I'm also a person who grew up in the cult. I am aware of the child molesters and the thousands of victims of that who have left, and the possible tenfold that are still in and being molested. I and my sibling and Mother were abused physically, and there's probably 1000x that many victims. Physical and mental abuse are rampant!
The Jehovah Witnesses is a "revolving door" cult there's many multiples of ex members than there are current members. While people are in it they tend to believe everything they are told. You are wasting your time trying to reason with them. Good news is wait 5 years and there's a really good chance you'll get your friend back! It's almost like Football where the average player lasts 4 years. Lotta people get all fired up, even become pioneers. But a lot of people quickly burn out too. I briefly turned to the Jehovah Witnesses after my life collapsed 20 years after my last previous meeting. There were literally 10 people left that I knew out of a congregation of 150-200. That many people had been replaced with new faces! I was told it's the same everywhere. The people who stay seem to have stayed because they climbed a leadership ladder. Of the 10 people I knew 20 years ago? They all had a tie to a member who was an elder now. The reason people believe is the bait and switch the Witnesses do with their new world translation. They tell you that they're people simplified the language and you could take your version out and it would match up. "We just took out all the thee's and thou's" this is not true at all! They altered many, many things.
I attended meetings since the late 60's to the early 80's. When I reached my late teens I, like many, many kids reaching adulthood quit. We attended meetings in central NY. My step father was a very mean drunk. A guy who could be very charming. He wore the finest clothes, he traded in his truck every year. Meanwhile my mom drove a 15 year old car, and our dress clothes came from thrift stores. He also beat my mom to a pulp everytime he got liquored up. My mom wore those big 70's sunglasses to the Kingdom hall sometimes 3 times a week before the black eyes healed. This is why I accuse the entire congregation of turning a blind eye. One thing I realized upon reaching adulthood is adults notice those sunglasses at night!
My Stepfather got drunk once and came up behind me and slammed a crowbar down across my leg. He broke my femur! I was in the hospital bleeding internally. To the point they wanted to give me a blood transfusion. He of course denied them. I was in the room when the DA came in. He said the kid is sticking to his story that he fell off a horse. It's the opinion of the Dr that he was struck by a massive blunt force and its also the doctors opinion it looks a lot like a crowbar impression. Not to mention we can tell you've been drinking. If you continue to deny him proper medical attention and he dies, I will make it my lifes work to see you hounded to the ends of the Earth. You will not only lose your job, you'll lose everything, and I'll see to it the Jehovah Witnesses are also blamed. Sure you want to keep this BS up? I got my transfusion! I was in a almost body cast for 8 weeks! spread legs, bar inbetween them. Usually a towel covering my privates..
I'm going to admit he apologized 1000 times! He truly felt horrible, I believe that. For quite awhile I got whatever I wanted. He swore off drinking. That lasted at least a year.
People have got to be asking surely somebody should have spoken up and denounce stuff like this? Surely there's got to be a few good elders. Ever seen Stepford wives? This is the stepford wives religion. Men join and quickly find out they have ultimate authority! "Head of the Household" was the strongest, most frequent talked about subject growing up in the religion. It was practically mentioned in every single meeting I ever attended at least once. Men are made in Gods image! Period! It is the mans Job to rule over his family. To make the family decisions. To control the finances. To discipline the Children. Because men are wonderful, holy, fair, just, and all that, they of course will be a firm but loving father and husband. I'm not making this up, this is hammered into their skulls 3 nights a week. What man isn't going to eventually love this once he figures out he's the shiznit! All he has to do is play along. My wife has to do and support all my decisions! My kids have to obey my every command..sign me the F up!
Of course they always tempered this with the man should and will be just and fair...giggle giggle. And we'll get presents all year long, not just on Birthdays ans Christmas.(another sarcastic Lie they have you tell your children) And they'd say that you should bring any dispute before that higher good ol boy choir, your elders! So, my mother would get the living tar beat out of her, they'd have that meeting. They'd call in my step father, I can only imagine the yuk fest and high fives going on in there and then bring her in and always say he was repentant and going to try harder. Now it's time to transfer the blame on her! to actually question her spiritual strength because if she's spiritually strong, she'll try to help him, recover from this. I'm not making this up, they turn it back on the wife! And suggest that if she did more to make him happy, this probably wouldn't happen. Ohh my mom called the cops too. She'd actually be admonished for having done that, as it brings shame upon the JW's.
This aspect was not brought up in the episode. I thought I should point out how they accomplish nobody speaking out.
The local High falooting family in the JW's was a bunch of real brothers who were Elders. They were born into a lot of money! The family owned a stretch of mansions in the city. Not a mansion, like 6 of them! The matriarch of this family left all her money to the local Museum which still bears her name. Leaving all her kids with properties they couldn't possibly afford to maintain! Why? Well of course, the new System was right around the corner so they wren't going to need any money, or higher education because it's all going to end very soon. I think this was in the 50's! These kids of a very rich magnate all had menial jobs but they were all elders. What a hornets nest of stuff going on in that family! One son was the gayest person I had ever met in my life. But he wasn't gay! Nope, nosiree! He ran with his legs flailing out, his arms flopping all over the place, let out screetches and loved to wear blinding bright colors. But he wasn't gay. Until he left the JWs, then he was deviant Gay. This guy would make Elton John exclaim "that's too gay!" The guy that was just on AGT? Hans? He's a 4 on the gay meter to this son's 10.
They had another son, who committed suicide, who was a Dis-fellowship elder. Nicest guy on Earth and I know why he was thrown out and why he killed himself. He fought for injustice within instead of covering it up. His wife took the kids and refused to let him see them and was sheltered by the family. And of course HE'S THE BAD GUY. OHHH HE WAS AN EVIL SLAVE!
Before all this my mom left my stepfather who hadn't joined when I was 8, moved 20 miles away, kept going to meetings. Up till then it was beatings and arguments about her being IN the Jehovah Witnesses. She got a good job. We were doing well in school. My stepfather started studying with the JWS. Well, that's when the peer pressure to go back to him became deafening. He's changed, and you're sinning. There was this one woman who visited my mom 3-4 times a week and non stop admonished her to take him back. She would pull out a notebook full of written down scriptures and just start hammering her about her deep concern for her to do the right thing. My mom relented! 10 more years of hell. .
I at 18 moved out, got an apartment. I was settling in when suddenly there's my Mom and sister at the door. We're moving in with you. You see my mom was sort of OK with it until I was gone and then with me gone whose going to get the brunt of the abuse?
thatt woman who visited my mom 4 times a week to hound her to take back her husband? Well she showed up at my door many years later. With her was a guy I didn't recognize. She introduced him as her new husband. I instantly said I'm sorry to hear ____ passed away. Ohh no, we got divorced! I must admit I got a little angry at that one! All those visits my mother was committing sin and damning herself. And here's the architect of our misery casually divorcing her husband that for all I knew was kind of a nice guy.
To me Shiva was standing there with a smile on her face!
Anyways there's a lot more abuse going on in the JWs other than sexual child molesting. And that was my point of reveling all this. There should be a bunch of episodes involving them and delving into their history. For instance they were founded ADMITTEDLY by a hustler, and kind of disassociate themselves from those wild origins and him. If the roots of the tree are bad, how do you explain the rest of the tree is fine??? Also an entire episode could be devoted to their flip flopping on stances and rules over the years. They are not the same cult they were 25 years ago, nor were they the same 50 years, and 10 years before that!
The Jehovah Witnesses is a "revolving door" cult there's many multiples of ex members than there are current members. While people are in it they tend to believe everything they are told. You are wasting your time trying to reason with them. Good news is wait 5 years and there's a really good chance you'll get your friend back! It's almost like Football where the average player lasts 4 years. Lotta people get all fired up, even become pioneers. But a lot of people quickly burn out too. I briefly turned to the Jehovah Witnesses after my life collapsed 20 years after my last previous meeting. There were literally 10 people left that I knew out of a congregation of 150-200. That many people had been replaced with new faces! I was told it's the same everywhere. The people who stay seem to have stayed because they climbed a leadership ladder. Of the 10 people I knew 20 years ago? They all had a tie to a member who was an elder now. The reason people believe is the bait and switch the Witnesses do with their new world translation. They tell you that they're people simplified the language and you could take your version out and it would match up. "We just took out all the thee's and thou's" this is not true at all! They altered many, many things.
I attended meetings since the late 60's to the early 80's. When I reached my late teens I, like many, many kids reaching adulthood quit. We attended meetings in central NY. My step father was a very mean drunk. A guy who could be very charming. He wore the finest clothes, he traded in his truck every year. Meanwhile my mom drove a 15 year old car, and our dress clothes came from thrift stores. He also beat my mom to a pulp everytime he got liquored up. My mom wore those big 70's sunglasses to the Kingdom hall sometimes 3 times a week before the black eyes healed. This is why I accuse the entire congregation of turning a blind eye. One thing I realized upon reaching adulthood is adults notice those sunglasses at night!
My Stepfather got drunk once and came up behind me and slammed a crowbar down across my leg. He broke my femur! I was in the hospital bleeding internally. To the point they wanted to give me a blood transfusion. He of course denied them. I was in the room when the DA came in. He said the kid is sticking to his story that he fell off a horse. It's the opinion of the Dr that he was struck by a massive blunt force and its also the doctors opinion it looks a lot like a crowbar impression. Not to mention we can tell you've been drinking. If you continue to deny him proper medical attention and he dies, I will make it my lifes work to see you hounded to the ends of the Earth. You will not only lose your job, you'll lose everything, and I'll see to it the Jehovah Witnesses are also blamed. Sure you want to keep this BS up? I got my transfusion! I was in a almost body cast for 8 weeks! spread legs, bar inbetween them. Usually a towel covering my privates..
I'm going to admit he apologized 1000 times! He truly felt horrible, I believe that. For quite awhile I got whatever I wanted. He swore off drinking. That lasted at least a year.
People have got to be asking surely somebody should have spoken up and denounce stuff like this? Surely there's got to be a few good elders. Ever seen Stepford wives? This is the stepford wives religion. Men join and quickly find out they have ultimate authority! "Head of the Household" was the strongest, most frequent talked about subject growing up in the religion. It was practically mentioned in every single meeting I ever attended at least once. Men are made in Gods image! Period! It is the mans Job to rule over his family. To make the family decisions. To control the finances. To discipline the Children. Because men are wonderful, holy, fair, just, and all that, they of course will be a firm but loving father and husband. I'm not making this up, this is hammered into their skulls 3 nights a week. What man isn't going to eventually love this once he figures out he's the shiznit! All he has to do is play along. My wife has to do and support all my decisions! My kids have to obey my every command..sign me the F up!
Of course they always tempered this with the man should and will be just and fair...giggle giggle. And we'll get presents all year long, not just on Birthdays ans Christmas.(another sarcastic Lie they have you tell your children) And they'd say that you should bring any dispute before that higher good ol boy choir, your elders! So, my mother would get the living tar beat out of her, they'd have that meeting. They'd call in my step father, I can only imagine the yuk fest and high fives going on in there and then bring her in and always say he was repentant and going to try harder. Now it's time to transfer the blame on her! to actually question her spiritual strength because if she's spiritually strong, she'll try to help him, recover from this. I'm not making this up, they turn it back on the wife! And suggest that if she did more to make him happy, this probably wouldn't happen. Ohh my mom called the cops too. She'd actually be admonished for having done that, as it brings shame upon the JW's.
This aspect was not brought up in the episode. I thought I should point out how they accomplish nobody speaking out.
The local High falooting family in the JW's was a bunch of real brothers who were Elders. They were born into a lot of money! The family owned a stretch of mansions in the city. Not a mansion, like 6 of them! The matriarch of this family left all her money to the local Museum which still bears her name. Leaving all her kids with properties they couldn't possibly afford to maintain! Why? Well of course, the new System was right around the corner so they wren't going to need any money, or higher education because it's all going to end very soon. I think this was in the 50's! These kids of a very rich magnate all had menial jobs but they were all elders. What a hornets nest of stuff going on in that family! One son was the gayest person I had ever met in my life. But he wasn't gay! Nope, nosiree! He ran with his legs flailing out, his arms flopping all over the place, let out screetches and loved to wear blinding bright colors. But he wasn't gay. Until he left the JWs, then he was deviant Gay. This guy would make Elton John exclaim "that's too gay!" The guy that was just on AGT? Hans? He's a 4 on the gay meter to this son's 10.
They had another son, who committed suicide, who was a Dis-fellowship elder. Nicest guy on Earth and I know why he was thrown out and why he killed himself. He fought for injustice within instead of covering it up. His wife took the kids and refused to let him see them and was sheltered by the family. And of course HE'S THE BAD GUY. OHHH HE WAS AN EVIL SLAVE!
Before all this my mom left my stepfather who hadn't joined when I was 8, moved 20 miles away, kept going to meetings. Up till then it was beatings and arguments about her being IN the Jehovah Witnesses. She got a good job. We were doing well in school. My stepfather started studying with the JWS. Well, that's when the peer pressure to go back to him became deafening. He's changed, and you're sinning. There was this one woman who visited my mom 3-4 times a week and non stop admonished her to take him back. She would pull out a notebook full of written down scriptures and just start hammering her about her deep concern for her to do the right thing. My mom relented! 10 more years of hell. .
I at 18 moved out, got an apartment. I was settling in when suddenly there's my Mom and sister at the door. We're moving in with you. You see my mom was sort of OK with it until I was gone and then with me gone whose going to get the brunt of the abuse?
thatt woman who visited my mom 4 times a week to hound her to take back her husband? Well she showed up at my door many years later. With her was a guy I didn't recognize. She introduced him as her new husband. I instantly said I'm sorry to hear ____ passed away. Ohh no, we got divorced! I must admit I got a little angry at that one! All those visits my mother was committing sin and damning herself. And here's the architect of our misery casually divorcing her husband that for all I knew was kind of a nice guy.
To me Shiva was standing there with a smile on her face!
Anyways there's a lot more abuse going on in the JWs other than sexual child molesting. And that was my point of reveling all this. There should be a bunch of episodes involving them and delving into their history. For instance they were founded ADMITTEDLY by a hustler, and kind of disassociate themselves from those wild origins and him. If the roots of the tree are bad, how do you explain the rest of the tree is fine??? Also an entire episode could be devoted to their flip flopping on stances and rules over the years. They are not the same cult they were 25 years ago, nor were they the same 50 years, and 10 years before that!
