Posts by Phoebe

I got baptised because my dad kept frightening me. He said I was old enough to make my own decisions (13!!!) and if Armageddon came tomorrow I would definitely die because I wasn't baptised.

I was also very self conscious and the idea of being in a swimsuit in front of loads of people petrified me. So when two older girls I knew were getting baptised (they were 16) I decided to just go and get it over with. At least I wouldn't be doing it alone and it would keep my dad quiet.

When I stood up to answer the questions, I knew I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to do. I felt nothing. I just wanted it to be over.

Two months later I was pioneering in the school holidays and I did that every school holiday until I was 16 and became a reg. pioneer.

The congregation overseer said 'I was storing treasures in heaven' and I thought I was.

It took me until May 2017 to finally get rid of the brain washing thanks to a lot of exJW videos, a psychologist, my lovely husband, Ray Franz's book and this wonderful forum. Team effort, huh? Just shows what it takes to break the spell the WT has over. you.

So what led you to your baptism?

20

Df'd minor thrown out of home

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

have you ever heard of a jw minor getting disfellowshipped and their parents then throwing them out of home?

i know of 1, 14yr old, df'd for smoking and the very same night it was annoced his mother kicked him out of the family home on to the streets!.

unsurprisingly as an adult he's never returned to his mother or the wt .

Phoebe

I've heard of several people who were thrown out for just saying they didn't want to go to the meetings anymore. I know my parents would have gone ballistic if I'd said that and for sure would have been shown the door. Sometimes it's that fear that keeps you towing the line. Where would you go? How would you support yourself?

23

Hello

by Tobyjones262 in

jw
friends

new to this forum.

i ran across it when watching lloyd evans videos and searching out jw links.

i left the cult many years ago after a long stint in it.the cult caused me much pain and problems even though i left.

Phoebe

Hello and welcome!

42

Discontinue unproductive bible study - jw broadcasting

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

https://tv.jw.org/#en/mediaitems/latestvideos/pub-ism_2_video.

interesting video explaining how to end a bible study.. watch the kind of uber behaviour of the witnesses: make a choice or we leave.... so hard, so not christian.

no love for the person.. g..

Phoebe

I think they want to get people in asap before they have a chance to ask too many questions or do research, which is so easy to do these days.

In the old days, we took people through the Truth book, if they weren't coming to meetings within 6 months or by the end of the book, we dropped them. People were coming in so fast and I remember the brothers saying they were coming in too fast and not shedding their world habits which was creating a lot of problems for the elders!

In the congregation I have now left, there is a sister there who studied for 15 years before she took it seriously and got baptised. My dad studied with people for years, as well. They often came in - eventually. My dad said we can't hurry people...this is a big decision. He got that right!

End of the day, they want them in because they need the money and perhaps they are worried about the effect apostates are now having.

12

Did anyone else have a JW "sliding doors" moment when they made the wrong call.

by dozy in

reading the thread on mind numbing meetings reminds me of the following event that occurred when i was about 19.. i'd got a full time job away after leaving school and was working about 20 miles away - thursday night meetings necessitated working later , catching a 6.10pm bus after work and walking 10 minutes or so straight to the kh , often arriving just as the meetings were starting or a few minutes late and getting the "evil eye" from some of the jws when i arrived.

my parents ( father was the presiding overseer ) would bring my clothes in the car and i would get changed into my suit in the kh toilets.. it was one of those moments when all the stars seemed to align.

i had had a particularly stressful day at work and was even more tired & hungry than usual on a thursday night.

Phoebe

Dozy.

Your post resonated with me so much.

I had that moment too and I blew it. 1977 I had a one way train ticket to start a new life in London and leave my abusive family and the WT behind. In those days moving to the bright lights of London was something no one in my provincial town did. I had a nice job line up, a flat, friends waiting for me.

My opportunity to disappear from WT and everyone that had caused me pain (family)

And what did I do?? After about a month, the fear of Armageddon and my family got to me and I not only walked straight back into a K.H but got in contact with my family. Why?? I could have totally changed my life for the better but the GUILT got to me.

My psychologist asked me, if there was anything I could change what would it be? And immediately told her the exact day in my life when I totally blew an opportunity to have a better life.

40 years later I finally did it. But the regret is real.

43

Demon Posessed Rock Bands I couldn’t listen to

by hoser in

jw
friends

kiss.

steve miller band (abracadabra).

eagles.

Phoebe

I've always loved rock music and my favourite band is Avenged Sevenfold but me and my youngest used to go to concerts in secret! And horror of horrors, I've even seen Rammstein ;)

In my Facebook today I've just had a post that tells me that www.thenicholasking.com is on a big tour this year! Wonder if he sings any demonic songs?

Is he still la Bethelite and pioneer?

26

Elders encouraging young ones to live in a fairy tale

by Addison0998 in

so one of the elders at the meeting tonight addressed to parents in his talk, “if your child wants to flip burgers for the rest of their life, because that’s is the only job that will allow them to have a schedule for full time service, you would want to support them the best you can.” he has also said told parents that if their children already have plans to go to college, even in the near future, they should try to do everything to stop them.

there’s so much ranting i could do about that alone, but to make matters worse, this is a considerably well off man.

he has his own buisness, a nice house with an additional room he added on last year, and him and his wife just took a lavish european trip.

Phoebe

Absolutely WTWizard

It's not just about education, careers and financially stability...it's life kids are missing out on,

My husband (not born in) was chatting to someone about what they did as kids on Saturday morning..watch cartoons, Saturday morning movies at the local cinema etc. The fun they had!

It made me realise I just didn't have a childhood at all. My weekends were Saturday morning ministry, sometimes Saturday afternoons too and Sunday morning ministry and then the meeting. All this as a small child. No fun whatsoever. Every weekend ministry and meeting. We had no choice and history repeats itself over and over again.

My husband took up guitar lessons and a pioneer (who clearly felt he shouldn't be having lessons) told him she'd like to learn to play guitar but she belonged to the AA Club...After Armageddon.

26

Elders encouraging young ones to live in a fairy tale

by Addison0998 in

so one of the elders at the meeting tonight addressed to parents in his talk, “if your child wants to flip burgers for the rest of their life, because that’s is the only job that will allow them to have a schedule for full time service, you would want to support them the best you can.” he has also said told parents that if their children already have plans to go to college, even in the near future, they should try to do everything to stop them.

there’s so much ranting i could do about that alone, but to make matters worse, this is a considerably well off man.

he has his own buisness, a nice house with an additional room he added on last year, and him and his wife just took a lavish european trip.

Phoebe

Not only were we discouraged from having a career, we've always been discouraged from putting money in pension plans because we'd never need one.

Now I am are older (65) and my husband and I are financially in a mess. So imagine how I felt when one of the elders giving this advice retired recently and told me he was sorting out all the many private pension plans he'd set up.

I could kick myself for being so stupid as to listen to these people when all the time half of them were not taking their own advice.

Thank goodness, we had the presence of mind to make sure our boys were well educated or we'd never forgive ourselves.