by waiting 205 Replies latest jw experiences
Well damn, I guess I'll follow everyone else.
25, male, married, soon-to-be dad, living in the southern US right now. I'm not quite sure what my status with the borg is... don't really care either. My work allows me to surf the net pretty much all day long, I stumbled across another exJW board last year and have made many new ifriends, which in turn leads me here.
Hello well where do I start?
I just turned 49. My moterh got involved with the borg when I was 11. I was baptised when I was 16 and married off to a newly baptised brother when I was 18 - my mother arranged it. After about 7 years he became an elder. We had two children and I hated my life. I hated the meetings and the hypocracy. I hated feeling like a failure and the pressure of being an elder's wife. I hated the emotional and sexual abuse he forced on me. After watching a dear friend die and being condemned by my husband for taking care of her instead of taking care of him and going on service I became very depressed and suicidal. Too scared to do anything I opted for the only other way out of an abusive marriage.
I have been divorced since 1985 and went back to school - college and then university. I had my own business until last year when I moved across country to be with a wonderful man who I will marry in 5 weeks.
Both my daughters from my JW marriage have left the JWs although their father is still one. So is my mother. She will not be coming to the wedding. She has always tried to get me out of her life (foster care and then marrying me off) - now she has a religious reason for turning her back on me - apostasy.
You can check out my web page for more info http://lee_hardiman.tripod.com/home.html
Well, hello, godlike..........please allow me to shorten your name to "like" ok? No offense, but I've grown past thinking that men were god. I like your beginning though.
Congratulations on becoming a dad soon! I live in South Carolina, close by? Glad you came in to browse - stick around, ok, Like?
Hello, Lee
I've already saved your webpage for reading later. I wasn't raised in the org., but have the same type background upon first glance. There are several of us in here with it - well, in reality, we're all over the damned internet. The more of us that speak up - the more seem to speak up. But few have a webpage - thanks for taking the time and energy.
College & university, eh? Canadian to boot? Several Canadians here also - good company. May I ask what your degrees are in? We have several professors here also, of which I am not.
Glad you have your daughters as your family, some haven't been so fortunate. Several here have mothers like yours, btw. Just gives the station of motherhood a bad image - or society just doesn't want to believe we women could act that badly.
Glad you survived and are helping others. And getting married in 5 weeks! WooHoooooo! Congratulations Big Time!
Welcome, again, to all our great New Ones!
waiting
Thanks waiting. I went to school and studied counseling and had my own practice working with survivors of abuse. Once I dealt with the religous abuse I did a bit of counseling with ex-Witnesses. It has been difficult to re-establish myself here in an area where I know few of the resources but I hope to get back into it. Maybe even go back to school and do some research on the psycho/social impact of cultic life.
hello everybody i'll be posting my jw poems so we can all remember how brainwashed we all were. he he, your friend bernard free your mind your ass will follow
Hello Bernard,
With your sense of humor so obviously showing through, I hope your poems are the same?
Other than poetry, what's your background?
waiting
I guess it's my turn, I hope I'm not the last one...
I just signed up and am anxious to meet all of you..
I'm 43 and the Mother of 4, ( 2 boys and 2 girls )living in the great state of Alaska.
About 13 years ago my Aunt who is a witness and lives in S.Carolina got me interested in this religion. I was searching for answers and living in the bible belt at the time. It was a very confussing for me,( all those different preachers on T.V.) I didn't know what to believe anymore and so started my journey.
I was very surprised to recieve answers to my questions and studied with the Witnesses for 1 year. For some reason I just couldn't get babtized, something was stopping me and I didn't realize at the time that it was my conscience. I felt pressured by them to take the initial step and finally moved as far away from them as possible, at least I thought so. Had no idea they were up here too, :o)
To make a long story short, searched for GOD, became a Ladder Day Saint for 2 years, left , became a witness and found it to be the most depressing and unloving religion one can emagine.
This religion almost cost me my marriage and made me suicidal.
After many months of feeling numb and alone with no-one to turn to I gave up on GOD and religion...and left.
Well, I just couldn't stay away from the love of my life, my GOD, and the spitit of truth brought me back to him.
Many months of reading in other Bibles without the WT mags. and letting the spirit guide me has given me hope again.
I don't know if I will ever have the same relationship with GOD the Father again the way that I used to have it, I pray that I will, but the Witnesses have taken allot out of me.
All this religion has done for me is taken away my hope in GOD and my love for life and replaced it with fear and sadness.
I hope that someday soon, that those that are trapped in this cult, will have their eyes and ears opened to the truth and they see for themselves the hypocracy and lies that this Org. has spread..
in sisterly love, LC
The highway of the upright is to depart from evil;
He who watches his way preserves his life...
Hello LC,
An aunt in South Carolina, eh? Well, I'm from SC - we ain't all bad.........
Four kids? I have 3 grown, I think a fourth would have just done me in mentally. Physically, the doctor said I would have made a good field hand - drop 'em and go back to planting. Did I tell you I was from Indiana where we had hog farms? Would explain the doctor, eh?
I hope you stick around - right now our forum seems in a flux stage - growing big with a lot of personalities. It's a good place to chat with others as we all have a similar background - being a jw.
Of course, being a "Ladder Day Saint" puts a unique spin to it. Same as Mormons? I think JanG was one of those too.
I was a Catholic in my former life before jw'ism of 30 years.
I believe I've taken a vow of abstinance from organized religion for the rest of my life. Just to be on the safe side.
Welcome!
waiting
Hello, wow, I can't believe this site, I love it! First off, let me start by saying "Hello". I am from NJ USA. I was raised a JW until I left when I was 16. I am 23 now. I am very happy to meet all of you. Until today, I didn't know wbout most people's feelings toward JWs. I thought that I was the only one who had a terrible childhood because of these people. But I see I couldn't have been more wrong!
First off,
let me say a heartfelt welcome to 'like, Lady Lee (still haven't visited your site, but I will, I will....), and Faithful. (Bernard I have already welcomed in another thread. )
Steve Josef,
You are way younger than me, but I was born in Englewood (Bergen County) and spent the first 19 yrs. of my life in the area. Are you anywhere close?
Nice to have you all here!
outnfree
Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?
