Posts by charonsdog

37

Thank you, George Couch!

by charonsdog in

i just thought i'd share this story from my past.. back in the 80s i remember the big problem seemed to be about music.

(today, it's tight pants, i guess) the organization, society, whatever they were calling themselves, were always going on about the music we listened to.

disco, heavy metal, the whole "backwards masking" thing...couldn't escape hearing or reading about how satan was corrupting us unless we were listening to kingdom melodies or elevator music.. i was assigned to wtf in the late 80s and remember one of the articles stating that "young people know that the rhythm of rock music is the rhythm of sexual intercourse.

charonsdog

Yeah, about that whole backwards music stuff. The only way you could play it backwards (that I'm aware of) would be to use a phonograph and records. But I clearly recall an elder valiantly attempting to explain to the crowd at a circuit assembly in Panama City, Florida that you didn't have to actually play the music backward to be affected. He said (I shit you not) that our ears work the same way our eyes do. When our eye sees an image, it actually transmits a mirror-image to our brain, which must then reverse the image for us to process it properly. According to this elder's "science", our ears also inverted the sound waves and our brains understood the backward message before flipping the sound. I was probably 12 or 13 at the time, and a true believer...but even I recognized this as complete horseshit. I can't believe the other 3,000 in attendance let that go over their heads.

37

Thank you, George Couch!

by charonsdog in

i just thought i'd share this story from my past.. back in the 80s i remember the big problem seemed to be about music.

(today, it's tight pants, i guess) the organization, society, whatever they were calling themselves, were always going on about the music we listened to.

disco, heavy metal, the whole "backwards masking" thing...couldn't escape hearing or reading about how satan was corrupting us unless we were listening to kingdom melodies or elevator music.. i was assigned to wtf in the late 80s and remember one of the articles stating that "young people know that the rhythm of rock music is the rhythm of sexual intercourse.

charonsdog

I just thought I'd share this story from my past.

Back in the 80s I remember the big problem seemed to be about music. (Today, it's tight pants, I guess) The organization, society, whatever they were calling themselves, were always going on about the music we listened to. Disco, heavy metal, the whole "backwards masking" thing...couldn't escape hearing or reading about how Satan was corrupting us unless we were listening to Kingdom Melodies or elevator music.

I was assigned to WTF in the late 80s and remember one of the articles stating that "young people know that the rhythm of rock music is the rhythm of sexual intercourse." I raised my eyebrow really hard at that one, trying to figure out how many different rhythms sex could have (me being a virgin and all). They would quote unnamed sources to back up their assertions. At morning worship, they regularly railed against popular music, and seemed to have a particular problem with "Pink Floyd". Maybe they read the lyrics to "The Wall" and decided it was about them.

Anyway, one fine morning George Couch was chairing the morning worship, and in his whiny voice (some of you remember this, right?) he went OFF on worldly music. For a solid fifteen minutes. He talked about how it was turning our brains to mush, how it was tearing us away from the Holy Spirit, how it would turn us into the worst kinds of apostates, etc., etc. I just sat back as comfortably as I could in my three-legged chair and half-lidded my eyes until the tirade was finished. I didn't really own much music. I think I had a dozen cassette tapes that I had ordered from Columbia House right before I was invited to Bethel. We openly mocked Couch's speaking voice and joked about it a bit at work in the pressroom that day, but pretty much forgot about it by dinnertime.

The next morning, I woke up and shuffled down the hall of the "E" building to the shower in my bathrobe. On the way back, I stopped by the "hopper", the closet where we put our garbage and any other unwanted items that would be placed in "grabs", the donated items shop. I was looking to see if maybe someone my size had gotten rid of a shirt that I could wear for work and not mind getting ink all over. Unfortunately, there wasn't a shirt. However, something in the trash container caught my eye. There were a bunch of empty cassette tape cases. And underneath those, were a bunch of cover sleeves. And a bunch of actual music cassettes. Some poor brother on my floor had heard the thunder and damnation in Couch's fiery speech and got an attack of conscience, because he obviously tossed out his entire collection of music that he owned. Curious, I began to paw through the pile. "Eagles Greatest Hits 1971-1975"? Didn't have it before, but now I did. "Triumph"? "Foreigner"? "Journey, Heart, Fleetwood Mac...." I quickly shoved about two dozen tapes, covers, and cases into the pockets of my bathrobe. I left the Tchaikovsky...don't even know why the dude tossed that.

After work, I went to every single hopper in every residence building on the Farm to see if anyone else had gotten rid of "Satan's music". Mostly it was a bust. But I have always wanted to thank George for his inspirational speech that helped me to expand my meager music collection back in 1988.

30

Couple of real gems in the WT study for this upcoming weekend

by sir82 in

since blondie seems to still be on sabbatical, i'll take the liberty of highlighting a couple of "gems" from this week's upcoming study, from the article "reject worldly thinking".. from paragraph 12:.

is it true that succeeding in a secular career that offers power and prestige leads to lasting happiness?

remember that the craving to control others and the longing to be admired are the desires that enticed satan, but he is angry, not happy.. .

charonsdog

Is pinstriping cars still a thing? I did it for a few years back in the very early 90s after leaving WTF, but I thought would be over by now.

9

Knock! Knock! Sept 2017 Broadcast.

by freddo in

please would someone with more skills than me link to "knock!

knock!

" a section of the sept 2017 jborg broadcast at 44.00 mins to 53.00 mins approx.. please watch and add your thoughts.

charonsdog

Wait, that was an actual presentation by WT? I thought it was a spoof..

41

An Active JW Sister Modelling For Me

by pale.emperor in

since leaving the borg i jumped both feet first into classes i've always wanted to do but was never "allowed" to.

two of which are life drawing and photography.

i've been studying for almost two years now and have seen more nude men and women in our classes than i care to remember.. today in the photography studio i was working in with three others (two women, one man) we were told we had a new person modelling for us.

charonsdog

I have to second what Giordano says about nude modeling being asexual. I was offered the opportunity to do so a few months ago, and I said yes. Outside of it being a little unnerving walking out in front of a group of strangers and dropping the towel, there was no sexual banter, no comments. They concentrated on my entire figure, not just the naughty bits. It was a cool experience, and I'm glad I did it.

48

Anyone struggle to find meaning in life?

by Good JW in

just wondering if this is a common thing for you guys and girls?

when i left the jws it was hard to make a connection with people, much of the time i felt that whatever they wanted to talk about just didn't seem relevant/deep/meaningful.

i find myself filtering my mind to get to a level with others (small talk mostly).

charonsdog

What I found when I left was how beautiful life could be. One of the biggest lies I was told by WT was that there is no love in the "world". People are only in it for themselves, and that I wouldn't find any true friends if I left the cult. That was complete and utter bullshit.

Since I left, I made many, many friends outside of the (dis)organization. True, not all of them are as close as some are, but I have been encouraged, invited, helped, checked up on, and made to feel part of groups. I have friends all over the world. Not in the sense that I had "friends" all over the world when in the cult. I actually KNOW people from all over the world. They have visited me both in Chicago and in Thailand where I now live. We keep in touch. I have people in my life who would literally give me the shirt off their back. I've had sincere and heartfelt discussions with them, discussions that were deeper than any I ever had when I was in the "truth". I've been able to make a positive impact on other people as well. And they show their appreciation.

My advice would be to just open yourself up to people. Be sincere. Allow them to show you who they are. I'm not saying to be naive and overly-trusting. But try not to have a suspicious nature. People are generally good, everywhere.

If you want a "purpose", find something that you care about and pursue it. And do it with other people who care about the same things.

33

Manmade rules

by Jrjw in

i was talking to someone a few years ago and he said in his congregation they have a rail of white shirts prepared in the cloakroom for if a speaker doesn't have a white shirt on.

it was a rule in their hall that all brothers in the platform must wear white shirts when going talks and if the speaker won't comply when asked to change into the shirt they provide an elder in the congregation will do the talk instead.

i have never known any other halls do it so it must be a rule the elders have made up without gb input.

charonsdog

I got sick and tired of CO's coming and instituting their own rules for what was acceptable. No facial hair, can't watch football, pioneers should have four-door car, haircut style, jewelry..

Bethel would not allow men to wear a necklace. Funny, after I left WTF, every single former Bethelite male I ran into was sporting a necklace of some sort.

One congregation where I served as MS, the elders all decided (or went along with one of the outspoken ones) that in our announcements, we could not say that someone "passed away". We were basically given scripts to read for introducing speakers. And a bunch of other bullshit.

28

Why do ex-JW's talk so much about being ex-JW's?

by Sour Grapes in

is it because we were in the cult watchtower compound that we talk about being ex-jw's when we stop being active?

i have never heard anyone say that i was an ex-catholic or an ex-lutheran or an ex-baptist.

they just stop going to their church and don't talk about it.. years after not stepping inside a kingdom hell, many of us still have to talk about being ex-jw's.

charonsdog

In my personal case, I made the decision to leave in 2013. I separated from my wife, moved into the city and attended a different congregation for a bit. I faded pretty quickly after. In 2014 I met a young woman and we began to date. I knew I needed to ask for a divorce, so I did. When the ex asked if she had grounds to remarry, I decided that I was sick and tired of lying about who I really was, so I told her the truth. I was subsequently DF'd (for the second time) at some point. Nobody told me, except my daughter who said there was an announcement. So, after 45 years, I had no social contacts to show for it anymore. No family, no friends prior to 2014.

I love my life now, and I was never really tempted to talk to you dirty apostates before. I didn't need to hear your horrible stories about the organization. But I continued to have difficulty explaining to my new friends why I don't have a college degree, why I don't have many of the "normal" experiences they have. I have only very recently begun to speak of my previous life openly. I used the word "cult" for the first time last month. Turning your back on your entire life is not easy. And it's almost impossible for someone who has not had that experience to understand.

I came upon this site in a roundabout way, starting with a website on poetry which let to another couple of places before here. I lurked for about a week, and found that your experiences resonated with me. It's a bit cathartic to be able to express myself to those who understand, who went through the same things.

41

Do you have JW-related dreams (nightmares)?

by compound complex in

greetings, dreamers:.

i guess it's never going away: daytime carryovers of jw-related stuff seeping into my dreams.. the majority of these dreams take place at conventions but with really weird trappings.

last night i dreamed i arrived at the site with no books, no lunch, nothing but my car keys.

charonsdog

I always had recurring dreams about being back in Bethel as a new boy again, confused because I had a wife and kids back home, but they would understand because it was for the good of the Organization. In my dream, I continuously wander the halls of the building looking for my assigned room. I never seem to be able to find my place. I guess dreams can be pretty damned metaphorical.

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..

charonsdog

Back in 1999, I was a newly-minted elder and moved to another congregation where I was promptly made the Theocratic Ministry School overseer. (I actually loved that assignment). At the end of the very first Written Review I conducted, I asked the congregation (who had only met me a few weeks before) to pass their papers forward to be graded. I gave them about 5 seconds to be shocked, and enjoyed the panicked looks of bewilderment on their faces before muttering, "What? You don't do that here?"

I used quite a bit of humor in my conducting of the meetings, which was a stark change from the previous brother who did the School. I hated to see all of the changes that were handed down later, robbing anyone in a teaching position of any opportunity to use their creativity and personality while teaching. I stepped down in 2004, was DF'ed in 2005. Fought my way back 2 1/2 years later because of my family, but never actually returned in spirit. I'm now completely out since 2014.

Have lots more to say, but I'm already outside the scope of the original post. So...what happened? No more TMS?