not at all happy about the army. a personal view is most kids join the army as a job--as an alternative to shelf stacking. and end up in afghanistan. being shot at or blown up by people defending their own country---but then i guess thats going off topic.
Thank you watchtower...
by punkofnice 36 Replies latest jw experiences
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punkofnice
bigmac - It's still on topic for me. It's the safety of my kids I'm worried about. I just wonder sometimes if I had never been in the antichrist cult if I'd feel QUITE the same way!? Guess I'll never know.
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diana netherton
Yep, pretty much f*$ed my life up as well. Made my childhood unbearable.
All those wasted hours at those horrid meetings. And the bathroom was always
minging. I hated it so much I used to make myself sick just not to go. I even
contemplated running out in front of a car once on Thursday nite.
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punkofnice
diana netherton - Strewth. They must have had a bad impression on you! I guess it's rule or ruin with those scam artists in Crooklyn. I refuse to be either scenario.
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bigmac
@ punk---this afghan business---is britain at war with that god-forsaken place?--not as far as i am aware--the russians gave up--didnt britain support the taliban then? i see the ever in creasing number of body-bags---and all for what?-----is there any oil there? and if its to do with drugs---surely it would be much cheaper to BUY the lot--then burn it all.
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punkofnice
bigmac - What I don't get is if it's a 'war on terror' why are they in Afganistan? The terrorists are over here blowing things up! Is it just me??
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bigmac
agree with you 100% punk--- terrorists born here--educated--supported--all for free.
terrorism should be classed as treason--and that still carries the death penalty
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tiki
punk - tis true...it takes time to straighten out the wires. i am totally turned off by anything even remotely related to religion these days.. i find i have to purposely concentrate on being positive and releasing anxiety. the religion left me with a serious panic disorder, depression...on meds for life now. the deeply instilled fears were the worst...going to end up in a concentration camp, beaten to a pulp, starved almost to death...what loving images to inculcate in a child's mind. amazing...
i love freedom.
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Morbidzbaby
Unky Punky, it's tough being out there in the big bad world and feeling like you've just been born... Because, in essence, that's what has happened. Now you need to form your opinions and grow into your authentic self. Just as growing into a man didn't happen overnight, neither will growing into who you really are. There are times when your Watchtower programming will tell you something isn't right...when in reality, the choice as to whether it is right or wrong is YOURS.
One thing I've learned: Even if your own moral compass points you in the same direction that the Watchtower did, it's still YOUR MORAL COMPASS that you're using. You used your own thinking and reasoning ability to conclude that this is the right path for you. It just so happens that the Watchtower agrees with YOU, not the other way around. For example, no matter what the object or circumstance, I feel it's wrong to steal. Even if it's a bottle of hot sauce or ketchup off of a restaurant table. Now, the Watchtower might agree with me on that, but it's my own sense of morality and what I feel is right and wrong for ME that determine that...not my upbringing. Deciphering which morals are coming from your gut and which are programmed responses can be tricky at first. But you'll get the hang of it. Usually, if it's Watchtower-reasoning, my gut gets queasy and I get afraid. When it's ME who is making the decision based on my OWN feelings, I'm able to be very adamant and confident in my feelings/beliefs. I'll give you an example:
A couple of months ago, bf and I were shopping. He took me into a kind of metaphysical store. Only my second time being in one. I felt nervous, cold and clammy...scared to be in there at first. I looked at pentacles and just felt shy and scared to look. That was my Watchtower programming...pentacles are the sign of Satan, right? Wrong. I know the history of it, what it symbolizes...I know it has nothing whatsoever to do with Satan (I don't believe in Satan, anyway lol). So I made a stand within myself and decided CONFIDENTLY to buy a couple of books. A couple of weeks ago, I bought my first beautiful pentacle and did so easily and confidently without so much as a shiver of doubt.
Your decisions are YOURS. You just need to figure out the signs within yourself of which is the Watchtower talking and which is YOU, Punk. Eventually, the Watchtower "voice" disappears...but you need to make YOUR OWN voice heard over it.
While you may not like the idea of your son joining the military, I don't know of any parent who would! They may be PROUD to have a child who is serving their country, but LIKE the idea? Not so much. Any dangerous job is going put a parents' heart in their throat...
The "god" question is one that I struggled with for awhile. I was a "just-in-caser"... You know: Going out in service, praying once in awhile, behaving myself for the most part...just in case. A part of me questioned since I was a kid. Once I got to the age and freedom level to explore things, I started researching evolution.
One book that I really enjoyed...it was an easier read than I thought it would be... "Why Evolution is True". Also, some books that helped me to look at the bible itself with a more critical eye were "Jesus, Interrupted" and "Misquoting Jesus". He also has another one that I haven't read yet. Jesus, Interrupted was instrumental in my search for what was true and what wasn't. I recommend it if you really are searching.
And don't worry...you're not the only nutter in this asylum... We all have issues from our upbringing/contact with the JW's.
And hey, even if we were each all alone, we're all together in that, too.
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smiddy
I liked that punk ,the "Truth" that Jehovah`s Witnesses preach havent set people free ,it has in fact caused more phsychological problems to more people who dont need these extra burdens on an already complex life than they already have to face.
smiddy