Newbies - How are you Benefiting from the Supportive Discussion on JWD ?

flipper

So - I thought I'd put this question out there for the Newbies here. How are you benefiting from the supportive discussion you are partaking in here on JWD ? Do you see a different sense of freedom of speech which you can partake in - as opposed to being under " information control " as a Jehovah's Witness and ONLY being allowed to talk about subjects that are previously arranged for you to discuss ?

We have all come from different backgrounds here. Although many of us might have shared the same Jehovah's Witness experience in general - our personal experiences we individually went through may have been very different in the organization. So when we come on here in discussions , being aware of those differences help us to broaden our horizon's and learning experiences as we do really learn from each other's vast array of lessons learned in life .

Some have come here at great risk to their previous witness standing to post thoughts that they could not freely express in the witnesses. To you folks - I tip my hat to you . You are to be commended and warmly welcomed. You are among friends here. We were treated as you - all of us lied to by a " mind controlling " cult who did not have our personal best interests at heart. So welcome to this board ! I , and many others here hope you find some good comfort and discussion in what you find here on JWD. So- I'll leave it open to you- How are you benefiting from the supportive discussion that goes on here ? I look forward to all your responses. Others are welcome too ! Not just Newbies ! How do all of you benefit ? Peace out to all of you ! Mr. Flipper

IP_SEC

Ya its awiight.

flipper

IP-SEC- Yeah, it beats the hell out of watching T.V. sometimes . Instead of watching reruns on T.V. we can watch certain things play out on the board ! LOL! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

JK666

I just wanted to add that I appreciate the n00bs too. Support is a two way street, and reading the new member's posts takes me back to the time when I was leaving the Organization mentally. It helps to process how far we have progressed, and what we may need to work on.

JK

whitman

Well, I'm a newbie so I'll respond. I've been out of the borg for many years now. The reason I found JWD is because I had been contacted by people who were also leaving, or who had left. So I came here to find out how things had changed and how I could support my friends. I didn't factor in the emotional impact it would actually have on ME. It's been an interesting month or so catching up on new dogma, the whole 'fade' thing which I'd never heard of before, the extent of the shunning - the drama, the gossip, the governing body, the glamour, - well, there's no glamour. I've found myself opening old wounds I thought had healed years ago, I've found myself re-asessing and re-testing my core belief - or lack of belief - structure. By being up to date on things I have been able to support my friends who are having a really tough time.

So much happens on this forum, so much really difficult, extremely personal and soul wrenching stuff. Try and read some of the threads entirely objectively - this is a weird weird world we've come from, or are still involved with on one level or another. It makes for an excellent soap opera - 'this is the cult of our lives'...no that's a crap title. I'll try and think of something better. So while they'd be fun topics for a soap opera, the fact is that these threads are real people who are really living this. Mind blowing.

There is a lot of support going on here, there is, arguably, a necessary eclecticism, there is challenging debate, there is critical thinking. There is compassion, emapathy, humour, a sense of the ridiculous and real flesh and blood behind every avatar. Basically - you all rock!!

Bubblie

Hello Mr & Mrs Flipper. I have been a lurker on here for a few years. I am just now posting. I am thinking of relocating to a Southern town in Georgia. Wonder if there many ex dubs nearby? This is the Bible belt area so I am not sure about how I would fit in, since my interest in religion isn't that keen. I love the board. Wish it wasn't so big. Sometimes, I just get worn out trying to look at all the topics so I keep it down to Active topics. Support is good. Thanks for asking.

seagrl

As a newbie, I want to Thank Everyone here/ I came to this board to fortify myself with info for the radio broadcast I will be doing on cults. I have been OUT by fading away over 10 years so I came aboard to " catch up" with the TRUTH. (ha).. and to invite ppl to share their thoughts on the broadcast or join the live chat room

The show is on Monday July 7th, noon to 2, EST

at www.blogtalkradio.com/WalksWithThunder

Please join me in educating the public of the dangers of this mind contolling cult~ thank youu

Georgiegirl

Honestly? Completely mixed. I don't participate in alot because I can't stand the way so many posts turn into personal attacks because posters disagree. If you want to disagree, fine, but why does that make your point the only option? To fade or not to fade, to reminisce or not to reminisce, to publicly try to make a scene at an assembly or a memorial or not too - many times it ends up with people being unkind because they disagree. Gee, shades of the organization, huh?

The threads that are most helpful are the ones that are doctrinal and non-emotional. It seems that many of the others disintegrate into anger, name calling, and people who will fight to the bitter end just for the sake of fighting. I can't stand that. For those who truly need help and are hurting, JWD can be a scary place to be. I've lurked for almost a year but you can see my number of posts is very low because frankly, it's just not usually worth it. I've been thrilled to see some posters who are reasonable and point out that while the organization and those who are in charge of it have caused incredible harm, the majority of those in it are simply misled. That's just sad...it's not a reason for us to call them names and condemn them as a group. The recent thread on suicide, for example - there is a poster on it who very reasonably and accurately points out the facts about the number of suicides; people aren't jumping out of windows in droves. (And yes, I am INTIMATELY familiar with someone who has committed suicide). Or the posts about a grand conspiracy in the artwork. All refuted - yet reasonably and kindly. Very refreshing.

The thread about some of the ex-Bethelites re-connecting started to turn ugly and frankly, it made me sick to my stomach. I was very impressed and appreciative of the kindness in how they handled the anger and personal attacks by some of the posters. I don't know what I believe anymore (seems to be common among ex-JWs) but my first reaction was that their responses were truly Christian. Yes, express hurt. Yes, express pain - but why does it turn into personal attacks? Why?

I know there are posters who have been hurt. I have been hurt, very much, and much more than I will ever choose to share on a public forum. I do believe the best revenge is in living well, and I choose not to dwell in anger. I choose not to make my life story about fighting and anger and hatred. I think that's probably the best advertisement for any questioning JWs who might happen on this board to STAY in the organization - when they see the anger and the name calling and the foul language. It just perpetuates the "apostates are evil" message they are given.

Because we CAN express ourselves freely now - that is a gift that should be used well and with care and respect and reasonableness. (and this is the longest post I have ever or probably will ever write on JWD!)

flipper

JK- Yeah, I remember getting support when I was a newbie, so hey pay it forward I say ! Then sometime the newbies can then pay it forward and help others too !

WHITMAN- Great post ! I really like your thoughts ! I too came on here to see how to support friends also. I liked your point that "these threads are real people who are really living this. " It's good to remember that. A lot of humor, empathy, compassion, debate, and helpful experiences to help people see how to cope with exiting the witness cult. Good points.

BUBBLIE- Welcome to the board ! I think a few posters are in Georgia, I know the poster named Dawg is, but not sure who else. I'm glad you are here and hope you get positive vibes from reading the experiences on this site .

SEAGRL- That is great you are doing a radio show to educate people on the dangers of the cult. That is just great of you to do that ! I'm sure you have picked up lots of tidbits here on JWD ! Hopefully you can post the results of your radio show ! Take care.

GEORGIEGIRL- Well, I agree with you- sometimes posters get carried away with the personal attacks so much it makes the subject of the thread get lost . Then , it's a complete waste of time. But there are some positive people here who really have great experiences to share to help others as well. Don't let it get to you. There is a lot of positive being done here that outweighs the negative ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

QuestioningEverything

I have enjoyed the website and found it very helpful. I even shared what I was viewing with my husband(who's been out for years). He and I have had some pretty frank discussions about everything we've learned. I know he's dying to say 'I told you so' but he hasn't done that-he's just glad I'm opening my eyes finally. He's now reading it regularly as well. It's nice to know others have gone through what I am feeling and have survived without ending up in the padded room. It's pretty overwhelming at times all of the emotion I'm feeling. Some days I handle the it fine and others I feel so mixed up and confused. I try to take the good points out of my upbringing and move on and despite whether one wants to admit it or not, there were some good things about our past. A big thanks to all of you out there from someone who just never knew.

Newbies - How are you Benefiting from the Supportive Discussion on JWD ?

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