Do You Consider Yourself A Stronger Person Since Your Eyes Have Opened? (page 3)

minimus

Personally, I am not afraid of what others think about me in the "truth". If push comes to shove, I believe that even if I were to get disfellowshipped, I would not fall apart. This morning my wife and daughter talked to me about my daughter continuing to attend meetings. My 24 year old daughter doesn't believe this is the "truth". So she's made a decision to basically stop attending. My wife admitted that she feels we might have been in a "cult" all these years and supports my daughter's decision to stop attending meetings. My wife feels the whole "brotherhood" is lacking true love. 2 of our friends mentioned how the Witnesses have stopped visiting a sister who is terminally ill because she is being cared for by her 2 disfellowshipped daughters, and they don't want to have to run in to them......Loving organization, huh?

Big Tex

Hey Minimus, you and your wife have come a long way. Congratulations! You've come along a lot faster than I did. Took me years because I was so stubborn (stupid) that I didn't want to go, but I couldn't stay.

But I'm glad to hear about your daughter and especially that you both are supporting her. That is a sign of a good, healthy family. Whatever happens, stay true to yourself and who you are and everything else will happen as it should. You guys are going to be just fine.

unclebruce

yes, yes, yes ... to all of the above !

geez simon, you must have been really farked lol oopz unclebruce

blondie

2 of our friends mentioned how the Witnesses have stopped visiting a sister who is terminally ill because she is being cared for by her 2 disfellowshipped daughters, and they don't want to have to run in to them......Loving organization, huh?

Minimus, I wonder if they think DF'ing is catching? They can just ignore them, as many JWs have reportedly done to many DF'd ones. They obviously are thinking only of their feelings and not the feelings of the terminally ill sister. And these are people that would give up their lives for you! What love!

Blondie

minimus

I know the elders in that congregation, Blondie, and they have a "thing" about disfellowshipped ones. Local needs on that subject all the time.....Tex, thanks for your encouragment. I will post more details regarding my daughter that I know you'll all find interesting. She got a letter from one of her friends that I will either post or give you excerpt on. Once you read this stuff, you will begin to gag.

blondie

Actually, minimus, when I first read this topic I thought it said "Do you consider yourself a Stranger person since your eyes have opened?

I finally had to accept it wasn't just a few elders in a few congregations that were untrustworthy. I finally realized that there are the elders who lie and the elders who know they lie and don't do anything about it. I posted a saying somewhere else that says:

Quality is impossible if people are afraid to tell the truth.--W. Edwards Deming

Blondie

(I'm glad to hear about the progress with your wife and daughter. Who knows, we may be able to meet face to face in the not too distant future)

oldcrowwoman

Yes definitely feel stronger , emotionally, phyically and spiritually. I am still growing emotionally and spiritually.

And religion is'nt my way of life.

I value the freedom and rather protective. I experienced domestic abuse and I view the org. as domestic abuse only in a covert way. Controlling is the whole theme and using threats to keep in line. I see as using covert terorism. I was once blinded. Not no more!!!

Interesting I had a dream last night. In reality I am involved in a women's spiritualty circle for 11 years. In the dream one of members decided to bring religion into the group and change the format. I was pretty upset. I had to tell them I could'nt stay in the circle. I was devastated with the whole situation. I was going to be alone again in the world. But I knew my spirituality is strong . In time something would change.

Its interesting that I don't define me as a member of a particular sect. Which is freedom.

I guess lately I working on my internal self. Its the journey and not the destination. Pretty powerful!!

I appreciate these threads. Helps me put whatever in perspective. Thank you.

All the Best. OCW

acsot

Minimus:

First off, glad to hear about your family's eyes being opened also! Good for you!

To answer your question: Yes. Stronger, happier, more outgoing, more "connected" to my fellow humans, able to indulge my curiosity about all things "spiritual", be it new age, Buddhism, Native American, whatever. Thanks for asking.

minimus

I was just talking to my mother, and you know what's interesting??? Sometimes she defends the "truth" and other times, she agrees (reluctantly) with me. Sunday was a good day for her agreement. Today, the "slave's" imperfect. They are not false prophets.

DarkWolf

I'm surprised that some feel more spiritual. I was expecting less spiritual as an answer because of some expressing a lack or loss of faith or because of feeling less "religious".

I definitely went through a period where I had lost faith in everything after I quit, but that lasted about a year, and now I've found a much more refreshing form of spirituality. As far as being stronger, I have definitly become a stronger person, but you have to be stronger to put up with the harrassment when you quit. I stopped going to meetings nearly four years ago, but I only admitted to myself that I no longer believed any of it about two years ago. Since then I've gone up and down with it, its so hard to let go of something thats been pounded into your head since you were a baby. But there's been a definite improvement in my life.

The hardest thing is having family that is still in. I moved 1200 miles away from my home town, partially to get away from harrassment by the elders, only to have my sister call the local congregation and give them my address so that they could "encourage me to go to the memorial."

Back to the world going to hell in a hand basket, it is so frustrating that while my husband has also quit going and agrees with most of my reasons, he still keeps jumping back to "well, that is a fullfillment of prophesy." I'm like get a grip, they have a prophesy for everything! But he just can't let go yet.

Sorry for the rant, but I havn't had anyone to talk to about this in, well, ever.

DarkWolf

Do You Consider Yourself A Stronger Person Since Your Eyes Have Opened?

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