Posts by Phoebe

18

How do you feel about your JW childhood?

by Emily1987 in

jw
friends

i was 5 years old when my mother was baptised.

we went from celebrating xmas to no presents or decorations.

we would still go to my unbelieving aunty's house on xmas day, all of my cousins would be playing with their new toys and would wonder why i didn't have any.

Phoebe

JWs brag about raising kids in the truth and having a 'happy family life' but so many of us can say that is definitely not true.

My childhood was desperately unhappy a lot of the time. Domestic abuse. Sexual abuse. No celebrations. Guilted into everything for fear Armageddon would come and I'd die a horrific death. All this from very devout JW parents who couldn't have been more hypocritical if they tried!

Nope. It was a dreadful childhood.

We went on to raise our own kids as JWs and although we stopped them having birthdays/Xmas we didn't stop them having a good education or playing sports for the school/taking school trips etc. Now I have left I have since apologised to all our kids for trying to raise them as witnesses.

Luckily, none of them became JWs...so we dodged a bullet, but I do feel so guilty that we stopped them having birthdays etc.

22

Elder Is Dodgy Used Car Salesman

by pale.emperor in

just thought i'd relate this story for any lurkers out there.. here in the north west of england there's an elder called george ashton.

the ashton's are a big family, most of the men are appointed as elders or at least min servants.

george owns a used car dealership and almost all jws in liverpool looking for a car have heard of him.

Phoebe

This happens regularly. I've seen elders take advantage of people not just in business but privately too.

Elders over charging for work or making the person they are working for feel so bad that they give them extra.

My JW dad said he would NEVER do business with witnesses.

16

NBC News article: Jehovah's Witnesses 'use the Bible to victim-shame,' sex abuse survivor says

by AndersonsInfo in

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jehovah-s-witnesses-use-bible-victim-shame-sex-abuse-survivor-n916326jehovah's witnesses 'use the bible to victim-shame,' sex abuse survivor says.

on the heels of a $35 million jury award to a woman who alleged the congregation mishandled her childhood abuse, other survivors say there's a pattern of cover-ups.

by elizabeth chuck / oct.07.2018 .

Phoebe

It just never ends, does it? More and more cases appearing.

So proud of these women for going public and making a stand against this awful organization.

33

Leah Rimini on Jehovah's Witnesses

by sparky1 in

i just saw an ad last night for this.

it will be televised in november on a&e..

Phoebe

Lloyd was the one that helped wake me up. Him and JT. Without Lloyd I’d probably still be trapped in it. Please don’t knock him, he’s helped so many people. I don’t care if being a full time activist is how he earns a living. I don’t always agree with him pushing his atheist viewpoint but he’s been the reason many have been able to escape. I just hope Leah can get across how dangerous the organization is.

10

Twelve days in Spain -- Nary a JW Cart in Sight

by Room 215 in

just concluded a twelve-day holiday in spain... seven cities in twelve days -- and not one sighting of a jw cart..

Phoebe

Nothing in Barcelona city or at any of the tourist sites but spotted 3 today outside Barcelona football club.

14

a drive..

by zeb in

jw
friends

its sunday am and i suggest we go for a drive.

why i do not know as we have no conversation no banter at all.. so we did and had coffee.

while we were doing so and looking at the scenery i realized she was humming wt songs to herself.

Phoebe

I think they feel kingdom songs protect them. These sisters certainly did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoBgXwOtPK0

113

EU Court Ruling Against WT on Data-Protection

by cofty in

today's london times reports on the july ruling of the eu court that forces the organisation country to comply with data protection.. the action originated in finland but the ruling will affect every eu country.

the cult tried unsuccessfully to argue that the notes taken by jws in the door-to-door work were personal and not accessed by the congregation.

the court ruled that they are acting under the auspices of the congregation and therefore they must comply with data-protection laws.. keeping lists of do-not-calls also falls under this ruling.. why does the cult always feel that it is above the law?.

Phoebe

Doubter.

Just saying, I remember a whole bunch of houses that got burglarized on memorial night by a criminal who knew all the witnesses were going to be out. I think the criminal was a person who was attending meetings and got to know some of the brothers pretty well.

34

WT Recruiting JW Solicitors (Lawyers)

by AverageJoe1 in

we all know how much the watchtower abhors "higher education" and that apparently jehovah thinks it is a big waste of time.

at least that is their official stance.

it might come as a shock to you that this month they have started a campaign drive to actually recruit jws who have higher education, specifically those who have legal training.. with all the law suits against them for creating an environment that is friendly to paedophiles, it is thus no wonder that they are in need of solicitors, especially those who are sympathetic towards the cult.. talk about hypocrisy!.

Phoebe

One of my kids is a trained lawyer and had ambitions to serve in bethel as one, but he was treated as if he had leprosy by the congregation for attending university. The whole congregation turned on us. People wouldn’t even sit on the same row as us! So, my son eventually said I’m not putting up with this ***** and stopped going. He is now qualified with his own practice. Your loss WT!

27

Do Jehovah`s Witnesses lie to receive Government benefits ?

by smiddy3 in

jehovah`s witnesses do not respect the ,governments of any nation from my experience with "witnesses" over 33 years as a card carrying member.

the governments are to be exploited taking advantage of all the provisions govt`s, hand out to their citizens.after all the govts, are under the control of satan the devil ,he is the ruler of this world and is at enmity with god.. so they feel justified in practicing deception as they the gov`ts.

being opposer`s of truth have no right to know the real truth.. i personally knew of pioneers who had no intention of finding work but were happy to take unemployment benefits from the govt.

Phoebe

I know people that have used the benefit system here in the U.K. to pioneer and when someone questioned an elder about that he said it was okay as long as they were also looking for work (they weren’t)

I also know of brothers who did work for people, refused payment or charged very little because they didn’t want their benefits affected, the customer would then feel bad and give them money or extra money which the brother would now see as a ‘gift’ and hence no need to declare it for tax. It was quite a scam but they always got away with it.

23

You will not find this sort of support in the New System: JC Elder

by Diogenesister in

so that statement was made by an elder to a disfellowshipped brother, during a reinstatement meeting.. this statement is made here at around 4.

10 mins in.. the full story of this man is incredibly sad.

in fact i've rarely listened to an exjws story that has affected me quite so much.

Phoebe

This video by Dutchman Logger is very upsetting. It's as if the elders set out to destroy him and they just about succeeded. He lost everybody except one granddaughter and by all accounts he had been a good father, working hard to provide for his large family.

There was no compassion, no empathy, no understanding for a person who clearly had post traumatic stress. He went to the elders for help and got nothing.

The way they dealt with him was despicable. I feel so sad for him.