Posts by Ustabee

6

Said Goodbye

by Ustabee in

after lurking around myself and posting in reply to norm.

i decided i'd better try to explain my personal view toward the wts.

i was baptized in 1976 and, over the years, served as a ms and elder.

After lurking around myself and posting in reply to Norm. I decided I'd better try to explain my personal view toward the WTS. I was baptized in 1976 and, over the years, served as a MS and elder. In 1993 I was DF'd after one hearing and spent the next year and a half getting reinstated. (Big Mistake!) Knocked around til 1998 and just walked away. By then, I had come to a lot of conclusions about what was going on in the org. All bad, too, BTW. So, I tried to walk away quietly and live my own life. No chance! The CO comes to town and evidently asks about Bro. 'Duck out the back.' Next thing I know here comes the CO and another elder into my office (of all places!) asking why I'm not at the meetings, etc. Rather than throwing them out, I proceeded to close the door and give both of them an earful for about 30 minutes. They quietly leave, two weeks later here come two elders, (back to my office, in front of my staff!) and proceed to ask me about my now wife and our relationship. At the point where they tried to put the guilt trip on me about violating God's law and you should dump this lady and return to the fold, I just said, "Boys, you do what you have to do, I'm through." Haven't been bothered since. The good news is, my son and daughter got out around the same time and I have my family intact, married to a non JW lady who thinks JW's are kooks. So now I'm a Ustabee.

The WTS cost me a military career and a lot of years that could have been put to better use. Interestingly, while I was an elder, I encouraged my kids to (1) go to college, (2) have friends that were worth having, not just JW's, (3) tried real hard not to be a total asshole. That may be why the BOE saw their chance and jettisoned me before I could do any more harm.

At any rate, if you are considering becoming a JW, think and think again, then run like hell!

44

Wrong date

by tattoogrl333 in

jw
friends

hello i'm new to the whole jw study thing, but they said it fell in 607 but due to the advice of others here i looked it up.

i found in 3 encyclopedia's online that it fell in 586. i printed them out and am going to get more.

i'm going to show the lady i study with, i'm just curious what you think will happen, and if she will try to deny it.

Ustabee

Why Fred:

I thought you didn't want to follow me on the board! How nice to hear from you again! ;)

44

Wrong date

by tattoogrl333 in

jw
friends

hello i'm new to the whole jw study thing, but they said it fell in 607 but due to the advice of others here i looked it up.

i found in 3 encyclopedia's online that it fell in 586. i printed them out and am going to get more.

i'm going to show the lady i study with, i'm just curious what you think will happen, and if she will try to deny it.

Ustabee

She will deny it and try to get you off the subject. Keep researching, though. Try the book, 'Gentile Times Reconsidered' available from commentarypress.org. The 1914 date is exposed by all competent authority as bogus. That's a big pill for a JW to swallow.

65

The dim people

by Norm in

jw
friends

the dim people.

the new world society.

the chosen, brain dead, scared people.. the watchtower's obedient parrots.

Ustabee

Kent:

You said...

"Well, I believe you're a real prime example of an idiot. I don't know what you look like, but I believe you're ugly as hell. I also do believe you had a lobothomy a few years back."

Why, thank you, Kent, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. I am ugly, no doubt about that. As for the lobotomy(sic), well, I woke up one day and my JW cell had been removed from my brain. I don't know if that would qualify as a lobotomy.

I seem to be getting a lot of flack about not criticizing people as individuals for what they believe. Please know that I certainly didn't mean that all beliefs are worthy of respect. Beliefs are subject to acceptance or rejection. That's our own personal decision.

To win over a person to your point of view requires persuasion, not a frontal assault on their value system. Insult someone and their attitude becomes, 'Don't confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.' Show them the opposing view and let their own logical thinking process work it out. How many former JW posts on this forum and others reflect this very process? Quite a few, I would guess.

That's all I'm saying... Insult someone they become angry and defensive... reason with them and you have a chance to change their point of view.

65

The dim people

by Norm in

jw
friends

the dim people.

the new world society.

the chosen, brain dead, scared people.. the watchtower's obedient parrots.

Ustabee

Tina:

The 'lighten up'was meant for folks to just remember that generalizations about people are usually inaccurate. The VN Vet reference was to point out that a lot of Vets were called 'babykillers' and other things, even though they weren't guilty of such atrocities. Victims of 'generalizations.'

I agree with you completely about the Watchtower leadership. They are ignoring the very tenents they supposedly espouse. The media and a disgusted membership will eventually bring down the whole house of cards. When I read CofC, I promptly wrote Ray Franz a letter apologizing for believing the tripe that was going around about him.

Yes, many of the Dubs are, shall we say, less than giants intellectually. The Herd Mentality is part of human nature. Ignorance of the facts, whether self induced or otherwise, is not stupidity. Just ignorance. Think about how many r & f Dubs have access to a computer. How many even know how to turn one on? The internet is the source of a tremendous amount of research that allowed me to become aware of just how deceptive the GB has been. Without it, I may never have known the facts. Once I did, I was no longer ignorant.

Lincoln said, "You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time." One of these days, they'll no longer be able to pull the wool over their eyes.

65

The dim people

by Norm in

jw
friends

the dim people.

the new world society.

the chosen, brain dead, scared people.. the watchtower's obedient parrots.

Ustabee

One of the first things I learned at my Mother's knee, was to respect other people and their views.

If someone is sincere in their beliefs, criticizing their intellectual capacity is a sure fire way of alienating them to whatever you are trying point out to them. I certainly do not condone the things done by the WTS. It is reprehensible to ignore the facts. And, that, it would appear, is just what the GB and the powers in Brooklyn are doing and have been doing for decades.

However, to brand in a certain way; [e.g., stupid, brain-dead]individual members of any group without even knowing them personally, is the height of presumptuousness. Is the GB and the WTS leadership stupid or brain-dead? It sure looks like it. They will pay a heavy price, either in this world or the other.

Tina:

You're absolutely right, the litany of charges you referred to make my heart sick to think that I went along with all of that for years. I don't anymore, the light is shining brightly.

I have to respond to someone calling me stupid, however, that is an insult, especially since the person has seen a few posts and has no idea who I am, where I am, or what I'm really like. I am a Vietnam Vet and I went through this 30 years ago. [Baby killer, etc, etc.]
Sort of like calling all black people lazy, or all Latinos theives. People are individuals and you can only reach one at a time. so, lighten up, will ya?

65

The dim people

by Norm in

jw
friends

the dim people.

the new world society.

the chosen, brain dead, scared people.. the watchtower's obedient parrots.

Ustabee

I'm out and I'm glad I'm out. I wasn't brain dead or stupid when I was in, either. No one should criticize anyone for what they believe. Religion is so deeply personal, just like anything else, we have choices. George Jones has a song that goes, "Living and dying by the choices I've made." You make your choices, I'll make mine. So many things convinced me to just stay away and not even try to get reinstated; but that is my choice, no one else's. The org is going through some rough times, sure, but I wasn't forced to become a JW, nor was I forced to stay out.

Norm has a right to state his opinions, I have a right to agree or disagree.

You have to wonder, though, are the Witnesses any different than any other religion? My opinion is, not really. As far as learning Bible truths from the WT, I ran across a lot of people in the door to door who believed exactly the same things, but chose to either stay with the religion they were in or just be independent.

'Choices'[]

Before I began studying with JW's, I had forsaken a lot of doctrine that I just didn't want to believe. Those who stay with the org have every right to that choice. Criticism of them for making such a choice is not our role. I choose to drive a Chevy, you choose to drive a Ford, I have heard people called stupid for the type of car they drive. Everyone is valuable in their own way.

'Choices'

35

So Confused

by troubled in

jw
friends

hi.. i've been a jw for 15 years, have pioneered, been where the need is great, etc.

up until a couple of years ago, i was considered strong in the truth.

but then i had my first and only episode of major depression.

Ustabee

Sf:

Good advice, thank you.

'Troubled':

Believe me, I know what you are going through. You are not alone.

35

So Confused

by troubled in

jw
friends

hi.. i've been a jw for 15 years, have pioneered, been where the need is great, etc.

up until a couple of years ago, i was considered strong in the truth.

but then i had my first and only episode of major depression.

Ustabee

To Fredhall:

Your kind expression of sympathy is appreciated. I didn't realize that my comments were anything but truthful and heartfelt.
I can take comfort that if an expression doesn't meet your standards of 'help' then you will let me know the error of my ways.

Obviously, new ones who post on this board must suffer if their words don't meet the high standards set here.

Thanks again, Fredhall, for your welcome.

35

So Confused

by troubled in

jw
friends

hi.. i've been a jw for 15 years, have pioneered, been where the need is great, etc.

up until a couple of years ago, i was considered strong in the truth.

but then i had my first and only episode of major depression.

Ustabee

To Confused:

There are many of us around here in the same boat with you. I spent 22 years in the WTS and served as an elder for several years. I was D/F'd when I approached the elders and confessed a serious sin. I needed help and mercy, instead I got the proverbial serpent.

Your case sounds like so many others we confronted. Some elder bodies can barely cope with their own problems, let alone deal with someone who is dealing with clinical depression. Other bodies try, but fall short because of many reasons. Inflexible rules that noone can really follow to the letter being the main one. Another is that there is just no time. Having been an elder, the body has little or no time for any real shepherding work. The schedule of a publisher is hard enough, but the schedule for an elder is punishing on him and his family.

After I was D/F'd, I thought for a long time that I would eventually return, but then I stumbled across the variety of web sites with the information that the Society doesn't want us to know. I no longer desire to have anything to do with the WTS. I, too, was hurt and confused when I began to realize just what the real situation has turned out to be. Most of us here have devoted years and in some cases, decades to serving an organization that has proven that it is not divinely directed, after all.

It hurts, because you think of yourself as an intelligent, clear minded individual who 'proved' to themselves that JW's were the only truth. Then you discover that 'it ain't so!' There is life after the WT, Confused, believe me! I went through months of bitterness and regret. My daughter helped me most of all when she said, "Dad, you may think you wasted all those years, but actually, you are the person you are because of all of your life experiences. You are a caring and sensitive person and you will come out of this better off than you were."

So, I guess my point is, Confused; You have to keep plugging, but you will find out that so many things you used to accept as immutable fact are not fact at all. Be prepared for that and know that most of us have gone through the same thing. And survived!