Posts by scratchme1010

14

Lost and Sad, Then He Found Me...

by Sorry in

well, i got myself in a dilemma.

i'm currently 18, being baptised for a year.

i had my doubts, but due to a variety of reasons (getting subtle flack for not baptised, not having a support system even if i wanted to leave).

scratchme1010

Well, except for the fact of my family. Despite having put me through a lot, I love them and don't want to lose them. One friend gave me the advice to just fade as soon as I move out so they won't have to shun me. Another said just disassociate so I can move on fully and not be harassed by the witnesses. I honestly dont know how to go about the situation. I know I'd have he support of my boyfriend and his family, but I'd like to keep my family and friends too. How do you think I should go about my exit plan? Any ideas, similar experiences? Just reply if ya do!

I don't know the particular details of your relationship with your family, but once I found myself in the exact same situation (and to some degree I still do, and I'm in my 50s now).

What helped me was changing my perception of the issue, and realizing that the relationship with my family is a two-way street. It's not OK for them to shun you for believing something different. It's not ok for them to treat you differently for having a bf outside the WT.

They will be the ones making the wrong decisions and losing you over their faith to an organization that you have the right not to belong to. They too have responsibilities, and they too have the moral obligation of respecting and accepting you the way you are and with what you believe.

Discrimination based on religion is illegal for a reason, and that is, entities cannot deny you service or opportunities because of religious differences. So people who love you should know better than creating problems (and they are the ones creating the problem) because of the decisions you as an adult make.

It's not going to be easy; nor is it going to be possible to maintain a good relationship with your loved ones while not being a JW. However, holding them responsible for being the cause of disruption helps.

Those are the best thoughts I can provide. I wish I could tell you that you can leave the Wt and still maintain the same closeness to your family and friends. All I can say is, prepare to decide which kind of BS you're willing to put up with, and prepare to be shunned and blamed if you decide to leave. Also prepare a support system, better friends that can support you regardless of what your religious believes are/become.

13

So does the Almighty God Jehovah make mistakes, or is the society NOT his spokesman?

by stuckinarut2 in

the society claims to be jehovah gods sole channel on earth - his spokesman.. if any witness disagrees with this claim, they are branded as an apostate and punished.. but the society has made countless errors over the century, and repeatedly changed doctrines and beliefs.

not to mention the appalling foundation teachings of the organisation's teachings!

so a simple question: is god making msistakes and getting things wrong, or is this proof that the society is not guided by god?.

scratchme1010

So which is it??

None; they are full of --it.

The whole concept of some "Jehovah" having such convoluted way of communicating (leave alone that his message is intended to be one that should save as many lives as possible - according to them) is just top notch nonsense to me. Any given tweet in Twitter today is capable of mobilizing thousands if not millions of people.

Yet, the so-called creator of the universe chooses to communicate what is supposed to be the most important message to save humanity by having an organization publish gazillions of publications explaining the message from a book that was written thousands of years ago in limited languages and at a time when humanity was the most naive at its views of the world, and if that's not bad enough, the book was written in parables, prophesies, visions and dreams. Nonsense.

3

Mocked for Being a Hoary Head

by snugglebunny in

jw
friends

i tend to be quite open about my experiences within the dub religion.

i've been out for a long, long time.

i'm now in my eighth decade.

scratchme1010

I tend to be quite open about my experiences within the dub religion. I've been out for a long, long time. I'm now in my eighth decade. Sometimes, if I get into it on-line with a still-in witness, I get mocked for still having plenty to say about being brought up as witness because it was so long ago. Apparently, for some, there's a time limit on the validity of my experiences. I really should have moved on!
As for the hoary head, well Proverbs 16. 31 says: "The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness"
Well, I'm no saint. And I do drink too much. But I'm not a bad father or grandfather. And my missus thinks I'm OK. So I'll settle for that.

If you take care of your drinking in a healthy way, and you do it for your own well being (or maybe not if you're already in your 8th decade seems like you have healthy habits) you are 1000 times better than any of those resentful, jealous, full-of-hidden-anger, oppressed and in denial about it, JWs who mock you.

I find their laughing at people to be a pathetic attempt at them shifting the focus away from their miserable way of living. They can't accept that a non-JW or a former JW can be (a) right, (b) happy or (c) a better person than any of them. So they rather dismiss their sad reality by trivializing or mocking those who are out.

6

WTBTS/CCJ.W.'s incriminate themselves

by The Searcher in

we are deeply indebted to wifibandit for such revealing documentation.. https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5690963588546560/november-1-2016-all-bodies-elders-re-using-maintaining-kingdom-halls.

incidents: .

38. when property damage occurs, quick action can go far in preventing further damage.

scratchme1010

It's no secret that the WT can't care less about the well being of children. That's the number one reason I have no respect for that organization.

7

Watch Tower Farms ?

by Lostandfound in

may have missed this somewhere, but if bethel not providing meals anymore , what is point of the farms?.

or are meals still provided with simple self service now, without the waiter service of decades?.

seem to recall uk farm disposed of years ago as it cheaper to purchase requirements rather than sustain farm and its workers, was that the case?.

scratchme1010

May have missed this somewhere, but if Bethel not providing meals anymore , what is point of the Farms?
Or are meals still provided with simple self service now, without the waiter service of decades?
Seem to recall UK farm disposed of years ago as it cheaper to purchase requirements rather than sustain farm and its workers, was that the case?

They are in the business of real estate now, so if they haven't sold it to make more money, there has to be a financial, political or practical reason for them to keep the farm. Maybe they get money from it.

14

A sister at my door today

by careful in

i suppose it was just a matter of time till it happened.

i've faded, not been dfed or daed, for years now.

once they tracked me down and tried to reactivate me, but then i moved, and hopefully lost them.

scratchme1010

I really am thankful for the folks here who have informed me of the methods used today. If I had not been, I would have ignorantly asked about her tablet and then there would probably have been the RV. It really IS a return to the JFR phonographs, just modernized. One doesn't even get a biblical passage read any more. Maybe I should have asked for one of the GB's autographs—oops, no, THAT would have assured a RV!

I'm glad to hear that you were able to handle the situation to your liking. Seems like that JW may not have been from your former congregation, so it may just be part of their typical proselytizing. Either way, by the way you share about it here seems like it didn't stir strong emotions.

26

New movie by Mel Gibson 'Hacksaw ridge'

by barry in

jw
friends

i just went to a pre screening of this movie about an adventist guy who didn't want to kill but joined the army as a medic on the front line.

desmond doss saved 75 men in one operation singlehanded on the island of okinawa where desmond worked lowering men down a 400ft cliff to safety.. i thought this may be of interest to jws because of the pacifist stand they also have.. the movie comes out on the 4 th november..

scratchme1010

I thought this may be of interest to JWs because of the pacifist stand they also have.

You know this is an EX-JW sit, right?

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.

scratchme1010

JeffT is a perfect example of my point. One thing is people's intelligence and a different one is how people feel. I have a problem with labeling people or blaming them for making a foolish decision.

Normally people who join do so for a number of reasons, none of them having anything to do with their level of intelligence. Many experts who study negative influence and brainwashing have determined that the reasons for people who join is because the organization appeals to either people's emotions (ranging from depression to their own ego) or timing (people encountering the WT at a time when they are about to make an important decision, at a time when they have experienced loss, or at a time when they want to make a significant change in their lives).

None of those things have anything to do with a person's intelligence. Is joining an idiotic decision? Maybe. Dire consequences? Definitely. Should people be blamed or labeled as if there's something wrong with them for it? Absolutely not.

4

JW Facebook Groups

by Nevuela in

is anyone here familiar with the facebook group "jehovah's people: enduring these last days together"?

it's a closed group, so obviously you need to be a member in order to access any info or posts.

my anointed roommate is really frustrated because she's an admin and someone is taking miscellaneous posts from the group and posting it on their own page, which has the exact same name, minus the word "together.

scratchme1010

Why is your anointed friend frustrated? Isn't the purpose of those groups to have a sense of community? Sounds a lot like jealousy.

3

C'mon, give my Cubbies some love!

by JRK in

jw
friends

who finally wants the cubs to win a world series for the first time in 108 years?!.

shout out the love, peeps!.

jk.

scratchme1010

I will implore all the baseball jehovah's to have them win (although I think that them being a good strong team will work better, just my opinion).