Posts by moreconfusedthanever

13

Grooming as a Witness

by Jules Saturn in

growing up as a teenager, i would occasionally get some counseling for having my hair a bit too long by a couple of elders in the congregation.

one time i cut my hair shorter than usual and one elder said i was cutting it too short!

so it made me feel like anything i did wouldn't satisfy them.

My partner grew a goatee. One day one of the elders visited him with a slip for a bible reading talk in the hall. He said to him "this is your talk but you will have to shave if you want to give it". He told the elder to find someone else to give the talk.

My mum always said "look at the news readers, how they appear to the public is how we should appear". That worked until they started to come on TV wearing beards. Hahaha So now it is "what is acceptable in the business community?"

There seems to be so much control and rules around how we look. Jehovah is the reader of hearts.

21

Special Bethelite Speakers

by JW_Rogue in

i've noticed that some elders will insist on getting a special bethel speaker for memorials, special talks, or sometimes for no reason at all!

i believe they are trying build connections they can use later, but who pays for it?

the congregation does and as a former account servant i can tell you airfare isn't all that cheap.

moreconfusedthanever

Not about speakers but we had the CO and his wife stay with us. Got so excited to be given such a privilege! Gave up our room and slept in the kids rooms for the week. Took them out for dinner' sent them off with hundreds of dollars of "special diet" (,they are all allergic to something) food and then heard on the grapevine that others got annoyed we got to have them ,because "only spiritual ones should get such a privilege". The kicker came when they came back to our congregation a couple of years later and didn't even remember our names or say hello. Complete blank stares as if they had never met us before.

42

To Fade or Disassociate

by Jules Saturn in

hello to all, so i did want to talk about this topic because i think it is very important to me.

i have a grandfather who faded several decades ago.

he occasionally attends an assembly and the memorial but no longer attends meetings or goes on field service.

moreconfusedthanever

I accidentally faded. Lol. Got weighed down with sick kids and depression. Missed soooo many meetings. Not one person came looking for me in over a year and so I just didn't bother going back. Then I started to feel the fog lift and found I had many questions that should have been asked prior to baptism. What did I know? I was a kid and did it because my friends were doing it. No real idea what I was signing up for. So 2 years later I am awake and my spouse was like "about time. I have been saying this stuff for years". My sibling faded years ago so just mum I left in. We will fade to spare our family the problems that would come from us DA and so that if we run into ones we know out shopping they don't have to turn and run. Lol.

46

10 years on.....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i was a window cleaner, i was at the time unemployed, homeless.

i had no education to be proud of (high school one a two b's rest c's) i was a jehovahs witness.

i had been a pioneer.

moreconfusedthanever

Thank you for sharing this. I have children one in his teens and another not quite a teen yet. My youngest does not believe God exists and the other is just not sure but wants the freedom to investigate where he likes. I want them to use their own minds and make their own choices. I too awoke quite late but it not too late for them. For that I am grateful.

64

Geoffrey Jackson: "That would be presumptuous of us"...

by Calebs Airplane in

within the first few minutes, mr. stewart asked geoffrey jackson if the members of the governing body consider themselves to be god's spokesperson on earth.. his response: "that would be presumptuous of us" (implying that they don't consider themselves to be god's sole channel of communication).. to me, that was the worst lie of about 26 lies he's told during this hearing.

however, mr. stewart missed an opportunity to call out mr. jackson on this bold-faced lie.

he should have asked him to explain why the watchtower magazine teaches otherwise.

moreconfusedthanever

Kookie

When mentioning this to someone recently their reply was to point out that even the Apostle Peter denied Jesus 3 times and Jesus did not rebuke him or punish him but forgave him. So perhaps fear of man or nerves got the better of him.

It got me thinking though - if he had said yes then he may have been asked to prove this claim and well there is no proof so his answer was clever.

28

When do you think the 7 clowns will add more members to the exclusive GB club ?

by Chook in

will they draw a new name out of a hat or do a kiss test i don't know..

moreconfusedthanever

The understanding that the JW I know have is that no more will be added. They have what are called "helpers" that they delegate jobs to. There are 21 of these helpers. The rest of the "anointed" are not seen as members of the faithful and discreet slave and their job is only to help spread the word. Armageddon will come before all of the 7 GB have passed on, as there will need to be some representative on Earth to direct matters when the time comes.

4

Do they know that you are here?

by Iamallcool in

jw
friends

have you ever admitted to your jw family and "friends" that you read apostate sites?.

moreconfusedthanever

My mother did do the "oh no you are reading apostate stuff" moan when I mentioned things I have learned. I pointed out that there are two sides to every story and I was entitled to know both sides to make informed decisions.

19

I am looking at back surgery any thoughts on should I or not?

by Still Totally ADD in

jw
friends

back in march i fell and injured my back at work.

my back has been a problem for many years but certain exercise has able me to function normally through the years.

now i walk bent over with a cane and cannot walk very far, stand, or sit in a straight back chair.

moreconfusedthanever

My partner woke up one day unable to walk. A disc had popped and the fluid was touching the nerve. He was having to crawl around the house. If nerves are left too long, the damage can become permanent. He had surgery to remove 3/4 of the disc and was up walking around the very next day. No regrets. He does have to make sure not to gain weight as extra weight does cause discomfort. Make sure to research the surgeon if you can.

22

Weekly Scripture Twist - aka the Watchtower Study

by doubtfull1799 in

“more than material assistance, refugees need spiritual and emotional support.

(matt.

4:4) elders can help by obtaining literature in the language of the refugees and by helping them contact brothers who speak their language.

moreconfusedthanever

Wow! Just wow!

55

Why do ones that got out come back in?

by moreconfusedthanever in

i have not been to a meeting for about 2 years now.

i do not intend to go back but one thing has me baffled.

why do ones that have faded and been out for years return?

moreconfusedthanever

Doubtfully Yours

"The familiar peace-loving, cordial, happy community keeps many not wanting to let go."

Its the lack of peace-loving, cordial and happy community that I see in the congregations that has seen me not attend for over 2 years now.

The judgemental attitude of ones in the congregation and making you feel like an outcast when you have been there for over 40 years just because you are not their sort! By their sort I mean "show display" types that like to drink wine and talk out of their behinds.

The fact that you can have surgery and be home all alone for months without ever once getting a phone call, a visit or even a text message "where are you, are you okay?".

The fact that a person can knock on your door and complete their watchtower presentation and not even recognise you as a person from their hall and you have spoken to them before at the hall.

The fact that your next door neighbours children get asked to go to the beach with the kids in the congregation and your own don't get asked purely because they can count their time at the beach if they are taking interested ones along. That's love right there! (insert sarcasm)

JWs do not know how to be a true friend. They are your "friend" as long as you attend the meetings and go out door knocking but as soon as that stops so does their friendship.

I have been raised a JW. In my late 40s and I do not have even 1 friend that cares if I am alive or dead from the congregation. I do however have friends that I have made along the way "worldly" ones who do.