Posts by dura-luxe

51

I went to the assembly today, fun!

by jwbot in

ok, mike and i went to the circuit assembly today at the mca at the university of maine (where i go to school).

we made it through the first half and it went faster than i thought.. .

this is me and my friend jenn (another ex-jw) the night before the assembly at 10:30pm getting drunk before heading out to the bar where we got really drunk and danced and had a great time.

dura-luxe

Wow, that brings back memories. I love the "evil man" to the left of your eyebrow.

35

Problem recieving Watchtower & Awake "again"

by Dolllie in

i posted earlier in the summer about some "racist" witnesses who told me that i could not recieve the watchtower & awake magazines, or attend the kingdom hall, because i was black & blacks were not able to understand the bible, "it was not for them".. i wrote a letter to the watchtower society & got a response!.

i moved out of that immediate area, a couple of towns(about 40 minutes away).

i contacted the watchtower society after moving here to have someone bring me the watchtower & awake.

dura-luxe

I agree that it must have just been two crazy people.

JW's are very multi-cultural. Homophobic and sexist? Absolutely. But racist? I've never seen that.

21

They hired a JW at my job

by dura-luxe in

jw
friends

a new girl was hired at my job, and within 4 days it came out that she was a jehovah's witness.

amazing how you could go years without knowing another coworker's religion, but we all had to know about this girl within 4 days.

they had an assembly this weekend, and of course, we all knew exactly why she was taking the day off.

dura-luxe

Thanks, all.

I actually work in a very strange environment, so I'm not too worried about discrimination or lawsuits, although it's always a concern (I work in a 3-person office in a house that's under construction, because the guy who owns this internet company also owns a construction company).

I guess that a part of me just wishes there were some way to help this girl. I see so much of myself in her. It's sad to work so closely with someone and want so desperately to make them see the truth (the REAL truth, of course, not "the truth" that they claim to have). It's very frustrating to watch someone being brainwashed but know deep down that there is nothing you can do about it.

I like the quote about kindness "confounding the hell out of them". Thank you for that.

21

They hired a JW at my job

by dura-luxe in

jw
friends

a new girl was hired at my job, and within 4 days it came out that she was a jehovah's witness.

amazing how you could go years without knowing another coworker's religion, but we all had to know about this girl within 4 days.

they had an assembly this weekend, and of course, we all knew exactly why she was taking the day off.

dura-luxe

A new girl was hired at my job, and within 4 days it came out that she was a Jehovah's Witness. Amazing how you could go years without knowing another coworker's religion, but we all had to know about this girl within 4 days. They had an assembly this weekend, and of course, we all knew exactly why she was taking the day off.

She can't be any more than 21 years old, just graduated from a 2-year college (which, I guess, is more acceptable than an evil 4-year degree), and has already been married for 2 years. One day, she inexplicably started showing us pictures from her wedding, and her Kingdom Hall looked exactly like the one I used to go to. Immediately I started having flashbacks to my wonderous life of being "married at 18," and I had to excuse myself to go into the bathroom and cry. It makes me physically ill.

I haven't really said anything to her, because she's just brainwashed, like we all were. I told her that my parents had been Jehovah's Witnesses, but I never told her that I was disfellowshipped. The only thing I can hope to do is show her that I'm not evil or a Satan worshipper. That's how I got out. I just slowly began to see that "worldly" people had more christian, loving qualities than the Witnesses.

What would you do in this situation? Should I just ignore it and figure it's none of my business, or do I have a moral obligation to try and "help" this girl (which means years of hell as she tries to rebuild her life in the real world)?

4

Support Group in New York?

by dura-luxe in

.

does anyone know of any ex-jw support groups in new york?.

- kyria

dura-luxe

That's for New York City.

Thank you!

4

Support Group in New York?

by dura-luxe in

.

does anyone know of any ex-jw support groups in new york?.

- kyria

dura-luxe

Hello. Does anyone know of any ex-JW support groups in New York?

thanks --

- Kyria

26

Need some advice

by dura-luxe in

jw
friends

i knew this was coming.

mom's been going back to the kingdom hall for about a year now, and i figured that, much like my father, i would have to cut off all contact with her at some point.

it looks like now might be that time.

dura-luxe

Hey Silent Lambs - when dad was raping you, it's just cuz' he had you're best interests at heart! Keep it quiet and forget about it. And if you've never been a parent you don't understand SMILEY FACE SMILEY FACE !!

26

Need some advice

by dura-luxe in

jw
friends

i knew this was coming.

mom's been going back to the kingdom hall for about a year now, and i figured that, much like my father, i would have to cut off all contact with her at some point.

it looks like now might be that time.

dura-luxe

What I was getting at was that I knew that I would have to stop talking to my mother at some point as she is getting more and more JW crazy. Now is that point.

But continue to pick on the blog and say that I owe my non-existent family an apology. You're right. We should all hide the past and pretend it never happened, less someone be embarassed of the truth. In fact, this website shouldn't exist and none of us should ever complain about the childhood we lost because, well, our parents MEANT well, didn't they?

I won't be back to read the rest of your responses, but thanks to the couple of people who did understand. I appreciate it.

My "worldly" friends have been a lot more sympathetic than you guys. Frankly, I'm surprised.

best,

dura-luxe

26

Need some advice

by dura-luxe in

jw
friends

i knew this was coming.

mom's been going back to the kingdom hall for about a year now, and i figured that, much like my father, i would have to cut off all contact with her at some point.

it looks like now might be that time.

dura-luxe

The "facts" that I put on my website happen to be essays and pieces I am working on for my upcoming one-woman show about how I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. If you don't believe in performance art, then that's your problem, but I do believe that they exist and are not considered out of line. Of course, feel free to ask Margaret Cho or John Leguizamo.

So, you are wrong. But thanks for being completely unsympathetic.

26

Need some advice

by dura-luxe in

jw
friends

i knew this was coming.

mom's been going back to the kingdom hall for about a year now, and i figured that, much like my father, i would have to cut off all contact with her at some point.

it looks like now might be that time.

dura-luxe

I knew this was coming. Mom's been going back to the Kingdom Hall for about a year now, and I figured that, much like my father, I would have to cut off all contact with her at some point. It looks like now might be that time. Why? Well...

MOM FOUND MY BLOG!!

Yup, it sounds like an Onion article, and I guess it's funny in a way. Unfortunately, she now knows everything. She knows that I resent having been brought up in a cult, whereas I had never, ever told her before that, well, damnit, I had a TERRIBLE childhood. I never told her how I really felt. So, now she knows. And I don't know what to do or what to say, or if I should say anything.

In her mind she basically just found out that not only do I think my parents messed up, but I also am never coming back to the Kingdom Hall. In her mind, I'm now dead at Armageddon.

I mean, can I even continue to have a relationship with my mother after this? I haven't spoken to my father (still a JW) in 5 years.

Here's the email she sent to me about it... Any kind words of support you have would be so greatly appreciated.

---------------------

What a "nice" way to end 2003. I've printed out 20 pages of "#.com" plus "fifty random facts". VERY INTERESTING and VERY, VERY, VERY SAD, but NOT very funny. It's perfectly alright to make fun of your TERRIBLE family that RUINED your life because you were brought up to be a JW, but the least you could do is have all your "facts" be "factual". Are you trying to "ostracize" your mother OR yourself. You have always been a "gifted" person (however, I don't recall Rachel crying and her mother bringing you home) so WHY (hear I go using CAPS again!!!) have you REDUCED yourself to a person who has no self-esteem???. Could it be the type of people you choose to associate with??? Your NY "friends"??? How much of a "friend" is a Canadian you met 2 weeks ago? Are they Users and making you a Looser????
By the way, WHEN did DJ become your "ex" (Fact 23)? Is DJ filing for divorce? and ... I didn't loose all my teeth at 16 (it was 13 because MY mother, unlike your mother, NEVER took me to a dentist until it was too late!!! But I NEVER left my dentures "always in a cup on the sink". (Fact 30). Oh...you forgot to include "Brookline, MA" in your list of list of 11 and where's the "crack house", next to your tenament in Queens??? (Fact 31). Also, (Fact 35) Angela may not be the brightest lightbulb, but I don't believe she was a "prostitute" and, if she was, she turned her life around 25 years ago when she married my brother. Which leads me to a question, K, WHEN are YOU going to TURN YOUR LIFE AROUND???? What right to you have to belittle Angela when you stated on 12/18/03 "Lookit this sad, lonely little logo I found on an old zip disk 'full of porn*'" THEN asterisk that with "Yes, 'actually full of porn.' I was in the process of 'designing a soft-core bondage site.' Nice pics. Very artsy." "Soft-Core" porn is STILL PORNOGRAPHY!!!!! (I couldn't use enough CAPS on that!!!) If that is YOUR idea of "nice" and "artsy", K, you are definitely TREADING in DEEP, DIRTY,MURKY WATERS and you are going to go in right over your head!!!!! Is that what you are trying to do K? You trying to drown your insecurities with FILTH? Is that why you and DJ started having troubles??? You NEVER told me what these differences were that you had so I have to come to some sort of conclusion, right or wrong, but with what I pulled off of the computer last night, it doesn't look good. What kind of grandiose illusions are you having!!!! Is your film debut that's scheduled for January 14 to help you get started in something worthwhile or is that disgusting too????
I could go on and on and on, K, but what is the sense of me WASTING (CAPS again) my time when I've been told by my own VERY SPECIAL GIRL that she's "going to be 30 and old enough to make my own decisions". Well, what I see (but then who am I, NOBODY, just someone to be addressed as "Hey Mom") is a VERY UNHAPPY person reaching out for attention and approval attested to from your writings on 12/6/03 through 12/30/03.
You have always had my attention K, even when I didn't approve of your life-style. I NEVER shut the door on you and never shut the door on your brother. My love for the both of you has always been UNCONDITIONAL but there is a LIMIT to how much I am going to be subjected to. Obviously you and N think VERY LITTLE of me and your father as parents. I've apologized to Noah for WHATEVER I did that made him turn on me and I am sorry if you think I participated in ruining your life. You have been on your own since you were 18 and YOU made YOUR decisions and I NEVER interferred. Now 12 years later you are still making YOUR decisions. Are you HAPPY with YOUR decisions???? I don't think so. I have other thoughts too, but I'll keep them to myself.
It's almost 2004, the world is getting worse and worse and worse (repetition for emphasis). WHAT are you going to do with YOUR LIFE, K. All the drinking in the world isn't going to remove your problems and obstacles. (Is there any "comedy" in that??? ) By the way, what is the "same recurring nightmare for 15 years"? (Fact 36)
Now you can add another entry about your "overbearing mother" as opposed to a "VERY CONCERNED mother" ... oooppps CAPS again!