Posts by Onager

30

Introductions

by Onager in

i've made a few posts here already so i thought i'd introduce myself.

i'm an ex-jw from cheltenham pittville (uk) congregation.

i've been free and clear for a few years now so i'm through the anger phase and in the happily getting on with my life phase.

No, my wife went to Pates Grammar school. Cheltenham Ladies College is very posh yes, but it didn't start out that way. It was set up to provide girls with the skills they'd need to lead lives independently without having to marry a rich man to get ahead.

Dis-Member,

I'll post a pic when I'm at my home PC. :)

LisaRose,

That's exactly why we chose a Labradoodle! They don't shed hair and I can confirm that as an allergy sufferer I can bury my face in her wooly pelt with no ill effects at all! As a bonus she's also adorable!

30

Introductions

by Onager in

i've made a few posts here already so i thought i'd introduce myself.

i'm an ex-jw from cheltenham pittville (uk) congregation.

i've been free and clear for a few years now so i'm through the anger phase and in the happily getting on with my life phase.

Onager

Thanks mate! I've had it easy though, my family still talk to me, we even go on holiday together. I have no idea why! I wasn't disfellowshipped but I did have an elder phone me up and ask "Do you no longer want to be known as one of Jehovah's Witnesses?" to which I answered "No." I can only assume I was disassociated after that but I never heard anything more and my family still keep in touch. Weird but I'm not complaining.

30

Introductions

by Onager in

i've made a few posts here already so i thought i'd introduce myself.

i'm an ex-jw from cheltenham pittville (uk) congregation.

i've been free and clear for a few years now so i'm through the anger phase and in the happily getting on with my life phase.

Onager

Hi all,

I've made a few posts here already so I thought I'd introduce myself. I'm an Ex-JW from Cheltenham Pittville (UK) congregation. I've been free and clear for a few years now so I'm through the anger phase and in the happily getting on with my life phase. Most of my family are still JW's and I am still fascinated by this religion which dominated so many years of my life which is why I'm here on this forum.

I left the JW's because in studying the bible from non-JW sources I became convinced it had been written by humans without divine direction which eventually led to my becoming an agnostic-atheist (I don't know if God exists but the God you're suggesting definitely doesn't). I'm always open to new evidence though!

I now have lovely wife (non-JW) and a cute puppy (labradoodle) and a clear conscience that comes from not living a lie. Happy days!

Cheers,

Matt

89

Members of the writing department has resigned

by hardtobeme in

jw
friends

this is what i found at anointedjw.org.

i don't know if it's true.

on august 25, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry: .

Onager

Hardtobeme, the entire response from the owner of that site can be summarised as: "Believe what I say, even though I have no evidence that what I say is true." (with a side salad of snark at the posters here).

Sorry, but I gave up blindly believing what people say when I left the JW's. Not going to start again for a random on the internet.

5

Totally cringeworthy weekend of Facebook smugness.

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

last night i was looking at some of my ex-friends photos of the assembly in twickenham.. the smugness is palpable.

the smiles do not reach their eyes, however.

everyone is swathed in shawls, men with jumpers under their suits and it all looks very stiff.. anyone else seen any of these photo calls?

Onager

I've unfriended every JW who has posted anything pro-JW on FB. HOWEVER! If they ask to be friends again I'll welcome them back although I'll let them know I can't put up with proslytizing on my FB page.

3

From the Johns Hopkins Psilocybin Findings to the Reconstruction of Religion - Bob Jesse

by frankiespeakin in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm-yinhpogq.

Onager

One of the key things I took from the book "Shroom" by Andy Letcher is that in "olden" times people had no concept of taking mushrooms as a recreational activity. So an accidental eater of an hallucenogenic mushroom wouldn't think "Oh dear, I appear to be tripping my tits off", they would interpret the visual and auditory effects within the framework of their understanding of the world.

I've had some profound experiences on mushrooms, but while always being aware that I was on a "trip". If I had those experiences without that knowledge I would definitely believe in... something supernatural!

Going into the realms of wild speculation you can easily believe, once you've experienced it, that many bible passages were written after accidental ingestion of shrooms. Ezekiel's chariot... the whole of Revelations... :)

13

What was YOUR First Worldly Experience?

by Yondaime in

while i was in florida during the spring visiting my oldest sister.

i had the time of my life with my brother in law.. you see my sister married a non-believer and my parents viewed him as the scum of the earth, so i was terrified to ever talk to him.

turns out he's one of the coolest people i have ever met.

Onager

Most of my "worldly" experiences were while I was a JW. Now that I'm out I've settled down and lead a (relatively) quiet life. Used to go to Sunday morning meetings straight from all night parties on drugs, drink far too much and generally act in a self-destructive manner. Almost as if there was some serious underlying issue going on...

Now that I've freed my mind of the JW poision, even though all of my experiences are now technically "worldly", they are no longer self-destructive and are also guilt free. Bonus!

12

Exjw UK Annual Xmas Dinner

by Amelia Ashton in

jw
friends

hi guys.

i have provisionally booked the farmhouse on 13th december for this year's annual xmas dinner/meetup.. http://www.hungryhorse.co.uk/pubs/farmhouse-portsmouth.

all welcome just let me know so we can prepare a big enough table.

Onager

Urgh! Portsmouth is too far to drive for me. I'll just have to content myself with my works Christmas do (Booze!) and my in-laws Christmas do (Pigs in Blankets!!!).

33

Just Curious About Something

by EmptyInside in

jw
friends

sorry,couldn't think of a better title for this post,without it being long.. i was thinking this morning,if ex-jws, who were born into the group less likely to join another religion after leaving.

vs. the witnesses who belonged to a church before joining the religion.. from my own prespective,being raised a witness,i have no intention of joining any religion.

and it seems that born-ins are less likely to join a religion after leaving the cult.. in my own experience,i think it's religious burn-out to tell the truth.

Onager

Born in, now agnostic atheist. My wife is non-specific pagan but probably leaning more towards Wicca. I have no interest in joining her in her beliefs but am quite happy going on trips to stone circles and holy wells and the like. They're always in lovely parts of the countryside...

38

using kindle/ tablet/ iPad in meetings how to police?

by purrpurr in

jw
friends

i've noticed about half my half are using these.

of course there's always the potential for people to be looking at things non jw on them.

are the society going to find a way to police this?

Onager

OR... Set your device name to the name of someone you don't like (who uses a tablet) in the KH and then spend the meeting surfing the worst sites you can think of. I really don't think they're going to check the MAC address in the log against the actual device.