a new podcast interview, and a new book, on episode 15 of the "shunned" podcast.. .
jason grew up in amish country but was raised in the cult of jehovah’s witnesses.
this story has cars hidden in the woods for a getaway, living on boats, time spent in rehab, a jw group of “lost boys” that were dealing drugs, just your average story of leaving a cult.
I resonated with this gentleman( Jason) on a very interesting topic. Several in fact. One particular topic I'll likely put here on the site. Great podcast!
Also a complement to dubstepped as the interviewer for doing what you do. Its not just anyone that can stay on point and allow freedom of expression and validation all while diving into these deep traumatic issues.
Really good stuff. Much appreciated!
i was thinking of how little i know about my father’s side of the family.
i recently inquired about ancestry.com and i’ve come to the realization that even the closest sides of my family via my father, are unknown to me .
what a shame that jehovah’s witnesses kept us apart.
@LoisLane, I have tried everything short of hiring a detective. FB, Schools, old addresses and more. I found a new number today and called it. It was disconnected. So the tears fell hard.
I found myself repeating several times while in the thick of it saying "I want my daddy", "I want my daddy".
How awfully embarrassing to realize, be totally aware and cognizant as Im crying repeating that , that I am a 42 year old man. I did actually remember something from my childhood during that 'meltdown'. I was a daddy's boy. A non jw daddys boy until I was taken by my very selfish jw (great aunt) that could not have children.
[She (The jw great aunt) raised me from 41/2 until 12. ( at 12 almost 13 I ran away from the sexual,physical,and physiological abuse.) But was indoctrinated in the jw cult. Went back to the jws and was married at 16 ,had a son who I would go on to lose in court. Then my ex wife disappeared with my son mere months before my dad died. The heartbreak of that journey, to find a son that hates me is simply mind blowing. My son was my whole world 'when little'. Then to become my obsession for years. Didn't find my son until he was 14 after searching everyday tirelessly while trying to just live. Gone from me at age 6.]
Later after my dad passed and I found out via court records that she (The jw great aunt) did not have legal adoption of me then. She lied and told my father that she did. It destroyed him. He thought he could not fight the court legally all those years. As it turned out all he had to do was pick me up.
I confronted my great aunt (the jw who couldn't have kids and basically stole me) with the court documents. She cried, confessed that she wished death upon my biomom (another story) and secluded me from my father. But then attacked me saying I was under satans influence. ?????WOW! This went on for years until I finally stood up to her verbally. I will never want to speak with her again. Out of honoring myself if nothing else.
Im not sure why Im opening up like this here today. Perhaps its because the layers of trauma have become more than I can bare this year. I can hide from them no more. I want my story to mean something. I want it to help people. And I have a lot to say. This is still just a tiny fraction of my story. But something is brewing and I cant hold back the Dam of years that have snuck up on me.
This site has done the trick. In the sense that I am really woke up in regards the jwcult. The tricks they play and the similar heartbreaking vein woven in each story I see.
I am looking at the world with very sad, lonely, and scared eyes as I now navigate to the 'whats next?' part.
I have not a clue. But I do know that Im out of the jw haze. So now that the chips are really down for me I no longer lean towards a jw god that does not exist. That leaves me feeling very vulnerable. Like never before.
Ironically I feel more connected to myself. I feel. All the emotions cognitive dissonance blocked me from feeling. They are raw and painful but I feel them. For the first time.
Caves
i was thinking of how little i know about my father’s side of the family.
i recently inquired about ancestry.com and i’ve come to the realization that even the closest sides of my family via my father, are unknown to me .
what a shame that jehovah’s witnesses kept us apart.
Well this may bring me to my knees today but I want to share.
My biological father died when I was 22. he was not 'in' and never was."none of his family." I got to know him well before he passed. His greatest regret was me being taken from him and thinking I didnt love him or want him. He had his problems. And of course I was told he was evil.
Quite the contrary. He was the nicest man I have ever met. Last dime out of his pocket, shirt off his back kind of man.
When I got the call he was in the hospital they said he either couldn't speak or was refusing to speak. I rushed to the hospital 9 hrs away. He was hooked up on many machines. I took a deep breath and walked in, he started to cry and held out his hand. I fought back the tears. He tried to speak for the first time in the intensive care unit.
I could feel the regret coming from him. I did not allow him to hold on to it. I squeezed his hand and let him know I harbored no ill anything towards him and he didnt need to explain if he didnt want to. He got better for a few days and was put in a room.
I asked him if he wanted anything....He said 'a hamburger', I knew he wasnt supposed to have it but he had hours or maybe a couple of days left. I got him that damn hamburger! Snuck it in and had one last meal with a father that was demonized by the jwcult. We smiled and laughed and ate. My tall adult self crawled into the hospital bed with him and slept by my fathers side.
He became my only rock....breifly in my very early 20s.. I might have had a chance to assimilate into society better had he lived. Instead when he died I became numb for many years.
As the years went by I realized that his sister my aunt loved me dearly. For the life of me I cannot find her. I keep trying to no avail.
I feel if I did it would be a game changer for me possibly. Im still looking.
That was very intense for me. Time for a breath. Thanks for reading.
witnesses are used to saying that every other religion but their own makes up “false religion “....how would a devout witness handle being labeled as a member of a false religion??
?.
That I was "filled with 'satan' " and they would run away. Scared of the "satan in me", NOT because of their 'True religion'. True story!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wktxjuyiat4.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wktxjuyiat4.
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i like to watch stand up comedy and comedy clips.
do you have favorite comedians or skits ect?
https://youtu.be/5lgeiil1__s.
Zoltan Kaszas. Recently found this stand up comedian a few months ago.
With the media and feeding frenzy of these types of topics I dont care anymore. Most everyone I know is just saying they vote and now dont even look at the news. A lot of people are burnt out on the issue.
Does anyone really think the average person will ever know?
no one really knows where ruthaford is buried.
there is some word of mouth evidence that he is buried under the garage of beth sarim.
i think he is under the garage.
So sad when Abraham and Moses came back to life and they got trapped down under the concrete with him.
it would be interesting to know what prompted you to leave the organization?
what questions did the elders fail to answer?
(maybe there is already a similar discussion, i apologize in advance)..
@Sergey Antonov- What questions did the elders fail to answer?
Rev 10:9 -10 9 So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take it and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but ‘in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey.’[a]” 10 I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth,but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”
So the scripture I quoted made no sense with the question you asked. Its the same with the elders. Out of context,off topic and weird.
Sergey Antonov-It would be interesting to know what prompted you to leave the organization?
Everything.
I might have gone to a convention if they had free sandwiches again. I was going to go check it out this year to see how many changes , but once I found that they dont serve food anymore, whats the point? Certainly the 'spiritual food' offered is nothing but a "vacuum in time and space" so I would want a sandwich on their dime. I paid plenty for a sandwich and I should have one to put up with false teachings.
