Posts by SM62

45

My silent ongoing fight against the org.

by The Grudge in

i?m posting today to get some things out that i haven?t been able to share with anyone else.

because they don?t want to hear it.

i?m living in a world of jw?

SM62

The Grudge,

I can see exactly where you are coming from. I am in a similar situation with my husband. He seriously thinks I have lost it. He thinks I am insane and hopes I will come to my senses again one day - he really does. He is a good person, just like your wife. He sincerely believes this is the true religion. I have done exactly what you have done - I have spoken to him about my doubts, told him about things I have learned from various web sites, mentioned the UN scandal, Rand Cam, flip-flop doctrine, child-abuse scandals, lies, deceit, hypocrisy, twisted scripture, lies about number of witnesses in concentration camps, the utter silliness of the 1914 teaching, the inaccuracy of the 607 date etc etc etc. I have said it all - and where has it got me? Absolutely nowehere! I have bombarded him so much that he now thinks I am a complete crackpot. So now I say nothing. I wait for him to question me - which he does do sometimes. I don't bring up the WTS anymore - he does. I think he is curious and wants to see what I think. He still thnks I will 'come back' to Jehovah and always asks me if I am coming to the meeting every time. He really cares about me and it hurts to know he is living a lie - but it is his choice. I have realised that I have no right to tell him what religion to be or not to be, any more than he has the right to tell me. If he feels he is serving God by doing what he is doing, I won't interfere. If he ever asks me about my thoughts, or shows signs of doubts in the WTS, I will be there for him. Until then, I just don't have the energy or desire to fight him any more. I love him to bits and, if he is happy being a JW, so be it. Maybe if you back off, do your own thing and let your wife do likewise, things will get better. The only problem I can see is if the elders or whoever start to stick their noses in, and then you may need to make a stand. But until then, if she wants to be a true JW wife, tell her that you are still head of the household (yes I know - it makes me sick - but this is what they believe) and that as a JW wife she should realise the sacredness of marriage and do all she can to make a success of yours. Tell her that nobody should be allowed to come between the two of you, as Jehovah would not like this. Do not try to prevent her from going to meetings, as this will be used against you. In time, maybe she will see the light too.

I wish you well - I know the pain you must be in. I am not DFd or DAd, but I am shunned by most JWs that were once my friends. Sometimes I think I am going mad - but I refuse to let this hateful organisation rob me of any more self-dignity or self-worth than it already has.

My husband is a MS. I was told recently by an elder's wife that, if it wasn't for me, he would be an elder by now! Don't you just feel the love

Terri

79

Do you still believe in God?

by IT Support in

i'm a recent departee and am now re-evaluating all my previous beliefs and there's none more fundamental.

however, i'm not sure where to start: i'm sure i don't need to say there's an enormous amount of nonsense out there.

frankly, in spite of their other stupid teachings, i am considering reviewing again the articles in wt library as i think they do try to sincerely prove the existence of god.

SM62

I really, really want to believe in God. I don't want to think that we are here for a short while and then lie for all eternity six feet under. But I am afraid that sometimes my longing for there to be a loving God sways my thinking too much. There is a big difference in wanting to believe in God, and in actually believing in God.

Heathen mentioned all the poor children born into a life of starvation - I think about this often. If we are meant to live and learn, and ponder about things, what chance do these poor kids get? They are born into a life of misery and can't even die in comfort - just a hard, stony ground for them to rest their poor little heads. If this is evidence of a loving God, them I'm a monkey's uncle! Some people are born with everythng, others have such a pitiful existence that it makes me dumbfounded.

Sirona,

I know in my heart that I've lived before - I know this is going off on the reincarnation tangent, but it is part of why I believe

You always put things so beautifully, and I really enjoy your posts. Can I just ask you, if there is such a thing as reincarnation, what do you make of my above comments? Why are some people reborn into misery and poverty? What can a person possibly hope to learn if they only live for a few minutes? What of those who are born sick or disabled in some way - what is the point of that? I am not getting at you or anything, it is just something I have often wondered about because I have often thought about the possibility of reincarnation.

IT Support - thank you for bringing this subject up. I have enjoyed reading this thread - I have been feeling pretty down lately and it's nice to get other people's views on something which I think is very important. The people on this board are so knowledgeable - I'd love to be able to think and express myself like this one day.

Terri

34

A Diatribe - Feel Free To Vent With Me

by ZeroKool29 in

fascism machine.

reminder of all that is hateful and wrong.

and supply of faith that was not strong.

SM62

ZeroKool29,

I can't believe what I have just read - you took the words out of my mouth. I was just thinking this weekend how sick to death I am of feeling that I have somehow failed because I no longer want to be a JW. They get things wrong, twist scripture, make you feel like a loser, act like hypocrites, and then, when you no longer want to be part of this any more, they make you feel really bad and an utter failure. I am so heartily sick of feeling like a failure. I seem to have felt like this for so long, that I don't know if it's me or them any more. Deep down,I know the WTS have done a lot of damage, but I still can't shake this feeling of despair because of it all. It's quite hard to put into words, but you expressed it so well.

Terri

197

Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

by SM62 in

something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

SM62

Dolphman,

I believe you. Why would you make it up? I have every reason to think you are 100% genuine and these things really happened. I don't know why others find it so hard to believe. You don't have to experience something to believe it. One thing - I would love to know why you had this experience and not me. What sets you apart as someone who can have such an experience. I wish I could say I have been through something similar, but I haven't. I'd love to hear how you get on after you have had all the tests in Washington.

Terri

197

Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

by SM62 in

something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

SM62

Lots of interesting viewpoints. All I know is this - I have spoken to a few people who have seen/heard things that can't be explained. These people are not liars, and they are not mad or prone to hallucinating or anything, as far as I know. They have nothing to gain by stating that they saw such things. One of them saw his dead brother - he isn't the sort of person to lie - he really isn't. If I saw my dad sitting in my living room, I'd know what I saw. I'd know it was him and I'd be annoyed if people thought I was making it up for attention. I have never had this sort of experience. I have never had any sort of unexplained experience. I can't see auras, I can't predict the future, I don't even have what some class as feminine intuition. I am pretty boring and never experience anything untoward. BUT - I don't doubt those who say they have. What have they got to gain by lying? So many people have had such experiences, they can't all be liars, mad, hallucinating etc etc. Personally I don't know what to believe, but I wouldn't rubbish the experiences of others just because I haven't experienced the same things myself The same goes for those who say they have had wonderful spiritual experiences and they are convinced there is a God because Jesus came into their lives etc etc. Just because I have never felt such a thing, I wouldn't say that those who have are fooling themselves. It isn't good to shut off your mind to things just because they don't fit in with your own personal view. An open mind is healthy.

Terri

197

Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

by SM62 in

something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

SM62

Alias,

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't see auras. I have never had any weird or supernatural experience either - I live in hope! I'm still curious as to why a loving God would enable people to have specal powers, only to punish them for using them - seems pretty strange to me.

Terri

197

Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

by SM62 in

something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

SM62

Sirona,

Thanks for the link - it shows how scriptures can be twisted to mean just about what anyone wants them to mean.

From what I have read about Wicca so far, it is all about respect for life and the main rule seems to be to do no harm to anyone or anything. I can't understand why Christianity is so opposed to this when all Wicca is advocating is good. Why people can't just believe what they want to, and let others do the same, is beyond me. However, I can see how people can be fooled into believing the Bible says this, that and the other, when it says nothing of the kind. I find it so difficult to study because some of it is impossible to understand. But I am determined to persevere, because it is difficult to discuss the Bible when I don't really know what it teaches. I wasn't a very good Bible student and relied too heavily on the WT literature to do the work for me. I thought the WTS was an honest, clean, loving organisation with no hidden motives - how stupid I was.

Terri

35

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 1-25-04 WT Study

by blondie in

review comments

will be in black and parentheses ()

wt quotes

SM62

Thanks for this Blondie - I read it and it helped to clear things in my head.

So we are 90 years into the end - which is going to last 120 years in total! I can't believe they are implying, in a roundabout sort of way, that the end will come 2034ish. I am pretty sick of all these predictions now. How on earth does the average JW cope with all of this? What about those that have lived through the 1975 fiasco - are they really going to swallow this all over again? I'm glad I'm out and can see things clearly at last.

Terri

197

Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

by SM62 in

something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

SM62

Mac - your son sounds amazing. That is exactly what I am talking about. He has this 'special' sort of sense, but it isn't harming anyone and definitely is not evil. So why do Christians and the Bible frown on such things. If you told a JW what your son can do, they would freak out!

As I said, there are so many things that go on that cannot be explained. The people I have spoken to who have experienced really weird things have no reason to lie. They just aren't like that. One of them was a real sceptic and didn't believe in anything - and yet he saw his dead brother - he swears he saw him - he hadn't been thinking about him or anything and he wasn't dreaming - he was at home and his brother just appeared to him. Was he mad or lying?

I wish I could see auras - I can't see anything - I have tried. I don't have any strange experiences or tales to tell because I have never had a supernatural experience - but that doesn't mean I doubt all those who say they have. I wish I did have a strange story to tell you all - I must be so boring - but I am intrigued by this subject. I don't think you can put all these sightings down to vivid imaginations or dreams or tricks of the light.

Terri - still keeping an open mind

197

Why does God allow people to develop 'forbidden' special powers?

by SM62 in

something i have been wondering about lately.. whether you believe in god or not, are a christian or some other religion or no religion at all, i'd be interested in your opinion.. according to those who believe in the bible including most christians, god condemns the use of 'special' powers/abilities.

for example, esp, tarot, astrology, consulting a medium, spells etc.

however, if god created us, did he not give us the ability to develop and use such powers?

SM62

But Simon, loads of genuine people have seen ghostly sightings. These are people who are not seeking attention or anything - most of them weren't even thinking about seeing a ghost - things just appeared to them. Why does that happen? How can you scientifically 'prove' what someone is seeing, if you can't see it yourself?

There are people who can take an object belonging to someone, and they can give details about that person - really accurate details. How do they do that? And why is it wrong to try to develop such powers? If it is possible to develop psychic powers, such as telepathy, why is it wrong? I don't understand that. You are not harming anyone by doing it, so why does the Bible condemn it?

Terri