How Have You Gone About Making Friends Since Leaving the Witnesses ?

by flipper 42 Replies latest jw friends

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  flipper

  I've noticed lately that some on our board, or perhaps for many of us, that's why I'm writing this , have had a challenge making new friends after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses religion. It has been a mixed bag for me. I have met some through my wife, who is not a witness. Some through my work. I have a lot of contacts . But we all can empathize. You have all these friends and are told in the witnesses to only have witnesses as friends , so it's a challenge once out !

  So, has it been hard for you folks, and what have you done to make new friends since getting out of the witnesses? Look forward to your comments
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  momzcrazy

  Hello Mr Flipper!

  I have told everyone that having friends that weren't Witnesses really helped all of us with leaving. We moved a year ago into a great neighborhood and have some very good friends here. I have never told my kids that they couldn't have friends who weren't Witnesses, so they have school friends and neighborhood friends. My husband and I have also met many from his jobs, first driving celebrity coach buses and then leasing them. When my hubby left the borg driving was his first job. He was on the road 300 days/year, so he had no choice but to find friends. The husband of one of our close "couple" friends was the manager of a Southern Rock band, but they divorced. Many of the people he met on the road have remained good friends. We also have friends from his drivers and their wives. I have also become close to "worldly" family members.

  "Bad Association" was actually the thing that convinced my girls to leave. All of their good friends were BA, and they couldn't understand why. They had also noticed that none of the 70+ kids from our hall called them to do things together. I explained it was because we weren't regular enough at meetings.

  Our friends now are true friends we would do anything for and vice versa.

  momzcrazy
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  mentalclearness

  I've also made some good friends at work. I guess I'm luckier than some because I already had a best friend who was not a jw. I also have a good jw friend who I always talk with who I can be open and honest with. We've known each other since infancy. Through my children's classes I've met some other families that I hope to develope into friendships. I had to learn to be less aloof and distant than I was used to being.
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  RisingEagle

  When we first faded my wife and I basically had no one else besides each other. We've been best friends since we met so that was okay. Later we moved to Denver and I joined a dart league and we made some really good friends through that. Most of our other friends we made through our jobs. Since we moved back to Oklahoma many of our friends have been made through our church.

  My wife told me the other day that I didn't need to go with her to our daughter's gymnastics class on Saturday mornings because she and another mom had gotten acquainted and were going to coffee during the practices.
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  OUTLAW

  I`ve tried a few things..Throwing sardines at people doesn`t work..So..You can cross that off your list.....LOL!!...OUTLAW
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  avidbiblereader

  I had tons of friends before being a witness, tons while in and now have tons while out.

  Just be yourself, you cant have a friend unless you are a friend.

  As the commerical says in the cruise industry, "Just get out there"

  abr
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  new boy

  "Meet-up" .com

  The have hundreds of local groups.....that meet...everything to wine tasting....to singles...to you name it.

  I host 3 groups "The exJWs of Portland" is one of them.
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  changeling

  We're still just about "friendless". It's a challenge to meet likeminded ones and develope friendships after a certain age. However, my husband and I have grown closer for it, so that's a good thing.

  changeling
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  erynw

  Since it's all I knew, I went door to door and asked folks if they had heard the good news that is Eryn.
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  nvrgnbk

  Since it's all I knew, I went door to door and asked folks if they had heard the good news that is Eryn.

  Now that's funny!