4thgen

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Posts by 4thgen

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  14

  If you substitute 'Governing Body' and 'faithful and discreet slave' to

  by ThomasCovenant in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  a single member of the governing body, for example david splane, i find it helps me to understand things a little better.. they have changed the meaning of 'faithful and discreet slave' to basically just 'the governing body'.. but that still allows them to print nice friendly 'we' and 'they' when giving directions (orders).. "we need to obey david splane to have jehovahs approval.

  "[a mature christian] does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to bible understanding.

  rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by jehovah god through his son, jesus christ, and david splane.

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  4thgen

  As its intended, the whole thing gives me the creeps
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  47

  New here and having ah ha moments!

  by Angus Beef in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  what made you realize it was time to go?

  i've been having health problems for the last few years and instead of any help, i'm listed as spiritually weak and of course associations is only my kids and husband.

  all the good jw's have moved to other congregations and are doing well.

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  4thgen

  Welcome Angus,

  You have gotten a lot of good advise here. Some may make sense and some of it you will find hard to swallow (at first). I totally understand. I'm in my mid 50's, a 4th generation JW. I was raised as the daughter of an elder, I pioneered and then married an MS. Eventually he became appointed and I was and then the wife of an elder for another 20 years. The truth was my hertitage and my life. I was happy and contented....then came an issue that I could not consciously accept. Like you, there was a situation where the law was broken, sins were hidden and the police were not informed. I didn't understand it all.

  It was like being in a funny house where what is black is white and what is white is black. Nothing made sense. Yet, I knew there had to be an explanation. So, I kept digging and finally, like Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz, saw behind the curtain. I didn't WANT to see behind the curtain, it was simply unavoidable...I hated what I learned, but I believe that to know the truth is better than to live a lie.

  Yes, we all believed that we had finally found the ‘truth’. Even being raised as a JW, there comes a point that you have to make the truth your own. We believed that we were blessed by God and found the best way of life. We believed it when we were promised we would be in paradise by now. We didn’t plan for the future, because we KNEW we would be in the new system.

  Then as we age and experience different things, we begin to notice discrepancies. Some things that just don‘t make sense. We push it aside and go on. Then eventually, there comes a situation or a crisis that we cannot ignore. The awakening can begin.

  Many of us have been spiritually abused, either by our spouses, the elders or both. We find were lied to and manipulated. We are made to feel worthless and unloved. We are pressured into acting a certain way, made to feel that things are our fault and not that of the one causing the abuse. We try to live up to the abusers standards, but we are never enough. We always fall short and never validated. And the cycle of spiritual abuse continues.

  There is also the feelings of loss. Where did all the years go? I thought I had the truth. I believed HAD the truth. I taught others what I believed and now I find it is a lie. How do I cope? How do I live with myself? How could I have not seen things sooner? These are all questions we have asked ourselves.

  There are also feelings of betrayal and also loss. You may begin to understand why some ‘apostates’ have the reputation of being angry…(who wouldn't be angry after being lied to your entire life?)

  Then comes the grief. Your entire way of life is now up for grabs, what do you do now? Where do you go? How do you live your life when you are in middle age and your foundation of life as you knew it is gone….Yes, it’s rough. It is like a death. And in a way it is….a death of your life as you knew it. It is an unexpected and unwelcome death.

  Nothing about this situation is easy. Especially since we never lived in the world or know how to act in it. Angus, we are glad you are here. We understand. Just keep remembering that it is a journey and you will get through. You have been deceived and you will learn to live with it. Will you become angry and resentful? Will you grow from the experience and be a better person? You are in control of your future.

  Keep digging and learn the truth about the truth (TTATT) It is a roller coaster ride. Remember that you are a good person and you are growing. God is still the God of love and His hand is not short. You will recover and move forward. It’s all up to you.

  Please feel free to PM me.

  All the best, 4thgen
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  13

  "We're on different paths now."

  by Pyramid God in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  it's been a while since i've read or posted on jwn.

  i guess i have been trying to put this chapter of my life behind me.. .

  as is usually the case, just when i'm having a good week, i get contact from a witness.

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  4thgen

  Do your friends know eachother? Maybe they all talked together and came to the conclusion. Was there a local needs talk that they all attended?

  Circuit assembly where they used that phrase?

  It's very hard to loose those who you were close to, but we all make different choices in life.

  Your choice is to learn truth and grow as a person. Theirs is stagnation.

  All the best, 4thgen
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  18

  Something occurred to me…

  by Vidiot in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  the conti case is a game-changer; that much is certain.. its also pretty certain (to a lot of us at jwn, anyway) that the wts:.

  believes they have the moral high ground and thusly are in the right.... arent going to significantly change their child abuse-related policies any time soon.... dont really think theyll actually lose their appeal.. .

  it should be obvious to anyone by now that one of the most significant and unavoidable characteristics of hierarchal, authoritarian religions (no matter what faith template they subscribe to) is a deeply entrenched problem of sexual victimization, especially of children and young people.

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  4thgen

  Very reasonable. The rules have changed.
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  1

  Catholic church must remove & report all child sex offenders

  by wallsofjericho in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  http://www.thelocal.it/20140205/vatican-must-turn-all-child-abusers-over-to-police-un.

  the vatican must remove all child sexual abusers from their posts and turn them over to the police, the united nations children's rights watchdog said on wednesday.. vatican trove of catholic persecution in japan (31 jan 14)advertisement the un committee on the rights of the child urged the holy see to "immediately remove all known and suspected child sexual abusers from assignment and refer the matter to the relevant law enforcement authorities for investigation and prosecution purposes".. in a hard-hitting report, the committee said that the catholic church was still failing to do enough to live up to its stated commitment to stamp out child abuse by priests and lay employees, including in schools.. see also: 'vatican refuses to stop abuse': victims' group.

  it underlined its "deepest concern about child sexual abuse committed by members of the catholic churches who operate under the authority of the holy see, with clerics having been involved in the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children worldwide".. "the committee is gravely concerned that the holy see has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and to protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which have led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators," it added.. see also: vatican defrocked 400 priests after scandals.

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  4thgen

  Let's celebrate this thread with some Sushi & Sake! This is SUCH GOOD NEWS!
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  50

  A $7million assisted living facility for aging JW ministers?

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.lvb.com/article/20140204/lvb01/140209972/serfass-to-build-$65m-assisted-living-facility.

  who is going to get to stay here?

  the gb, co's?

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  4thgen

  So, cliques continue even with the JW elderly.

  Those who cannot afford it because they gave all their finances, time and effort are left to scrounge or take public assistance.

  Oh I feel the love!

  Well, they better continue their building program, because they have a niche market that will only continue to grow!

  A continuing stream of overlapping generations!
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  50

  A $7million assisted living facility for aging JW ministers?

  by EndofMysteries in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  http://www.lvb.com/article/20140204/lvb01/140209972/serfass-to-build-$65m-assisted-living-facility.

  who is going to get to stay here?

  the gb, co's?

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  4thgen

  "We are not connected with or endorsed by the United States Branch Office of Jehovah's Witnesses or any legal entity used by it."

  http://jjha.org/

  http://jjha.org/video.html

  For almost 30 years, Jah-Jireh Charity Homes (JJCH), based in Great Britain, has been providing loving physical and spiritual care to aging brothers and sisters. These well-running homes are a testament to the blessings that come from the generosity, support, and hard work of the brotherhood. There are currently five homes in Great Britain with another under development. Similar not-for-profit homes are located in the Czech Republic, Poland, Netherlands, Canada, South Korea, and Denmark. In recognition of the needs of older ones in the United States, the JJCH board of trustees has committed its support and assistance as care facilities are developed in the United States.

  There is a growing population of older Jehovah’s Witnesses in need of help, [duh!] paralleling a general demographic trend of larger percentages of those over 75 years old. While we know that the primary responsibility to care for older ones lies first with their families and second with the congregation, there are times when these arrangements do not suffice.
  
  Many faithful servants of Jehovah are unable to find a satisfactory care facility where their religious beliefs will be respected and supported. This is where Jah-Jireh homes can help.
  
  Jah-Jireh Homes of America, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, has been formed so that care facilities can now be established in the United States. A volunteer board of directors oversees all of the activities of Jah-Jireh Homes of America. All board members are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  
  For more information about Jah-Jireh Charity Homes of Great Britain, please view this video.
• 
  28

  Child intimidated into no sports activities- suggestions please

  by 4thgen in

  1. social
  2. family

  my ex is an active witness.

  i've been endeavoring to socialize my child ad best as possible.

  he loves sports in school, but has been intimidated by his father that after school activities are evil.

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  4thgen

  Dear Lisa & Frazzeled,

  Cyber hugs to both of you. Thank you very much for posting. It helped to hear two different viewpoints. I will take both of your suggestions and will continue to explore his interests and cultive them.

  My son and I fled an abusive situation. For years we have discussed in depth about physical & emotional abuse and tactics that my ex uses, along with how to cope with them. We have the ‘cycle of abuse’ on our fridge and have constant communication on the subject.

  It wasn’t until I read your dialogue that I realized that the sports issue is still the same horse, but a different color. He’s continuing to use fear and intimidation to get his way, under the guise of spirituality. I was so busy trying to work around it, I didn’t see the connection!

  Now is the time for me to address spiritual abuse. We will definitely expand our conversations further into fear and intimidation in relation to JW’s and his school activities. He is smart enough to make the connection. Using the Bible story book is an excellent idea. Thanks to all of you for caring enough to post. 4thgen
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  31

  USA, Oklahoma | Jehovah's Witness church elder Ronald Lawrence arrested over sex abuse claims dating back to 1980s

  by jwleaks in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  usa, oklahoma | jehovah's witness church elder ronald lawrence arrested over sex abuse claims dating back to the 1980's.

  a 76-year-old mcalester man was arrested tuesday on 19 counts of sexual abuse after police received claims he molested several children while in a position of authority more than 30 years ago.. mcalester police detectives were alerted to the alleged sexual crimes conducted by ronald lawrence back in august when his first accuser reported abuse at the hands of a jehovah's witness church leader.. a woman now in her 40s told detectives lawrence, an elder at mcalester's kingdom hall of jehovah's witnesses, abused her when she was just eight years old, inviting her to his home, where he fondled her and raped her in his bathtub, according to her testimony found in lawrence's arrest warrant, which was issued tuesday.. two other accusers, also in their 40s, then came forward with similar stories of abuse.

  both said they were very young, with one telling investigators the molestation took place from the time she was 10 until she was 13 years old.

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  4thgen

  marked
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  52

  Billy's Comments You Won't Hear at the 01-26-2014 WT Study (Obey Jehovah's Shepherds))

  by Billy the Ex-Bethelite in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  fine.

  holy spirit appointed overseers to shepherd?

  6:1, 2; jude 22) are these not good reasons for being obedient to those who are taking the lead?read hebrews 13:17.. .

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  4thgen

  Billy- Excellent. Overlapping flock, lol

  God gave us brains, so we should use them.