i am a regular pioneer in my cong reading crisis of conscience.here goes...

by MsGrowingGirl20 206 Replies latest jw friends

  • james_woods
    james_woods

    Well, I had a nice long post all fixed here and hit "active topics" instead of "submit" and lost it.

    Basically, I was going to say the same things mentioned above:

    1) - Take it slow, keep your investigation private from the witnesses. They will oppose you any way they can.

    2) - Realize that what they call "faithful to Jehovah" really means "faithful to the Watchtower Society and the Governing Body".

    3) - Realize that it will take a while to really learn to think for yourself after being controlled by this cult for the time you have.

    And, again, warm welcome to this board.

    James

    BTW - the Ed Dunlap you will read about in CoC was a very good friend of mine - I left the JW organization at the same time as Ed and Ray Franz.

  • Witness My Fury
    Witness My Fury

    Yes we may well be making you cry and feel ill, and maybe we are overwhelming you with info and opinion.

    Just stick to the bible at first might be a reasonable suggestion though...

    I read and studied the bible a great deal in my doubting phase and it was very helpful as reading just the bible in context (and comparing translations) was enough to see things were not right in JW land. I read the complete bible about 4 times, selected bible books and parts relevant to my research (607 bce date) many more times and the Gospel accounts a few more times on top. I wanted the JWs to be right as I had invested all my previous 40 years into it.

    My point being here is that there is no short cut to research. I didnt take anyone elses word for it here, I had to see it for myself.

  • Giordano
    Giordano

    I like your questions...gets us all to think.

    i've noticed that alot of the comments have nothing to do with God.....Have u became bitter? I've been out for over 4 decades, I wasn't bitter when I left.......my wife left with me, and we hadn't started a family. I was 23. I did miss my close friends but was not prepared to cling to a congregation to keep them. The blood issue was something I could never accept that was the start. My wife and I wouldn't subject any children we had to that dangerous position.

    The society had/has a long history of meddeling in medical practices. Since the JW's are still a 19th centurary organuization it is understandable.....but not acceptable. Armageddon was another issue 'Billions now living would die'. When your out in service and passing by a school look at the children and ask yourself why.

    I am a gentle cynic who sees no evidence that god exists nor Satan nor that the JW's or any religion has the 'truth'. So I don't waste my time. I don't waste my energy by hating. What I feel is Profound sadness when they knock on my door, especially if there are children. Because I know that JW children are expected to become witnesses..... not given a choice. Did you know that over 60% of JW born-ins leave the 'truth'? Pew survey

  • wallsofjericho
    wallsofjericho

    MGG20 posted:

    I literally started to tear up seeing this post.

    MGG20 - so many of us here have been where you are. I remember this stage of my life very well, many times where the above emoticons expressed my feelings better than any words. This brought on so many memories and emotions of my eye opening moment - yes moment! A light literally flicks on and that's it.

    My heart fills with both sadness and joy when I see people taking such a courageous step toward spiritual freedom.

    MGG20 - some of us here will reply with sarcasm or even anger, but be assured you are loved here

    woj

  • Nobleheart
    Nobleheart

    Welcome here MsGrowingGirl20!

    The stance on higher education was an issue for me as well being a JW. I was also a reg. pioneer when I found this forum and started reading CoC as well as other past WT literature. Feel free to pm me anytime. I just sent you a pm btw.

  • Nobleheart
    Nobleheart

    Oups double post

  • baltar447
    baltar447

    Have u become bitter?

    I hold no animosity towards the people that I know and still care for in the ORG. However, I do have great comtempt for the corporate machine and ruthless people that are at the heart of the JW cult and the damage it does to people.

    Do you all still believe in God?

    I consider myself agnostic at this point. Consider this: when an abused wife leaves her husband that has been abusing her for perhaps decades, she may feel that all men are worthless and it would be impossible to have a healthy relationship with them. It's similar. It's spiritual abuse. And since we've been taught to loathe all other religions and point out their flaws, then it's very hard to want anything to do with organized religion and God.

    How do you worship him, if at all?

    I live me life. I try to make my wife happy. I try to make my kids happy. I do my best to take care of them. I am trying to live my life to the fullest. I help others when I am in a position to do so. Recently we took in another ex-jw who was homeless, kicked out of his apartment because he didn't go to meetings. We did this despite the fact that we are struggling to provide for ourselves. We did it because it was the right thing to do. I try to follow the spirit of Jesus' teachings because I believe they are basically the laws of universal good that are also found in other creeds and faiths. I don't think that just because someone isn't religious doesn't mean that they aren't moral or ethical. IN FACT, I would propose that those that AREN'T religious that hold true to their code of conduct, ethics and morals as being more worthy of praise because no one is holding a gun to their heads to do the right thing.

    Have u found Jehovah's true followers if not witnesses?

    Nope. See my statement above about spiritual abuse. Also, in time you'll find that the "personal name" of God that isn't even IN the New Testament, and was created in the middle ages. Jesus did NOT use the name. This will be another eye opener. Also, another mind f%^& if you will was this: The "Bible" that JWs follow was assembled by "apostates" in the 3rd century.

    Do you feel at peace with God?

    I feel at peace with myself. I am going to have my first birthday party. No one is going to be beheaded. I realized that if there is a God how can he be so cruel as to promote the feelings of personal worthlessness that JWs live with every day?

    Are you happy?

    I am happier. I have been told by other "worldy" people that we know that I seem happier and more relaxed and at peace with myself. I CAN say that please be careful when/if you do leave, since you may tend to act like a teenager and work things out of your system, so just don't be self destructive. Holidays for us are HAPPY times when family can come together and build memories.

    If this is not the truth then why are some of u still 'fading'? why condone untruth? Would God be happy if this isn't the truth and yet u still atempt to condone and fade?

    Once you DO realize that it's a cult, then you will see the cultish tactics and emotional blackmail and forcing people to tow the line OR ELSE lose their family and friends and possibly job or business realtionships. You will come to realize that they hold no authority over you and AREN'T ENTITLED TO THE TRUTH about your personal feelings and beliefs. It's a tough price to pay for those that have much to lose.

  • tornapart
    tornapart

    MsGG20.. I have sent you a message.. (check the little blue envelope in the top right corner, you may have to click it twice)

  • JustThatGirl007
    JustThatGirl007

    MGG20, welcome to the board, sweetie. Please take things slowly, ask a lot of questions, and do your research. This is not an easy undertaking.

    I'm Baltar's wife. Everything he said pretty much holds true for me, too, except that I'm atheist. How can I believe in something that has no proof of existence? Incidentally, I also no longer believe in the existence of satan.

    Baltar and I hve been out almost a year, physically, though it's been a little bit longer for us mentally. We were both done by the time memorial of last year rolled around, but had to keep up appearances for my mother. She now knows we're done, but at the time, we lived with her & my dad and needed to keep having a place to live!

    This is my blog, if you're interested in reading a little bit about us: http://theratherunusual.blogspot.com/ It doesn't have a lot of posts, so it shouldn't be terribly overwhelming for you to go through.

    Much love to you, sweetie. You need it.

  • Vidqun
    Vidqun

    Hello and welcome. I am also relatively new. There was a lot of niggly things that bothered me about the organization, e.g., shunning (even if you're not disfellowshipped), negative view of secular studies, the fact that they never apologized (even if they were wrong), etc. Recently I studied "the disgusting thing causing desolation" and "the beast ascending out of the sea", which point to the UN according to Watchtower Theology. To my utter amazement I had to find out that the Society had joined the UN as a NGO (non-governmental organization), giving them the same status with the UN as Christendom's churches. They would in fact ride the beast alongside Babylon the Great (1992-2002). To this day, charitable Witnesses organizations in different countries enjoy NGO status with the UN, e.g., Aid Afrique (France). This was my wake-up call. I hate hypocrisy, and this was hypocrisy to a superlative degree.

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