Hulloo all,
To cut a very long and oft told story (on boards like this at any rate) very short, I was partially raised a JW (tho' never baptised), and now I've reached the stage where my very modest collection of dub literature must be disposed of. It's lived in a box in attics and high shelves in various houses for the last 12 years during which time I've been sh*t scared to go near it, but equally scared to get rid of it for fear of seriously pissing off His Almightyness up in the heavens.
Well, over the past year I've been through a few of the usual "eye openers", COC & the gentile times thingumygig whatsit doodah, and evolution books too. I'm now a "born again atheist" I suppose you would have to call it, and very happy with my decision. The only issues still unresolved are: I feel sorry for mum still chasing that dream of paradise (come on folks, it was a beautiful dream, if you could bend your brain around 5 billion people being slaughtered of course!); and I'm still angry at dad for letting mum take me to meetings when I was young or not even asking me why I was going; and lastly, I (like many of you, from what I read in your posts) have missed out on that whole socialisation thing that people seem to go through in their childhoods and early adulthoods, and I'm finding it hard work to develop those "friendmaking" skills as an adult. I suppose it's why, at 10:30 on Saturday night, I'm sat in front of my computer screen whinging about my parents rather than being out down the pub or dancing my socks off at some venue suitable for the purpose of sock loosing dancing.
Forgive the ranting diversion. I feel like burning the books. They are:
Questions Young People Ask, Answers that are guarranteed to make me look like a complete tw*t at school, 1989.
Revelation, its Grand anticlimax is not at hand, 1988.
School and Jehovah's Witnesses pamphlet, (ooohhh, you are getting soooo burned you little b*stard), 1983
Life - How Did It Get to be this shite? By Evolution or by Creation? (Read this book to find out how you can make the worst out of yours!) 1985
You Can('t) Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (I'm looking forward to burning you immensely) 1983
Your Will Be Done On Earth (what the f*ck is this this book going on about? Not really sure how I got this one!) 1958.
Reasoning From the Scriptures (for me, another guide to how to look a complete tw*t in front of people by giving totaly bizarre answers to reasonable religious questions) 1985.
The Bible, God's Word or Man's, 1989.
All Scripture is Inspired yada yada yada, 1990.
If any of these books might fill a gap in your collections (naturally for the purposes of using the information contained therein against their originators) then I'll listen to suggestions. Otherwise they're going up in smoke - except for the plastic covers. I'll listen to any suggestions of best burning techniques. I have a fuel burning stove (usually a coal fire) which should do the job.
On a final note, in my continuing efforts to move from being a social catterpillar to being a social butterfly, is it worth my while trying to get together with some ex-jw persons? As I was never baptised, I feel a bit of a fraud even posting here. But I seriously believed (up 'till a few months ago) that armageddon was about to happen any minute, even though I hadn't been near a Kingdom Hall for the prevous decade, I hate that (*&^$)(&* organisation. I live in Milton Keynes, in England.
I hope you are all well,
Iggy the fish