Posts by undercover

If they choose to become a JW, arguing and trying to prove them wrong is probably going to just push them into it more. The JWs teach new ones that family and friends will try to stop them from studying.

Maybe if you show them a website or book on cults/high control groups and ask them to just compare the signs to watch for against how the JWs act, maybe, just maybe, they'll see some things that causes them to question. If they choose to continue with the JWs, all I can say is to still accept them as your family and let them know that no matter what, they will always be family and can come to you with anything. In time, maybe they'll see your love is unconditional as compared to the JWs "love", which is conditional.

13

Face it - some people WANT to be a JW!

by Dawn in

jw
friends

after many many conversations with my family i've come to the conclusion that some people just want to be a witness.

they need that security of being told all the answers - of having their decisions made for them - and the tight social group they're involved in.. the truth is - it's much harder when you don't have all the answers and you have to think for yourself.

i guess some people just aren't ready to face that.

undercover

it just seems a shame that you conclude it is those weak who want to be Witnesses. Surely you must know how much strength it takes every week to want to go face-to-face with all sorts of people with all sorts of anti-God, anti-faith, anti-anything attitudes.

This statement made me think. Zealous JWs call us "weak" because we refuse to play by the WTS rules anymore. We tend to want to call JWs "weak" because they refuse to look beyond what the WTS dictates for them. To be fair, it takes strength to leave the witnesses and it takes strength for people to become witnesses.

Unfortunately, I think that we want to lump all witnesses into a single entity. Even though the WTS is the organization that deserves our scorn and disrespect, many sincere, kind, good people known as Jehovah's Witnesses get caught in the crossfire. No, not all of them are good people, but many are, no different than any other religion. Many of them are completely happy as JWs, as there are many happy Catholics, Baptists, etc, etc. I have no problem accepting them as they are. That is, as long as they don't force certain issues with me.

I know that JWs will never think that way about X-JWs or apostates, but that's okay. I don't need their approval anymore. I know what I know and accept the fact that many will never leave and may cut off their association with me. It's a big world out there, most of it without the influence of the WTS. I choose to explore some of it with what's left of my life.

67

Crazy JW Superstitions...

by Confucious in

hey!

ok, we all know of this uncanny word play about not saying, "you were lucky," and not saying "bless you" after someone sneezes.

but this is a bizarre one i heard.

undercover

I've heard the field service stories of where charging dogs stopped in mid-air when they lunged at a dub. Everyone claimed it was an angel that stopped it. Another one was where some guy was gonna attack the next set of dubs that came by his house. When they eventually showed up, he was afraid to attack because of the huge third guy standing behind the two dubs. Of course the stories were embellished by whoever told the story.

I guess Jah is discriminatory because I know of other dubs that were bitten by dogs while in service, I myself was chased and narrowly missed getting bitten. I know of a sister that was shot at the door. I know others that were run off property by shotgun and other implements of destruction. Where was that angel then?

How about this one? In case of a natural disaster, run to the local Kingdom Hall. Jehovah will protect his people that gather there.

44

Did Being a JW Make You a Bully VICTIM in SCHOOL?

by Smoldering Wick in

jw
friends

i read this article in the montreal gazette that talked about a young witness kid being bullied in school.

it made me think back to all the times i was treated differently in school for being a jehovah's witness.

i grew up in a predominately mexican community and went to public school there from 1st-12th grade as a jw.

undercover

I was bullied some in school. I fought back once, I won the battle but lost the war. Got in trouble with the principle, then my parents.

I had a different way of dealing with possible bullying situations. I learned to become invisible for the most part. I knew that I was different by being a JW but I even looked different. I grew up in the late 60s and 70s where grooming and hair styles were way out there sometimes. I was one of a very few guys with short hair. Not just not long, but cut more like a military cut which was definately not cool at that time. No faded Levis for me. All of my clothes were neat and pressed. I had few school friends, mostly misfits themselves. Guys and a couple of girls that didn't fit into any one clique. But for the most part, I stayed to myself, avoided anything that could bring attention to my being different and I never tried to "witness" to classmates.

While I hated school and felt out of place and lived on pins and needles waiting for the next embarrassing situation, there were other dub kids that fit right in at school. Their hair was short, but other than that, they didn't seem to have any of the issues that I had. At the time it hurt to see them fit right in but I couldn't. Later, after graduation, many of these dub kids either drifted away from the "truth" or were DFd. I rationalized that they weren't strong JWs to begin with and they let the school atmostphere degrade them. Now I see that they were just not as fooled or controlled by the WTS as I had been.

I think any self-esteem issues that some of us may have or have had in the past, have come from our upbringing through this nutty religion. We're never good enough, or do enough and everyone outside our KH world is evil. How can you be normal when that is beat into your skull all the time?

32

Why this is not xjw forum

by kls in

i used to wonder why with so many xjws on here ,or nearly xjws on this forum ,why it was not named so .

that way we would not have so many troll's and practicing jws come on this site looking for people in their own religion ( cough ) .

now when i see a newbie join and they are practicing jws ,i think maybe just maybe by them not knowing most here are out of the cult and they read the threads posted by so many knowing and knowledgable people on the forum ,that some may log off and actually think of some things that have seen.

undercover

many time's there have been jws on the forum and they have been greeted warmly....

Yes, I have seen that. I've also seen some here who used the oppurtunity to make fun of them or to riducle them. Without provocation, I don't think it's right. But there are probably more who greet warmly than those who take advantage of the situation.

...if they insist on trying to comform us back to the vomit we left and are trying to heal from ,they only get what is deserved.

I agree. If they come here looking to up their hours or condemn people for being "apostate" then they asked for it and it's good to see them get their comeuppance.

32

Why this is not xjw forum

by kls in

i used to wonder why with so many xjws on here ,or nearly xjws on this forum ,why it was not named so .

that way we would not have so many troll's and practicing jws come on this site looking for people in their own religion ( cough ) .

now when i see a newbie join and they are practicing jws ,i think maybe just maybe by them not knowing most here are out of the cult and they read the threads posted by so many knowing and knowledgable people on the forum ,that some may log off and actually think of some things that have seen.

undercover

do you think the average JW that stumbles upon this site would feel welcomed after an exchange with most of us

No. But should it be that way? I mean, as long as they aren't trolls, or aren't trying to save us from our errant ways or condemning us for leaving the WTS, shouldn't we treat them as we would anyone else that came here? The banner says "...everyone welcome!" so as long as they just want to hang out, ask questions or even discuss theology (I said discuss, not preach to or condemn others) then we should treat them as we would anyone else that came here. Ya never know, the sincere JW that just wanted to ask a couple of questions might have his eyes opened, not by any argument, but by the fact that we didn't condemn him but accepted him for who and what he was.

166

Could This Be the Most Repellent Watchtower ....Ever?

by metatron in

jw
friends

you'll be getting the aug. 1 watchtower soon.

on it's rear cover, it has the following article:.

"the branch office of jehovah's witnesses in nigeria recently received a letter that, in part.

undercover

I'll bet none of you have given even 1% of your income to charity.

What's that got to do with price of WTs in China?

The WTS is not a charity. Giving time or money to it does not count as giving to a charity. The WTS has discouraged its members from giving to "worldly" charities, so I can assume that if you are a faithful JW that you too have given less than one percent to charities.

7

Giving Jehovah our best....

by undercover in

jw
friends

it's interesting how your memory gets jogged by little things.

i was washing my hands at work when i noticed that someone had watered down the liquid soap.

i was instantly taken back several years ago when i was an ms given a cleaning assignment at an assembly taking place in the assembly hall.

undercover

It's interesting how your memory gets jogged by little things.

I was washing my hands at work when I noticed that someone had watered down the liquid soap. I was instantly taken back several years ago when I was an MS given a cleaning assignment at an assembly taking place in the assembly hall. I remember that brothers were assigned to guard and dispense cleaning supplies only to brothers in charge of their respective departments. Then that brother handed them out to his "employees" and we had to answer for every bottle, rag, mop, broom borrowed. The liquid cleaning supplies were kept in plain white spray bottles with hand written labels. It didn't take long to realize that these supplies were not much good. It took more elbow grease than cleaner to do the job. A brother who had been in cleaning for some time told me the dirty little secret how they bought name brand cleaning supplies and then cut them with water to stretch the product out further.

One year I was assigned the kitchen to clean. The stainless steel was impossible to clean with the stuff they gave us. I went to the cleaning supplies overseer to ask for something more powerful. He sent me to the Assembly Hall overseer, the guy that actually lived on site and oversaw everything about the place. He took me to a locked closet, pulled out a ring of keys and opened the closet. Inside the closet were the cleaning products in their original store bought bottles. The overseer looked at me and said that this was a very special cleaner. It was very strong stuff. A little goes a long way. Use it sparingly. I laughed, because on the shelves were just plain old cleaners that you can buy at Wal-Mart. Nothing special. I laughed, expecting him to laugh along too, like he got me on a good joke, but no. He was dead serious. He looked at me with a stern look, as if to say, "I'm not sure you are responsible enough to handle this special cleaner". I had to sign out the bottle. I had to go use it , bring it right back and then he scratched my name off the check out list.

The last day of the assembly we needed to wash out some cans outside. We went out on the back dock to the outside hose bibb. The faucet handle was missing. How did that happen? Who would steal a faucet handle? We went back to report it and whoever we told said that it was on purpose. We needed to go see the Assembly Hall overseer to "check out" the faucet handle. We hunted him down, he took us to his office and locked inside his desk drawer was the faucet handle. We had to sign for it, use it, bring it back to him and him only.

Here we were, in Jehovah's place of worship and we were watering down the cleaning supplies and hiding faucet handles. I remember thinking after that assembly, if we are to give Jehovah our best, how can you justify watering down cleaning supplies used on his place of worship? Any of you that have worked cleaning at an assembly hall know just how anal those guys were about how clean everything had to be. Yet, they gave us inferior products to give them a superior cleaning job than what we would do at home. That assembly left a very bad taste in my mouth. I was very frustrated after that assembly. I remember all of the issues around the cleaning but I couldn't tell you one thing about any of the talks or experiences.

166

Could This Be the Most Repellent Watchtower ....Ever?

by metatron in

jw
friends

you'll be getting the aug. 1 watchtower soon.

on it's rear cover, it has the following article:.

"the branch office of jehovah's witnesses in nigeria recently received a letter that, in part.

undercover

The money grubbiness of the WTS is what seems to have some upset, but it was this sentence that caught my eye:

Because of Jehovah's promises, we are confident that we will soon - very soon- see Anderson again.

To me this article wasn't as much a guilt trip about giving money as it was a guilt trip to realize that Armageddon is near and people need the orgnization to survive it. Note that Armageddon is coming "soon - very soon". Even though this African mother or father wrote this, the WT must be in agreement in order to quote them.