well how do you argue with an organization with Jehovah God at the top of the organization chart??
btw, minimus, good to see you back.
best wishes, nowisee
nowisee
JoinedPosts by nowisee
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28
The Power Of The Organization
by minimus in.
what do you think makes the organization so powerful in the lives of people??
?
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27
How long did it take you to leave the org?
by sandy ini was wondering how long it took for all of you to leave the org.
how active were you and for how long while knowing the "truth" was not the truth.
i ran into an old friend last week.
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nowisee
a loooonnng ten years. beginning with father's crisis of faith. then a game of doubts, denial, doubts, denial, then conviction that the organization was full of pharisees, then rebellion, then exit. though it has taken these many 27 years later to absolutely become convinced that wts is false prophet; and even then absolute certainty did not arrive until this past year.
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Breaking Up is Hard to Do...
by joe_from_kokomo inmy wife and i just left the wts after some 6 years of involvement (5 1/2 as baptized jws).
it has been a painful experience, i must tell you, but also one that has been filled with great joy and relief, too.
the agony and the ecstasy, you could say.
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nowisee
thank you so much for sharing your experience, joe. it is very familiar and i can remember all of the feelings you describe.
tom cabeen has written a couple of very helpful booklets, "where is the body of Christ?" and "does God work through an organization?". they are particularly useful, i think, to someone who is in the transition phase out of wts. you can find info on him on the freeminds site or write to him at "one new haven avenue, ste. 13, milford, ct 06460. tom cabeen was former elder and bethel overseer, left around the same time as ray franz.
very best wishes to you, nowisee
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32
Watchtower = Pharisees
by drwtsn32 inthe wts always talks about how wrong it was for the pharisees to make an endless number of rules.
but the wts is guilty of the same thing.
you can't have a beard... you can't watch rated r movies... you must report your field service activity... you cannot go to costume parties... you can have some blood fractions but not whole blood... you can't read any stuff that is against our opinion... yadda yadda yadda.. my mom (an active jw) argues that theses are not rules but only guidelines.
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nowisee
well, ive told this story before, but it is pertinent so ill repeat it....
shortly before i left i asked permission to wear a tailored pants-suit in service (it was during the time when they were very fashionable, even as professional corporate attire) - not to be rebellious, but because northeast winters can be brutal and the sisters froze. it just seemed that we would be breaking no rule of etiquette, and it would only enable us to endure longer hours in service.
the presiding overseer said he personally thought there would be nothing wrong with it and i subsequently wrote a letter to wts asking them if it would be permissible. i wanted to do everything right so before i sent the letter i showed it to the po who absolutely freaked, saying that i could not send the letter because what would brooklyn think of him.
it was then that i realized that they all were pharisees, putting burdens on the flock that had nothing whatsoever to do with scripture. soon after that i NEVER went out in service again.
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nowisee
hi newbies!
welcome!
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82
What is the WTS's motive?
by careful fader incan anyone help me understand the motive of the wts?
i don't think it's money .
the gb lives at bethel in a pretty low standard of living.
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nowisee
gerard -- the information presented is chilling.
i so relate to the feelings of your girlfriend. yes, even though you are out you don't want to "hurt anyone's conscience or faith" by being candid about your experiences and feelings. i know it took me about 25 years to generally admit to anyone in public that i was an exjw. when i read "the orwellian world of jehovah's witnesses" about 2 years ago, i finally felt that i could be open. then i wanted to so much connect with others who had been through some of the same experiences. one thing led to another and i finally found the internet in feb of this year and this forum in march.
amac - just curious. did i understand you to say that you were a bethelite? or did you just visit bethel?
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32
Watchtower = Pharisees
by drwtsn32 inthe wts always talks about how wrong it was for the pharisees to make an endless number of rules.
but the wts is guilty of the same thing.
you can't have a beard... you can't watch rated r movies... you must report your field service activity... you cannot go to costume parties... you can have some blood fractions but not whole blood... you can't read any stuff that is against our opinion... yadda yadda yadda.. my mom (an active jw) argues that theses are not rules but only guidelines.
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nowisee
well, remembering back, there were a lot of issues that were supposed to be "guidelines" or matters left up to individual conscience. but that was just words. the reality of it was that if you stepped out of those guidelines while following your conscience, there would be unleashed such a backlash of gossip, ill-will, and self-righteousnes by those following the guidelines, that you were quickly either brought back into conformity, or you would hide to not be seen doing whatever it was that was objectionable.
really there was a lot of ugliness rather than Christian love and freedom.
integ -- well i read your posts -- not just here but i have noticed you around. i'm pretty new too, and it just takes time for people to get to know you. don't give up -- keep posting!! everyone has something to add.
best wishes, nowisee
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28
Ever been to a therapist?
by teejay insorry if the title came across as a "minimus question," but after posting to one of joelbear's threads, i thought of my experience with therapists.
all together, i've spent between 20 and 30 hours in counseling on two separate occassions and, i'm happy to say, both of the counselors and both of the experiences remain very good memories.
i found out early on that for them to do their job, you had to be bluntly honest so that's what i did.
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nowisee
oh yeah. therapy was instrumental in helping me to purge myself of someconsuming anger at certain of my family members. although i went there with a different issue in mind, the first thing she said was, "ok, tell me about your family."
over the year and a half i was in therapy all the stuff came tumbling out. many sessions ended in a puddle of tears.
it also was helpful that this particular therapist grew up with a jw friend and had been close to her family. she had also counseled several alcoholic elders.
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29
Up date on moi
by shera in.
if you want to know..... if you remeber when i had it a little rough a few weeks ago considering my son,who is disabled with autism.well things are better.i decided to quit my job and stay at home with him.i have now controlled most of his behavior but i still have a hard time with keeping him clothed.i looked into many places but they just can't offer me anything,for him with out the money...i realized my son basically just has me and i'm going to be there for him.. working and having a full time job at home was too much for me and i'm not ashamed to say that too.
well he can still stress me out but we are both happier people.he has changed much,now that he has his mommy at home..
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nowisee
thanks for the update, shera. you have been in my thoughts a lot over the last few weeks. i am so glad things are going better for you and your son. all indications are that you have made the right decision.
very best wishes, nowisee
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An epiphany, and prelude to other thoughts
by onacruse inwell, this is being a remarkable couple of weeks for me; one of those moments i'll remember for the rest of my life.
not to be melodramatic, but i think "epiphany" best describes what i'm experiencing.. a little history: i was born and raised a jw, bethel-bound at 8, baptized at 10. always a book-worm, liked to study math, science, and old wts publications (what a combo lol).
when i wasn't vacation pioneering (as it was called then), i spent my summers in my room, frequently reading for 16 hours at a stretch.
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nowisee
((((((((dj))))))))
so your family wants to put you between a rock and a hard place?? continue to take the high road. francois is right.
"...love bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. love never fails."
my thoughts, prayers and love are with you. nowisee