hope you are understanding, if i shorten a reply i made on another thread and make it an o.p.. i honestly believe, we are all here as writers creating our small masterpieces.
i believe each of our posts brings light to the air of who we really are.
this forum is our form of artistic expression which we were denied in the organisation.
Yes, visiting here and posting has been a therapeutic outlet. Plus I have benefited from the collective experiences and wisdom of others. For this I am grateful.
And, if in the process any of my posts have helped others, then I am glad to of been of help.
just wanted to update you guys of the amazing couple of weeks i've had in recovering from the cult.. i was attending the meetings still just so i could see my daughter in the kingdom hall and have her sit we me half the time.
i had no intention of ever becoming a jw again but was hoping to be re-instated and just not turn up ever again so i could at least see my family.
but then an elder said something to me that changed all that.
To mis-quote a scripture the WT uses: "one that has left family for the sake of (facts) will get hundred fold more blessings! ..."
Hehe
we had a bad experience with watchtower trying to infiltrate our forums.
let this story be a warning for all you guys here.
if you value your privacy do not ever send your real contact details to anyone, even if you trust them (because their accounts could be hacked or accessed by their relatives - and yes, this happened to people i know several times already).
And once again it proves that any organisation that promotes or condones such inappropriate behaviour, and crosses boundaries, must be a cult.....
just wanted to update you guys of the amazing couple of weeks i've had in recovering from the cult.. i was attending the meetings still just so i could see my daughter in the kingdom hall and have her sit we me half the time.
i had no intention of ever becoming a jw again but was hoping to be re-instated and just not turn up ever again so i could at least see my family.
but then an elder said something to me that changed all that.
Great post !
Yes, why would anyone choose to return to an abusive relationship?
The very notion that the society tries to promote is just like an abusive husband demanding that his wife return to him after he beats her, because "she can't find happiness greater than being with him"
the religion of the educated classes revisited: new religions, the nonreligious, and educational levels - james r. lewis .
the measure lewis uses to compare religious groups is what percentage of members of the respective religions have graduated from college.
the findings are similar to the results of the pew survey in the united states.
Shepardless: Also, note the figures for "Pagan" are probably due to a few clowns. (Australian humor, perhaps.) Or perhaps they mistook "Pagan" for "Bogan".
Best comment ever! But only an Aussie will understand the word "bogan".
"yehhrrr maaaateeee...chuck us another VB tinny would ya? I gotta take me holden ute for a spin and chuck a u-ey"
something struck me the other day.. elders are told to maintain confidentiality with regard to the details of judicial cases or congregation "discipline" in an attempt to dignify individuals etc.. this is even the case for known child abusers!.
yet, if they suspect someone of being an "apostate", for instance being a member on this forum, they will spread such information far and wide, through the witness "grape vine" to congregations miles away (or even in other countries).
so, does that mean they place more importance on "apostasy" rather than child abuse?.
I ran into an elder who I knew years ago in another part of the country the other day.
He doesn't know I have been inactive for several years (and I didn't mention it)....but within a few minutes of small talk and catch up, he starts telling me juicy stuff about ones we used to know!
I was friendly, but firm and said, "oh we probably shouldn't talk about them behind their back. Its not Christ-like to do so" and changed the subject...
So the ingrained culture of gossiping is strong in the society....
today i went to a jw cult meeting .
still recovering.
congo i was raised in.
Its funny that you mentioned that only a few elders "know you are apostate", while the rest of the cong didn't know...
In my case, the two elders that "know" I have been on this forum have made sure they have told any and everyone they possible can...so the gossip mill has made sure to demonise me locally.
That despite the fact that I made it very clear to those elders that if they maligned my name or reputation, I would consider all legal avenues at my disposal....
i am new to this site and wanted to say hi.
my wife and i are recently disassociated.
.
Welcome to the Real Life!
We look forward to your input here in our community forum.
a girl i've known my entire life who supported me from a distance after i was disfellowshipped sent me this message on instagram today: .
let me know when your back... i'm unfollowing you on ig & snap.
i love you.
I echo all of the previous comments.
Switch the "control" aspect by saying something brief like this:
"Hi ____, I want to assure you that as always, my unconditional friendship remains open to you."
Then leave it at that.
It shows that you DO NOT have the issue, but that she has been influenced and manipulated to conform her own natural desires for a friendship by an external cult-like entity.
the religion of the educated classes revisited: new religions, the nonreligious, and educational levels - james r. lewis .
the measure lewis uses to compare religious groups is what percentage of members of the respective religions have graduated from college.
the findings are similar to the results of the pew survey in the united states.
And from that graph, it shows that Athiests (47.63%) are the highest educated ones...
So, just watch to see how the GB will spin that to PROVE that attending higher education erodes ones faith in God..."see, the stats don't lie: education causes people to question ancient fairy tales"
