{"id":266,"date":"2004-11-20T18:44:00","date_gmt":"2004-11-21T01:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/?p=266"},"modified":"2005-03-12T17:35:25","modified_gmt":"2005-03-12T22:35:25","slug":"jw-chronicles-attacked-by-a-teenager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/2004\/11\/jw-chronicles-attacked-by-a-teenager\/","title":{"rendered":"JW Chronicles: Attacked by a Teenager"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vile: Look I am a Jehovah’s Witness and I don’t think that it is right what you have there you don’t see us picking on the Jews or Catholics just because we are different than every other religion does not mean that you have to make fun of what we do, we don’t celebrate Christmas because it was a Roman Holiday before it became Christmas and we take VOLUNTARY DONATIONS the people don’t have to give us the money we can supply it ourselves, we just ask if the person would like to donate. Also in the Bible it does not say Jesus’ birthday not just in our bible but everyone else’s I don’t mean to sound rude if I am but that’s something that hurts someone when you say something like that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Heidi: Hi Vile-I don’t make fun at all. I know why you don’t celebrate Christmas, I know your donations are voluntary. I haven’t said anything against those two customs of yours. I can’t authentically address the Catholic or Jewish associations, since I haven’t been a member – I leave that to others (including JWs in most of their publications). But there is one thing that I do judge the Witnesses about as a group – and that is failing to live up to their own definition of the true religion, which manifests the fruits of the spirit (1 Cor. 13). What I have said is that the organization has hurt the spiritual growth of many many people and they have no healing resources within the organization – only methods of punishment. I deal with the people who are hurt, who are recovering, and not with current Witnesses. I have no quarrel with individual Jehovah’s Witnesses, -in fact if you read my blog you will discover that I have had interesting and worthwhile discussions with many of them even after leaving the organization. My site is not aimed at current JWs at all. Perhaps you have misunderstood something? I would be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have.<\/p>\n

Vile: I didn’t know that but why would you have something on your website about that?And as you said”What I have said is that the organization has hurt the spiritual growth of many many people and they have no healing resources within the organization – only methods of punishment.”Everyone has a different religion so respect it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Heidi: Well, mostly because it took me 15 years to learn how to heal and I would like to help others do is better and faster. If JWs were more compassionate, my site wouldn’t be needed. Again, if you’re happy in the religion – that’s terrific. And if you’re not, I have help for you.<\/p>\n

Vile: Look for your information we are the most compassionate people there can be ok I dont need any help you do I have an aunt who’s name is (deleted) I think about two or three years ago she stopped being a Jehovah’s Witnesses and the brothers and sisters in the congregation tried to do the most they could to help her but she doesnt want help so why are you offering help to former Jehovah’s Witnesses if they dont need it? Ok we dont emotionallly traumatize people we dont say “Oh if you don’t serve god then you will end up in Hell” unlike the other religions you can either go to hell or heaven. God made the earth for us but when Adam and Eve disobeyed him by eating the fruit they had shown that they could not obey Jehovah, I’m not the one that needs the help it’s you that needs it! I am 14 years old and I strongly and I mean very strongly defend my religion and am sick of hearing people say the cruelest things about us when they dont even know us so you need yo put these idiotic things on your website about us because you said that I took you 15 years to heal.Heal from what? That’s what I want to know if you email me back tell me about what you had to heal from.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Heidi: Ok, I’m trying to be nice. I haven’t said one thing that wasn’t true about JWs. I don’t dislike individual JWs, but I do think that the organization lies and misleads its members. In any case, that’s my opinion – doesn’t have to be yours. So far it’s a free country in the USA and I can offer help to former JWs who COME to me for help – I’m not selling anything, and I’m not trying to convert anyone into any other religion. I am simply here for people who need me just as someone who understands. I am not your aunt, in case that’s what’s you’re worried about. I’m 40, live in Atlanta GA, and grew up in Massachusetts. I have a husband, and a child, and a Phd in Religion and Literature. I was a JW myself. I stood up and explained to my whole class every year why I didn’t salute the flag or celebrate anything. I am not attacking you at all – I have been there, ok? What the religion does when someone makes a mistake is give them nowhere to go. Instead of lovingly “correcting” them as they claim, they cut them off from friends and family, they offer no spiritual guidance or counseling or caring or compassion. I’m sorry, but I get weekly letters detailing the cruelty and all the people hurting. You simply don’t know what you are talking about. Maybe it all seems great to you now, and if that’s the case you shouldn’t be writing to me anyway. There are other religions that treat people cruelly too, and I still believe that many things in the JWs are right (like not saluting the flag). However, I think that religions have to be judged by the fruits of the spirit. And I also don’t believe in a God who is going to destroy most of humankind. That isn’t my God.<\/p>\n

What did I have to heal from? A number of things – they tried to make me feel second-class for being female, that my brain was a liability, that I shouldn’t go to college. I was unjustly accused of sexual misconduct across several congregations-when I was a 15-year old virgin without a car and no-one would tell me who I had even supposedly slept with. I was chastised for exhibitionism and involving myself in the spirit world when all I did was play Hodel in “Fiddler on the Roof,” which had a dream sequence with a ghost in it (and this was the year Michael Jackson, a JW at the time, had just released the Thriller video!). But it was what they did to others that really got to me. I left, finally, of my own accord, after watching injustice too often.<\/p>\n

What about the poor grandmother who writes to me to ask how she can see her grandson when her daughter in law won’t let the boy see anyone who isn’t a Witness? Is that kind? Is that a good example? JWs create this mental picture of fearfulness toward the world – it’s kind of interesting to me that the Bush administration is using the same techniques of control that the Watchtower Society does. If the JWs really have the truth, why don’t they allow their members to do their own research in archaeology, to learn Hebrew and Greek, and so on? It’s an issue of control – they really want submissive sheep. Well, sorry, I’m not dumb enough to swallow their pseudo-theology and bad translations and lack of wisdom. I’m not blind enough to forget their frequent doctrinal reversals and redefinitions. For me, the “new Light” has been blinking for a long time! Those people are only bright enough to rope in people who need something, anything – anyone with natural curiosity can find out enough about the organization in an hour to never come back. They sure aren’t the worst – I’m not saying that – but what they are about doesn’t have anything to do with a God that I could believe in. And it doesn’t have much to do with any Christian message – the good news of forgiveness and life.<\/p>\n

I have been trying to give people who had nothing BUT the Witnesses to rebuild their sense of self and to get back on a spiritual path of their own choosing, to get back into a relationship with God when their religion was even more cruel than the world.
Why would you deny the hurt and broken ones at least one friend somewhere? I’m not pushing anything – and if people then go back to the JWs, I don’t mind. My ego is not involved in it. I only want to give some practical strategies to people who have been told ridiculous things like that demons were going to invade them if they left, or that children’s toys were satanic. I mean, come on!<\/p>\n

You can like it or lump it, but I really don’t know why what I do would be at all threatening to you or why you would take such a hostile tone when you have no idea of my life or my experiences. I get a lot of hate mail from current JWs, and it just reinforces my feeling about the religion. Do you know that not one person has ever written to me with any understanding or wisdom? Not one person has said anything like “I think that you are misguided – what happened with you? Can I help you to understand how these things could have happened? Can I show you how we believe that God is always here for you?” Nada. Nothing. I am only writing to you at all because you showed a modicum of civility. Normally I am accused of being insane – one guy called me the anti-Christ even though as I recall, that’s not even a JW doctrine. I get curses and swearing and a whole lotta that kind of real Christian love. <\/p>\n

I mean you no disrespect, but one also learns to respect the experiences of others, and the multiple ways that faith manifests. All gifts are necessary. As you get older, you will better understand what that means. It took me until I was in my 30’s to really understand even as much as I do now.<\/p>\n

Vile: the only person that has a mental illness is you I bet your parents are ashamed of you I will never think differently about my religion and don’t say that we never let people talk to their family and friends in the bible it says that when someone commits a very serous sin that they need to be disciplned its like a child that disobeys their parents they get grounded. Maybe you weren’t really a Jehovah’s Witness when you were young maybe you just say you were becayse I know a true JEHOVAH’S WITNESS WOULDN’T SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!<\/p>\n

Look lady if you want to talk trash about my religion then dont say it to me Michael Jackson isn’t one of the best examples of Jehovah’s Witness and Plus he was never baptized he was only a publisher and do you think that Jehovah would’ve liked if you were doing a play with which you having to do something with a ghost look lady stop talking trash about my religion and stop talkin trash about me beacuse my religion is me I am one of the most best behaved kids at school I get honor roll every quarter and when I tell people that I am jehovah’s Witness I give a good example to every jehovah’s witness teenager and to my parents so not wanting to sound disrespectful but SHUT THE HECK UP I KNOW THE US IS A FREE COUNTRY AND THAT’S WHY WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO PREACH TO EVERYONE LEAVE ME ALONE AND GOODBYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I CAN’T STAND PEOPLE LIKE YOU<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Vile: (2nd email in a row) AND WHEN YOU SAID THAT YOU FELT SECOND CLASS BECAUSE YOU ARE A FEMALE THAT’S WHAT MY MOM TELLS ME THAT CAN MISLEAD YOU THAT’S THE REASON WHY YOU’RE NOT A Jehovah’s Witness ANYMORE YOUR A RUDE OLD WOMAN WHO TALKS TRASH AND SAYS THAT WE GET PEOPLE MENTALLY TRAUMATIZED.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/p>\n

Vile: (3rd email in a row) And yes we do lovingly correct people’s problems<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

H: See what I mean – gee, just look at that example of Christian behavior. You don’t want to read my site? Then don’t read it. I’m not engaging in any further conversation with a 14-year old. It makes me laugh – I guess I would<\/em> be an old lady to you. But you probably shouldn’t be writing to strangers on the internet – don’t your parents and the elders frown on that? You ask me to leave you alone – great – then leave me alone. You initiated this conversation. If you have problems, consult your elders. I am sure they will tell you what to do so you don’t have to think for yourself or have any relationship with God of your own.<\/p>\n

Please do not write to me or visit my site again. I don’t think it’s appropriate to continue this conversation. You have to find your own way.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Addendum: Feb 17, 2005: Yet more from this girl! She sent me a JW summary of a JW book (one of perhaps three that are positive about JWs in some way- Facing the Lion)- it looked like a school project. Why she sent it I don’t know. She didn’t refer to it in the body of the email. She was very upset and made threats against me. She accused me of posting her email address (which I didn’t, but I have truncated again her “handle” in order to protect her privacy even further). If you have any questions, check out my privacy policy<\/a>. Here is an excerpt from her email:<\/p>\n

Oh ms.heidi ex-Jehovah’s Witness (snip) Many people who have seen your website know you dont like Jehovah’s Witnesses but you dont have to put”JW CHRONICLES:attacked by a teenager” I am a loyal Jehovah’s Witness recently baptized(date deleted) and dont want you putting my name on your bashing site. I am going to report this to the Compuserve org and tell them of the type of things that you are putting on your site … (snip) … So yake it off and I know you dont want me putting your email on other websites such as mine!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I replied to her email telling her that I had not in fact posted her email anywhere on my site, and that she should send me a link if she could find where I had done so and I would certainly remove it. Sorry “Vile” but when you write to me you specifically give permission for me to post your feedback to my site at my discretion – this is in my privacy policy. I did not post your email address as you have accused – this is also in my privacy policy – and now, in deference to you, I have further shortened even what “handle” you yourself presented. So, if you want to post any of this on your blog or site under “hei,” that would be equivalent. You will find, should you “report me” that I have done nothing at all wrong. Also, I requested that you not visit my site or contact me again and you are, unfortunately, in violation of that request. If you don’t want to set a bad example by putting JWs in a bad light, I recommend that you stop writing abusive emails to people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

YOUR A RUDE OLD WOMAN WHO TALKS TRASH AND SAYS THAT WE GET PEOPLE MENTALLY TRAUMATIZED.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-jehovahs-witnesses"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.virushead.net\/vhrandom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}