Am I alone in thinking this way?

by whyhideit 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  plmkrzy

  There were many points you hit on that jumped right out at me.

  I'll mention the first one:

  Then there was the issue of still seeing people the same way we did as Witnesses.

  Because for me personally, this is the "biggy" The thought process was posted in me pre-birth so in many ways being a JW was always an inner-battle. For years, I believed that Jehovah looked "down" on me because I could not accept many JW rules and doctrine. That would have to be my biggest hurdle, the thought process.

  Why I came here?

  I was curious.I wasn't looking for anything. I certainly wasn't looking to be a member.

  Why I stay?

  I grew to like it here. And I became attched to some of the people. I also liked the idea that there was an entire community of people I could relate to on a level "regular" people can't even comprehend. That makes this place very unique. I visit other boards but this is the only one that I found to be really socialble and well rounded. Other boards have there good qualities as well, but unfortunately they get stale too fast unless there is turmoil. So, I always spend most of my online time here. Or shopping. Or e-mailing. Or IMing. Or playing with grafics. Or making new ones. Or.............

  How long will I stay?

  Don't know. As long as I want I guess. Or until it's gone. Which ever comes first.

  plum

  Edited by - plmkrzy on 27 January 2003 13:47:15
• 

  concerned mama

  whyhideit,

  What a fascinating post! How did you do it? Getting on with a good, happy successfull life...the true escape from the watchtower. I am so happy for you, for your peace and acceptance.

  cm
• 

  Introspection

  Hello,

  Now my question to all the board members is this. Do you ever see these same common thoughts in online communities like this? In doing so, how does it affect you? Basically it comes down to this.

  "Why do you come to these board, how long to you plain to stay?"

  Well, yes, I guess there are common thoughts in any online coommunity, or else it wouldn't be a community. As far as how it affects me, it doesn't really. The reason why I come here is not because I need to get over some witness thought pattern, I don't identify with thought patterns nor do I have ones specific to witness life anymore. Of course, I mean this on a psychological level, having been there I understand how it works. But really, I don't find the need to ask this because it's no longer an issue for me. But to answer your question, basically I come here because I think I can contribute something relatively unique to the discussion, I actually read very little - enough to respond where it might touch on what I can offer. As far as how long I plan to stay, I don't have a specific mind-projected time like "Ohh, I will leave when I've got all my issues sorted out" - that's already happend. I've left for months at a time when I don't have the time to come here, and when I have a lot of spare time on my hands like lately I will come more often. In other words, it's not just for myself, believe it or not. This particular board also has a large enough population where there's a nice diverse group of people from all over, and ex-witness or not that just makes for a more interesting community. You make a good point, but for some of us it's not really news. I certainly don't think someone has to leave if they got everything all sorted out and has gotten on with their life - why would they have to avoid it if that's the case? It would be just like anything else, not any more of a emotional pull than other things. When someone says something to the effect that you should leave or they gotta leave to "move on" - that's an indicator to me that they're in process, but that is definitely not the final step. You may choose not to come back out of preference alone of course, but then not everyone uses a forum like this for their own purposes.
• 

  Warrigal

  I think one of the interesting points about this board is that my association with the witnesses was somewhat isolated. Small congregation in rural area..

  I've found that many of the things that caused me to question the teachings are universal. People in the big cities and all over the world experienced similar things and have spoken about them. For me, this confirms my doubts about the org.

  I was fortunate in that my husband suggested that I not dismiss my 'worldly' friends. I guess I could be accused of leading a double life as I interacted with friends and neighbors on a normal level. Having them as truly been a blessing as my loving brothers and sisters have turned their backs on me.

  Warrigal