Posts by undercover

23

JW's Should Be Banned!

by mr_doubtful in

i'm all for religious freedoms.

i am not for a religious organization demanding freedoms from the government that they in turn take away from their own members.

why should the organization get religious freedom when they take that very thing away from it's members?.

undercover

I'm against banning entire religions, even if it's the JWs. Sure, we've got a bone to pick with the WTS, but agreeing with a totalitarian regime to ban a religion we don't like is short sighted.

And let's admit something... it's not the WTS hierarchy that is affected. It's the everyday R&F member of the religion that will suffer. No one in New York really suffered during WWII, but the loyal followers in Germany sure suffered. Do you really want that for innocent Russians (despite their allegiance to the WTS)?

A ban on an entire religion is a human rights violation. Yea, we may argue that the WTS steps on our human rights through their DFing and shunning policy, but that's an issue not related to what an actual government can do with their power.

No, I don't wish a ban on JWs or the WTS. No more than I wish a ban on Catholics, Mormons or atheists. I can put aside my dislike for the WTS enough to stand up for freedom of (or from) religion, no matter your faith (or lack of).

55

Looking forward to going to Memorial this year!

by kpop in

jw
friends

i have some tricks to play.

i know it may sound childish but i feel that creating havoc and forcing the memorial to be postponed will be the highlight of the night!

wish me luck!.

undercover

I will not wish you luck. I hope you rethink your idea, and decide to drop the foolishness.

These people, even though we disagree with them, and want no part of their beliefs anymore, have as much right to celebrate their Memorial as any other religion has to celebrate their special, or holy, occasions. Are you going to go around and disrupt Catholics, Mormons, and Presbyterians as well? Freedom of religion works two ways... not having to be forced to believe a certain way, and allowing others to believe as they wish.

Leave em alone

13

"Those Who Leave Are Doomed..."

by AllTimeJeff in

in mission impossible 3, ethan hunt (aka tom cruise) and his protege (aka keri russell) have an explosive pellet implanted in their heads through their nose by the bad guys as a way to control them.

the only way to to stop it from detonating is to use a defibrillator or some device to send massive electric shocks to the body, thus short circuiting the deadly implant.

hunt's protege doesn't get the help she needed in time, and she dies.

undercover

We were in a cult. We're ex cult members. It's not like quitting a job you got tired of, it's a life changing event, and one that is looked down on by most of the people you called 'friends' and 'family', because they're still in the cult . At that moment you leave, you become all alone. Forums like this are a help (helped me.. Thanks Simon and everyone whose been a part of it). But you're right, therapy would be good, if affordable. I had a few sessions, but they were more of a counselor, not a licensed therapist/doctor. But what really helped was having friends who were kind enough to let me spill my guts to them. A 'worldly' friend who listened, and gave advice. And later another couple of ex-JWs, in which we could commiserate together over a beer. Going it alone is tough, very tough.

And if you grew up as a JW, once you free yourself of the chains of their moral code, you will experiment in things. I did. I learned my limits, and what was healthy and not healthy, what was worth a risk and what wasn't... and I did it without the pressure, rules, fear and guilt of the cult. I knew others who did as well, but unfortunately did not come back from the dark side. Maybe they could have been saved had they been helped, or had a shoulder to lean on...

Good post, good reminders. Thanks for sharing. And my thoughts go out to you on your family loss.

53

Best statement a householder made to get you to leave them alone.

by Esse quam videri in

knocked on a door on a saturday morning.

a window opened on the floor above me.

a grizzled old man stuck his head out and said, " we're all heathens here!

undercover

Out in 'unassigned territory' we actually had a shotgun fired over our car as we came down a long country dirt drive. It had the shooter's desired effect... we turned around and left. Shotgun totin' hillbillies - 1; JWs - 0

44

Was looking at my childhood book "From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained" I found something interesting.

by Still Totally ADD in

jw
friends

i was showing a friend of mine what kind of books my parents allowed me to read when i was very young.

no children books that was age related but the so called orange paradise book was my only children book i had.

she was taken back on how violent it was and showing little kids being killed by god was just unspeakable.

undercover

Thanks for the link to the PDF copy, Blondie. I've since long ago purged all my old WT books, but every now and then you realize that there are a few that should have been kept for research purposes. This is one of them.

And yes, I remember studying it as a kid. Those illustrations of Armageddon were a bit unsettling to such a naive, tender mind.

35

February 26, 2017 TO ALL BODIES OF ELDERS Re: Witnessing in Public Places

by wifibandit in

february 26, 2017 to all bodies of elders re: witnessing in public places.

and.

february 25, 2017 to all congregations re: magnetic boards and posters for public witnessing.

undercover

...if a fee is to be paid for a site in a mall, the F/S Overseer has to pay it out of his pocket

Well, to be fair - it wouldn't do to steal from the Watchtower Pedophile Defense Fund to cover the cost of the Life Saving Ministry work, now would it?

36

Sample Disassociation Letter please?

by LifesNotOver in

i want to send a disassociation letter to the elders at my old congregation.

how do i address it and what wording do i use?

i know it's not something i have to do, it's symbolic for me.

undercover

I believe disassociating oneself is "playing by their rules". Who else has that word? It gives them some closure on you. But maybe YOU need some closure, too. If so, have at it!

This.

Each person's circumstance is different, so what works for me won't work for the next person. I won't DA because I don't accept their authority or position. So F em...

But, for some people, it may be the better option to get the distance they need from harassing elders, family, etc. In that case, I would keep it short and sweet. No point in going thru all the sins of the WTS, they aren't going to read it. Once they see it's a DA letter, and see the signature, it gets filed away, and your name announced at the next service meeting.

80

Lots Of Whining And Complaining About Us JW's

by Deaconblues1914 in

in reading these posts, it sounds like a lot of you are very jealous of the wt.

society’s annual income and the money they/we have in the bank.

jehovah has indeed blessed us.

undercover

Darn it, I miss all the fun. Looks like Steely Dan fan has left the building...

26

Observations from an Ex-Elder Part 1

by doubtfull1799 in

i was thinking about the fog model this morning, particularly about the "obligation" part.

my mind went back to the last elders school i went to.

one of the parts in the section on appointments was discussing how we should not place too high a bar (human standards) for brothers to try and jump over when we are considering them for appointment as a ministerial servant.

undercover

That's pretty much how I got deleted as an MS (the first time). I was accounts servant, sound servant, volunteered for most building projects, maintenance projects, etc etc etc. But as soon as my hours dropped below the 10.0 average, I got a pep talk about getting those hours back in line. So, I lied on my time report for a few months. Then I just got burned out, and let the hours slip again, and let them delete me. It was actually a load off my shoulders. I should have realized then that if being 'punished' by being demoted was a relief, then there is something wrong with God's earthly organization.

46

Circuit Assemblies in the "Good Old Days"

by BluesBrother in

jw
friends

just been reminiscing about how c/a's have changed since we were young.

i remember when they started friday night in some rented hall , as well as the two weekend days.

saturday morning was a brief session then field ministry (which only a few performed ) and sunday sessions.. in the free time around the venue we just used to hang out socialising and eyeing up the girls.

undercover

Well, I'd say that remembering an assembly/convention from being a kid to a teenager is a lot different than remembering the same conventions as an adult.

One 7 day convention that us kids had a blast at, and I actually remember somewhat fondly (from a kid's summer vacation perspective), my parents still bitch about - the long drive, the expense of a hotel, the 3 sessions a day, the sunburns, the heat. All that was lost on us kids that had a blast playing during the breaks, and sleeping during the sessions, and making new friends.