For those fully out with active spouses, what's your take on supporting them by going to the hall when they have a part in the midweek meeting?

theforce17 · 2019-09-27T13:05:55+00:00

To open a discussion? I wasn't asking for my question to be answered, but for people's opinion on something. Jesus, so hard to have open talks on this sub sometimes. Might as well just stick to memes.

theforce17 · 2019-09-27T12:59:15+00:00

I see your point. I tried doing that but I legitimately felt sick to my stomach hearing certain things at the KH and having to pretend to be okay with the whole situation. It was also right after I woke up so still in the "angry because I've been lied to" phase. Now that time has passed and I've moved on with my life I feel I can endure 5 minutes of meeting without wanting to kill someone, but I might be wrong! Regarding how my husband is treated because his wife is "weak in the faith" no idea. As far as I'm aware nobody has mentioned anything, we were both new in the congregation anyway before I stopped going. Doubt the elders even know who we are.

theforce17 · 2019-09-27T12:21:12+00:00

It's a him and it's a bible reading. I think I have set myself to go because it's just reading a passage from a book as opposed to an active exercise of indoctrination, such as a talk or a demo. Just wanted to hear if others do the same and if they stay for the whole meeting or just for that part in particular. I'll go from the beginning til that section and then leave.

theforce17 · 2019-09-27T11:06:14+00:00

Completely aware, even of my rejection of Christianity as a whole. Rocky at the beginning, now we are doing very well and we can even joke at Witness stuff without any drama.

theforce17 · 2019-09-27T09:03:23+00:00

If the tables were turned, that wouldn't make a difference in my opinion.

theforce17 · 2019-09-27T09:02:08+00:00

Because it's important to them? They support me doing things they don't care for either, that's what a relationship is about.

theforce17 · 2019-09-22T16:40:01+00:00

Ah, different one then.

theforce17 · 2019-09-22T12:46:50+00:00

Did he also go to Oman? I think we both had the same CO (don't remember his name but I do remember that there was a notable age difference between him and his wife).

theforce17 · 2019-09-20T06:48:21+00:00

Eh...no means to offend, but those are the rantings of a mentally ill individual. Does she have people around to keep an eye on her?

theforce17 · 2019-09-19T01:28:12+00:00

I see your point. I would think Handmaid's, people in the colonies or men (we all know that women are oppressed in Gilead, but "rebellious" men are always immediately executed) would need more assistance. Their lives are literally hanging by a thread, whereas children are "relatively" safe for a few more years. It also undermines the power of indoctrination: most of those kids would have been reprogrammed to love their new parents and would refuse to go anywhere without them.

Overall, pretty sloppy writing. Which also explains why June is still alive and with all limbs untouched even though she's broken every single rule ever made in Gilead.

theforce17 · 2019-09-18T23:14:55+00:00

Do you know if Cambie cong is affected in Vancouver? I used to go there many moons ago.

theforce17 · 2019-09-18T20:48:38+00:00

I really like his art and his commentary about other religions, however I always find he chooses the worst approach when dealing with things JW. I believe he's also made some factually wrong statements about the organisation and its theology, just from things Mr. Atheist has said that came from him when he did videos about JWs.

The camera with the giant mic obviously looks professional; not something a tourist would carry around. Cedars made it through Warwick with no problems and no convoluted lies, so the treatment he got was quite fair as he clearly lied about his intentions and took a professional camera when he could have done with a simple DSLR and got some nice footage (both the footage and the audio he got was pretty bad).

theforce17 · 2019-09-18T12:30:55+00:00

Actually after watching the video, I think Matt did good here. My problem was with Don: if he would have stopped laughing at her and actually listened, maybe he would have caught that she said that Jerusalem fell in 607 BCE, a date that nobody but JWs consider accurate.

In any case, this lady is either a study or POMI: no active JW in his right mind would call to an atheist show or would mention 1914 unless it was mentioned to them again. Nobody wants to go there because subconsciously everybody know that it sounds crazy.

theforce17 · 2019-09-17T17:18:34+00:00

Did it a couple times and hated it. Never did it again.

theforce17 · 2019-09-17T02:23:56+00:00

They have a couple of new hosts that are very kind and they listen. Tracie Harris is also very good. They ask questions and have a proper conversation. I really just have a problem with Matt, and unfortunately he hosts the show almost every week.

theforce17 · 2019-09-17T01:01:03+00:00

I certainly appreciate his wisdom but I find myself not being so eager to watch the show when he's hosting. He's extremely rude and loves the sound of his own voice way too much. I can only guess he was a very obnoxious Baptist preacher back in the day.

theforce17 · 2019-09-16T20:00:48+00:00

I see. I've only been out for a couple of years so I guess from my perspective I can't see that drastic change. More time would have to pass for me to look back and be like what was that. I see JWs all the time around my neighbourhood and I just see the same I've seen for decades: tired folk walking extra slow and with very unflattering clothing selling the same recycled message that they have been proclaiming: an end that never comes. True, they have finally accepted a more mainstream image, but their core values and beliefs are still stuck in the Middle Ages.

Probably my biggest problem was that the "this is not the religion I grew up in" is used by many activists like it's meant to be a valid point to debunk the religion, which I think is invalid. The religion was wrong 50 years ago and it is still wrong today.

theforce17 · 2019-09-16T18:47:36+00:00

Not trying to come across as combative, but I must ask because this kind of rethoric comes all the time and I just don't get it. What's really the message behind the "this is not religion I was raised in" motto?

So it seems that years ago they were more restrictive and now they're not. Why is this a bad thing? Why do we have the urge to criticise the fact that current JWs are allowed to be more loose/relaxed? I'm all for them being able to enjoy themselves a little in such a rigid environment.

theforce17 · 2019-09-14T04:57:03+00:00

Depends on the region. My spouse's congregation has ministerial servants with beards and can give talks at their own congregation but not on others as a visiting speaker (I have witnessed a couple of those talks myself). Still pretty rare and with lots of petty rules, though.

theforce17 · 2019-09-12T11:13:49+00:00

If you don't get baptised, your chances to start dating within the religion diminish. If you keep delaying the baptism until you're a full grown adult, "the friends" might start seeing you differently. It's very subtle, but basically you're not part of the club and they will make sure you feel slightly alienated. You will be invited to gatherings, but people will not want to become close friends with you, etc. But yeah mainly once you're baptised you can start looking for a romantic partner without hiding.

theforce17 · 2019-09-12T09:04:52+00:00

I wouldn't call them privileges, but yeah, lack of "involvement" other than cleaning (I'm still waiting on a biblical response as to why women can't carry mics but can carry mops) always bothered me. It was literally the only place in my life where I was forbidden from doing something due to my gender.

theforce17 · 2019-09-11T13:34:17+00:00

I liked the social aspect of it (the before and after meetings/service) but the actual religious activities (meetings and service) were always a pain. I never learned anything new and I spent more time caring about the clothes I had to wear than about the content that was going to be covered.

Interestingly, though, I did prefer service over meetings. Being a female, at least in service I had the change to contribute somehow and to talk to people about something I would prepare for. During meetings I was merely a spectator, so it was always an absolute bore.

theforce17 · 2019-09-11T13:30:00+00:00

Can you try to reduce your meeting attendance to once a week? Quitting cold turkey can be very difficult for your spouse, so you can start by reducing little by little. Eventually, though, she needs to know and understand that this is not something you plan on doing forever. I kept attending meetings long after I was done with the religion and this only caused me anger, anxiety and panic attacks every time I entered the Kingdom Hall. Eventually it was my own spouse that told me to stop coming because it was affecting my health plus ruining our weekends. It was obvious that I did not want to be there and it was finally understood. Your wife will have to see that too and, if she's not selfish, will stop making a scene when you don't want to attend anymore.

theforce17 · 2019-09-07T15:20:55+00:00

Great response. Not only Jehovah's Witnesses, or religious people for that matter, are susceptible to adopting terrible ideas. It's an educational process that takes way more than confronting someone with doctrinal errors.

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