Posts by Bonsai

33

What can you tell me about this painting?

by Esse quam videri in

Bonsai

I see two people and also a glowing square in the background disturbing what would have been a nice scenic picture of a field dotted with asters and tall reeds.

39

Child Abuse - "I don't care. I haven't got any children".

by cofty in

earlier this week i bumped into a couple of jws who i recognised from the cult cart.

a few months ago i had a long conversation with him one of them and found him to be quite friendly.

he is new to the area in the years since i left.. this time he was very defensive and said he wasn't allowed to talk to me.

Sadly, I have to admit that there was a time when I felt this way. i knew there were abuse problems when I was still in, but I didn't know all the facts. I assumed it was always possible that people were just lying to get attention and money from the organization. I reasoned that Jehovah would sort it out in his own time and me, with no children, didn't have to worry or think about the abuse problem any further. SMH. I really didn't care until I had a daughter of my own to think about.

51

Why hasn’t someone gotten real pissed off yet?

by John Aquila in

i keep reading of some guy who is so upset at someone that he goes into a theater and shoots 20 people..

or a kid that is so mad that the other kids made fun of him that he goes to school and shoots a bunch of kids..

or some guy that was fired from his job and he goes back and shoots of bunch of his workers.

Bonsai

I just found out after I posted. If anything the Louisiana tragedy highlights the validity of this topic. The ex JW community has never engaged in an act of violence on a scale such as that of what just happened in Louisiana. We are surprised (because we've all met a nut or two in the organization), but we are relieved and take pride in our non-violent activism against those who have abused and manipulated us on so many levels. Simonsays, you sir, are missing the point. Quit seeking to remove the straw from your fellow ex-JW's eye while you yet have not removed the rafter from your own eye.

51

Why hasn’t someone gotten real pissed off yet?

by John Aquila in

i keep reading of some guy who is so upset at someone that he goes into a theater and shoots 20 people..

or a kid that is so mad that the other kids made fun of him that he goes to school and shoots a bunch of kids..

or some guy that was fired from his job and he goes back and shoots of bunch of his workers.

Bonsai

Wherever the (k)GB go, they bring their entourage of body guards, lawyers and helpers. They are untouchable.

Most who leave, leave for conscientious reasons or moral freedom. That means they have a conscience and are not likely to be a sociopath or psychopath. The last thing they would want to do is trade a figurative prison cell made of fear, obligation and guilt for a literal one made of cold, hard steel.

24

Resistance is NOT futile!

by Bonsai in

all i want from this life is to be able to wash windows at bethel.. my story.. when i was fresh out of high school and pioneering, i said those exact words to my friends and family.

all i wanted to do was be at the core of the organization where it was the safest.

i gleefully told people that i'd gladly spend the rest of my life washing windows, waiting tables, doing laundry or cleaning bathrooms.

Bonsai

Thanks for digging that info up Bluesbrothers. I have it in Japanese somewhere, also there is a Japanese Kingdom Ministry explicitly forbidding the practice of floral tributes at funerals.

24

Resistance is NOT futile!

by Bonsai in

all i want from this life is to be able to wash windows at bethel.. my story.. when i was fresh out of high school and pioneering, i said those exact words to my friends and family.

all i wanted to do was be at the core of the organization where it was the safest.

i gleefully told people that i'd gladly spend the rest of my life washing windows, waiting tables, doing laundry or cleaning bathrooms.

Bonsai

Diogenesister, I don't think the ritual began with Buddhists. Like you said the custom is old. Probably was carried out way back in the neolithic period (new stone age) or even before that. The custom is however given reverence and has deep religious meaning here. I think in the west the act is more informal and is done just to show respect for the deceased and also for the mourners.

The funeral experience forced home to me the fact that the JW religion is very legalistic, unmerciful and a close cousin to the Pharisees.

22

One year of being free

by Israel Ricky Gonzales in

one year ago, this thursday, i went to work as usual.

i got home, ate dinner, got myself dressed for the meeting, and helped my kids get ready like i usually did.. my son had a talk that evening, his second one.

many of my family went to support him.

Bonsai

A fake part of you died. You shed it like a reptile sheds old skin. It feels so much better when that load is gone. Happy one year anniversary! My one year mark is coming up soon, too.

24

Resistance is NOT futile!

by Bonsai in

all i want from this life is to be able to wash windows at bethel.. my story.. when i was fresh out of high school and pioneering, i said those exact words to my friends and family.

all i wanted to do was be at the core of the organization where it was the safest.

i gleefully told people that i'd gladly spend the rest of my life washing windows, waiting tables, doing laundry or cleaning bathrooms.

Bonsai

Sir82, laying flowers on the casket is a Buddhist ritual at funerals to prepare the deceased individual's soul for departure. In Japan, there is a strict, concerted effort to remove any Buddhist tendencies from JW's. I suspect some who put down the flowers did so without knowing about this ritual. When they were reprimanded they showed an unrepentant spirit and were df'd for it.

43

Yet more trolley (in)activity

by konceptual99 in

jw
friends

i am currently having to spend a little time waiting for an appointment in the vicinity of a central london station.

whilst waiting i am catching up on some work in a cafe.

i can see a couple of trolleys and have been watching them for around an hour now.. not one person has stopped to take literature.

Bonsai

I remember doing the trolley work, standing at a train station, hoping that people would walk by without noticing me. Very very few people stopped to talk. Even fewer took any literature. It was a great way to get time in, though.

24

Resistance is NOT futile!

by Bonsai in

all i want from this life is to be able to wash windows at bethel.. my story.. when i was fresh out of high school and pioneering, i said those exact words to my friends and family.

all i wanted to do was be at the core of the organization where it was the safest.

i gleefully told people that i'd gladly spend the rest of my life washing windows, waiting tables, doing laundry or cleaning bathrooms.

Bonsai

Thanks for your comments everyone. Here are a few more random observations that led to my awakening:

***The son of the deceased father was an elder. He was also disfellowshipped shortly after the funeral. Can you imagine losing your father and then being disfellowshipped yourself?

***I remember there was a sister who used to like practicing her English with me. She wrote a short book of bible poems that she was going to publish. The elders got together with her and discouraged her from publishing it. They said she would be taking due attention away from the Christ appointed organization and give undue attention to herself. This sister has battled terrible depression and is now battling breast cancer.

***In the country that I live in, up until very recently, df'd ones were assigned seats in the back row.

There is so much more that has contributed toward my disgust for all things JW, but I can only reveal them in bits and peices.