Posts by Xanthippe

53

Were You A Gullible JW?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i think every congregation has their group that sees everything as a sign that they are god’s chosen people.

if a witness didn’t go to a meeting and a storm came and destroyed their house and killed them, and only the kingdom hall was saved, that was a sign that we should be in jehovah’s house.

if russia persecuted jws , it’s proof we are living in the last days.

I was ignorant rather than gullible. I left school at sixteen so had very little education. We had two books in our house apart from the JW literature, Jane Eyre and The Water Babies. There was no money for books, we were dirt poor. We did have library tickets and borrowed books but it was only a little village library. My parents didnt buy national newspapers. The internet didn't exist.

I knew nothing about anything but I was intelligent so I worked it out eventually and left at thirty. This is why the cult targets ignorant, poor people, especially in developing countries. It's so easy to make fun of evolution to such people when they know nothing. So easy to say the bible is historically accurate because Babylon, The Hittites and Ur have been discovered. Although I have to say I did worry about that, I knew it didn't necessarily mean the rest of it was true.

I will say this, I followed my belief system from the heart and lived it. I didn't do it to please anyone else and I really believed I was saving lives in FS. I am genuine and not a hypocrite and there is something to be said for that. I believe it's what got me out.

24

Quick question to ALL members

by Tenacious in

as a witness, when you thought about jesus christ, what was the first thing that came to your mind?.

Xanthippe

I felt horrified that he was tortured to death for me. I struggled with that teaching from age sixteen.

119

What music are you enjoying today?

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

jw
friends

1.just been listening to this lady's innovtive tool as music instrument.

incredible story too.. https://youtu.be/_nlmm9kcbks.

2.listening to this gives me so much peace and relaxes me .

Xanthippe

The Gladiator soundtrack is amazing!

119

What music are you enjoying today?

by ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara in

jw
friends

1.just been listening to this lady's innovtive tool as music instrument.

incredible story too.. https://youtu.be/_nlmm9kcbks.

2.listening to this gives me so much peace and relaxes me .

Xanthippe

I've finally got to the age where I don't have to pretend I like pop music anymore. My first record was Ravel's Bolero. I listen to classicfm all day while at home and in the car. Movie night on Saturday evening is my favourite. Film themes are among the most beautiful classical music IMO, Gladiator, Avatar, Titanic, Lord of the Rings.

62

Let's Talk Horror Movies

by LoveUniHateExams in

horror is easily my favourite genre of movie so i just thought i'd start a thread on it.. horror can be done badly and there are plenty of crap horror movies, no doubt about that.

but horror can also be done very well, too - often on a low budget.. plus, there are quite a lot of subgenres - slasher, supernatural, monster movies, body horror, psychological horror, zombie, vampire, etc.. so, do you like horror?.

what's your favourite subgenre?.

Xanthippe

What I love about the Alien films were the false frights where a light fitting or piece of electronic equipment would look at first glance like the alien. So many 'made you jump moments', brilliant.

9

Did You Have a "New Light" confidante you could talk to about changes while in?

by Wasanelder Once in

i had a friend and we always speculated on "new light" before it came out.

i was an elder then and he was housebound, but a non-judgemental person.

we had long discussed the growing number of anointed (in the 90's) and speculated how they would "new light" it away.

Xanthippe

Sadly no. I remember phoning my ex-pioneer partner and friend of ten years about the new light that we couldn't study just the Bible with people anymore to ask what they said at her assembly and she rounded on me straight away, 'but it's from Jehovah!'

It took my husband seven years to realise something was wrong. My father-in-law said people who criticise elders end up being just like them. That was until they turned on him!

2

English Channel boats

by Xanthippe in

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-48484017.

so more refugees in the english channel and a politician comes on the radio and says britain and france need to work together to end this crisis.

how do you end a crisis where so many people are swarming to rich countries to escape dire poverty or violence?

Xanthippe

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-48484017

So more refugees in the English Channel and a politician comes on the radio and says Britain and France need to work together to end this crisis.

How do you end a crisis where so many people are swarming to rich countries to escape dire poverty or violence? This is a global crisis.

These politicians are so glib, we need more barriers, more police, more soldiers. How about less starving, desperate people.

21

Did your congregation ever throw special parties exclusively for Pioneers?

by Tenacious in

i'm trying to remember if these parties were a direct instruction from hq or if this was something on a local level.. i remember i attended at least 2 of these parties and we also would bring them gifts.

i saw them no different than a bday party (elevating someone to idolatry level).. if anyone else remembers these parties please let me know.

if there's a letter out there somewhere from hq that would be even better.

Xanthippe

I hope you landed on your feet eventually and got out of credit card debt. LHG

Yes we did eventually but it was a hard slog with no qualifications or experience of full time work. We both did distance learning degrees and after a while we got good jobs.

As far as JWs thinking you were “rich” when in fact you weren’t must have been awful. That means people were jealous. When people are jealous and think you “have no problems”, they will never help you.

That's very insightful thank you.

21

Did your congregation ever throw special parties exclusively for Pioneers?

by Tenacious in

i'm trying to remember if these parties were a direct instruction from hq or if this was something on a local level.. i remember i attended at least 2 of these parties and we also would bring them gifts.

i saw them no different than a bday party (elevating someone to idolatry level).. if anyone else remembers these parties please let me know.

if there's a letter out there somewhere from hq that would be even better.

Xanthippe

XANTHIPPE: Unfortunately, there were a few pioneers that had an attitude of entitlement - LHG

Yes LongHairGal there was a missionary in my congregation who came back and expected everyone to furnish her apartment and do lots of work on it, and they did!

We on the other hand ended up in debt after leaving the cult, having had to use a credit card to survive. Part-time unskilled work didn't go very far but we didn't expect handouts and we certainly didn't get any.

Living in central UK with a husband who was from London I think the local congregation thought we were wealthy. They seemed to think his family supported us, which was ridiculous. We had other people around for meals more than they invited us!

38

So how "worldly" did you get after you left the "truth"

by greenhornet in

jw
friends

i don't drive a 4 door car.

lol.

i go to a local christian church.

Xanthippe

Drunken orgies, drugs, satanism, child sacrifice, the usual.