Posts by Jaidubdub

153

Shocking talk from 2013 District Convention urges parents to shun disfellowshipped children

by cedars in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yldwe_6jsu.

.

cedars.

Jaidubdub

Thanks Cedars. This has to be one of the most disgusting talks I have ever heard as I have family members who are disfellowshipped. I felt both upset & angry at the same time How dare they cause such divisions within families. And this shunning business does not work. A friend of mine went to a family jw wedding & her df'd cousin was at the ceremony. She was so genuinely happy to see her, that she gave her the biggest hug & talked for a while. Her other sister (married to a co & thinks she's above everyone else) told her off but she told her to get off her high horse & rather than sitting there giving the df'd relative dirty looks, maybe she should try encouraging her by treating her like a person. The df'd relative spoke to a few of her jw relatives that day (there is a lot of jw's that don't go along with the shunning policy) & said how much she missed everyone & has since started coming back to meetings. I hope she doesn't come back...

Jack Harper & Mrs Harper, I think yr awesome. A close friend of mine was df'd a few years ago. Each time I see his sister, I ask about him & ask her to pass on my love to him as I miss him. She always has years in her eyes when I do that - I would hate to think just how hurtful this talk would be to her whole family.

46

Former Unbaptized Publisher, New Here

by GloomySunday in

jw
friends

former unbaptized publisher, here.. i'm new to the forums and have hesitated for months to join this forum.

i was raised in a jw family, and was never baptized, because one of my parents didn't think i should be baptized early.. my mother became inactive, but i eventually went back for social contact, eventually starting a study.

i raised a few questions, only to find that the conductor would get irritated and defensive when my questions would get deeper into the topic.

Jaidubdub

Welcome GloomySunday. Glad u didn't get dunked & that u found out what this organisation is really about while yr still young. I'm 3rd generation born in & recently found this forum too. Trying to fade as quietly as possible. Looking fwd to reading more of yr posts...

67

Another Suicide

by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

there wouldn't have been any good way to hear the news i suppose.

it's just so strange to recall the conversation yesterday.

my "still in" parents are with me and my inactive sister having a pleasant conversation.

Jaidubdub

I'm so sorry to hear of yr loss Billy. And thanks for sharing

A young jw in her early 20's took her life about a month ago. I didn't know her that well but when our paths crossed, she was always so bubbly & funny & was always friendly towards me.

36

Zealous Witnesses who never had children and regret it now.

by MsGrowingGirl20 in

jw
friends

i had two close friends in the org.

one is in her early thirties and got married last year and the other one is single and in her late twenties.

after reading coc, i couldn't help but feel sad at how ray and his wife felt regret at putting the religion first and not having any children.

Jaidubdub

It's heartbreaking to see those that have put off marrying & having families for this cult. I have heard some of my friends use the term AAA - available after Armageddon. I know they will live to regret it. It angers me just how responsible this cult it for dysfunctional families & lives. It has ruined so many lives in so many ways. It's a struggle each day as I try to rebuild what they took from me...

45

Do you remember your Baptism Talk?

by bildad in

jw
friends

do you remember anything from your baptism talk or the brother who gave it?.

Jaidubdub

No... My mind would always drift off at meetings & assemblies - even when I was pioneering. Totally booorrriinnnggg...

47

Growing up as a JW was a form of mental abuse for me

by Miss Fitt in

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Jaidubdub

I always tried to hide I was a jw at school, I was always embarrassed by it all. I hated how i was always the odd ine out & was teased for it. The Borg called it fear of man, I called it just wanting to be like all the other kids. To this day, none of the places I worked at knew I was a jw. I joined in the birthdays & Christmas celebrations at work, including Secret Santa. The last 2 years I even put up our work Christmas tree & decorated the office. I would always feel guilty after, but not anymore...

26

Did you feel pushed into pioneering?

by Xanthippe in

so i have been replying to letters from a jw friend who suddenly started writing to me after i've been out for nearly 25 years.. i have mentioned things like the poverty that pioneering causes from my own experience, worrying about having enough money to buy food.. i also said that the scrimping would have been worth it if we had been saving to buy a home or go on lovely holidays.. instead we ended up with nothing materially and we were living in a tiny rented flat when we left.. when i think of all the places i wanted to visit with my husband but couldn't because we were pioneering and had no money and now it is too late because my husband has died at the age of 54. we did get to visit some beautiful places but we ran out of time.. what i was trying to say to her was - life's too short.

stop waiting for the new system, get on with your life.

stop exhausting yourself in that religion.

Jaidubdub

When I left my full time job, the sister who studied me asked what my plans were. I had recently moved to a new city so told her I had planned to go back & visit my friends for a few weeks then come back & look for another full time job. She suggested I pioneered, I told her that pioneering wasn't for me. She asked me how can I really say that since I never pioneered before & gave me a long lecture about the purposes of my baptism & dedicating my life to Jehovah etc. Out of guilt I started pioneering. After a few months I stopped as I couldn't survive on a part time wage & my savings had dried up & I refused to go on welfare as was suggested by other pioneers. I had always wanted to return to pioneering if my circumstances ever allowed me. But after learning TTATT, I flat out refuse to be controlled by them ever again.

34

Who Taught You The Truth(tm) OR Who Counted Time, On You?

by LoisLane looking for Superman in

jw
friends

my mom's lover would bring his handsome youngest son, to our house, and along with my dad, would study with my brother, sister and i. wed 7 pm.. next an elder's wife, who was a regular pioneer and worked part-time, who had a daughter my age, came to our house, after school wed. ruth was the head of the house and wore the pants.

her husband was part of the 3 men who sat on all judicial committees in our congo and would tell ruth everything, which in turn ruth would tell the sister's.

ruth was very pious but at the age of 15 gave birth to her only child, and beat on her daughter all the time, never letting her forget what "trouble" her only daughter caused her.

Jaidubdub

I was a born in & started studying with 2 special pioneers so I could get dunked at age 14 - we studied the Live Forever Book. They told me by the time we finished the book, I should know if I want to get baptised or not. Thru our studies they would always make a point of telling me how getting baptised would be the most important decision I would ever make. When we finished the book, they asked me about getting baptised. I told them that since getting baptised is such am important decision, I didn't feel I was old enough, as a teenager, to make such an important, life changing 'adult' decision that would affect my whole life. They stopped studying with me coz they felt they couldn't do anymore to help me which was upsetting for me.

A few years later, our book study conductor approached me to start a study so I can get dunked, so a study was arranged with a close family friend. I told this family friend I didn't want to study the Live Forever book, coz it was too basic & boring for me & I knew it inside out. So we studied the Revelation book. When we approached the elders for me to get dunked they asked me why we were studying the Revelation book. I told them the Live Forever book was too basic for me and that i knew it inside out & I preferred something with more substance. Also too, I had a fascination with Revelation book as its the only part of the bible that will happen in my time (if only I knew 'the troof' back then). They told me I had to study another book (I think it was the United book) which we did. I think we only had done 3 chapters when the elders approached me to get baptised & our nxt assembly in 2 weeks time. I was the last of my friends to be baptised at age 20 & the oldest one on that day. Now that I know TTATT, I regret getting baptised.

87

Do you think "Blondie" is addicted to reading Watchtowers and Awakes?

by booker-t in

jw
friends

i remember when i was a "devout" jws i could not wait to get the new watchtowers and awakes from the wednesday nite theocratic ministry school.

i would actually salivate thinking of the new information jehovah had in the magazines for us.

i was "franatical" and i would go home still in my three piece suit and devour the magazines that very nite.

Jaidubdub

I just recent learnt TTATT & I'm still trying to get my head around what the Borg has done to me, my family & my life. Blondie's posts have helped me immensely. Thank you Blondie, I think your awesome

17

A scary day in FS today

by InChristAlone in

jw
friends

today, the jw who normally comes and his son visited my house.

we were talking on the doorstep for about ten or fifteen minutes when the son began to to faint.

i saw it coming, but i couldn't reach him before he fell backwards, hitting his head on the brick landscaping border.

Jaidubdub

That happened to me once. the householder was nice enough to give me a cool drink while I sat in the shade for a minute. While I was recovering, the jw continued to try & shove the magazines at the householder & had no concern for my well being. After we left the house, this jw just continued on as if nothing happened. When I saw mum (who was working with someone else), I told her what happened & the jw I was working with told mum I was young and strong, if she could do it, so could I & that I should be fine to carry on preaching - I was about 12 at the time. Luckily my mum took me straight home...