Phoebe

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Posts by Phoebe

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  33

  Hi from England

  by victimofdeceit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  recently quit being a jw because i realised that beyond armageddon i was going to be ruled by people who cover up child abuse, not telling the congregations by their letter where the money they donated in the box is going towards paying compensation for legal battles which they caused, and also i was bullied by elders and discriminated against for being homosexual, even though i am not practicing it.

  it wasn't until i threatened legal action for a breach of confidence that the elders were deleted.

  so through the media and my own personal experience, i realised that they were no different to corrupt businesses in the world.

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  Phoebe

  Hi,

  I'm in the U.K, too!
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  8

  Episode 7 - Getting Healthy and Waking Up of This JW Life is up now....

  by dubstepped in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  first i just want to say that i'm up over 5000 downloads now, which is awesome!

  i'm hearing from exjws and people with jw family members or friends and people that are just curious.

  just 10 days ago the show crossed the 3000 download mark, and it has gone up 2000 in 10 days!

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  Phoebe

  I have loved listening to you. I don't want it to end!

  You made me smile when you talked about self help books and psychologists. My husband was made to get rid of all his self help books when he started studying and in the past year I've been seeing a psychologist against the wishes of the COBE who said it was 'dangerous'. However, when I insisted on going a 'friendly elder's wife' had a word in my ear to tell me not to mention I was a witness as 'there was no need for my psychologist to know about that'

  Naturally, I didn't take their advice and told the psychologist everything!
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  21

  its saturday morning and its pouring down rain...

  by nowwhat? in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  how many jdubs are going out in service anyway because "they have to get their time in.

  " that's some "best life ever!

  " you guys got going on!

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  Phoebe

  Well, you know....after years of feeling guilty because I wasn't doing enough in the ministry, guess what I did on Saturday morning?

  I went on a zip wire ride! Had the best fun - ever.

  I would not have even considered doing something like this a few months ago. Everyone said, why are you doing something so scary (actually, it wasn't scary at all) and I said that I've spent my whole life being frightened and it's my way of saying, hey, I'm not going to be frightened anymore. It was liberating!
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  48

  "You're going to die in Armageddon"

  by Jules Saturn in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i'm sure i am not the only one to have heard this come out of the mouths of my loved ones.

  it's a very painful thing to hear, especially when it comes from the people like your own parents/family.

  even after i've been told that, they would say "we'll just continue life without you.

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  Phoebe

  Well, my brother and sister are actually looking forward to me dying at Armageddon!

  My 'elder' brother - who has caused me so much pain and won't own up to it - tells everyone I'm a crazy, liar.

  My sister - who truly thinks there's : God, Jesus and her and her husband - she wouldn't believe me when I told her my brother sexually assaulted me and says 'you are not good enough to be a witness'

  Both of them are looking forward to my demise! Go figure...
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  15

  Let's talk about Don Adams.

  by Ray Frankz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it's interesting that the person of the president of wtbts has figured lesser and lesser since f. franz era.

  i was born in the religion in the 90's and i got to know about russel, rutherford, knorr and franz; but i never knew until a couple of years ago that m. henschel was the president in that time.

  the same happens with don adams now, the first wt president from the 'other sheep'.

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  Phoebe

  I know I'm being a bit dumb but I never knew there was a President? Why do they have a President?
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  50

  Jehovah's people are not happy people

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

  i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

  i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

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  Phoebe

  ttdtt

  I agree with you. Growing up in the truth in the 60s/70s until about the 80s, the JWs I knew and mixed with seemed happy enough. To be honest, in the 60s the JWs, especially older bros and sis of the anointed, were fun to be around and very, very kind to us kids. Then I remember talking to an elderly sister in the 1980s and she said 'the brothers are getting tired now' and I think from then on it seemed to get harder and harder to keep going.

  When we all really thought this generation wouldn't pass away, the anointed were already chosen and the numbers of them declining, there seemed an end in sight. I think maybe then they were mostly happy. I remember some very happy times especially at conventions.

  But I've noticed these past few years brothers getting more and more stressed out. More on medication for anxiety and depression. More suicides. More marriage break ups. Something never heard of when I was growing up in the 60s/70s. I now constantly hear the phrase ' Satan is attacking the witnesses' to explain every single problem they have, forgetting people in the 'world' have many of the same problems.

  When you have elders saying things like 'Only ACTIVE Jehovah's Witnesses will survive Armageddon' making the brothers think 'oh no, what if I'm not doing enough??' add that to the strains and stresses of everyday life, no wonder people are miserable to be around.
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  50

  Jehovah's people are not happy people

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

  i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

  i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

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  Phoebe

  SAHS

  I'm so sorry you had to endure that. Wish I could give you a hug!

  I recall those awful pictures in the Paradise book, we would sit for our family bible study at the kitchen table (no elbows on the table!) and my dad would tell us that if we didn't get baptized that was our fate. I was so terrified I got baptized at 13. That fear has stayed with me my whole life until recently. It was definitely child abuse.

  I would pray constantly because I was scared I might be doing something unforgivable. Even when I first went on this forum or started looking up youtube videos by exJWs, I was terrified I was grieving the holy spirit.

  Diogensister

  I agree. I am 64 and although it's been painful finding out the truth about the truth, I am so glad that I did. I know some people think it's best to leave older people to continue to believe in the organization but if you truly love truth, whatever age you are, you will want to know the truth. I know I did. If I was being lied to I wanted to know about it.
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  50

  Jehovah's people are not happy people

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

  i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

  i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

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  Phoebe

  Thank you Half banana, I appreciate that very much.

  Now the shock of it not being 'the truth' is finally leaving me, because it was a shock! I'm feeling better each day.

  This forum has helped sooo much! Everyone has been so kind and supportive.
  

  It's a strange, but nice feeling, taking each day as it comes without worrying that I'm not good enough and if I didn't do better God would kill me. Jeez! 60 odd years of that!!! I can't get the time back but think myself lucky that I did finally see the truth and been set free :)
• 
  50

  Jehovah's people are not happy people

  by Phoebe in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

  i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

  i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

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  Phoebe

  I finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go. I won't be going back - ever.

  But I've decided the best reply to the Watchtower is to be happy and I do try to be happy every day even thought I wasted my entire life on this religion. I cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life I have.

  It is only now that I see that most JWs I know are deeply unhappy people. I get emails from a sister and she is constantly lamenting how Satan is attacking everyone, how she cries when she says her prayers because all her kids have left the truth and she begs God to save them. How she's on anxiety pills and dreads the ministry and meetings.

  Yesterday I saw a JW neighbour (I'm currently trying to avoid all JWs but this one lives almost next door) and quite honestly after a ten minute conversation with him I felt so depressed I didn't know what to do with myself. He was so utterly miserable and was saying how we're getting older, we might get sick and die blah blah.

  Every time I have the misfortune to bump into one of them it is apparent how completely miserable they are. When I saw John Cedars review of the first day of the convention, I thought it's all doom, gloom and scare tactics. No wonder they are all so miserable.

  How did I not see this when I was in? I guess you don't see the wood for the trees, do you?

  I thought Jehovah was a happy God?
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  27

  How to convince someone to leave.

  by Smiruk in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone, long time lurker, first time poster.

  i'm currently in a jehovah's witnesses household, which is very deep into the "truth".

  i woke up a few months ago, and i haven't told my parents yet.

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  Phoebe

  Waking up is painful, especially for those who have been in it for years. I suffered the worst panic attacks when I started to realise it wasn't the truth. I'd wake up in the middle of the night in a terrible state. I was so confused and lost and very angry.

  My husband drip fed me bits about the organization prior to me seeing it for myself. So you have to go slowly because finding out it's not the truth after you've dedicated years to it - it's huge and very frightening - and people don't want to be told that.

  Gently does it. A sincere question, occasionally. Sow seeds.