Posts by Stirred

12

people magazine- prince as a JW

by All for show in

jw
friends

dunno if anyone saw this yet.

the comments are full of jw apologists.

http://www.people.com/article/prince-jehovahs-witness-conversion-history.

out for a long time

by Sledracer in

my husband and i have been out for a long time, maybe fifteen years, i must say we are in a bit of a nowhere land spiritually, we find it impossible to attend any other church.

we really resent so much of how they messed up our and our children's lives.

we can't get back all those 25 years we were in.

I felt so for some time after initially leaving. Pangs are still there at times for something....after 20+ years, but finding a network of support and friends that allow you to ask open questions, where yoga pants when you want, and actually care about your family's well-being is so much of a stronger need for me and my family now.

You can sing at home, thought I know it is not the same...spfind new ways to pluck that strong for yourself.

Peace,

SNS-Becoming

23

My Personal Invitation to the Celebration of the Lord's Evening Meal

by TMS in

by no means is this a heartwarming "experience" illustrating how an ex-jw skillfully "reached the heart" of a current jw, moving them to re-examine their belief system.

that won't be my take on my half hour visit with an elder's wife last sunday.

no one scored points here as is almost always the case in these interactions.. we live at the extreme southern tip of texas, on the u.s.-mexico border in a city of about 200,000. twenty years ago there were 20 spanish language congregations, 2 english.

Stirred

Staying calm, humbly pointing out facts, showing real friendship, care and concern, and being a truly "good neighbor" all helped me to wake up. So I argue it is not futile at all.

Aggression and disrespectful talk would turn me off. However, asking good questions, especially ones that highlighted non-biblical rules helped me very much.

I actually thanked my neighbor.

43

2016 Memorial Done & Dusted

by steve2 in

well on this side of the planet, the southern hemisphere/ new zealand, the 2016 memorial service in local kingdom halls will be over for another year.

another great big anticlimax.

some family and relatives will have gone - but unless i ask my sister, i generally have no idea about attendance and partaker numbers.

Stirred

First year not receiving invite. No calls or emails either. Saw the sisters pass my house. They know I'm in town and have known them for years. Too busy to call no doubt and that is okay.

Will be making my annual lamb dinner only a bit more casually this year. (Kids look forward to it as my big dinner). Will make flat bread for all to eat. Will discuss scriptures, calendars, Jesus' message and intent.

Will discuss the fact that passover is next month and whether it matters....leap year and all. What would Jesus do? Maybe we will celebrate both? Perhaps also review Purim on the calendar.

First year entire family and extended family not attending. Some will do something privately. We do not want to be a statistic considering how we have been considered unworthy, weak, bad association by so many. I dont fit in and now I'm fine with it.

They are not my eternal judge.

23

My Personal Invitation to the Celebration of the Lord's Evening Meal

by TMS in

by no means is this a heartwarming "experience" illustrating how an ex-jw skillfully "reached the heart" of a current jw, moving them to re-examine their belief system.

that won't be my take on my half hour visit with an elder's wife last sunday.

no one scored points here as is almost always the case in these interactions.. we live at the extreme southern tip of texas, on the u.s.-mexico border in a city of about 200,000. twenty years ago there were 20 spanish language congregations, 2 english.

Stirred

I can understand her outward appearance. She has on her witness suit of armor. She may very well ponder these things. I'd bet money on it. Why? Because she tarried so long in conversation, showed concern as to why you were negatively affected versus just writing you off and moving on....she really wanted to know in order to help but also perhaps curiosity was growing inyour conversation. If she was aware of facts, she may be in the middle numb point of trying to push off these thoughts or is dealing with inner conflicts with the oft used logic that we should wait in Jehovah to handle this...or that we dont know all the facts and no doubt the medianis blowing this up.

This will ring in her mind no doubt on a regular basis. A neighbor brought out one simole question to me a couple years back when I was feeling already stressed by issues in the workings of the JW culture....he pegged it. I could not disagree or really answer at the time. His comment and question rang in my head regularly till one day I started taking steps to clear my conscience of any dissonance.

29

Watchtower is cashing in on China

by nakanozzi in

japanese brother in china recently revealed thatmany wealthy chinese are interested in watchtower’s teaching and donating money.ex-cos and ex-district os are now preaching undercover in china,and, numberes of special pioneers in china are growing !

Stirred

All the secret ways sound right but we foreign nationals were told to not handle any chinese directly other than very light seeds.... All potential leads were to be forwarded to the local chinese group that we were to have no direct contact with so that if questioned, we could not point them out or possibly lead them to trouble just by our implied association. Many were being followed and tapped so criptic messages amd phone calls were normal. I was given a few lines to practice, but since my chinese was not good, I was to be especially careful. My focus was foreigners working in China.

I reported to branch in HK to meet and get the literature that I would smuggle. Quite a story but will save for another time.

i was given an update on the overall state of affairs in China and was given access to view the special map showing locations of all witness missionaries or groups. It was growing but at the time showed me there was a daunting task ahead, and that the end would not be so soon in order to work such territories. They explained who was directing the work on the ground ...made total sense. I worry saying more could be in any possible way a hardship to some so will leave the rest unwritten for now.

BTW, it took me two years to be approved by HQ to smuggle literature since I was a study with a uniqque position in China. I did this mission as a study and not a baptized one as it took very long for me to get past serious doubts as well as travel schedule kept me delayed.

The incredible experience where I felt recued by Jah from being found out, deported and likely job loss, pushed me to set aside my many doubts and concerns so that I finally was baptized later that year. I was removed from China work abruptly by job after first smuggling job. I hope all in the group are safe. Such sacrifices so many have made there.

29

Watchtower is cashing in on China

by nakanozzi in

japanese brother in china recently revealed thatmany wealthy chinese are interested in watchtower’s teaching and donating money.ex-cos and ex-district os are now preaching undercover in china,and, numberes of special pioneers in china are growing !

Stirred

I smuggled literature from Hk to Beijing. Met the underground foreign group...It was growing back then so can imagine it is growing now.

38

Have you ever had your oven door explode?

by Ucantnome in

the other day the glass in my oven door exploded and sent glass into the next room, fortunately i wasn't peering in at the time.

about a year go the previous oven door shattered one morning.

the oven was cold.

Stirred

I'd say if it happened near you 4 times, it is statistically significant. Was this in your home again? Is it gas or electric?

56

Did any of us ever enjoy meetings?

by stephanie61092 in

this is a legitimate question.

did any of us ever find real joy in being at the meetings?

did any of us ever finish a meeting and think "i feel so enriched"?

Stirred

Aspects. Sometimes yes, other times aspects would try me. I enjoyed feeling I was doing good for self and my kids to learn good values. I did find some very nice friends just before I moved. I hated the constant guilt, snubs of some, and conditionality of the relationships. Through my awakening, I realized some halls were just too negative and that it was a form of abuse to be there. Just too much stress and negative to offset any benefit I may glean. Those few I really wanted to connect with nearly never were apart of my life socially. I realized I had nearly no true friends in 20 years, but was I good friend? I am constantly swamped and need to reach out more. Working on it.

55

How many of you are health nuts?

by Harvard Illiterate 411 in

jw
friends

there was/is a sister in my old hall who was a pharmaceutical sales rep and she was a huge proponent of anything in the drug industry.

when someone had a headache, she was the first to say "take an asprin.

" now my husband and i are what you might call old hippies.

Stirred

Most of my adult life i've been a crunchy, organic-loving person. I aspire to have utility bills like you and have ben actively work on it. Plans for a quasi-earthship when I can afford it. Working on improving frugal skills and now I've had cpto cut grocery bill further. i focus on dirty dozen for organic and don't sweat the rest. I do spend much trying getting the organic protein needed.

peace