by mac n cheese 33 Replies latest jw friends
I went to my old Kingdumb Hell last year.
There was not one person in their teens. Virtually all old people.
Is this the case elsewhere? If so, in a decade there will be hardly any witlesses left.
Truly this is proof of how near the end really is. I am going back to the meetings prontinto
HB
Sadly it seems our friends are still happy to be controlled by a man made organisation.
I noticed a FB friend of a FB friend was my old book study conductor back when I was a kid. I haven't contacted him yet because I'm not really "me" in that Mad Sweeney obviously isn't my real name and I'm just recently faded. (I don't think I'm even inactive yet...still just irregular).
Anyway, I would love to see some of my old friends fade. I would love to help them.
Good luck to you and yours, Mac!
Welcome Mac glad you and your wife are enjoying the freedom. As far as celebrations go be patient it just takes a while for the brainwashing and control to go. Hubby and I are really enjoying all the celebrations now. Your story really gives me hope that my family will see sense and wake up. So many long time JW's seem to be waking up.
All the best to you both. RosePetal
I hope this trend continues. I haven't seen the inside of a Kingdumb Hell in person in more than 5 years, and it sounds like all that's going to be left will be those who are control freaks. They might get a few from prisons and mental institutions (which ought to make for some good embarrassments in a few years when they start getting caught molesting children, shooting at random at the Kingdumb Hell, or killing (or, heaven forbid, eating) babies. But I think their days of recruiting relatively sane, well-off members from the field are as out of date as a can of soup dated 1997.
On Birthdays?
My wife wanted to do them as well, but I protested till recently. At first, felt real strange, but in time, its become natural to wish others the best on their BDay. Still not comfortable doing my BDay, don't like to be the center of attention. But my wife and dauhgter make it a very special day for us as a family, which is nice.
On meeting old leaving JW's? Just a few for us.
Only recently, and that was on FB. One was an old Bible Study that went to Baptism. I had heard he had left, but had not connected with him in maybe 15 years? He was shocked and extremely happy we had left. He said he had never met more devout and sincere JW's than us. He shared our leaving with the old gang of kids from his past. They couldn't believe it either.
See, everyone is leaving in someway shape or form. Even if still in, they are not really believing in this stuff any more. Otherwise, they would be shouting from the roof tops, 'the end is coming' and showing it with their lifestyle. But there not, in fact just the opposite.
Hey Mac,
Yes the trend is a good one. The momentum is starting build. All the cool, smart JWs are starting to wake. The more that leave, the bigger the snowball becomes.
The social network is one of the most powerful tools they have to keep people in. Once it starts to crack and people can see that a network can exist outside of the religion it is very helpful, and encouraging to anyone seeking to fade or suddenly extricate themselves.
cheers!
The Oracle
This was encouraging to hear . i would love to know what advice you are giving .....
I just had a conversation with a couple the other night . The husband has never been a witness and the wife was recently reinstated . I still have open communication with her ,but want to be careful what I say so as not to push her away . She came back in to gain back family relationships ,but she has had her eyes opened ,and I don't think she is a complete believer anymore . Just wish I could be of encouragement to her . It has to be hard to keep your foot in the door enough to please family ,and yet be true to your own self .
This was encouraging to hear . i would love to know what advice you are giving .....
Since my last meeting 2 years ago, I have found out that at least 5 others I know have left. One was a long time Elder who was involved heavily in the regional building committee doing work in developing countries. All of these individuals live in different areas of the U.S. and don't know eachother. I have asked myself why it matters to me if someone else leaves or not....why the fact that they also left, in some way validates my own leaving. I wonder if this validation of my decision to leave is in some way behind the desire I have to encourage others to leave as well. If so, I'm not sure if it's a good motive.
I was raised a Dub, and what I found was that when I tried to celebrate birthdays or holidays it felt as foreign to me as celebrating Ramadan or Bon-Odori would feel to a life-long catholic; it simply "doesn't compute." The reason for this, I've concluded, is because there is no established emotional base in me for these events/activities. There is no emotional context.
I can relate to that. There are some aspects of some holidays I like and enjoy, but other aspects I can't get excited about. Having been raised without ever celebrating these things leaves me without an emotional attachment to the celebrations or events.
I tend to ignore all the religious holidays. Xmas doesn't do much for me when it come to trees, lights, decorations or the story of baby Jesus, but I love the xmas parties and the holiday cheer that comes around an otherwise gloomy time of year.
I always secretly liked Halloween as a kid so now I enjoy it without shame or guilt and enjoy going to parties dressed up in a costume.
B-days I don't care much about. I'm at an age that each passing b-day just reminds me that I'm getting old. Knowing that and realizing that there is no "paradise earth" in my lifetime doesn't really give me much to celebrate.
It's come down to me taking what I like from certain holidays and leaving the rest.
It's like moving to a foreign land. When you move there, you may not have any clue as to local customs and traditions but as time goes by you tend to adapt to them and while you may never fully appreciate it as the locals do, you learn to appreciate it enough to enjoy it with them and to respect their ways.
