I strongly believe that friendship should be true and honest with no conditions attached to it. If a person is a good person and lives according to the Bible then what more could there be? Where a person chooses to worship doesn't make that person evil, what is on the inside of a person is what makes them special. I learned alot from going to meetings all those years and the one thing I realize I have learned from this whole experience is to not judge because that is not up to me to do nor is it up to anyone else to do. Being told that people of the world are not worth associating with is so wrong because to tell you the truth, I would trust a new acquaintance sooner than I would trust a long time friend in that group. I am not saying all are not good people in the group because I do believe alot of them are very good people but there can also be bad in every aspect of life also. All I can say is that from now on I don't look at people on the outside as being "bad" or anything of the sort, just human beings possibly trying to do what is right. There are good people in the world, as well as bad, but we should have the right to choose who we associate with, not have someone tell us whom to choose as friends.
there are good people in this world!
by cathy4school 8 Replies latest jw experiences
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Gopher
Cathy,
That was well-stated. Now we can love people for who they are, unconditionally. We don't have people evaluating how spiritual have we been lately? Or.. how much have we been out in service?
As a JW, we were conditioned to believe that almost everyone outside the organization was evil and primed for destruction. I have found in the past year that most people I encounter would go out of their way to try to help you, do what they can for you, even if they don't know you! That was a small surprise, but it shouldn't have been.
GopherEven if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
Will Rogers (1879-1935) -
jayhawk1
Hi, and thanks for the kind words. I was wondering if you could tell us a little about yourself. I hope we can be true friends like you talk about. Not like the conditional friends that the JWs have.
"Hand me that whiskey, I need to consult the spirit."-J.F. Rutherford
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think41self
Hi Cathy
And welcome to this board! You have stated so well what some of us took a while to learn when we left the organization. There are mostly good people in this world...like you said...regardless of their religious affiliations.
I hope you meet some of those people on this board, I know I have. When you get a chance, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Tracy
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cathy4school
Hi Tracy and Jayhawk 1. So nice that you sent me a reply. I sure do wish to make some good friends, preferably ones who know how I feel and what it feels like to be left alone when you did nothing wrong. I was affiliated with the JW's for 25 years but was never baptized. I guess I just felt I didn't want to commit myself to something that I felt I wasn't sure about. I must tell you that I learned alot of valuable information over the years and I did meet alot of nice people whom I believe are good hearted honest people but do not realize that they have minds of their own and don't need others telling them who to talk to and what to do in the lives step by step. I do believe that God gave us individual minds and did not program us as robots so therefore, we have the power to make our own decisions and most of the time we do try and make the right decisions in our lives. It is so sad when you put your trust and faith in Elders and members just to find out they would turn on you faster than you could ever imagine. I do believe now that God is a God of love and wisdom and since He created each of us then He will give each of us the choice to do what is right or what is wrong. No one should have to tell us, especially if we are not even sure if the person is actually doing what he or she should be doing. I know how I feel about The Almighty and I love Him very much. Just look around and see the beauty that He has created for us to enjoy. Common sense would tell us to Live by His Commandments and Good Health to You. Please reply back and yes I would love to make some wholesome friends for life.
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think41self
Cathy,
Hi again
Have you done any reading on the main board? You will find many interesting topics. You will find some who still believe in God, some who don't...but guess what? They are still good people too! Some who are not Christians, but other belief systems...and guess what? Yep, still good people too. The greatest thing about being out of the borg is being able to look at others without judging them, and accepting them for who they are...NOT what they believe.
I hope you enjoy the journey..I know I have.
Tracy
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outnfree
Cathy,
It was so refreshing to read your posts! I see that you have already met two of the kindest, nicest people on this board -- Tracy & Gopher -- and there are LOTS more (I don't know jayhawk1 too well, but I like him already)!!! It is such a fun place to hang out as well as being an educational place to learn.
I live in the Detroit, Michigan area. How about you? I actually walked into the Witness organization and spent 11 years baptized, and many more before that not quite willing to take the plunge. (Why, oh, WHY, didn't I trust my own brainpower?! Sigh!) I DA'd myself four short months ago.
Like you, I have always felt that good, upright people are out there in the world that don't have to be Jehovah's Witnesses in order to be worthy of my love and affection. It is a shame that the Organization teaches its members to be distrustful and to focus on the negative when there is so much POSITIVE out there!
Welcome to the Board, Cathy4school!
(does your name indicate that you decided to go against Borg policy and actually get an education?)
outnfree -
Billygoat
Cathy,
Welcome to the board! I'm glad you found all of us "eviiil" worldly people out here. ;)
I've been out for 10 years and was amazed (and still continue to be daily!) how many wonderful people are in this world. People that will stretch out a hand to help even when they don't know you. I remember being taught that all worldly people were bad associations. Remember that scripture???
Stick around girlie! You'll find some pretty neat and interesting people in this little internet community. Some you'll agree with others you won't. Some you'll love, others you'll dislike. But keep an open mind and an open heart. God will continue to bless you on your personal journey! My prayers are with you!
Billygoat
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cathy4school
Hi to Billygoat and outnfree, so glad you answered me. I do feel that there are alot of nice people in this room. It is really nice to know there are true people out there. outnfree, you are from Michigan? I am from New York, a ways from where you are. I picked the user name because I am all for higher education and was always for higher education. I guess that is why I was not very well liked in the organization because I had my own ideas on alot of different things. I was never baptized nor did I ever do service work because I felt that was infringing on others and didn't think it was right for me to push religion on anyone. Like I said before, alot of what I learned I believe because alot of it is common sense, I just don't feel that anyone has the right to control anyone else to the point of even saying no sports in school, no holidays, no birthdays, and such things that I believe The Almighty could care less about. More important is to be a good person and love God with your whole heart. After all, what else is there if we don't love the Creator for whom we owe our lives to. How did you find the Elders to be in your congregation in Michigan? I have come to the conclusion that I will not look up to any human being because all you will receive is disappointment. I only look to God for my salvation. Thanks for writing. Good luck to you.