Posts by Saethydd

27

Am I selfish?

by Jules Saturn in

tonight i had an argument with both my parents.

my parents are aware of my feelings towards the organization, and it saddens them because i am their first born son.

they had high expectations of me, my father dreamt of him and i serving together as elders.

I greatly sympathize with your situation. Before I moved out, I also felt guilty, like I was being selfish for being true to myself and honest with my parents. But, I know that I simply couldn't handle the charade any longer, and I told both of my parents and my sister that the door of communication was always open on my end. They all told me that they loved me but they wouldn't be taking me up on that offer because they "love Jehovah more."

I'm not sure any of us are necessarily being selfish, we are simply doing what we believe to be the right thing and they are doing the same. The difference is that I base that decision off of logic and secular humanism, whereas they rely on the Watchtower to decide for them what is the right thing.

Also, neither side is willing to compromise because they believe the other side is being misled. However, unlike them, you and I have actually listened to both sides of the story and weighed the evidence before we made our decisions.

42

To Fade or Disassociate

by Jules Saturn in

hello to all, so i did want to talk about this topic because i think it is very important to me.

i have a grandfather who faded several decades ago.

he occasionally attends an assembly and the memorial but no longer attends meetings or goes on field service.

Saethydd

I was already disfellowshipped when I commpletely woke up to their bull shit. I intended to try and get reinstated and then fade slowly, but in the end, that level of duplicity for such an extended period of time with my own family just wasn't something I could live with, so instead I was up front with my parents about what I believed and what I wanted, and they returned the favor by telling me I needed to find a new place to live.

Fortunately, I had already found a good place to live because I was honestly expecting it to happen. I now live among friends who accept me for who I am.

46

10 years on.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i was a window cleaner, i was at the time unemployed, homeless.

i had no education to be proud of (high school one a two b's rest c's) i was a jehovahs witness.

i had been a pioneer.

Saethydd

I hope in ten years time I too will be able to provide a story as inspiring as this one. Congratulations my friend.

11

Most Jw would take a bullet before renouncing faith

by Chook in

our enthusiasm for truth is not shared with our former brothers.

they base their whole lives on a historical book yet won't look back 50 years to see origins of cult..

Saethydd

Not too long ago I would have died "for Jehovah." Whether it was from persecution or refusing a blood transfusion. I'm so very glad I was never faced with those things, I may have foolishly ended up throwing away my one and only life.

16

Warning: A. Vogel (JW-run organization) treatments popping up in the US

by Anony Mous in

i've noticed a few of my local grocery stores are stocking a. vogel homeopathy products.

a. vogel is a company ran primarily by jehovah's witnesses, the "brains" behind the operation, alfred vogel, has since died but he claimed to be one of the anointed.

the bolle family (co-founders of the company) is a well-known, (now very wealthy) family in the netherlands and there have been significant "contributions" in the past from the company to the watchtower organization.. alfred vogel was a well-known conman, he claimed blood transfusions would change someone's personality, he claimed to have studied native american herbal healing methods... from a native american tourist photo-op actor.

Saethydd

I really don't understand people who prefer homeopathy, it's the same basic idea as medical treatment, just without the rigorous scientific testing. If something in homeopathy actually works then it can be proved scientifically and thus it becomes a medical treatment.

149

why jw's commit suicide?

by notalone in

jw
friends

we all know the rate of suicide is high among jw's.

my question is this- was there some subliminal messages that encourage this.

i was a born in and my entire life i would have these thoughts that could come out of nowhere,"kill yourself.

Saethydd

I would guess that it has something to do with the impossible standards that end up causing extreme guilt, which leads to depression, especially among teenagers and young adults, very few of whom can live up to the rules. Add to that the tendency among JWs to distrust and avoid mental health professionals and instead rely on "prayer" to make their problems go away and you've got a recipe for an increased suicide rate.

4

Is there a risk using jw library app on cellphone

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

this is a question about the use of the jw library app on your cellphone.. the app is mainly used by jw and maybe interested people.

in this world of big data, and less privacy, any government can track users of this app.. it's no problem when there is nothing at stake.. but, many governments, even the more secular like france and germany, have made restrictions for jw's.. what if you are a government official and jw?

do you want to be tracked for being one?.

Saethydd

I wouldn't be terribly concerned about it unless it becomes a crime to even read "extremist literature," as far as I know the current crime is "producing and distributing it," and if for some reason you did draw negative attention from it, you can explain that you are a former JW who now opposes the religion. Of course, if your current beliefs aren't in line with the government either then it could still be problematic.

I deleted the app from my devices because it was full of what is, in my opinion, useless drivel.

18

Where is the proof?

by stuckinarut2 in

we all know that the governing body claim to be "god's representatives" and the "faithful and discreet slave" that dispenses spiritual food..... but where is the proof?.

according to the bible (if we just for a moment take it as a reliable source), all of god's representatives in the past furnished proof of their appointment - not just self referential claims or statements.. for instance, moses and aaron performed miracles before pharaoh (such as the snake staffs.).

other prophets performed signs and miracles such as making the sun stand still, healing sick people, making walls fall down, etc etc.... even jesus performed miracles as proof of his divine appointment!.

Saethydd

When I asked my parents this question they pointed to the "goodness" of the organization as proof of its divine backing. They believe that the "love" of the GB and other Witnesses proves that it is God's one and only organization. They didn't seem terribly bothered by the subjectivity of such claims or that the subjectivity of those metrics don't really allow them to be tested against other religions and organizations in any sort of rigorous comprehensive way to prove that it is the "one and only."

Unfortunately, I was not able to convince them that those things really matter in figuring out the truth of a subject.

12

What a beautiful day for service!

by StephaneLaliberte in

jw
friends

i heard this expression very often and even said it often myself.

now that i am out, i realize this isn't always the case.

there were many times i was going out in service saturday morning and couldn't wait for 12:00 to come along so that we could go swimming, bicycling, play basket ball, go to the beach... .

Saethydd

I'm an introvert, so going door to door to discuss something that didn't really interest me with complete strangers that would most likely provoke a negative reaction was never something I truly enjoyed. Though, I certainly tried to because I thought God wanted me to enjoy it.

40

Some Good News About Me (Although Anthony Morris Will Be Furious)

by pale.emperor in

just wanted to share with you some good news i'm really excited about.

i have been accepted for university to study psychology and counseling.

my goal is to become a counselor and, in time, to specialize on treating those who have left high control relationships/groups like we all did.. it'll take a few years before im qualified but studying in university has been a dream of mine since i was 12, which was systematically dashed to pieces by watchtower.. .

Saethydd

Congratulations, and I'm sure that all the people you help in the future will be very appreciative. I imagine that fellow ex-JWs will be especially happy to find a counselor that truly understands.