Posts by Spiral

42

When was it time for you to walk away from your congregation meetings and the WTBTS?

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

the basic virtue for a human being is to be true to yourself – the integrity of thought, emotion, and action.. .

ten years ago ( after 32 years as a jehovah's witness), i finally decided that my own mental sanity and being true to myself was more important than attending congregation meetings and serving the watchtower society.

i stopped (years before) field service, the ministry school, answering at the watchtower studies, missed numerous meetings and walked in minutes before the meetings started and left after the closing prayer, i knew it was time to leave.

Spiral

Oh, so many things. And just being tired of going through the motions. For instance, giving talks as a sister. What is the point? The last talk I gave the brother counseled me not to rearrange the order of the scriptures, etc. At that point I realized the whole thing was just a waste of time, and I never gave a talk again. Moving congregations facilitated that, as no one really tried to compel me to join the school in the new congregation.

But the absolute last straw was when one elder we barely knew (in the new congregation) tried to get us to cut off ties to our son (19 years old) because he wasn't baptised or interested in "the truth".

I never went to a meeting after that. If this elder, who hardly knows us, thinks he can make me break off with my son, no way! Disgusting.

17

Looking back at the people I knew in the Jobos.....

by punkofnice in

...there are very few if any, that i would have willingly associated with.. my 'worldly(tm)' friends are all brilliant people.

they are nothing like the weirdos i had to put up with in the congregations.. what is your take on the people in the jobos as opposed to your associates now?.

Spiral

@Punk, I agree. The forced friendships and subsequent emotional manipulation was extreme.

17

Looking back at the people I knew in the Jobos.....

by punkofnice in

...there are very few if any, that i would have willingly associated with.. my 'worldly(tm)' friends are all brilliant people.

they are nothing like the weirdos i had to put up with in the congregations.. what is your take on the people in the jobos as opposed to your associates now?.

Spiral

Back in the day when the Spirals were young, we had some good friends. We all were hard workers and had decent jobs. Most are divorced or gone, we've lost track of most of them.

Now, almost four decades on (and having been faded for 12), I don't see anyone around with whom I'd like to be friends. Everyone here has family drama, prescription drug use issues, mental issues, and there are several that are hoarders (as in, can't even go over to their houses, it's so bad). Add to that the fact that the average age in the congregation is over 60, and no one seems to have saved for retirement, makes this once proud and high-functioning congregation just sad. There is no group of stable, prosperous, working (aka almost normal) people here anymore to provide a "backbone" to the group.

Three of the great spiritual elderette sisters tried to "encourage" me when they realized I moved back, but soon gave up. (Such a rotten attitude I've developed!) They are all so weird you can't imagine why you were ever friends. Wait - It's because you were trapped in a religion that made you feel obligated to be friends with whoever was in the congregation, even if you didn't even like them.

My one last PIMI friend here asked me a while back if I wanted to "do more" with this group, she was hinting around because maybe that would get me to go back to meetings.

My reply was nope, not interested.

29

Lack of zeal

by road to nowhere in

i hear rumbling about the rank and file not having the same zeal they had when new.. lets see: door to door at the time least likely to find someone.

waste of a whole morning.

isolated.

Spiral

And poverty (and lack of retirement funds) certainly doesn't create a zealous feeling.

89

Do You Think “Higher Education “Is All That??

by minimus in

jw
friends

as jehovah’s witnesses, we were regularly told how awful a college education is.

i’m no longer associated with the religion but i am not so pro university.

it’s not because i think you are better off without a degree.

Spiral

Absolutely.

I really wish I had been able to go when I was younger.

As in all things in life, not everything is equal. There are wonderful universities and professors, and others that are not so wonderful.

However - learning, and learning how to learn, and having critical thinking skills is key to life satisfaction. If those are developed, a student would know when to ignore a professor's personal opinions that may not be valid.

Everyone should have the opportunity to be educated, regardless of what they do for a living. I feel the idea that only some need/deserve/should want a "higher" education, and that it should only be linked to what they do for a living, is a grave mistake. That is part of how the entitled stay entitled, and keep others out of their peer group (and poorer).

34

Another High School Shooting ... Santa Clara California

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

at least at the moment it looks like no one is dead, but 6 injured (9:00 am pacific time 14 nov 2019).. i don't know if the school allows students to carry weapons, but many will think it would be a good idea for the students to carry concealed weapons to provide personal protection.. we shall see.. rub a dub.

Spiral

The off-shoot effects of gun culture in the US, along with the emotional issues that seem prevalent in our culture, have run off the rails. So sad.

29

JWs: No Infant Baptism! (just children)

by neat blue dog in

here's a new article that came out:.

do jehovah’s witnesses baptize infants?no.

the bible does not endorse infant baptism.

Spiral

I was baptized at 13. I don't consider it valid now at my (very) adult age. It means nothing because I know I didn't understand what potential lifelong obligations it could mean. I just wanted to fit in.

I think this is a form of child abuse. No one can make a lifelong decision at an age under 21.

@ Rules&Regulations: i agree. It's as if the bOrg wants to take over all parental authority. So wrong.

45

Why is Life Expectancy in the USA So Low Compared to Other Countries?

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

i was looking at the world health org.

report and it shows the us ranks 37th in the world (tied with albania) for combined male/female life expectancy.

the top 5 were japan, switzerland, singapore, israel and spain, all around 83 years.

Spiral

And then there's what we feed our kids at school in the US. Food bought from big agrabusiness for our kids. Profit, yes, nutrition, no......

45

Why is Life Expectancy in the USA So Low Compared to Other Countries?

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

i was looking at the world health org.

report and it shows the us ranks 37th in the world (tied with albania) for combined male/female life expectancy.

the top 5 were japan, switzerland, singapore, israel and spain, all around 83 years.

Spiral

Rub a Dub, we actually have very sub-par health care here in the US. Many people have nothing.

Just the health insurance red tape and treatment delays no doubt costs lives. People (in my family and my friends) waiting weeks for appointments, treatments, medicines (what you can get approved by the insurance company - you have to take what they'll allow you, even if your doctor has something better in mind), and the non-stop merry-go-round of being referred to different doctors and waiting weeks between appointments.

We spend a good amount of our health care dollar on bureaucratic red tape. I know several people who spend hours every week managing this for the elderly people in their lives. Hours lost driving to appointments, waiting, being referred elsewhere, etc.

Americans really have very little choice about health care. It's all about big insurance and big pharma. You can't do anything without permission from your insurance company, and you can't do it even a day earlier than approved.

Shortens not only the life of the patient but of the caregivers too. But, statistically, this would be hard to prove.

I just paid a hospital bill I didn't feel I owed (had already paid hundreds in co-pays invoiced over three months) and the provider couldn't even explain what the charge was even about. BUT if I don't pay they can sue me and ruin my credit. It's like being mugged.

Do I sound bitter?

And overall I'm healthy, managing my health in lots of ways that wouldn't ever be covered by that high dollar insurance I pay for each month.

4

the watchtower--the more i think about it.

by stan livedeath in

i grew up in the cult.

mom converted first--then dad..i was just a kid--what did i know.

dad and i got dipped together.

Spiral

Yep.

I don't believe there has can be one true religion. Religions are just a mental construct that humans enjoy, something about having religion is reassuring, I guess.