Hi, I'm new here! (page 3)

calamityjane

Welcome Swalker. So glad that your out and you were able to bring your family out with you. Many here have not been so lucky.

love

cj

Thanks for the nice "welcome and support! I'm so sorry for the way we've all been treated by an organization that should have set the Christian pace for the entire world. The apostle Paul repeatedly spoke of our "freeness of speech" which is our Christian right and our legal right. However, the WTBS has taken it upon themselves to treat the docile sheep as slaves with no rights or considerations. I'm a firm believer in what goes around comes around and am looking forward to their turn!

In response to happehanna:

I do intend to celebrate the memorial. My family has been making the bread for generations. It's a very simple recipe...2 cups flour, 1 cup of water. Mix, roll out 1/8 in., poke a few holes in it, put on a dry cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Buy wine at your local grocer.

We have about 25 people showing up at our house, even a couple from the local KH. They said they would rather celebrate with us...

What's interesting is that we have all been discussing whether Jesus would have wanted bystanders or participants. We are trying to read the Bible without the Watchtower's slant and decide what is being said. However, we are very careful not to encroach on one anothers interpretation...it's ok to think for ones' self! I think we are all so tired of the never ending senseless RULES.

calamityjane

xjw_b12

Hello SWALKER. Thank you for your opening thread.

Everytime my wife and I read one of these "coming out" posts we do a little war whoop, and a dance in our dining room, like a polka, then we give each other a high five, and then we cry tears of joy. Another family saved.

You mentioned you were able to easily convince a lot of of your family and friends that their belief in the "truth" was misplaced. I would like you to expound on that. Either you are a highly respected member of your group, or you are in association with ones who were already teetering.

Do not take me wrong here. The reason I ask, is there are a multitiude of members here, who know the WTBTS is a farce, but continue to pretend they are JWs, only looking for the opportunity to save the ones they love.

Looking forward to your comments and advice.

xjw_b12 "Millions Now Living Will Never ~~Die~~ Know"

Sunspot

# Everytime my wife and I read one of these "coming out" posts we do a little war whoop,#

XLW----don't we ALL!!!!!!

Welcome, SWALKER!!!

Glad you're here!

You've now come to realize that the Elders treat the sheep like mushrooms----keep them in the dark and feed them bullsh**.

hugs,

Annie

SWALKER

To Xjw_b12:

My family members have always discussed issues that relate to the organization in-depth. Sometimes we would agree with "new light", sometimes not. However, we just went along with the crowd irregardless of our personal feelings, believing that was the right thing to do, confident that things would be corrected. We were never afraid to voice our thoughts to the appropriate people. You definately had to be cautious who you said certain things to. Within our family circle we always felt free to be totally honest with one another on how we felt or what we believed. Surprisingly, when the issue of the U.N. involvement came up, we all felt the same way! I was somewhat apprehensive concerning my mother as she had spent her entire life living, eating and breathing for this religion. She ACTUALLY never missed a single month of real service time in her entire fifty years as a witness. She never missed an assembly and very rarely missed a meeting. When I told her what was going on, there was no hesitation on her part but that this was apostacy and she wanted to disassociate herself immediately. I convinced her to hold off on that as she is older and has many good friends. She quit attending meetings when my sibling was disfellowshipped (because of the UN association) and has distanced herself somewhat, but still talks to her friends. They have never asked her why and she just doesn't bring it up.

I was attending a seperate Hall and had many good friends there. I only shared this info with my closest friends and most felt the same way that I did. Several of them stopped attending meetings immediately and others just faded. I still have friends at the Hall and we go out for lunch or to a movie, etc. but we just do not talk about the UN thing. I have never forced by beliefs on anyone and don't intend to start now. Present the facts and let people decide for themselves...

All my family members have been Very active ...Bethel, Special Pioneering, Regular Pioneering, etc., but we were always taught to hold fast to the TRUTH as set forth in the Bible. I never put organization above my worship and neither did my family, no matter what was written in the Watchtower or any other publication. The Watchtower is not inspired and so we always believed that it could and sometimes was fallible. I remember even as a child, I would look up the scriptures cited in the Watchtower and sometimes I just did not agree with the slant they put on the text. But I did believe what I read in the Bible.

It was extremely tough for me being raised a Witness. I look back and shudder at all the control that was exercised over my life. The only thing that kept me going sometimes was believing that I was doing what God wanted me to, per the Society's rules. To realize the amount of deceit that they have covered up for so long and finally being exposed, is like someone jerking the rug out from under your feet. It takes a while to regain your balance. However after you go through that transition, the freedom feels wonderful. It takes tons of guilt off your shoulders because no matter how much you ever did, they always asked if you could do more! I honestly do not know why the elders have not wanted to meet with me...maybe it's because we were all good friends. Or they may feel the same as I do but are staying in hoping things will change. One couple stated that they had been witnesses all their life and simply didn't know how to live any other way. Sad, isn't it?

abbagail

Wow, thanks Swalker for the beautiful and detailed story of 'mass exodus' by a 4th Generation JW family. That is rare indeed, and your Mom, wow, love that! Thanks for sharing and welcome.

The home-memorial sounds great, too. You guys in the Sunshine State by any wild chance? I'd sure love to 'invite myself over' ;-) to partake with such an 'enlightened' group of people! There are no such 'aware' ones in my area that I know of.

The UN hypocrisy is bad enough, but it was the revelation of Silentlambs that broke the WT stranglehold off my brain. And the latest news, as of today's AP articles, is that JR Brown "agrees with silentlambs' goals" and "we do not consider them our enemies"! What a joke! Uhhhh, tell me again, JR, why were they DF'd after Dateline aired, then? huh? Sheesh.

Welcome aboard the xJW Sane Train!
GRITS

xjw_b12

SWALKER. Thank you for the update. Very happy here to see your progress and how it was accepted by family and friends.

I admire the fact you were able to keep your thought process somewhat clear, all this time.

You said:

To realize the amount of deceit that they have covered up for so long and finally being exposed, is like someone jerking the rug out from under your feet. It takes a while to regain your balance.

Very true. I have seen so many here, livid with anger, when they discover, they've been duped. I'd like to see someone publish a 12 step program for XJWs.

Wishing you and your family the best in your journey

Regards: David

New Castles

Hey there,

Im new here too. Congratulations on learning the real truth and look forward to reading more of your posts.

talley

Hello SWALKER, and welcome to this board.

From what you have told us about the memorial, I gather that you still use the Bible as your guide.

Then I will suggest that you read "Crisis of Conscience" and "In Search of Christian Freedom" both by Ray Franz.

Both books present a loving and scriptural approach, bringing up many, many matters that the WTBTS would like to keep 'under the rug.

These books can be found at your public library and if not there, can be gotten through inter-library loan. Or they can be bought on http://www.freeminds.org and http://www.commentarypress.com

Wishing health and happiness to you and yours, talley

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