franklin J

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Posts by franklin J

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  7

  Thanks to google, I found another old friend!

  by TresHappy in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  this past weekend i was going thru some old photos and found one of a friend who had moved overseas years ago.

  she was a jw and a regular pioneer.

  i typed her married name into google this morning and found a phone number in ireland at her place of employment.

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  franklin J

  nice to hear such good news. good luck!
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  3

  To my ex-JW former friend

  by CruithneLaLuna in

  1. social
  2. relationships

  the person to whom this is directed, to my knowledge, does not frequent this forum, and very few of you, if any, will have an inkling who it is, much less anything about the specifics of the situation to which i refer.

  i feel i have to say something, for personal "therapeutic" reasons, yet actually attempting to communicate with the other party can only arouse discomfort at best, acrimony at worst.

  therefore, in the words of the old king crimson song,.

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  franklin J

  spoken from one who "fell away", it must be very hard to know that they disfellowshipped you. The rejection can be devastating. Can you make some new friends? That would help you immeasurably. Do you have any friends on the outside that you can start with?

  I think this website can be useful to you. They are all so supportive.
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  331

  E-Man and HL are coming to the USA!!!!

  by Joyzabel in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  englishman and her ladyship will be visiting the usa and we are happy to announce a bbq for them at our place.

  so mark your calanders!!.

  saturday, november 1, 2003 2 pm = ?

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  franklin J

  will you be arriving , and staying in New York? I am interested in attending
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  45

  Hello everyone, im new :)

  by Atomar76 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone, im new haha.

  my name is tom and i live in adelaide, south australia.. and i was bored and i searched for jehovahs witnesses hoping to find something to amuse me and i came across this forum and i thought it would be for like actual jehovahs witnesses (are there still practicing jw's on here?

  ) but your all like df or just like ones that have left... and well so am i!

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  franklin J

  I feel like I have made all new friends! and they all understand they hell I went through 20 years ago!

  In hindsight, the bumpy years were worth it all . I certainly learned from it. So far from monitering this site there are a few others who appear to have successfully distanced themselves from it. My wife tries hard, however, she really could not understand the anguish of it all.
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  45

  Hello everyone, im new :)

  by Atomar76 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone, im new haha.

  my name is tom and i live in adelaide, south australia.. and i was bored and i searched for jehovahs witnesses hoping to find something to amuse me and i came across this forum and i thought it would be for like actual jehovahs witnesses (are there still practicing jw's on here?

  ) but your all like df or just like ones that have left... and well so am i!

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  franklin J

  Thank you all. It is nice to know I am among friends who understand!

  I am a former pioneer and ministerial servant, dad was an elder and both sisters pioneers. This is all ancient history. I left back in 1980 and built a new life for myself. A support network like this did not exist back then. Althought I have many wonderful friends, a wife and children, none are former JWs and no one really understands what it is like to suddenly be on the "outside", and have to build a new life for yourself. A refugee. It is great to know you are all out there, and that we can all communicate, and enourage one another.

  Frank
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  14

  I SHOCKED MY HUSBAND

  by free will in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, i thought this too funny afterward.

  - i answered my hubby's comment with "for christ's sake".

  his immediate response was - wow- i never heard you talk that way before.

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  franklin J

  it you think happy birthday is fun...wait until you get to Merry Christmas!

  good for you! keep up the good positive attitude!
• 
  45

  Hello everyone, im new :)

  by Atomar76 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey everyone, im new haha.

  my name is tom and i live in adelaide, south australia.. and i was bored and i searched for jehovahs witnesses hoping to find something to amuse me and i came across this forum and i thought it would be for like actual jehovahs witnesses (are there still practicing jw's on here?

  ) but your all like df or just like ones that have left... and well so am i!

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  franklin J

  Hi tom, I am new too. My name is Frank and I am from New York. I left JWs 25 years ago to build a new life for myself and I just discovered this website. I think it is great and I am so excited that there are so many of us out there from around the globe.
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  105

  Anti-Americanism

  by Englishman in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how do you define someone as anti-american?

  if you strongly disapprove of, say, america's foreign policies, yet basically have an affection for american people, does this still make you an anti-american?

  is it possible that people are being accused of being anti-american inaccurately?

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  franklin J

  yes, Englishman, I respect your opinions and would like to try.
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  22

  Elders once a year check-up on DF ones.

  by Blueblades in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  we got this call from one of the elders who df'd one of our loved ones.he wanted to know where so and so lives,phone # etc.this after two and a half years.they wanted to make contact to see if that one wanted to return to the congregation.

  ( not like the prodigal,who was restored on the spot by his father,rather ,by sitting for six months in the back of the hall and given the silent treatment.

  he admitted tha elders can't read the heart and make mistakes 'mistakes' destroying someones life is a mistake??

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  franklin J

  I left 25 years ago, and in that time rebuilt my life, and moved back into the town I grew up in. This time with a wife and kids.( all Catholic!)

  I am always polite to them, however in the 7 years at my address, they only called once and when they heard my story ( I even invited them in!) they never returned.

  I must be marked! The people that I grew up with in JWs will not even acknowledge me in public.
• 
  72

  Playing The Hand You Are Dealt

  by jst2laws in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my wife and i were df'd about six months ago as apostates after our combined 88 years in the organization (i love borrowing wt methods of making figures impressive).

  if it were not for the wt perhaps i would have gone to college as i had planned instead of to bethel for six years.

  perhaps i would have started my business a decade earlier in life rather than spend ten years in the 'fulltime preaching work'.

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  franklin J

  keep that good, positive mental attitude. Take your wife out for a walk and together enjoy a beautiful day. Thank goodness you are both still together.

  I hear you loud and clear, and I agree with your philosophy of playing the hand you are dealt. After having been raised as a JW, surrounded by Elders, pioneers, etc.

  I left my pioneering position to go to college to study Architecture. It was hell. But I survived and made a life for myself; married; 3 kids. But I owe it all to positive mental attitude . It has been 25 years since I left JWs. I just discovered this support group website and think it is great for all of us to encourage each other to "get on with our lives" and enjoy them for what they are, or more importantly, what we will make of them.

  keep that chin up!