Posts by jillbedford

38

Did anyone ever notice just how many 30-40 year escapees there are?

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

i know a lot of young people leave the 'truth'.

but i would never have thought that so many of us with 20, 30, 40 years in would be leaving.

what do you think accounts for that?

jillbedford

I was raised in the "truth" and am 37. I quit going after the "new light" about the understanding of a generation.

This new information really served to make God look like a liar. For example, if your place of employement, where you served faithfully for years (and in our case, all voluntarily), you were promised a retirement plan, that you had paid into and your employer paid into, but when it was time to pay up, the employer said, "You must have misunderstood what I was telling you, there is no retirement plan, but you can still work here for the rest of your life." This would make your employer look like a lying scoundrel.

When all along the real promises made to us from God had nothing to do with earning salvation through endless hours in field service and constant mind numbing meetings, but was the pure and simple truth that belief in the ransom sacrifice is our only true salvation.

So for me it was the old adage, "Fool me once (1975) shame on you, fool me twice (1994) shame on me."

26

Do you have dreams that you're still in the org.?

by lucky in

jw
friends

it's weird.

i haven't been to a meeting in eight years, but at least once a month, i have a dream that i'm at a meeting or out in service or at an assembly or in some other witness-related situation.

it's like those school dreams where you dream you have a calculus final that morning and you haven't been to class all semester.

jillbedford

Unfortunately the reality is the true nightmare........

Yes, sometimes have dreams I am a witness still, betraying my own true self to be with my family who I miss so much.

42

What was your most humiliating point of being a jw?

by love11 in

jw
friends

mine was when my mom signed me up to sit at a table at our local university.

we had to sit there and talk to students as they passed by our table.

a few people came up to start a conversation and i didn't even know what they were talking about.

jillbedford

After the "mistake" that Armageddon was not coming in 1975, the most humilating point was the "new light" in 1994 that Armageddon was not coming in my lifetime after all.

All the missed opportunities, college, advancement at work, choice of husband.....all poor choices based on what some old men in Brooklyn said I should do in order to survive Armageddon.

I realized right at that point Armageddon was the same as hellfire in other religions. A means to manitpulate and deceive.

I have made many positive, educate choices since.

13

employees from hell

by littlerockguy in

how many are managers/supervisors and have to deal with one or two employees who are complete and udder nightmares, i.e.

not staying in their desk, always behind, always a crisis and have to leave work, has a smart-ass attitude when counseling or cries when you tell them what they need to be doing?

i have one that my boss hired as soon as i was promoted and i have to manage that employee and my boss knew about this person was when they was hired!!

jillbedford

I too, am a supervisor. From years of experience, you will always have one or too "challenging" associates, this is part of your job. When one leaves, a new different challenging associate comes on board.

As a responsible supervisors, it is our job to try to motivate this employee to change. Easier said than done, put nevertheless, very much part of the job when you step up to the challenge of being "in charge".

I work for a large company with many chances given before the decision to terminate is made. So these individuals stay on the team for many months, bringing down the energy of the group. Extra time has to be spent keeping up the postive energy of the rest of the team who always do their job.

I took several courses at the local university of how to motivate employees and found this extremely helpful. My company even paid for the education costs!

So I feel your pain so to speak and wish you well an the continuing challenges that lay ahead!

40

What is the oldest witness publication you actually remember?

by AK - Jeff in

not just one you have seen - or even researched since leaving.

but the oldest one you recall studying when you 'got the truth' or as a child?.

i remember "let god be true" - 'babylon the great has fallen'- and 'paradise restored - paradise regained' [the big orangish/pink book - hope i got the name right] - all 50's early 60's books.

jillbedford

"Your Youth-Getting the Best Out of It" was red, not pink. The "Great Teacher" book was for little kids and it was pink. As many of you have mentioned, there was a peach book called, "Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained".

For me, the first big, big deal book was released in Yankee Stadium in 1970 and it was "The Truth that Leads to Everlasting Life".

As far as a study goes, I was raised in the truth, never missed a meeting, never missed Saturday morning field service and was a regular pioneer since 13 so a Bible study with me personally was deemed not necessary. I was the one who conducted the study.

The oldest important book I remeber, and I am betraying my age with this one, is the many, many versions of the New World Translation until we finally have this very thick green Bible. I personally had this thick green Bible.

38

New Light on Higher Education

by seeitallclearlynow in

jw
friends

my son made a point to tell me that they had what was to him a very interesting, different talk on the service meeting this week.

the presiding overseer gave a talk on the society's changed view of getting a college education.. he used the scripture which admonishes the reader to "acquire a heart of wisdom" and applied it to getting a 4 year college education for the sake of being able to support oneself at double the rate of pay with one's degree upon graduation.

this of course is only for the purpose of being able to then pioneer, only having to work a few days a week, thereby having the time for the field ministry.. such an annoying change - finally!

jillbedford

The WTB&TS did change their view on education many years ago, I do think it was 1994, saying that higher education is OK if you are using it to support yourself in the pioneer work.

And to the witnesses defense, education is not the end all either. It is a ticket to somewhere, what you do when you get there is your choice. I have a B.S. majoring in business and I was certified, 2 year degree, as a photographer. I also took certification courses business. All of this was after I left JW's but....I still make as much per hour as I did house cleaning as a good JW. The dirt I address now as a manager is just different than the dirt I addressed as a cleaning lady. Rate of pay is the same.

Everything in life is all about choices.

53

Please---Your Prayers And Good Wishes Are Needed

by Sunspot in

jw
friends

i got a call from the er last night---hubby had been in an accident and they were running tests and x-rays.

he was in terrible pain.

they called back during the night during the night saying he has a shattered sternum and other injuries.

jillbedford

Annie, I will pray for your dear husband and send healing thoughts your way. Please let him know we are all pulling for him.

I pray that he will have strength to endure what paths lays before him. I pray that you will be given strength and patience to go through the challenges that lay before you.

28

Ruined marriages

by greendawn in

i just wish to know does the wts have a deliberate policy of splitting married couples if one of the spouses leaves the org even if adultery is not involved?

do they at least indirectly encourage this to happen?

and if yes is this a fairly recent policy?

jillbedford

I went back to JW meeting this past summer, like a big idiot. I hadn't been in ten years and thought, let's give it one last try. Maybe things have changed.

When it was disovered that my husband was a non-believer, there seemed to be a matchmaking commitee formed to find me a more suitable husband. Also it was mentioned if my husband said I could not attend meetings, this would be grounds for leaving him.

It doesn't suit the ideal to have a non-believer in the mix. One must have all ties nailing you the "stake" so there will be no leaving......or else you lose your everything.

11