Posts by Freeandclear

10

The Accounts Report or lack of one

by OnTheWayOut in

i am pretty sure it's still the same since i stopped attending almost 10 years ago, but this is something to think about:.

at the kingdom hall, there's an accounts report.

they say they gathered in an exact amount of money for both local expenses and worldwide work and that it exactly went to these exact expenses and this amount was sent to watchtower.

Freeandclear

I have been to many many assemblies over my years when I was a J dub and yes, at every single circuit assembly I always remember them saying there was a "deficit" in contributions. Every single time.

The last few times I went, last year in fact, I remember thinking how odd that was and also noticing how much they talked about money and "giving freely" now. In the past, back in the 90's and 2000's I don't really remember them harping on about it that much, but now it's very different.

Also back then in the 90's and such after they said "there's a deficit" I can remember right at the break people would be lining up almost to put in more donations in the boxes, like there would actually be lines. The last circuit assembly I went to (it was a 1 day thing, not even sure if they call them CA anymore?) there were no lines. In fact I rarely saw anyone putting any money in. I didn't either.

Funny how Jehovah was always supposed to support the work right? I never thought about or saw this side of the bOrg before and it's quite eye opening.

14

Jehovah's Witness Teens 13 and 10 Commit Suicide in Wisconsin

by Tenacious in

i found the following story while researching the jw mindset and subsequent behavior due to their weekly exposure to mind control techniques.

the story is a bit old but it does speak volumes in terms of the mental anguish the average jw teen must endure as a jw.

links to website and original newspaper follow:.

Freeandclear

Such a very sad story, and I'm sure it's no where near unique. The TWS really does ruin lives with their ridiculous teachings on education and staying poor. How many lives would have turned out differently for the good if we'd not been sucked in? Most likely all of us.

20

KM 2005- Society discourages brothers from donating to Tsunami victims $$$$

by Witness 007 in

sitting in the hall i was shocked when i read this article.

kingdom ministry 2005 nov {after the tsunami and new orleans desaster witnesses sent millions to help brothers in these areas marking their envelopes "for the tsunami victims" etc.

the society realized since there are few witnesses in tsunami ravaged countries this money would be wasted helping muslims.

Freeandclear

I distinctly remember that KM as I was an uber dub at the time. Never even crossed my mind what their real motivation was at the time....wow.

4

Conversation on FB with a witness who doesn't know me

by Peony in

jw
friends

so on my facebook feed this morning pops up a picture with the words 'jehovahs witnesses the happiest people on earth' i have no idea why i can see this must have come from a friend of a friend!

anyway i take a quick peak at the comments, about 30 of them all saying the same jw propoganda.

then ,non jw, makes a comment about a terrible person she knows that is a jw and that jw's break up families and listen to man and not god.. jw replies: just because someone says they're from a certain faith doesn't mean they're living it.

Freeandclear

Nice job. They have taken the red pill (or was it the blue one?) and you can never wake them up from the matrix. But all you can do is try. It's very sad how deluded they are and how they shut their minds off the minute anything is said that disagrees with the WTS. I was there once myself as I'm sure most of us in here were....... Too bad they are wasting their lives. Then again, which is better? The steak in the matrix (Paradise just around the corner) or the gruel in the ship (the real truth about life, that there are no real answers to the big questions and well just have to wait and see?) I prefer to think of myself as that one young man on the ship that was enthusiastic about the nourishing gruel. He viewed it as a great thing, and I prefer to look at the mysteries of life as a great thing too. Either something else is out there or it's not and we won't know anyway. So that free's me to live the best life I can NOW and hope for the best at the end.

36

Gay ex-Bethelite

by Chip Williamson in

just now finding this web site and have enjoyed reading the comments.

i've never written down my story and it could be a jerry springer episode but here goes.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness from as early as i can remember.

Freeandclear

Congrats on finding your way out and finding your happiness in life. What more could anyone in this world want than to see others happy and thriving?

8

A simple question among other things...

by megaboy in

i would like to ask a question freely to anyone, just to get a feel for those i eccounter in life and be able to meet with them through empathy.. those who spent time with this organization, did you ever feel any sense of wisdom coming from it at all?

when i mean wisdom i mean in a truly sensible manner not the illusion of it.. were there any teachings that would manifest in you respecting your self and your thoughts, as well as others, being able to detect reasonable behavior and detect teachings which promote moderate actions with others?

anything to harvest justfying thoughts are behaviors with others?

Freeandclear

Great question.

When I was in I found most congregations to be warm and loving. I would travel around a lot as a youngster and visit many different halls. Only a time or two did the hall feel cold or unloving. I got to go to an international convention in Prague in 2006 (back when I was an uber dub) and it was a wonderful experience.

I had many friend in the hall and would spend at least an hour after meetings talking and socializing, for me it was warm and loving.

I never thought any of the information presented was particularly full of wisdom, certainly not wisdom from God, merely wisdom from man. What I mean by that is all the stuff in Proverbs and such is just human wisdom acquired by simply living life and observing how to and how not to treat others. I don't think anything in the bible is special knowledge or from god.

However, from a personal standpoint regarding my overall feeling at meetings, one word comes to mind. Guilt. Okay two words; negativity.

Very much harping on how bad the world is, how evil satan is, and how bad worldly people are. And as for the guilt. It was a serious dichotomy. On the one hand we were told to "do your best" "do as much as you can" etc...but then there was the "You must always be improving" "Keep reaching out" etc etc etc..... So even though you WERE in fact doing your best and being the best imperfect human you could be it was never enough. You were always brow beaten and made to feel worthless because you weren't doing enough.

That's how I felt there anyway. It's also why I left. Thankfully I found jwfacts.com and came to learn the real truth about the organization and that has helped me alleviate my fears that I would die at Armegeddon. I am free now from slavery to the borg.

53

How did you feel when they eliminated the Con. Book Study?

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

years ago when i was "in" i loved the book study.

it was my favorite meeting by far.

mainly because it was a small group.

Freeandclear

Years ago when I was "in" I loved the Book Study. It was my favorite meeting by far. Mainly because it was a small group. We were close knit and had a lot of fun at mine. The family that hosted always had snacks and refreshments after and everyone always stayed an hour or more after and socialized. It was a great time for me, and I honestly did more prep-ing for that meeting than any other.

I can remember all the hub-bub about how near the end it would be our CBS group that would be so important to us all. That we would be like a small family and help each other, etc.....

I found it to be the warmest of all the meetings.

Then out of thin air they just up and vanished it. Gone. No real explanation at all other than to simplify things and to make it easier on us due to the pressures of the world, and to get a family study night started to strengthen the family. Well for me as a single male with no family in the Troof that didn't really do me any favors.

Just curious here...how did YOU feel when they eliminated this meeting? Happy, sad, relieved, indifferent?

Thanks.

62

Ladies: Circumcision or not?

by Wonderment in

the topic of circumcision has been brought up a few times recently.

then i wondered... .

how do women really view circumcision?

Freeandclear

I have a good friend who was 30 when he got circumcised. He did it for religious reasons. He is very very unhappy about it. We've talked at length about it and he assures me sex now is nothing like it was before. He hates that he ever had it done.

Myself I am circumcised but they dr who did mine back in 1971 didn't cut it back all the way so I have about 1/3 of a foreskin, thus some of it covers my glans. I'm very happy about this. And has anyone heard of the frenulum? This is the spot where the foreskin would connect to the bottom underside of the penis just below the glans. This is the most sensitive spot on a mans...er...stuff. Some magazines and such even dub the frenulum as the male G-spot.

Studies show that the foreskin as many many times more nerve endings than the glans. Thus when a foreskin is removed there go all those pleasurable nerve endings too.

I feel bad for my friend..... I would never do this to a baby boy. Cruel. Any who doubt should do their own research.

66

What's the point?

by punkofnice in

jw
friends

i mean, i don't want to be miserable or anything, but what's the bloody point of it all?.

since i left the watchtower cult, i have come to realise that god cannot possibly exist...and if a god exists...god is indifferent to humankind as the least.. in 100 years time i'll be gone.

kaput.

Freeandclear

I think this is the best thread I've ever read here. I so much love talking about this stuff and hearing other's perspectives.

Most of the comments made here about meaning in life mirror my own. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and comments on this subject!

61

The Watchtower Org will die.

by Freeandclear in

jw
friends

i was just reading through some posts and had a startling realization.. the comment that sparked this went something like this: why oh why when i started into this in 1989 did i not research the history of the wtbts?

etc....... i too was studying and moving towards baptism around that same time.

i got dunked in dec of 1990.. my thought.

Freeandclear

Nice comments so far. Okay so perhaps I was a bit optimistic in my 10 years idea but definitely we see signs of the death rattle coming. It's dying for sure. Once the current die hards are gone I either see the total death of this religion or a complete transformation into something more socially acceptable all touted off as "new light" bit by bit over the coming decades. It has to change or it will die altogether. Kind of like an alcoholic with liver damage. Change or die.