Posts by Phoebe

38

Will #metoo have an affect on forcing changing attitudes at Watchtower?

by jwfacts in

despite decades of the feminist movement, watchtower's attitude of woman being inferior has changed little, with pauline sexism justified as inspired, on the basis that women are lesser emotionally, intellectually and physically.

jehovah's witnesses seem to accept this with little resistance.

is there anything about the #metoo movement that may wake followers up?

Phoebe

Simon

The point was when I was a girl 60s/70s you couldn't report it as no one would listen. If you did you were told you were making a fuss, it was only a laugh, what was wrong with you?

At least now, hopefully, women will be listened to and taken seriously.

As for WT -- nothing will change there and to be honest, I did know sisters who delighted in being treated like second class citizens.

I knew one sister who wanted to buy her daughter a small gift when she had a baby and she quite happily said she'd have to get her husband's permission first. Another one, who was very well off in her own right, told me she wanted to buy a tablet for the meetings and 'was in talks with her husband' and when I said, just buy it! She said, 'oh no, we always discuss things first and he has the final say in everything' If he said no, she wouldn't be getting one.

I think they kind of liked to say to other sisters: 'oh look how submissive I am, aren't I just wonderful to be so much in subjection to my husband'

I'm sorry if I sound a rebel but if I wanted to buy my child a small gift - and we could afford it - no way would I go and seek 'permission' from my husband!

18

Brotherly love in action..

by Jrjw in

i'm so upset and angry at the same time.

i move in less than 2 weeks and was supposed to be getting help off "brothers" to move and one of them was driving the van and now the elders have had a meeting and told the brothers they can't help coz i'm separated from my (abusive) jw husband and with moving it puts the chances of reconciliation (of which there was zero chance) even further away.

where are these stupid rules that they come up with.

Phoebe

That's terrible. What a way to treat someone that needs help! So typical. Have you any non JW family/friend's that could help out?

38

Will #metoo have an affect on forcing changing attitudes at Watchtower?

by jwfacts in

despite decades of the feminist movement, watchtower's attitude of woman being inferior has changed little, with pauline sexism justified as inspired, on the basis that women are lesser emotionally, intellectually and physically.

jehovah's witnesses seem to accept this with little resistance.

is there anything about the #metoo movement that may wake followers up?

Phoebe

I'm going to say something on the #metoo movement because I joined it and feel quite strongly about it

I was an incredibly naive little witness pioneer girl. Shy, quiet. So innocent. In my first part time job at 16, I worked in a warehouse and on a daily basis had to fight off the assistant manager who would pounce on me when no one was around with arms like an octopus and a tongue aiming for my mouth It was horrendous. I was terrified of him. I had to quit in the end.

That left me with no job so I prayed and prayed that I would get a new job so I could keep pioneering and eventually one came my way. Part time in an office. Jehovah had answered my prayers! First afternoon I was there, alone in the office, typing, and the next thing I knew the boss (a horrible old man with a hairy face) dragged me from my chair and tried to kiss me. I was devastated. God had answered my prayer like this??

It happened again at another job. I had to fight off the boss's son at that one. It seemed everywhere I went I was fair game and no one on earth could have looked less worldly than me. I was a shy, quiet teenager who wouldn't say boo to a goose and dressed beyond modestly

In my early twenties, I moved to London and was twice exposed to on the train.

I got a job in a big office in London and the men there were completely lecherous. If you complained about their behaviour you were told you were 'frigid' and 'they were only having a laugh'

Yes, this was 60s/70s Britain and women were fair game and these are just some of my experiences.

And were we safe in the K.Hall? You'd think. But guess what? In my congregation in London we had an elder, ugly old git, who would sidle up to me and whisper in my ear 'I wouldn't mind waking up to you in the morning'

I thought I was the only one he did it to, turns out he was doing it to all the young sisters!

Women have had to put up with this kind of behaviour forever and although there is a danger of a witch hunt and every man being classed the same, it's important people realise what some of us have had to deal with in or out of the truth.

The sad thing is, as a woman growing up in the WT, it never occurred to me I had a voice. I always just accepted being poorly treated as if it was part of being a woman.

Rant over :)

xx

29

Tuxedo

by Phoebe in

do you think the gb live in big, posh houses??.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4diruxmqh4.

Phoebe

They can justify anything. They live in palatial homes, be it in their lakeside retreat or a gorgeous house nearby. They don't have to worry about where the next meal is coming from, how they are going to pay their bills or medical expenses. Meanwhile JWs in Russia have lost their jobs, JWs in Eritrea have been languishing in jail for years and so on and on...

How can JWs not see the injustice or are they, like my friend, totally hoodwinked into believing the GB are living like monks just for us?

It's like the translation office in Wales/U.K. The most gorgeous water-side holiday home property! JWs I know who have been there say it's stunning. Yet down the road, in the nearby town, they could easily rent a couple of offices to work from.

This makes me so angry and I'm just grateful that I finally work up to it.

29

Tuxedo

by Phoebe in

do you think the gb live in big, posh houses??.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4diruxmqh4.

Phoebe

It was just something I saw on YouTube. I know the houses are not super expensive, well one is quite, and I have no clue of their value as I'm in the UK. But the thing is, if these rather nice homes do belong to the GB it kind of shatters my JW friends opinion 'the GB have given up everything for us and live in cell like rooms at Bethel'

I just thought it was an interesting video.

29

Tuxedo

by Phoebe in

do you think the gb live in big, posh houses??.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4diruxmqh4.

Phoebe

Do you think the GB live in big, posh houses??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4DiRuXmqh4

9

How the Governing Body breaks people

by krismalone in

we all have likely heard the expression "to break a person" and usually it's in relation to kidnappers, bullies, pimps, human traffickers and cult leaders.. when a person is broken, their spirit, goals, aspirations, pursuits, self esteem, critical thinking and dreams are taken away.

what fills that vacuum is despair, depression, low self esteem, lack of self confidence and individuality.

the victim now believes that they are not worthy of enjoying life and following their dreams and personal satisfaction through personal achievements.

Phoebe

I was never made to feel as if I was part of a 'special people' but I was constantly made to feel inadequate and inferior. It didn't help that I had a domineering father who was always comparing my pioneering to others. 'You're not half the pioneer **** is' was a regular statement in my home. Even though I worked really hard in the ministry and once had 7 bible studies, I was never good enough.

This was reinforced at the meetings right until last year, when I would take everything the WT said to heart and beat myself up because I wasn't 'good enough. I was a failure. A terrible JW'

I am a fairly strong person I've coped with a lot in my life but in the end it broke me and depression, anxiety, panic attacks and PTSD were the end result.

86

Do You Know Any “Gay” Jehovah’s Witnesses?

by minimus in

jw
friends

of course the religion condemns homosexuality but did you know any gay witnesses?

i knew some bethelites that were very effeminate and i remember 4 women who were suspected of being lesbians by many in the congregation.

they eventually moved away and were very vocal against males, especially elders..

Phoebe

I knew an elder when I was a young woman who was clearly gay. I guess he must have struggled for years in the organization because when I went back home to visit meany years later I found out they had DF him for being homosexual . He was a lovely man. So kind.

26

Generation

by Jrjw in

please could someone explain to me what the generation thing i keep seeing in people's threads was that had lots of people leave the wts coz it was way before i became a witness.

Phoebe

So if it's possible the 'over lapping generation' has until 2074+ then why is the end 'imminent'?

I do not know one single witness that understands the generation teaching. Yet no one questions it. No one.

I used to be wholly comforted by the fact the end would come before the 1914 generation died out. As young women, me and my friends loved the thought we wouldn't grow old. We totally believed and totally trusted the WT.

Isn't it cruel to play with peoples lives, like that? I have so much anger towards them and myself for being such an idiot as to believe them.

20

Whatever happened to the "written review"?

by pale.emperor in

does anyone know why the written review was stopped?

i relished the half hour silence they'd give you to "write down your answers", time i spend doodling or thinking up cool song lyrics..

Phoebe

I remember my mum saying she had to hand in her review to be marked and how much she hated it.

When I was a teenager, two of my older friends did their review in shorthand so no one could read their answers!