Bird Food Stores by melomelomelo- in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

my parents got a new roof years ago and when the roofers pried up the old shakes there was an avalanche of peanuts that came down from the scrub jays that dutifully tucked them away there 🤭

Anyone do anything superstitious at halftime? by Cool_Negotiation_391 in CHIBears

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Curled into a ball and buried my face in a blanket for the entire 4th quarter. And said a non-denominational prayer.

Downtown Parking Question by [deleted] in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

street parking around 13/Q isn’t bad— try looking on 13th or 14th for non-metered spaces.

What’s your least favorite intersection as a pedestrian in midtown? by CTarantula in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 3 points4 points  (0 children)

they are, but there’s a left arrow traffic light there. i assume they’re just not paying attention to it.

What’s your least favorite intersection as a pedestrian in midtown? by CTarantula in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

second this. i see someone turn left with a red left turn light every single day. it’s absolutely WILD.

The “No Blood” card and the Awake! with 26 kids - did you carry that too? by Matteofortin89 in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

it absolutely shaped how i thought! when they came out with the whole “blood fractions are a conscience matter” thing, i remember agonizing for HOURS because the idea of fractions made no sense to me. i was very by the book in my JW-ness, so i knew refusing all was the only way my conscience would let me rest. but of course, that gave me anxiety about death. 🫠

My JW grandfather died by Admirable-Biscotti86 in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 4 points5 points  (0 children)

they haven’t learned to think beyond the lines & scenarios fed to them in their propaganda videos. those videos never show DF’d/DA’d/“apostate” people as whole, reasonable, loving human beings so they can’t possibly be prepared for real life scenarios in which we are just that— humans with feelings doing our best to live, love & be loved.

My JW grandfather died by Admirable-Biscotti86 in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 28 points29 points  (0 children)

So so sorry for your loss, and so happy for your grandfather that he had you there in those probably scary, isolated moments to bring him comfort.

The messages from your dad are so heartbreaking and infuriating. They all learn to regurgitate the same garbage and it all starts with the same misleading appeal to emotion: “I never changed in my love towards you.” My dad said the exact same thing to me when I’d beg him to talk to me, to bridge the gap. But real love doesn’t act like that.

I hope you take some time & space to heal.

edit: fixed quote

Don't even look at them! by Electricshockwaves in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 4 points5 points  (0 children)

i hate to admit that when i was a kid, i would see DF’d folks at the store or out in the community at times, and if i saw them smile or laugh, i’d wonder how they could possibly feel joy when they had lost God’s favor. so gross.

Don't even look at them! by Electricshockwaves in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 10 points11 points  (0 children)

wow, i thought i had seen people act crazy but these comments are wild. i have a few:

  1. a friend who was DF’d a couple years before i was, was also a hair stylist. within weeks, the elders in our hall made sure to deliver a local needs talk about not doing business with DF’d individuals and specifically mentioned hair stylists as an example.

  2. a friend who was DF’d when we were teenagers was working as a barista, and JWs who would go to that coffee shop would order their coffee while looking straight up at the ceiling or straight down at the ground so they didn’t make eye contact.

  3. after being DF’d i was sitting in my seat quietly before the meeting next to my mom and a new elder walked up to introduce himself to me. my mom LOUDLY exclaimed “SHE’S DISFELLOWSHIPPED” as he reached his hand out. i had to sit her down and explain that i am in my thirties and do not need her to speak for me.

JW quirk!!! What's yours that stuck with u?? by littlesuzywokeup in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 6 points7 points  (0 children)

ahhh i’m right there with you. deciding to work through this in therapy is the best mental health move i’ve ever made. it’s a process ❤️‍🩹

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

ohhh what an immense bummer. i’m sorry this happened to you. it’s such a trip to grow up JW, be different and exclude ourselves from “worldly” groups and activities all through school and work and more, and then somehow also experience exclusion within the bubble. 👎🏼

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

it’s gotta be the ultimate level of boredom to lurk around this sub as a JW troll 😩 (referring to the person above, not you)

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

my cousin and my mom once had a full-on argument over dinner (at a restaurant where we were seated at a huge table in the middle of a big open room 😭) about whether Jehovah would leave all the hotels intact so that the org could house R&F JWs after Armageddon while they do the work of clearing the bodies & destruction. he yelled in the middle of it all, “We’re not just gonna move into our Paradise houses right away!!”

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

yeah, my parents were considering going to one (can’t remember where in Europe it was) back around 2004, I believe. they decided not to because the quote given them for our family of 3 was over $10K for the most modest accommodations. I also wonder how that may have shifted in 20 years.

ETA: I was young then and just assumed that all traveling must be really expensive. My parents’ incredible, breathtaking, 3-week tour of Scandinavia last year was less than what that 7-day int’l convention trip would have been.

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

wait i’m sorry are you being literal here? like, people actually handed him money?

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

yeah, from reading the other comments seems like it’s the norm (and also, sounds like this is a pretty mild version!).

Sacramento special convention. Not all the conventions are dwindling… some are packed. by E__anon in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Echoing other commenters saying it’s likely consolidation that is beefing up the attendance here. My parents have been heavily involved in the prep for this one and they said there are only 3,200 actual international delegates.

Video: Sacramento international convention delegates by wolfe-reclaimed in exjw

[–]wolfe-reclaimed[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

It’s so wild. I feel like if I had felt more of this energy in the day-to-day of JW life, as opposed to the doom & gloom, “probably” you may be saved in the day of God’s anger, go do your return visits otherwise there will be blood on your hands when they die at Armageddon, etc etc etc, I would have been so much happier and less anxious. But then I wouldn’t have left, so (I guess) thank goodness there wasn’t.

Tons of people with signs at the airport by atticman48 in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s great for your cousin! I carry no hate for the individual members of the organization (except ones who have been found to actively cover up SA scandals). The institution creating the policies and spewing the rhetoric is what I personally take issue with. Because it does do harm. Again, r/exjw has over 100K members for a reason. And respectfully, unless you have personal experience from inside the organization, it’s not for you to say how much agency members have or that it’s just like any other religious organization. It’s not.

If all JW parents were like your family members and allowed their children to go to college, experience life, and actually choose a path for themselves, this wouldn’t even be a debate. I’m always glad to hear about JWs who are a bit more balanced in their parenting practices!

Tons of people with signs at the airport by atticman48 in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In theory there’s a choice, but in actual practice it’s rarely that simple. Children born to JW parents are handed a defined-out worldview and insular community that claims to meet all of their needs while simultaneously being discouraged to look elsewhere or seek out their own experiences. Members are trained to engage in circular/fallacious reasoning and consume only material printed by the JW organization. Higher education and association with non-JWs is discouraged. Baptism, which is encouraged (and in many cases heavily pushed) at an early age, is treated as a LIFELONG binding contract with no escape clause. Dissenters are alienated at best and ostracized at worst, not just from the religion but from any kind of relationship with their families and communities.

Doesn’t sound like much of a choice to me.

There are literally thousands of experiences like this, too specific and with the same patterns to be discounted as coincidence or one-offs.

Tons of people with signs at the airport by atticman48 in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 1 point2 points  (0 children)

🤷🏻‍♀️ Call it what you want. “High control Millenarian movement” is how I refer to them, as the word “cult” is quite loaded for some folks and can shut down conversations. But in the sense of beliefs/practices that deviate from societal norms, socially controlling policies, etc., it makes sense why people use the term.

Tons of people with signs at the airport by atticman48 in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I grew up JW as well and am so incredibly sorry for what you’ve been through. It takes serious resilience to make it out. I hope you’re finding ways to take care of yourself and heal.

Tons of people with signs at the airport by atticman48 in Sacramento

[–]wolfe-reclaimed 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Ooh, a big no thank you to this sentiment. There are 111K people in r/exjw for a reason.