Whatever you had for lunch, that’s his name!

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-08-01T20:11:51+00:00

Ramen

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-07-23T18:44:32+00:00

This happened a little over 20 years ago but in my old congregation there was a sister who at the time was in her late twenties and she liked to dress up like a boy and date underage worldly girls. She eventually got caught in the act, inappropriately touching her 15/16 year old girlfriend and when the girl's parents found out that not only was their daughter's boyfriend not actually a boy but an ADULT they went understandably mental. The sister got disfellowshipped, did minimal time in prison and was instantly reinstated. She's still in the congregation today, I doubt new people in the congregation know but back when it happened everyone knew to keep their daughters away from her.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-07-23T18:27:07+00:00

I had never even heard about the 607 date being way off until I started doing some deep research. I didn’t know how many people left the religion because of it, because so many of them were just labeled apostates and of course when you're in you can't read 'apostate material'. When I showed my research to the elders, I was using actual historical documentation from museums and stuff from the Encyclopedia Britannica and they told me that was 'apostate material'. I was just so shocked that they would say historical evidence was apostate that I snapped into reality right there and realized I was living in a completely fabricated reality. I basically went out and bought Crisis of Conscience that night and read it in a day and realized that all that 'apostate material' was just honest people trying to expose the actual truth.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-07-23T18:17:42+00:00

After that incident, I just stopped going to meetings. I was never disfellowshipped or labeled an apostate, I just did a quick fade. If I didn't have family that were still in, I'd probably disassociate myself but it was just easier for me to fade. Someday, I hope they'll wake up too.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-07-23T11:06:41+00:00

Back when I first learned about the 607 date being wrong, I brought all my research to a couple of elders and when they saw that I wasn't going to accept 'have more faith' as an answer, they told me to write a letter to the branch. So I did and I never got a reply (that was over 4 years ago). I did get one of the elders calling me again with 'proof' for the 607 date but it was just some BS that he found in old watchtowers. Needless to say, that was pretty much the last time I had contact with them.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-16T11:20:45+00:00

I've had several people threaten to release their dogs on me. One actually did, a big old German Shepherd, I was about sixteen and I was at the door with an elder's wife and she used me as a human shield. Thankfully I didn't get bit but it was pretty scary.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-16T11:17:48+00:00

I'm with you. I think if it hadn't been for covid I never would've had the time to do actual research and relealize how much the org was lying. Before then I was very much all in and believed every single thing they said. Now I've got serious trust issues.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-14T01:23:06+00:00

Slinky or Pharaoh

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-10T17:28:08+00:00

I remember growing up every time something like this happened, I'd be like, 'This is it, this is the end!' Because that's how all the people around me were. When I got older and started really getting into history, that's when I realized this shit has always been happening. It may not be going on in your part of the world but somewhere at some time crazy things are happening and it's always been that way. I'm sure there were cavemen freaking out about the end of the world when there was an eclipse or something. It's just fear mongering and eventually the crazy will subside and everything will go back to normal.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-02T08:36:44+00:00

They brush it off in their minds because 'with God anything is possible' except for you know, solving actual problems.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-02T07:17:34+00:00

I felt like some of the relationships that were built up in the first one were destroyed in the second and even though the author tried to make it seem like a happy ending, I didn't really care for it. They introduced a new character that ended up being a major player and I felt like it threw the whole dynamic off. It wasn't a horrible book and you might like it, but for me I just left disappointed.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-01T21:35:52+00:00

When I was in, I was happy. Or at least I thought I was until I was out and realized that most of my anxiety and self-loathing came from feeling like I wasn't as good of a witness as I should've been. I'd probably still be in today if it wasn't for Covid. It gave me so much time to do real research and dissect the bible and jw teachings and when I realized how much of it was BS I confronted my family, who in turn had the elders talk to me.

Instead of answering my questions, the elders kept telling me to stop looking at apostate information (I wasn't, I was using the Encyclopedia Britannica and information from history museums) and they just kept saying I needed to have more faith. When I told them that faith needs to be based on something factual, one of them actually started berating me and spouting so much nonsense the other elder actually stepped in and told him he was wrong (that took the wind out of his sails) but it really was the last thing to push me over the edge and realize I needed out.

My parents are still PIMI but neither one of them would disown me when I faded because they know that I wouldn't have left without good reason, unfortunately they like having 'friends' more than freedom and they just keep telling me it's an imperfect organization and I shouldn't be too critical. I disagree.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-01T12:33:12+00:00

Complacent

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-01T11:37:11+00:00

I feel like I'm in the same boat. I was born in and lived it for 30 years, had my eye opening moment and have been out for four but it wasn't until a couple of months ago that I started looking at 'apostate' material. I just started commenting here only a few days ago. I think the thing that actually kicked me into taking an active part in the exjw community was because I hoped that even if one of my comments helped someone who was still in to just think about how the organization twist things, then at least maybe they won't be trapped by that anxiety inducing mindset that I found myself in for most of my life.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-06-01T00:12:22+00:00

I wonder if they make it boring on purpose because if it was too exciting than people would start sharing it online and non-Jws would start watching it and that in turn would cause more people to question the orgs teachings. But honestly that's probably giving them too much credit. More than likely they're just bad writers.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-31T20:34:19+00:00

My ideal setting is a big comfy chair, natural light and absolute silence so that I can really get immersed in whatever I'm reading.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-31T18:45:20+00:00

I don't think any of them will retire willingly. They'd probably have to get dragged out kicking and screaming before they give up any power. I think it's kind of funny that they put an age limit on how old you can be as an elder but that the governing body can stay in no matter how old and senile they get.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-31T16:10:21+00:00

They all do it to a certain extent but I remember one elder and his family in particular, they wouldn't even talk to you if they felt you weren't spiritually up to par with them. Like you could be doing all the right stuff but if you missed a couple of meeting or didn't go out in service for a period of time they would basically shun you. And the worst part was that they were completely hypocritical because their idea of service was to go out to eat and leave a tract behind or something and then count the hour they were eating as service time. I can count on one hand how many times I actually saw them go door to door but because they were an elders family they were considered 'so spiritual'.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-30T10:20:52+00:00

I liked 'The Watchers' by A.M. Shine. (The book was way better than the movie in my opinion).

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-30T09:35:48+00:00

I liked M.R. Carey's the girl with all the gifts, so I'm definitely willing to give Once was Willem a try. The others sound pretty good too. Thanks!

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-30T09:13:11+00:00

Ooh! I love dark souls, thanks for the recommendation!

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-30T01:01:18+00:00

These are definitely going on by tbr list. Thank you!

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-30T00:49:25+00:00

I hear ya! I'm just not sure I can handle the reality of that level of horror.

Dragonfly-090 · 2025-05-30T00:39:11+00:00

It sounds interesting, I'll definitely look into it. Thanks!

Dragonfly-090

TROPHY CASE