New year, new resolutions. Feels strange being out after so many years but wonderful at the same time!

by kpop 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  kpop

  Greetings all!

  My first time posting here but I have seen links to this site and clicked when I was doing research about the JW's. I don't think you want to hear about my long boring story how I was raised a JW in South Korea and moved with my family to the USA before I turned 16. Like most of us ex-Jw's and faders and Dis-fellowshiped JW's we all have about the same story. The only difference is now how I living my life. My parents refused to send me to college because it was bad associations and the elders said not to go. So I ended up working with a brother who owns a credit card processing business. He's very successful. Getting to know him on a personal basis helped me to see that many JW's are not who they seem they are. They will pretend to be a JW, go to meetings, even give talks but when they have free time to meditate on their own without the influence of the JW material brain washing them, they can see that this is not a religion but a cult.

  He helped me to wake up but I will never tell him this or anyone else. Maybe he would feel bad about leading me off. I do not know. But I know that he has serious doubts about how the JW and the GB have dealt with child abuse, how they lied to the judge in Australia, how they lied about the reasons for selling off their buildings, how they lied about so many things. And then there is the issue of 607. He knows that 607 was chosen based on measurements of pyramids by Russel. And now so do I.

  This year I celebrated new Years without my family. I have new friends I am making. It feels strange. I am socially awkward because I was never allowed to have a girlfriend or do anything normal. My rebellion started this year when I decided to register and vote. I was highly motivated to help save this country. I was at the DMV and the lady asked me if I was registered. I automatically said no thank you without thinking about it. Then I said, why not? So I did! My heart started pounding as I knew this was a Dis-fellowshipping offense. And it felt good simultaneously.

  Now I begin with my new years resolutions. I have a long list. Celebrate Christmas is on the top. Can you guess the others?

  
  
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  LongHairGal

  KPOP:

  Congratulations on being out of the JW religion and never mind that a Witness's insincerity is what led you out. Everybody has one reason or another why they left.

  I agree that New Years are for new beginnings!...I whited-out some names from my phone book. I'm glad you registered to vote, made new friends and celebrate the holidays!
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  kpop

  Thank you so much. I have made plans this year to get a girlfriend who is not a JW. I have already found a possible new job so I must not rely on my parents and the brother for work. If I was going to get Dis-fellowshipped then my parents would shun me. I just know it. I'm scared to lose them. I have no other family here in the USA. I have almost no friends outside the JW organization. They make it difficult to leave.

  But I was speaking with a friend who is a current fading JW about how he came to realize the JW religion is not the true one and that Jesus was speaking about Christianity in general as being the right way to life.

  In Mark 9:38 it says:
  

  “Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”
  “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”
  —Mark 9:38-41

  It is clear that Jesus is saying, if you are a Christian then you are on my side. He did not say there is only 1 Christian religion from 40,000 kinds that is only acceptable since there are 40,000 Christian sects around the world alone today!
  

  Jesus went on to say that Christians will be persecuted and killed for his name. JW's love to point to the Holocaust that a few JWs were killed so this is proof we are the only true religion. Well guess what? That's debunked. Why? Here's why. I read this article about last year 90,000 "Christians" were killed for their faith.

  http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/01/01/report-90000-christians-killed-faith-2016/

  https://www.yahoo.com/news/christian-killed-every-6-minutes-145134269.html

  How many of these were JW's? Although it does not say, I will tell you almost none because if they were then it would be on the JW.org page and all over the JW email chains. Also JW's only make up 380,000 of the "Christians" in Nigeria in a country that has over 87,000,000 Christians alone!. That means the JW's only make up less than 0.4% of all Christians in that country! A JW has a better chance to be killed by a water buffalo in Nigeria than be killed by a Muslim! More people die in Nigeria each year from Mosquito than all the JWs in Nigeria! A person in Nigeria has a 50% (that is fifty percent) chance of dying before the age of 5 by mosquito! Think about that when JWs say they are being killed and persecuted for Jehovah!
  

  There is so many proofs that the JW is not the true religion but you already knew that. I'm just sorry I was not able to leave sooner and live a happy life free of this cult.

  
  
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  Giordano

  Welcome kpop! I am sure you have been told about jwfacts.com just making sure you know that it has the history and doctrines of the JW from their beginnings. All the crazy stuff they taught.

  I was shocked to find out that Pastor Russell borrowed the early WT teachings from the Adventist's such as No Hell No Trinity etc. Also there is a 5 or 6 foot pyramid next to his grave. He was into all of the religious nonsense of the 19th century. The WT still is to this day.

  On a practical note it is importance to get rid of your blood card. It turns into a suicide note in the event of deadly trauma, auto accidents, falling, physical attack........ things like that can kill you if life saving blood is withheld. You don't want your family to forbid it.

  You may want to have something that indicates that you will accept any and all life saving treatments. Something notarized that will counter any older documents you may have signed.

  Only the JW religion forbids a blood transfusion. Even the most orthodox Jew understands it was animal blood that was prohibited.

  Making friends is often difficult for those exiting the ready fellowship of being a witness.

  All that's needed is to apply the same criteria. Meet regularly with a group at school, or work, join a club, play some sports. Volunteer and give back to this country.

  I'd certainly suggest that continuing your education on some level will benefit you in life. Apprenticing is another way to get enough skills to start a career.
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  kpop

  So much good advice! Yes I also want to be clear that I am an atheist and proud about it too! It feels so good to be free from taboos. I do not believe in God or any religion. I only spoke about that if one were to follow Jesus then being a Christian as best one can be would be exactly what Jesus wanted and nothing more. That was my point.

  My no blood card I tore up into pieces some years ago because I was fighting with my parents. Although I never went to college I graduated at the top of the class only missed by 1.6 points for the Valedictorian award! When I was a Sophomore in high school I was already receiving invitations to top schools including MIT, SIT of NJ, Rutgers, Colombia NYC, Princeton and may others which my guidance counselors had contacted on my behalf. However I turned them all down and was given a part on the Special day assembly about how I turned this all down so I could do more for Jehovah. But that is not the truth. I was forced to do this. I wanted to go to school! My parents and the elders had already decided for me that I must not go to college. I know It is not too late but it is most difficult as I do not know if the scholarships would be valid now. Then I would need to pay for everything whereas I could have had it for free.
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  Giordano

  Outstanding schools! You would have received those invitations based on your grads, tests, and support from your teachers etc.

  Why don't you google the schools and see what the qualifications are at this time. You can write to someone explaining the situation and see if you have a pathway for a higher education based on those past invitations. It won't cost you anything to check out the situation and maybe something will open up .....
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  Village Idiot

  Welcome to the forum kpop! Look forward to your posts particularly on atheism.
  
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  smiddy

  Welcome Kpop glad to have you on board I look forward to more of your posts here.

  Take care.
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  Onager

  "Now I begin with my new years resolutions. I have a long list. Celebrate Christmas is on the top. Can you guess the others?"

  Watch nature documentaries and agree loudly when they talk about how an animal evolved.

  Go to a Renaissance fair, (you're in the US right?) drink too much mead, slap a wench on the behind and fight a duel.

  Shoot a deer and drink its blood like in "Red Dawn".

  Smoke one cigarette and then NEVER SMOKE AGAIN because that shit is addictive bro, I can tell you. (still struggling).

  Go see an R rated movie.

  Listen to AC\DC, or whatever takes your fancy, so loud your ears fly off.