I would like know how you first found this site, and what was your first experience on here like? (page 3)

mouthy

I'm probably one of the "oldest" posters here,

Hey good looking Oldest poster me thinks

My mom had told me about Silent Lambs, which then led me to freeminds.org, which then led me here...I don't remember my 1st post...but I do remember being highly addicted to coming here, it was Feb 2006 and I joined, and kept coming back..I needed to know more about this religion that I grew up in...I know more about the org now then I did while growing up. Reading the stories here made me feel better, this site helped me get rid of guilt and finally face the reality that growing up that was not right.

Nikki

Quirky1

Very similar to oompa. I was looking up dirt on a religion I knew had some serious flaws and found this site. Wow, my eyes were opened even wider than before.

I gathered the JWN recommended literature and read and read. Soon I was posting on here, resigned as an MS and just quit going. What a relief!!

Rocky_Girl

I faded 10 years ago when I reached 18, stopped being a regular pioneer and got dumped by my Bethelite fiance. I spent the next 8 years accepting that I was going to die at armageddon and that God hated me. I was married for those years to a man who was raised JW, but never got baptized. He was in the same mindset. He and I divorced, long story, and I began dating a Catholic man. His family is BIG into holidays and varied in religious beliefs so they didn't push me to do anything. His Mom had family 'in' so she always stressed that God, no matter what name I gave Him, loved me no matter what, like I love my own children.

I started questioning why I was keeping myself and my kids from enjoying family holiday celebrations when we aren't JW. I started looking around online to see how other exJWs were handling it, I remembered when I was a teenager and the WTS launched its website that they strongly stated the address as watchtower.org, they said to be careful not to type .com. So.... I typed in watchtower.com. It redirected me to the official website, so I googled JW and ended up here. I surfed the forum for days on end and researched the assertions made against WTS. This knowledge gave me the courage to say goodbye forever to that cult.

Now I celebrate with no guilt or fear. I am confident in God's love for me, even when I have doubts and do research. And, my kids will never know the agony of sitting in the hallway of their elementary school while their classmates are eating b-day cupcakes or coloring pictures of Santa Claus. And I have now seen every Christmas movie ever filmed, haha.

Angie

compound complex

Greetings, BonaFide:

I found JWD through Freeminds. It took me 2 months to understand how to sign on after registering and my first post was commented on by serendipity, to whom I am eternally grateful. I always wondered how 340-some views elicited only one comment, but gee! I'm here to learn, so read I do and accordingly find a measure of satisfaction in doing so.

CoCo

Robert7

When the WT mind control broke, I realized I was an Atheist. Now coming from the Witnesses to become an Atheist seemed quite crazy. So I Googled for stories of JW's becoming Atheists, and I found this site with many great personal stories.

For the first few months, JWD was my "anti-spiritual food". Since I was still going to meetings at the time, it helped keep a perspective on the reality of the WTS.

jaguarbass

I left the tower in 83. I was pretty much over the experience when I found this site.

Over the experience but carrying the baggage for the rest of my life.

Anyways I had been searching the internet for the answers to lifes mysteries, the meaning of life,

Lifes purpose, how to find happiness, etc and one search led to JWD. JWD wasnt at the top

of the search but quite a bit down, I clicked on it and got addicted.

Previously I had been wasting time on a Yahoo Harley Davidson board, but Harley riders

are all republican except me so I started coming here more often.

When I left the tower in 83 there was no internet. Just little book stores in malls with

maybe 20 books on religion, I was able to find 30 years a watchtower slave bought it and

went from there.

I was fortunate I knew it wasnt the truth on January 1 1976. It just took me 7 more

years to figure out how to quit. I didnt figure out anything great, I just finnally

said I had enough and told my wife I was never going back.

She stayed in for 10 more years until she figured out how to quit.

no more kool aid

When I went back to college I stumbled on the silent lambs site (probably 2003). That stuff really bothered me, plus I was seeing some it play out locally. I kind of tried to get it out of my head thinking "God, the society is right when you go back to school all these bad things happen". Then something happened when I was sitting at a meeting in May of 2008 and I knew I could not go to one more meeting and I didn't (I am a lifer). I didn't stumble on this site until July. Wow, then I had all the information to back up what was only a gut feeling before. There were so many doctrinal inconsistencies that I never knew about. So many people wondering all the same things I was since I was a little kid. Then so many stories about lack of love and back stabbing that I only thought my family endured. I heard other people talking about all the things I've wanted to scream from the roof tops for a life time. I think this site saved my sanity. Still just love to pour a cup of coffee and read all the posts of an old random poster or search certain topics.

wobble

I cannot remember the exact mechanism by which I ended up here,but in March 2007 I stopped going in te FS,no longer able to push a book entitled "What Does the Bible Really Teach" when I knew a lot of the doctrine therein was crap. Esp. 1914.

I discovered Greg Staffords site "Elihu Books" and was so pleased to find someone else who did not believe 1914 too.

I think it was on there that I saw a reference to Carl Jonsonns book "The Gentile Times Revisited" or whatever,and while looking for revieiws of that,found JWD.

I WAS SHOCKED ! There was a guy called Homerovah the Almighty (bless him) and all sorts of disrespectfull,but laugh out loud comments ,about the WTB$

The main thing was I found a community that had gone through the same as me,were non-judgemental and welcomed all opinions,and most important,knew lots of stuff I didn't about the faulty WT theology.

In April 2008 I walked from the KH never to return.Then followed lots of anguish,family having a pop.visits from Elders and others,I had been a well known ,active ,born in for 58 years,so it caused a stir my going.But you guys on here supported and guided me. THANK YOU ALL!!!!

I like to think Holy Spirit guided me here,so I could learn some truth.

Love,

Wobble

jamiebowers

I'd been df'd for 13 or 14 years when I watched the Dateline episode with Bill Bowen. It blew my mind, because I was molested at the age of 12 by a non jw, but my jw mom did nothing about it. For years I blamed myself, and by my mid 20's I blamed my mom. Now I understand why she didn't do what she should have done. Anyway, I got on the silentlambs site and read all of the experiences of the abused and battered lambs and even posted my own experiences as a molested child and battered wife. I was so hungry for information on the jws that I checked that site several times a day, but I didn't have time to research other sites.

Then we had a fire at our house on January 25, 2007. Since it was electrical in nature, the county ordered the electric turned off. Without electric we had no heat, and without heat, we couldn't have water, so we had to stay in a hotel for a week. I worked at home and couldn't perform the job without unlimited long distance at the hotel, and my back was really killing me, since I didn't have my adjustable bed, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I Googled Jehovah's Witnesses, and this site came up. I spent almost all week reading and laughing my ass off. I couldn't believe there were so many articulate, intelliegent, funny people who were also exjws.

Once we were able to get back in our house, I went back to work and didn't have a lot of time for JWD. But then in the late fall of 2007 I got a call out of the blue from someone to whom I had once been very close. Since I use my real name I can't relate his name or relationship to me, because he hasn't da'd or been df'd yet. But after 20 years of shunning me, he called to say that he'd been inactive for quite awhile and stopped attending meetings. He was well on his way OUT! I wanted to make sure I knew all of the latest fading techniques, so I started reading this site again.

Then I started hearing about all of the predictions/rumours of changes in the organization, and I got hooked on reading on a daily basis, because my mom is still in. After corresponding with many posters via pm, email and phone, I can't stop myself from being on this site. I don't post much, but I read A LOT. I am so grateful for this site and the many, many people who have helped me and whom I have been able to help. I am almost 45 years old and am still figuring out the ramifications of not only being in the cult but also the suffering I endured both as a sexually molested child and a battered wife.

Education brings truth, and truth brings freedom. I no longer feel guilty for being molested or for not being strong enough to endure physical abuse and death threats. And I no longer bear grudges against my jw mom who ignored my peril or my jw ex-husband who, many times put my life in danger. I do feel bitterness toward the WB&TS, because from what I read here, there are many other people who they are victimizing right down to this day. It's a shame, but at least they have this site to turn to when they are abused and abandoned by people who are supposed to love them.

I would like know how you first found this site, and what was your first experience on here like?