my best friend got to see something that i would have loved to see.
he manages a gas station and mini-mart, and he is in the enviable position of being on someone's magazine route.
i have been nagging him to bring me the magazines, but he keeps forgetting.
Realist:
exposing dirty loundry about the organization to the outside world? never!!!
when I got disfellowhipped I was an emocional wreck, but would have never told that to a non WT. When I did it (my listeners couldn't believe it), I felt incredibly guilty, because I was tarnishing "Jehovahs name". And that's the way it is. It is a pact of silence, and of loneliness.
the history channel had a spt.
11 show on last night, and most of it was the same ol' same ol'---but something did catch my attention.. video was being shown of people evacuating lower manhattan, and the brooklyn bridge was filled to capacity with people.. the voice over says, "people fled every way they could--they streamed across the bridge to brooklyn.".
now, i'm wondering, if you had just left ground zero and you were one of the ones runningon the bridge--and you saw a big sign that said--.
yes, the president elder (is that what you call the "PO"?) who is a bethel elder read a report saying that Bethel had opened its doors and helped the damaged ones, giving them immediate attention. It was the comment those days.
And several months later they read another report with experiences, telling that many had been witnessed, including president Bush.
the history channel had a spt.
11 show on last night, and most of it was the same ol' same ol'---but something did catch my attention.. video was being shown of people evacuating lower manhattan, and the brooklyn bridge was filled to capacity with people.. the voice over says, "people fled every way they could--they streamed across the bridge to brooklyn.".
now, i'm wondering, if you had just left ground zero and you were one of the ones runningon the bridge--and you saw a big sign that said--.
At the time of the attacks I was in South America, and the reports that came one week after and were read to the congregation said that Bethel had opened its doors and helped the peolpe that were coming from the bridge, giving them water and food, and offering medical attention.
So, it was not so?
legalism: over the last few years ex-jws have discussed much about how to deal with the jws legally, to stop slander, harassment, etc.
... and then somehow try to avoid being da'd or df'd.
this can work, but it take some preplanning and careful strategy to implement ... and in the end, the ex-jw often still gets shunned.
Thank you very much for the answers.
Oh my... having to attend for months after reinstatement! One thing is going to the meetings, where I dont know anyone, so what the heck, and I dont have to treat anyone... but socializing! eeek. Their close society makes me phobic. They suffocate me.
Oh, Amazing! Thank you for warning me. Man! I cant believe they can actually redisfellowship you. Although I feared some secret move they could apply for these cases.
I have to introduce myself properly. Im visiting my family right now, so, Ive to be quick when I visit this site. But Ill do so one of these days, what I want to tell you now is that: I RESPECT YOUR MINDS. THE "AIR" HERE IS GOOD.
THANK YOU ALL.
legalism: over the last few years ex-jws have discussed much about how to deal with the jws legally, to stop slander, harassment, etc.
... and then somehow try to avoid being da'd or df'd.
this can work, but it take some preplanning and careful strategy to implement ... and in the end, the ex-jw often still gets shunned.
my parents are putting a lot of pressure to me to come back to the Org., that is like a nightmare to me.
I attended during 10 months after being df, then I had to move to the States and the elders did not want to reinstate me. Now several months have passed. I guess that if I want to come back I will have to attend for many months again. darn it!
It may seem odd that I want to do this, I am much in peace right where I am now, but my parents are elderly people, I am their only daughter, and they wont listen to reasons. I would never forgive myself if I keep them in this pain. All they want is me to be reinstated. "A change of status", just that.
What I wonder is: can they disfellowship me for stopping the attendance immediately after my reinstatement? What could they do, apart from being a terrible nuisance?
the following material is classified compartmentalized.
delete before reading!
from: col. j.r. "bendrr" brown, bowenite unorganized militia 82nd netborne, secretary of public unfashion, minister of mullets, bowenite ungoverning body.
Dear Bendrr:
I've no idea of what reasons you may have for posting this, but it couldn't describe my own situation in a more accurate way: young, disfelloshipped, trying to go back in order to please my parents, and finally being liberated by sb. (who has never been a witness, but because he loves me, did an open minded,extensive research) who made me read Crisis of concience, and confronted me with evidence of the topics you've just mentioned.
thanks.
.
as former jw i did witness favouritism towards elders and circuit overseers and also noticed how low status j-dubs actually lined up to speak to the circuit/overseers wife.even outside association seemed to be confined to say elders associating with elders etc.
i remember when even a sister gave a glass of water to a coughing circuit.overseer but i noticed she never did this to others in the hall.. then for instance how many at the hall formed groupies after meetings not making any effort to gell with others,i felt so sorry for those just sitting on there own.. so why do they act like this, it beats me because a lot of literature and talks focused on not being impartial to others,were they really taking it in or was it a question of congregation status or favouritism towards others.. also outside the meetings association didnt seem to exist and only confined to a certain favoured individuals.
In 1998 there was an international district convention in San Diego.
The ones that wanted to apply had to fill in a form and have a meeting with the elders. There were so many os us that only pioneers, Bethelites and elders withe their familiees were approved for going.
That's OK with me, I thought. They have to have some selection criteria if they have to choose among so many people.
Now, my best friend (who is still a pioneer and I love her very much and miss her a lot) was allowed to go. What shocked me at the moment was that she showed me a form that the elders of her congregation were supposed to fill. That form came directly from the regional branch and I think that she had it because the elders of her congregation were dumb enaugh to let her have it, they gave her ALL the papers thay came from the branch.
This form asked information to the elders about the individual who was applying, and it stablished a score for the publisher in question from A to D, based on hours in the service, and so on. many of the things very subjective, as how the elders considered the spiritually level of the individual. Now, you better be on good terms with this loving sheppers or they would screw you!
That was amazing!!! Isn't it unbelievable?
If some "apostate" had told me about it then, I wouldn't have believed it, but I saw it with my own eyes.
And I remember being disgusted at first but then trying to brainwash myself trying to think that it was right, that if the organization worked like that, then it must be fine.
So, my conclusion is that this favoritism is not jut a "human mistake", undesirable and discouraged from the upper levels (the really "apiritual ones"), but that it is indeed encouraged from the upper levels and so on.
At last I am glad that I am still young and free from all that fariseism.
is there really no way of getting through to these people??
life is really too short for putting up with this ignorant kind of behaviour.
we, as ex-jws know how theyre thinking works, surely if we are going to have to endure shunning for the remainder of our lives we must do/say something to arouse their clear thinking abilities.
My parents are very tolerant and open minded, but due to the August KM, they've told me that they won't come to visit me here, in the US, and that our future contact is going to be limited.
I'm trying to get all the accurate information I can about the Watchtower association with the UN for showing it to them in my next visit to my country. Of course, down there nothing is heard about pedophiles and UN links.
I've already told them many of these things, but of course, they think of them as "slanders forged by apostates".
What I want is them to respect me, and not to feel guilty by doing so. I believe that if I expose them to these facts they may find a medium point (I don't want them to leave the organization, they are elderly people and all their friends are there), where they practice their beliefs and respect other points of view.
I expect this information will be as shocking for them as it was for me when I first learnt about it.
I believe that It is a good angle to begin reasoning with our beloved ones.
They have a right to practice their religion but we also have a right to be free from it.
is there really no way of getting through to these people??
life is really too short for putting up with this ignorant kind of behaviour.
we, as ex-jws know how theyre thinking works, surely if we are going to have to endure shunning for the remainder of our lives we must do/say something to arouse their clear thinking abilities.
My parents are very tolerant and open minded, but due to the August KM, they've told me that they won't come to visit me here, in the US, and that our future contact is going to be limited.
I'm trying to get all the accurate information I can about the Watchtower association with the UN for showing it to them in my next visit to my country. Of course, down there nothing is heard about pedophiles and UN links.
I've already told them many of these things, but of course, they think of them as "slanders forged by apostates".
What I want is them to respect me, and not to feel guilty by doing so. I believe that if I expose them to these facts they may find a medium point (I don't want them to leave the organization, they are elderly people and all their friends are there), where they practice their beliefs and respect other points of view.
I expect this information will be as shocking for them as it was for me when I first learnt about it.
I believe that It is a good angle to begin reasoning with our beloved ones.
They have a right to practice their religion but we also have a right to be free from it.
in early march of this year, in the echoes of uncertainty left after the horror of 9-11, just one year after i had nearly died myself from a massive, still unexplained, seizure, i determined that i wanted to be a writer.
there were so many things i wanted to write about, my head swirled with possibilities.
one topic kept coming front and center, unavoidably.
when is the march going to take place?
do you know where will it be put on air?
(sorry for my english, it is my second tongue)
