I'm glad your researching these things with so much vigor. Shows that you really care. Just don't prejudge all witnesses. Might sound kind of stupid but your not much better than the people that you are starting to dislike if you prejudge all of them in that manner. Glad to see that your searching to overcome your friend's shortcomings cause it happens a lot. Wish more people, and me had that much life then the world would be much better.
Coming up for air...
by SwampThing 15 Replies latest jw friends
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SwampThing
Friends,
Thank you all for taking time to send me your advice and well wishes. You continue to make me feel welcome, and a valuable member of this community. Jgnat, I will heed your well respected advice and stop feeling like an outsider. I keep forgetting that you were never a JW. You know so much about The Society, my mind just assumes that you had to be a part of it once upon a time.
Combined, your responses have caused me to realize that the frustration and anger I feel is an emotional response to losing a friend of 10 years. This concept had not occurred to me before now. Thank you, Nina, for pointing that out to me as clearly as you did. In typical male fashion, the loss of a friend has turned into intense anger. Who wants to admit that losing a friend can hurt, so the sorrow turns into anger. Very interesting.....
Several of you have commented on what a great friend I must be to spend so much time learning about the lifestyle of someone else. However, I cannot in good conscience accept your praise. I was indeed a good friend to this man, but my motives now are not so pure. I am driven by revenge, and that is not so good. But, in my defense, I did warn him when I sensed that things were going south, and told him that his worst mistake would be to deceive me. He never told me that he was operating from a different rule book than was I, one that contained the Doctrine of Theocratic Warfare. I didn?t understand that he was doing Jehovah?s work by lying to me for his own gain. Pathetic!
Obviously Secret, I don?t judge the whole of the JWs by the actions of the one or the few. I realize now that good and well-meaning people join this cult with pure and sincere hearts. This board is living proof that some of those people can indeed think for themselves and leave the cult when a line is crossed. As an aside, I have found it interesting that while surfing the net for Jehovah?s Witness sites, I have discovered 1 or 2 pro-witness sites for every 100 or more sites exposing the cult for what it is. That says something....
Czar, your suggestion for finding a weak spot is exactly what I have been doing. However, it has been very difficult for me, thus far, to attack his vulnerabilities. I know them well because I have a 10 year history with this guy. No matter how careless he has been with my trust and my friendship, I have not been able to find it in my heart to attack him where I know he is weak. That time may come, but right now I continue to struggle with it.
Avishai, Corvin, bem, HappyDad and Farkel, thank you all for your viewpoints, and for letting me know that I am welcome here. I have found a unique group of friends on this forum, and I would hate to think that I do not have something to give back to them. Maybe an ?outsider?s perspective? can be of service from time to time. I have this thing inside of me to fight for what is right & just. It?s always been there. I hate when people take advantage of others, and especially when those ?others? are at a weak point in their lives. I will leave you all with the words of a really great Bruce Springsteen song called "The Ghost of Tom Joad."
"Mom wherever there's a cop beatin' a guy
Wherever a hungry newborn baby cries
Where there's a fight against the blood and hatred in the air
Look for me Mom I'll be there Wherever somebody fightin' for a place to stand
Or decent job or a helpin' hand
Wherever somebody's strugglin' to be free
Look in their eyes Mom, you'll see me."Your friend from the swamp,
Swamp Thing
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Sweetp0985
Swamp Thing I'm currently reading CoC also and its very eye-opening. I have In Search of Christian Freedom waiting at home to be read next. I tried to explain something as simple as the UN scandal to my JW mom and she just blew up. I tried to use a illustration and she still got mad. The truth really hurts I guess.
Ex. used...If you constantly told your son/daughter not to go to next door neighbor;s house because they were evil and you constantly non-stop always told them this and then one day your son/daughter sees you over there, what do you think that child is going to think? A normal person would say something like "if i was that child I would think what's wrong with you for going to that evil house, or it must be OK to go to that house now"....My mom got hysterical saying I need to keep my thoughts to myself. One day their eyes will be open. I'm not going to tell them anything else I find.
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ESTEE
Swamp Thing wrote:
What a pack of spineless cowards, asserting their 1 st Amendment Right to free speach when they knock on your door early on a Saturday morning. They enjoy the freedom to spew their twisted New World Translation lies in your face, then hide behind the very system of man?s laws which they profess to despise.
I couldn't agree more, Swamp Thing. This reminds me of the Advertising Standards, where Companies who sell products are held to the standards of advertising honestly -- presenting their products honestly. JW's certainly don't do this. They skirt the issues by using their buzz words, such as:
"discussing the bible", rather than "we're here to convert you".
"Here is an interesting article" rather than "wanna buy some religious propaganda?"
I could think of others ... just give me some time ...
Cowards ... yes indeed!
ESTEE
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Undaunted Danny
"arrogance of ruthless egotism"
aka Hardcore Psychopaths.
Jdubs,grow old and die like everybody else,grow old and die unsaved.[Gal.1:8]
" " WHATCHA GONNA DO , WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU ""
I will stop at nothing to expose the supremacist, scum of the earth !
Undaunted Danny from Bangor Maine (come and get me you ghouls for God!)
Roger all that Swampthing. -
SheilaM
I love to stick my tongue out at them I have done essays and speeches on them and had a 3 hour conversation with a girl at school who now understands the dubs and what they stand for.
