I've recently made the decision (page 2)

jgnat

My father died when I was a young boy, and probably the only reason why I hadnt made the decision sooner was because I thought I might never see him again if I wasnt a witness (ironically he himsel wasnt a witness)

The WT doctrines are a double-edged sword, aren't they? My JW hubby feels the same, and very similar circumstances. Though his parents, now deceased, were never JW's, congregation members told him his only hope of seeing them is if he remains active in the "truth". I do my best to counteract that thinking by frequently reminding him of how GOOD his parents were, and how I am sure they are secure in Jehovah's memory. Later, I ask if Jehovah can love THEM, certainly he is good enough for the resurrection hope as well?

Abandoned

Welcome to the forum. I wish you luck on your face and keeping your family ties.

OuterBanks NC

Welcome! And realize you are strong for following your heart...it won't be easy...but anything worth doing isn't easy. Good luck!

Legolas

Welcome to the board!

sass_my_frass

Welcome aboard.

I was just wondering how people live there lives when 'going into the world'

Small steps. You sound like maybe a teenager, so you'll probably bounce pretty quickly; just be aware that we who were raised JW were deliberately sheltered and we were all actually pretty immature. Well-behaved children are considered 'mature', but our peers overtook us at around fourteen. All those times we were avoiding 'bad association', we weren't growing up. Try to quietly observe for a little while.

do any here think there is a resurrection hope?

This has been discussed here recently; but maybe it would help you to have a think about this aspect of the JW's resurrection hope. According to JWs, there is no soul, so when your Dad died, Jehovah memorised his physical attributes and his entire life memories and wrote them in the book of life. During the resurrection he will re-create his body and put his memories into it, voila, resurrection. Thing is, that's not your Dad; that would be a copy of your Dad. Your original Dad never gets to see paradise, because he died. Even if you could believe in a resurrection hope, why would that be an appealing one?

Take care of yourself bub.

truthsearcher

Welcome to the board. I hope you will enjoy reading posts and maybe learning some things that you never knew before about the Witnesses. It is wonderful that your family has maintained their contact with you. You can understand how traumatic it would be for those whose family has abandoned them.

I was surprised to learn what JWs think about people outside the organization because we have known wonderful,wonderful people and friends over the years--and none of them were JWs! You are finding this out too.

If you are interested in finding out how the WT twists the Bible to fit their doctrines, there is lots of information available on line. You may learn a new way to think of the ressurection hope. Here is just one example: http://www.jwinfoline.com/page_phone_transcript_main.htm

Wishing you all the best,

TS

truthsetsonefree

Gosh, I really do believe that we are getting more people here. One goes offline for a few hours and all these new posters show up! Welcome all.

tsof (of the welcoming class)

I've recently made the decision

liquidsky

Nellie