Posts by HereIgo

9

An Elder/retired service member cashing their military pension??

by HereIgo in

there is an elder currently still serving in my old congregation that is retired air force and from what i have heard, still gladly and discreetly cashes his monthly pension.

granted, he did "earn" it, but i always felt it was rather odd to supposedly be anti-government but yet still benefit from government money.

would the society consider this a conscience matter?

HereIgo

LOL Steve2, don't overanalyze it. What I meant is, he is discreet meaning he doesn't go around bragging about his military service (obviously) but he has opened up to a select few individuals about it and it leaked. He has had conversations with my (worldly) father who also is in the Air Force, and told him, who then told me. Also, the for the record, I judge no one, just thought it was interesting. Relax.

17

Isn't there a better way

by FedUpJW in

just got done clicking streets signs, store fronts, vehicles, mountains, and roads capcha squares.

and yes, i clicked what was requested.

each time i login i get one or two more capcha challenges added to the number.. isn't there a better way to login?.

HereIgo

No other way to login that I am aware of, its all to prevent spam.

9

An Elder/retired service member cashing their military pension??

by HereIgo in

there is an elder currently still serving in my old congregation that is retired air force and from what i have heard, still gladly and discreetly cashes his monthly pension.

granted, he did "earn" it, but i always felt it was rather odd to supposedly be anti-government but yet still benefit from government money.

would the society consider this a conscience matter?

HereIgo

There is an Elder currently still serving in my old Congregation that is retired Air Force and from what I have heard, still gladly and discreetly cashes his monthly pension. Granted, he did "earn" it, but I always felt it was rather odd to supposedly be anti-government but yet still benefit from government money. Would the society consider this a conscience matter? Thoughts?

10

Worship of Men?

by HereIgo in

i remember when i was in as a teenager, some time around 2006, samuel herd of the governing body came to dedicate our newly built hall.

i remember bumping into him accidentally and a brother pulled me aside and half jokingly and half seriously telling me that i should be more careful around jehovah's anointed ones.

it was quite comical to say the least.

HereIgo

I remember when I was in as a teenager, some time around 2006, Samuel Herd of the Governing Body came to dedicate our newly built hall. I remember bumping into him accidentally and a brother pulled me aside and half jokingly and half seriously telling me that I should be more careful around Jehovah's anointed ones. It was quite comical to say the least. What examples of JW's putting men on a pedestal have you seen?

22

Shunning - Are Mothers Most Fanatical?

by Lostandfound in

on many posts by those with experience of df or da shunning, it look to me that the most fanatical observers of the shunning practise are mothers, and when a person approached parents about their own doubts or intentions, approaching the mother the most daunting prospect .

odd that visiting warwick leaflet has a picture of a meeting of some sort with a room comprising men only, given the subordinate role given to women, one might think they would be more liberal over shunning close ones, but not so.. what drives this, is it grabbing an opportunity to be more visible by their loyalty, or low level of education of a lot of dubs so that the sisters blindly accept direction or authority.

i might have expected some kick back against the shunning practise by sisters giving evidence to their independence of thought.. our real thinkers here will be able to explain this fanaticism of loyalty better.

HereIgo

Lostandfound,

I do agree with your statement as I have experience being shunned by my mother currently and for the past 2 years. I am not even DF or DA, just inactive. She was loving for the most part growing up, so her loyalty to the shunning arrangement did kind of shock me. I have had other jw's that are not family show more love and compassion since I have been inactive. I think women are just loyal by nature for the most part, not to mention the Org teaches that women should be submissive. Maybe for those reasons its easier to support the arrangement? just my 2 cents.

14

The definition of a false prophet

by HereIgo in

the last time i spoke to my mother, who is a devout jw, she threatened me with typical jw scare tactics telling me how oh so close the end is and how me and my 2 young daughters will be slaughtered by god himself in armageddon.

knowing that this is just a scare tactic, i respectfully listened, then replied that the jw's have wrongfully predicted the end of the world three times and were incorrect, 1914, 1925, 1975. i asked doesn't that make them false prophets?

her response; " no, because the brothers are imperfect and jehovah knew their heart was in a sincere place.

HereIgo

Cold Steel, from what I have always understood, a child will have the same fate as his or her parents. If the parent's are righteous and JW, they and the children will survive Armageddon, if they are wicked ( aka myself) the children will perish along with the parents. Sick thinking no matter how the society tries to portray it. Can anyone cosign on this?

14

The definition of a false prophet

by HereIgo in

the last time i spoke to my mother, who is a devout jw, she threatened me with typical jw scare tactics telling me how oh so close the end is and how me and my 2 young daughters will be slaughtered by god himself in armageddon.

knowing that this is just a scare tactic, i respectfully listened, then replied that the jw's have wrongfully predicted the end of the world three times and were incorrect, 1914, 1925, 1975. i asked doesn't that make them false prophets?

her response; " no, because the brothers are imperfect and jehovah knew their heart was in a sincere place.

HereIgo

The last time I spoke to my mother, who is a devout JW, she threatened me with typical JW scare tactics telling me how oh so close the end is and how me and my 2 young daughters will be slaughtered by God himself in Armageddon. Knowing that this is just a scare tactic, I respectfully listened, then replied that the JW's have wrongfully predicted the end of the world three times and were incorrect, 1914, 1925, 1975. I asked doesn't that make them false prophets? Her response; " No, because the brothers are imperfect and Jehovah knew their heart was in a sincere place. He revealed the truth to the brothers at the right time."I was speechless at this point because that response made zero sense to me. How could a perfect God be wrong three times? I replied just because a person says they are God's mouthpiece doesn't make it so. I could walk around saying I'm a millionaire all day long, doesn't mean its true as much as I'd like it to be. She then referred me to the elders for answers to my questions. I'm not interested. Anyway, didn't Jesus warn against such ones? Is not foretelling events that never happen in God's name not constitute false prophecy? Matthew 7:15 "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."

28

Fading or Disassociating

by Saethydd in

hello, i'm new here.. i'm a college student who has been raised in the "truth" for my entire life.

i was baptized at 10 years old, and looking back now i know i didn't fully grasp everything involved, for one thing i don't even recall ever going to jehovah in a special prayer to dedicate myself to him, but anyway that's the past and my focus is really on the present.

i'm currently pursuing an associates degree, but i find myself desiring to pursue a bachelors in my chosen field so that i may have a somewhat more secure future.

HereIgo

Hello Saethydd, first of all welcome. I can relate to the example you mentioned about getting reinstated then fading. I personally was never DF so I can't relate to the reinstatement part, but I can relate to fading. I chose to fade and never look back. Hell, I'm sure by now half of my old congregation has forgot about me and I like it that way. There are a few though, mainly family members that are constantly telling me to come back to the "truth". So yes, if you pursue that route, expect that type of begging from your JW relatives. I noticed in your post that you still live at home with your parents. My only suggestion to you is be wise about your decision and don't do anything that would cause them to put you out of the house and cause financial strain. Play the game for as long as you can while you share the same roof, unless you are able to live on your own, then you will have more control over your life and fading will be much easier. Hope this helps.

19

Jeremiah 10:23 - "...It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step."

by HereIgo in

i have been accused recently of "trying to direct my own step" because of my questioning the org and refusing to come back to the "truth" for the past 6 years.

i personally still believe in god, i just doubt that he is behind the jw org, that's all.

why is that so hard for jw's to understand?

HereIgo

I have been accused recently of "trying to direct my own step" because of my questioning the Org and refusing to come back to the "truth" for the past 6 years. I personally still believe in God, I just doubt that he is behind the JW org, that's all. Why is that so hard for jw's to understand? God does not = the org. Period. It dawned on me at that point just how powerful brainwashing is. One cannot even question the org without being accused of directing his own step. Doesn't the bible encourage us to challenge what we are learning? Anyone remember that scripture...thoughts?

20

The Great Watchtower Guilt Trip

by pale.emperor in

as im sure almost all of us on here are ex-jw, we all know first hand how well the watchtower used the power of guilt to manipulate our thoughts and actions for the entire time we were active witnesses.

guilty for not going on the ministry enough.. guilty for not trying harder while on the ministry.. guilty for not turning up for hall cleaning that time.. guilty for saying a swearword.. guilty for looking at a porno mag.. guilty for masturbating through my teens (i thought i was the only one who did!).

guilty for thinking the gb is wrong on a certain thing.. guilty for touching my girlfriend there... even though we've been dating for 3 freakin years and not had sex (thats not natural imo).. guilty for not following along in the watchtower magazine on sunday.. guilty for not studying.. guilty for nodding off during the 8 hour convention.. guilty for my mind wandering during the talks.. guilty for thinking of sister so-and-so.. the list goes on.

HereIgo

FOG = Fear, Obligation, Guilt. All of that basically sums up the watchtower mindset. I have loved ones that are still in and they feel guilt about not doing enough and afraid of Armageddon, wondering if they will die or not. I feel sorry for those ones, I used to be one. That is no way to live.