Update: So I've been going to some meetings (and other things) (page 5)

myah

It sounds like many of you have had bad experiences... I am by no means a JW. If anything I was well influenced and a better mother/ person because of it. I am not worried about my daughter or my boys being exposed to it as I am not opposed to them being exposed to other religions. I want them to understand all and not be prejudiced by anyone. If my children grow up and become whatever... I will love them the same. I will not be happy of my kids get pregnant young or decide to run the street like some thugs, but then again who wouldnt. Even if they did, I would still love my kids as my mother continued to love and support me through all my trials and errors.

Like I said before, something really bad must have happen to a lot on this site to have such bitter attitudes to a whole group of people... Honestly, the hardest part of being a JW for me was people outside of the religion judging JW's as odd and wierd. That was harder on me than anything else. It has had a large influence on the person that I am today and that's not a bad thing. I dont know what else to say at this point.

Junction-Guy

Myah, your Mom must be a really remarkable person, however she is probably not your typical JW and she definitely didnt heed the counsel from the WT Society to shun you. So therefore you really dont have any reason to feel negative. I understand that.

However most of us here had parents who did follow the teachings of this cult, and that is why we feel the way we do.

myah

Smellsgood,

What would you catagorize as a cult? To call a religion a cult has not always had a neg connotation... By the original text book dictionary, almost any form of "Organized Religion" can be catagorized as a CULT. The neg connotations came around when groups like "The Family", Manson & Jim Jones came around and made it a very scary thing.

Otherwise CULT would indicate a certain devotion to a diety or a god. If it is non-catholic, back in the day, it was a cult or a fad. An established demonination cannot be called a CULT. Thats like calling your husband an ASS when your heated with him.

I like the quote ' a cult is that other church down the street '. Simple, but the general opinion.

Junction-Guy

True that may have been the original meaning for the word, but nowadays it denotes a different meaning.

A cult is a high control group that uses fear and paranoia to keep its members in check, especially uses the threat of abandonment of your family to keep you in the group.

Im a baptist, but if I were to start going to another church, my baptist family wouldnt shun me, they arent even taught that way. The JW's are taught to shun, and most do. Some like your Mom do not.

myah

All I want to get across is that there is nothing scary about it. Theres a lot that I wish my mom would have done different as a parent, like divorced my dad sooner and not been afraid to do that. He was just mean to her. If I were to suddenly die tomorrow, I would prefer all 3 of my children go and be raised by my mom rather then my husband or his family. This is because she is the only one I would trust to take care of them and protect them. Ive heard too many horror stories about child molestation and see too much drug abuse on my husbands side to even consider that. Why because I have the best interest of my children at heart. Maybe I am less bitter, I went to many different congregations, in diff states, with diff members. Why my experience was so diff? I dont know, I dont believe that my experience was out of the ordinary. My sis is the same.

A JW came to her house last week in CA, she did not hear, she was in the shower or something. One of her brand new neighbors, an-ex JW said 'I saw those JW's bothering you', she was irritated for my sis. My sis response was 'Haha, they dont bother me at all'. Of course they got to talking and they found out that when we were babies we all went to the same cong in fl and each called their mom to let them know what a small world it is.

Get this too, my bro, is a cop so he carries a peice, right? He left for the military at the age of 18 and served his 4 years... he is in the middle of a divorce, guess what else, my mother, a very respected cong member, and her husband are staying at his house for a week this summer. And they are excited about it... even asked if me and we could afford to go.

My mom is JW for like 37 years now. Nothing is cultish or dangerous about anything she does or says... she is not forced around my the GB nor does she 'break their laws'.
Where do you guys get this stuff.

Junction-Guy

I was born into that "religion" that is called "the truth" I left it at 23 years of age. I was refused the right to date, I was pressured into not attending college. I was told to shun my Mom, I was told to shun other family. I was told all of this by the elders, who in turn got their info straight from the horses mouth-Brooklyn.

free2think

(((((((WingCommander)))))))))

Im sorry for your loss, and as for going to the meetings, its not for anyone to judge, what you do is your business and no one elses.

hugs

free2think

oops

myah

Lets be real for a minute and think about that comment. If you were refused to date that was your parents rule, that is not a JW rule nor a bible inspired law. It is not encouraged to date for the sake of dating right? If you are dating it should be with the intention of marriage. I now know that when you 'date' and dont 'put out' , it is highly unlikely that you will move onto the next level... out here in the real world that is the basic way it works. The general fear is yes, that their little babies will be having babies and getting VD and basically saying that 'yes' its ok to fornicate and so on.

But whats wrong with that? If your view is that premarital sex is against gods law - which it is according to anyone who believes in the basis morals of the bible - any bible. If you are preaching not to have sex before marriage and everyones having sex before marriage and you say your diff then everyone else because practice what you preach... then dont have sex before marriage or else you are just like everyone else. It's not harmful to stay away from some of the things that others are doing.

I think about the commercial of the guy whos like... 'I have genital herpes' and his gurl is like ' and I dont'... together ' we want to keep it that way'. I just laugh because I think it's funny. I would stop doing it with the guy who has genital herpes. Not because I'm a cold hearted bitch, but because, in my mind I'd be like thats a constant memory of your slut ridden past. 'yuck'. If I had a major VD and was not married I'd probably call it a day and be done with sex and relationships. People are so nonchalant about these things and it scares me for my kids, I can imagine in 10 yrs when my daughter is 17. I dont want to.

It is not a rule or doctrine not to date - JW's do not have all pre arranged marriages, but they do date, marry and have kids just like 'normal' people.

Junction-Guy

Who says I was gonna fornicate? I was just wanting to have a girlfriend to take to the movies or something. There is nothing wrong with that, but the JW's do not allow casual dating.

Update: So I've been going to some meetings (and other things)

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