Posts by Spiral

49

Rookie exJW Question

by Phoebe in

jw
friends

i was wondering if someone could help me with a question.. i am a rookie exjw, i only left the organization 4 months ago and everything i've discovered (un/arc/malawi/mexico etc) i've only discovered in the last few months so you can image it's been a huge shock to me especially after after 50 yrs!.

every time i think i've heard everything, something else pops up.. now i've come across a youtube video that mention tv evangelizer jimmy swaggart and the watchtower.

i remember jimmy swaggart from the time i lived in the u.s.a and i remember the scandals with him and prostitutes etc.

Spiral

Phoebe: It doesn't matter who is right or wrong. The point is, once again they couldn't be upfront and honest about it. So, we all thought this was God's direction.A loving arrangement to simplify things and get that all important message into people's hands.

I remember when the "donation arrangement" came in to being - and what a hassle that was out in service - I thought, well, that's brave of them. Trusting in God like that!

Now we know differently. I really hope it cost them, and will continue to cost them. The spin they put on things is just amazing. They should go into politics.

54

JW Kids Bullying My Daughter

by pale.emperor in

trying not to type swearwords as i write this so bare with me.. my little 3yo attends meetings with her jw mum (who doesn't believe watchtower anymore but is stuck in because she relies on her family for help).

my mum (the one who tells people im dead) had a party for her grandchildren.

that's my 4 nieces and 1 nephew aged from 3yo-11yo.

Spiral

Oh pale..... that is just horrible. I feel so sorry for your little girl, she's just adorable. It's just unimaginable. I am a grandma and I can't even imagine.

Having said that, I agree with many that maybe, just MAYBE, this will wake your ex up.

All else I can say is just love on that precious little one. She will remember that ALWAYS.

My FIL treats us poorly (being a wonderful elder type of guy), including his grandson. It's his loss. He is a sad, lonely old man waiting for the paradise to pet animals and be vindicated. His loss.

14

When exactly did Jesus become king? The Insight Book tells us.

by The Fall Guy in

it-2 pp.

61-62 jesus christ - "they [1st century christians] recognized him as their lord........because of his kingly position and authority.

it was in the full regal as well as priestly authority represented by jesus’ name that his followers preached.....to the “name” of this divinely commissioned king, the lord jesus christ.

Spiral

Do the JWs use the insight books any more? Or are they "discredited"?

20

Sunday's W.T angered me + I found an ironic scripture

by Isambard Crater in

during the "do you love me more than these" watchtower study on sunday, i got so angry on many occasions, hearing people make comments like "if you enjoy your job, you're an enemy of jehovah" and "the only reason we're here is to preach.

work and relaxation only exist to help us to preach".. the paragraph talking about the "do more!

" attitude in the world getting people down really got me down just reading it, as it applies so much to the borg.. i also found the ecclesiastes scripture quoted to be ironic, as the rest of the article tells is that nothing is better or more of a priority than to preach;.

Spiral

@ToesUp, not just your family. I've seen a definite pattern going on, in our family and also where I'm located. So few have money, and they seem to think it's okay to lean in on family to help them out. This strange idea that you can "live simply" with a low paying job is having some long term consequences, and not just the obvious ones. It's creating a really weird unbalanced view of money and paying your own way amongst the JWs.

20

Sunday's W.T angered me + I found an ironic scripture

by Isambard Crater in

during the "do you love me more than these" watchtower study on sunday, i got so angry on many occasions, hearing people make comments like "if you enjoy your job, you're an enemy of jehovah" and "the only reason we're here is to preach.

work and relaxation only exist to help us to preach".. the paragraph talking about the "do more!

" attitude in the world getting people down really got me down just reading it, as it applies so much to the borg.. i also found the ecclesiastes scripture quoted to be ironic, as the rest of the article tells is that nothing is better or more of a priority than to preach;.

Spiral

@Phoebe: Good for you! And you did right by your kids!

Apparently, the GB thinks that our generation can also support our elderly parents on low wage jobs. And, when our generation (note correct use of that term) gets old, the next generation of JWs who also have low wage jobs can support us.

I can understand how the elderly ones don't leave the bOrg, it's all they know. But why anyone younger would stay in and labor under that burden, I just don't get it.

9

Shunned jpg Cartoon

by oppostate in

saw this on instagram tagged with #ttatt.

.

Spiral

Powerful.

ShirleyW, previously I would have said the same thing based on my growing up in the bOrg. But two years ago there was a couple here that had to kick out their (baptised) 18 year old because he came out as gay. So much drama they moved away (60 miles or so). Father lost his status as an elder. Family traumatized. I hope they let him back in after they moved away, but I don't know.

I was shocked, but that seems to be the "new light" truth of it.

20

Sunday's W.T angered me + I found an ironic scripture

by Isambard Crater in

during the "do you love me more than these" watchtower study on sunday, i got so angry on many occasions, hearing people make comments like "if you enjoy your job, you're an enemy of jehovah" and "the only reason we're here is to preach.

work and relaxation only exist to help us to preach".. the paragraph talking about the "do more!

" attitude in the world getting people down really got me down just reading it, as it applies so much to the borg.. i also found the ecclesiastes scripture quoted to be ironic, as the rest of the article tells is that nothing is better or more of a priority than to preach;.

Spiral

LongHairGal, it is just breaking my heart to see this. I also was never "special" enough for anything, ever! lol! No regrets there!

purrpurr, I know, that drama is just ridiculous. I think it's unconscionable how they keep pushing that idea. My mom laps it up, but wait..... she has all that money from worldly family. She doesn't have to worry.

20

Sunday's W.T angered me + I found an ironic scripture

by Isambard Crater in

during the "do you love me more than these" watchtower study on sunday, i got so angry on many occasions, hearing people make comments like "if you enjoy your job, you're an enemy of jehovah" and "the only reason we're here is to preach.

work and relaxation only exist to help us to preach".. the paragraph talking about the "do more!

" attitude in the world getting people down really got me down just reading it, as it applies so much to the borg.. i also found the ecclesiastes scripture quoted to be ironic, as the rest of the article tells is that nothing is better or more of a priority than to preach;.

Spiral

Isambard Crater, this WT really irked me too. I couldn't even make a pretense of listening (remotely).

Because, as LongHairGal points out:

If everybody was preaching like robots morning, noon and night, how would the business of life go on? Not to mention how would a person take proper care of themselves and/or their family?

Guess what, at least here, they don't. This is the poorest, most educationally and financially challenged congregation I've ever been in. It wasn't that way 30 years ago, but now it's mostly people of retirement age with NOTHING. And I mean NOTHING. They've given their all to the bOrg, and now they are poor, sick, on food stamps, can't go anywhere because they have a broken down car, are in public housing or living in an old trailer, it's just a mess.

Will they never learn? No! A new (albeit, much smaller) generation here is experiencing even more financial distress and struggling to provide for their children. Waiting for the paradise "just around the corner". Ugh.

18

honesty

by midnight in

regarding the recent 1975 video at the convention it hit me !.

when reasoning with people about the inspiration of the bible we used the bible writers candor ie/ there honesty when recording bible accounts about there personal mistakes .. how come the governing body despite its claims to be spirit directed are not honest about there mistakes ?.

Spiral

@midnight,

As I was able to avoid going to the convention this year, can you (or someone else) fill me in a bit about the content of this 1975 video?

50

Jehovah's people are not happy people

by Phoebe in

jw
friends

i finally stopped attending the meetings about 4 months go.

i won't be going back - ever.. but i've decided the best reply to the watchtower is to be happy and i do try to be happy every day even thought i wasted my entire life on this religion.

i cherish every day, practice mindfulness and do my best to be content with the life i have.. it is only now that i see that most jws i know are deeply unhappy people.

Spiral

I can agree with all the above observations, and I've personally never been better since I quit going and quit worrying about everything.

Meanwhile, most of our JW relatives are all on some sort of medication due to being depressed, anxious, poor, unable to "adult" in an effective way. Most seem to have just given up. It is very sad.

But I would say this, they know it, and they don't argue with us (very much). They won't admit it, which is why they don't interact with us much. They occasionally try to be righteous about that (since we're inactive) but the reality is they just don't have any wind in their sails to put up an argument.