Posts by Scully

17

Emotionally very ill but can't face consequences of leaving

by Isambard Crater in

jw
friends

i'm a new member so wanted to say 'hi'.

i live in the u.k, was born in, fell away as an unbaptised publisher, got baptised in my 30s for reasons i'm retrospectively unsure of, and lost my faith about five years ago around the time of the original a.r.c.

now, being unable to leave is making me physically, emotionally and mentally ill.. i'm not strong enough to da and live with the family consequences, and despite having several good friends outside the faith, none of them could support me in an active way as such.

Scully

Do you have a job or a work related project that could possibly require you to work on a Meeting™ night?

Do you have an interest that could temporarily occupy a Meeting™ night? Something like a cooking class or Zumba class once a month, then twice a month? Or a course that you'd like to take, like belly-button contemplation and meditation?

It sounds like it's taking an emotional toll - have you been to a doctor? Maybe you would benefit from some medication to stabilize your mood or dampen the anxiety you have. Toward the end of my tenure with the JWs, I was on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, just to get through Meetings™.

Headaches, tinnitus and increasing sensitivity to florescent lighting are also good Get Out Of Jail Free cards to play occasionally. Also contagious illnesses are a good excuse too. You don't want to expose the elderly or children or pregnant Sisters™ to something contagious, right?

45

Does Anyone Know The "Real" Attitude That JWs Have Towards "Inactive Ones"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

does the rank and file or the elders view us as disassociated or disfellowshipped or simply "weak" or possibly a "prodigal son" type?.

Scully

Sorrya day ago

It depends honestly.

I can see why some have said jealousy. My cong tends to love bomb the struggling inactives, but spew vitriol at the ones who have improved their quality of life without Jehovah. They even say things like: "Money can't buy happiness." Or "Rich people tend to be the unhappiest." Even "It won't last long, they'll come running back to Jehovah." If you're truly happy, you'd be glad other people are experiencing your same joy instead of waiting for their downfall.

Some time ago, we met with a JW (now Elder™) in a book store. When Mr Scully told him we weren't Active™ anymore, he said something to the effect of "Enjoy yourself following Satan™. Someday you'll see how wrong you are."

Someone apparently missed the chapter on Tact in the Ministry School Book.

45

Does Anyone Know The "Real" Attitude That JWs Have Towards "Inactive Ones"?

by minimus in

jw
friends

does the rank and file or the elders view us as disassociated or disfellowshipped or simply "weak" or possibly a "prodigal son" type?.

Scully

Vidiot

IMO, the ones who display hostility towards inactives feel threatened.

Or maybe incredibly jealous (though they'd never admit to it). They're stuck in the same rut that they were stuck in decades ago when you left, and you've moved on. You have real friends who are trustworthy and they have Loyal™ Friends™ who would rat them out to Elders™ in a heartbeat if they had the chance. You have things that they don't have because of the choices they made to Trust In Jehovah™, while you've improved your lot in life without Jehovah's help at all. They're still slogging away, going to Meetings™ and going Door-to-Door™, and you get to sleep in on weekends and go out for breakfast. They still have to sing those *dreadful* Kingdom Melodies™, while you can listen to whatever music you like. They get off on minding other peoples' business so they can trade information about you and curry favor with Elders™ and Elderettes™, while you enjoy the sweetness of privacy and not giving a flying you-know-what about what they think of you.

Of course, they're jealous!

33

Three congregations dissolved and a kingdom hall sold within a 50 mile radius in my area...

by UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in

jw
friends

has anyone else heard of these situations with congregations and halls in your area?

i thought the ground breaking mandatory pledge a little while ago was to keep up with "immense" growth?

how soon they forget... looks really bleak for the future of the wbats, the jw gravy train seems to be coming to a slow and agonizing yet inevitable stop.

Scully

sparrowdown:

WT at the end of the day is a business it will make decisions as a business would.

And ought, then, to be taxed as a business would.

33

Three congregations dissolved and a kingdom hall sold within a 50 mile radius in my area...

by UNCONDITIONAL LOVE in

jw
friends

has anyone else heard of these situations with congregations and halls in your area?

i thought the ground breaking mandatory pledge a little while ago was to keep up with "immense" growth?

how soon they forget... looks really bleak for the future of the wbats, the jw gravy train seems to be coming to a slow and agonizing yet inevitable stop.

Scully

It's part of their long-game of financially raping people.

1) Get people to invest their own money in property that is then donated to WTS.

2) Get people to pay "rent" on a property that they have already paid for, but stupidly donated to WTS.

3) Cram in lots of Congregations™ to the one property, to maximize the rent collected by WTS.

4) Get the people to make Contributions™ on top of the rent.

5) Decide, at a point of their own conjuring, to sell the property and disperse Congregations™ and Congregants™ to different locations, whether or not they like it.

35

Do JWs Regard You As An APOSTATE?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i doubt people consider me an apostate but you never know.🤓.

Scully

I'm in the who-cares-what-they-think? camp.

That said, I have been interviewed by the local newspaper, and my name has been published, in relation to the sexual abuse issue within the Organization™. It wouldn't surprise me if they thought of me as an Apostate™. I've also made it clear that my inactivity from the JWs was not over this matter [though it was the absolute deal breaker in our decision to NEVER go back], but over the abominable way the local JWs treated me when I was coping with mental illness (postpartum depression), which was a definite Stumbling Block™ for me and Mr Scully.

8

Hypocrisy Overload! "When Loved Ones Do Not Share Your Faith: Awake!—2003"

by pale.emperor in

came across this article regarding non jw relatives.

the hypocrisy in this article is astounding.. http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/102003808#h=10.

my comments are in yellow.. .

Scully

My brother in law called Mr Scully (once we made arrangements to meet with him and his wife while we were on vacation a couple of years ago) to inform us that "because of our situation with the Congregation™ [Inactive™]" he had decided that they couldn't associate with us.

I don't think he got this memo - because he sure enjoys the company of his Catholic siblings, and they never rejected him when he became a JW.

55

Brother Hitting on Df'd Brothers Wife at KH

by poopie in

jw
friends

interesting story i have a friend who is df but his wife still faithfully goes to meetings.

there's a single brother in the cong that is always flirting with his wife.

well at a recent meeting my df friend decided to show up to check this brother out.

Scully

There must be at least a dozen other people Br. Awkward could ask for lotion.

A simple "I'm flattered by your kindness, but I *am* married, and my husband would not appreciate all this attention from you" should suffice. If he tries further she could say "I am praying that my husband will be moved to be Reinstated™ some day, and I wouldn't want him to have a misunderstanding of your friendship that would Stumble™ him and keep him from returning."

55

Let's Be Honest - You or One of Your Ancestors Was an Idiot

by Simon in

why were we ever a jw?

were we mad?

we must have been .... well, my excuse is that i knew nothing else.

Scully

There is a reason for why the WTS tells JWs to seek out people in a transitional or difficult point in their lives. It's because these individuals are in a psychologically vulnerable phase, and are more apt to be drawn in to the net of groups like JWs, Scientologists, Moonies, etc.

For my family, it was moving across the country and having no friends or family members in our new community. The JWs came round (just as they had in Calgary) but instead of shooing them away like they had in the past, they talked to my folks about how there was so much pollution in the city, and that pollution was something quite shocking to my parents. Next thing you know, there's a Home Bible Study™ at our house every week from The Truth™ book. The lack of close relationships in our new community, meant that the JWs soon became a source of social interaction, and there was nobody nearby with a vested interest in trying to snatch us out of the frying pan.

I wouldn't say my parents were idiots, but I would say that their vulnerabilities were exploited.

123

Why do some Jehovah's Witnesses choose to be atheist or agnostic?

by Cassaruby in

jw
friends

"traumatic as the initial transition may be, it can lead to the development of a truly personal relationship with these two greatest friends [the father and the son] .

.. "whatever sense of 'belonging' that membership in some religious system may create, it can never compare with the power and beauty and strengthening benefit of the intimate personal relationship the scripture presents .

from reading joseph campbell i've come to understand that there are functions to religion or mythology.

Scully

Cassaruby: I learned from studying Campbell that the path of Atheism and agnosticism means figuring life out on your own.

Frankly "figuring life out on your own" is a damn sight better than being spoon-fed The Milk of The Word™ as the WT promotes.

But, truly, that is NOT what happens when you become an atheist. I've learned a great deal from others. I went back to school and learned the skill of critical thinking, which is basically how to sort through the reams of BS that other people are trying to sell you. It's embarrassing to look back at the black-and-white, super simplistic, child-like way I viewed the world as a young adult, and it bothers me that there are people who feel as though I've betrayed *them* for wanting more than that, when in actuality, they betrayed themselves and me by wanting to stay in that restrictive mindset, and not having anyone buck the system.