jw by outsiders. A famous person doesn't have to go out in service to be recognized as a jw by outsiders all they have to do is say I'm a jw. Outsiders know nothing about baptized/non baptized, record card all that nonsense all they know is she's a jw. Period. Again I don't want the society to do anything I could care less. I'm just pointing out the fact that in the world's eyes she's a jw because she says she is. They could distance themselves from her in their own way of they wanted to but we all know they don't want to. Thus the hypocrisy.
-
31
Serena
by Darryl ini was watching serena win yet another wimbledon title recently (congrats to her) but it got me to thinking about her for a moment.
she identifies herself as a jw and if you look up any info on her it will tell you that her religion is jw so that means that she herself and the rest of the world identifies her as a jw.. for those of us who are df'd as well as those of you who are about to be df'd what is the reason?
and what is the main difference between a df and a fade away?
-
-
Darryl
Bernard listen dude I don't want the society to do anything to them. Ok I read your response the first time i am pointing out the fact that identifying yourself publicly as a JW in most cases comes with responsibility. A random person on the street who says they are a jw is very different from a world renowned person. Everyone is first of all saying she was never baptized nobody knows that for sure. Saying that you are a JW publicly if you are famous in my humble opinion is the same as going door to door in your community, people are going to identify you as one of jws. Prince was a very private person, yes he went to meetings but whatever else he did nobody knows. And for the record I could care less I am not now not will I ever again be part of the fold. But watching Serena the other day (and I am a big fan) along with all of this increased emphasis on loyalty, who's side are you on stuff it just struck me as odd that the society would allow someone to wave a flag and at the same time say they are jw. And Barold if you saw that I used the word hypocrisy in implication is there that I realize that they aren't going to do anything. I think I also said the normal publisher would be treated differently. Again I'm not writing letters to the organization it's not keeping me up at night the thought just kind of struck me as I was watching tennis that's all and here is where you come to express thoughts like that. Lastly as to the org not being able to get to her, they can get the word out when they are not pleased with you. Remember the thriller video and mjs subsequent apology? No I don't want the society to do that in this case I'm just saying they have more ways now of reaching the masses than they did back in the 80s