Umbertoecho is an extraordinarily strong, courageous and resilient woman with a beautiful heart. She is a hero in my eyes.
Diane
some of us have called umbertoecho a hero for testifying before arc about her own sexual abuse but she says she's no hero.. slidin fast says:.
umberto, you are a hero to us.
you are a person who feels ordinary but is doing extraordinary things.
Umbertoecho is an extraordinarily strong, courageous and resilient woman with a beautiful heart. She is a hero in my eyes.
Diane
so my hubby has been on a bit of a roll about the jdubs, we were talking a lot about them & he said the buzz word he hate's the most is "worldly" why?
because he say's "with that one word they have condemned (according to their believes) a person as being worthy of nothing but death.
".
i mean, i don't want to be miserable or anything, but what's the bloody point of it all?.
since i left the watchtower cult, i have come to realise that god cannot possibly exist...and if a god exists...god is indifferent to humankind as the least.. in 100 years time i'll be gone.
kaput.
HI Punk-- sorry you are feeling down and a bit lonely. One of the things that haunted me for decades as a JW was the question, "What is my purpose in life?" We were told that 'vindicating Jehovah's sovereignty and sanctifying His name' was our purpose. I thought, "Maybe that's His purpose, but it's not mine!"
I think we have to find our own purpose and meaning in our lives. After giving up so many opportunities in life as a JW and having lost so much when we left its tyranny, it's easy to fall into feelings of hopelessness and of having wasted so much of our limited time here.
For me, it's important to love and be loved and, more importantly, to have broken the multi-generational cycle of abuse in my family that left me vulnerable to cult recruitment. My kids know I love them unconditionally, and I know they love me. When I see how much my daughter loves her little boy, I know I have done my job here on this planet. Everything else is a bonus-- a beautiful sunrise, sunset or moon rise, a beautiful sea breeze to sail by and friends to enjoy it all with.
Keep looking for ways to connect with and help others, even if it is simply to smile to a stranger. Keep sharing your gift of music if it brings you happiness. This Meh feeling will pass. I know it well. Thoughts are only thoughts, and feelings are only feelings, they come and go, and they don't define who we are.
I love Terry's post! Listen to his wisdom.
Diane
its saturday morning here on the east coast of america.
i haven't been out in service in probably getting close to two years.
i wake up every saturday extremely happy and thankful im not getting up to go f-ck up my morning and my neighbors morning, not today, not ever again.
its saturday morning here on the east coast of america.
i haven't been out in service in probably getting close to two years.
i wake up every saturday extremely happy and thankful im not getting up to go f-ck up my morning and my neighbors morning, not today, not ever again.
the start of a new memorial season is upon us.
saturday is the day for the start of the invites to look but not touch the bread and wine.
the "observer class" is a belief unique to jehovah's witnesses.. along with the invite to the masses a special effort is being made this year by the elders to invite all the df's, da's and faders.. along with the invite a copy of the rtj will be left with them.. naturally we will still be treated as pariah's if we do attend but it is the thought that counts.. i am of the "fader class" as i don't wish to rock the boat with my wife and extended family.
saw this on reddit it was posted by user morgan_sparlock .
to me honestly this would of been prohibited 10 years ago, but now every dub is obsessed with this website, it's everywhere even a damn iphone cover... ooh they don't approve of idolatry ooh no they don't accept cross veneration thats bullshit to me!!!
its getting to a point that they are venerating this website (company logo) it's their version of the cross.
this took quite a while this evening.
so worth it though.
hope you enjoy!
blondie suggested someone start a thread with a list of books that are valuable to read when exiting the jws.. i will start.. i left the jws way back in the early 70s and didn't actually deprogram until into the 80s.. one of the first books i read was "the orwellian world of jehovah's witnesses" by gary and heather botting.
canadian exjws from calagary.
an excellent book and one that still resonates with young people today.
After jwfacts.com and Crisis of Conscience:
Shepard the Flock of God (2010 Edition)
The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins
Captives of a Concept (Anatomy of an Illusion), by Don Cameron
Leaving the Fold, by Marlene Winell
Books that later helped me to understand cult mind control:
Combatting Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-Selling Guide to Protection Rescue and Recovery from Destructive Cults (2010 Edition), by Steven Hassan
Releasing the Bonds, Empowering People to Think for Themselves, by Steven Hassan
Freedom of Mind, Helping Loved Ones Leave Controlling People, Cults and Beliefs, by Steven Hassan
Even later in my personal recovery:
Take Back Your Life, Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships, by Janja Lalich and Madeleine Tobias
when i was a teenager, i was told by an elder that because i smiled a lot and was known for my good sense of humor, that i should come across as "more serious".
so before i was appointed a ms, while in my late teens, i transformed myself into a much more "serious" brother.. were you ever told that you needed to work on something that you knew was stoopid?.