Sail Away

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Posts by Sail Away

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  13

  Who is your " I am" that your voice should be heard?

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was recently thinking before i became " mike" i was an innocent baby, then as the days passed slowly by, i developed a sence of " iam".

  as the days moved forward my body, slowly developed a a "sex organ" whilst my mind took on a sence of " emotional" and " intellectual" i am" .

  this allowed me to become my current " i am?.

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  Sail Away

  The Rebel, I'm totally with you with regard to a total aversion to all things religious. A good Buddhist teacher will tell you to only believe that which you have experienced personally. Don't beleive anything anyone else says is true. That feels like a safe approach to any spiritual leanings we may have.

  I like your version of The Four Noble Truths. I read a book entitled, The Four Agreements years ago. It's not Buddhist Psychology specifically, but dovetails with it well. One of the "Agreements" is: "Don't take anything personally." It's easier to do without a rigid, fixed sense of self. The book may be of interest to you.

  Diane

  PS for onlookers-- My favorite book on Buddhist Psychology is The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield.
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  13

  Who is your " I am" that your voice should be heard?

  by The Rebel in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was recently thinking before i became " mike" i was an innocent baby, then as the days passed slowly by, i developed a sence of " iam".

  as the days moved forward my body, slowly developed a a "sex organ" whilst my mind took on a sence of " emotional" and " intellectual" i am" .

  this allowed me to become my current " i am?.

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  Sail Away

  The Rebel, this topic of self, no self or sense of self is of interest to me. I don't have any answers for you. I do think our sense of self, that is sense of a separate "I"/"me" starts when we learn our name and perceive ourseves to be a separate being. Here is an article about Neuroscience and Buddusim that may help you:

  http://qz.com/506229/neuroscience-backs-up-the-buddhist-belief-that-the-self-isnt-constant-but-ever-changing/

  It sounds like you are doing some meditation. This question of just who are we refering to when we say/think "I am" is central to the path of spiritual awakening in Buddhism. I find a teacher named Adyashanti to be quite understandable from a Western perspective. Don't let his references to Christian mystics throw you-- he has a lot to offer.

  adyashanti.org

  PM me if you like, Diane
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  33

  78 to go and hopefully something good comes of it. Please do your part and sign up. Thanks

  by Tenacious in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  only 78 signatures are needed in order to send the request to the irs that they revoke or at the very least investigate the borg.

  come'on guys, support it.. click here to support and sign up!.

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  Sail Away

  Just signed
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  35

  What should I visit while in New York

  by wannaexit in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i am planning a trip to new york and trying to develop an itinerary.

  t will be my first time.

  what do you suggest i see?

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  Sail Away

  Nathan Natas nailed it! Check to see if the cat's eye chrysoberyl is still at the Museum of Natural History. Bring a small flashlight ;)
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  150

  I'm getting baptized

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know i've started similar topics before but this time i'm serious.

  my parents have been constantly pressuring me and after yesterday's watchtower study they asked me if i was going to be baptized this summer... and i said yes.

  i probably should have thought about it more before making a final decision, but they're pretty much forcing me to do it anyway.

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  Sail Away

  Black Wolf, I am so relieved that you have decided that you are not going to get baptized! I understand that your mom and dad are not treating you in line with your rights as a human being, but for me, it was so very important to start seeing things differently than the way I was raised and the way I raised my kids. We do have the right to change our minds, to say no and make decisions for ourselves, even if that makes others unhappy or uncomfortable. That's on them. The whole "Let your Yes mean Yes" mentality just doesn't work in the real world. Things change. Things are not black and white. As ex-JWs we need to learn a whole new way of thinking and being which includes taking responsibility for our own life and decisions, to go and to work toward living a life of freedom from control and judgement, including our own judgmental thoughts and behaviors. Try not to be hard on yourself. You are doing the best you can. Hang in there and breathe. You can do this!

  Hugs,

  Diane
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  91

  My brother died last night

  by LisaRose in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i found out this morning that my brother died last night, he was also an ex jw, 73 years old and died of heart disease and kidney failure.

  it was not totally unexpected, as he had been in poor health, but it's a blow, especially as i just lost another brother two years ago.

  there were six of us, now only four.

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  Sail Away

  (((Lisa Rose))), I always appreciate your kind words and thoughtful responses to all of us here on this forum. I'm so sorry you are grieving the loss of your brother now and hope that all of the well wishes for you in this thread are of some small help during this time.

  Wishing you peace, Diane
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  20

  Update on my recently disfellowshipped niece

  by keyser soze in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i had posted about a month ago that my niece, who just turned 15, was getting disfellowshipped.

  i learned this past weekend that she tried to commit suicide.

  between being df'd, and her dad not being around, it became too much for her.

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  Sail Away

  keyser soze
  Can l ask what is her Mother's take on this ?
  At this point, I think she just wants her daughter to be healthy and happy. And she knows from personal experience how cruel the disfellowshipping process is.
  She'll never leave the organization, but that has more to do with her dependency on her family and friends than it does her belief that it's "the truth". And the fact that she's ok with her daughter associating with me and my fiancé is very telling.

  I'm so relieved to hear that your niece has you and your fiancé in her life! Hopefully, her mom will give her room to breathe. A suicide attempt is a horrific trauma to the entire family. I do hope that mom and dad are both getting some professional help for this.

  One strong word of caution from family experience here-- please advise your niece's mom to dispense any necessary medications for your niece for the indefinite future. It will take quite a while for your niece to stabilize, and she should not have unmonitored access to medications.

  Diane
  
  
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  150

  I'm getting baptized

  by BlackWolf in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i know i've started similar topics before but this time i'm serious.

  my parents have been constantly pressuring me and after yesterday's watchtower study they asked me if i was going to be baptized this summer... and i said yes.

  i probably should have thought about it more before making a final decision, but they're pretty much forcing me to do it anyway.

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  Sail Away

  ((((Black Wolf)))), I'm so sorry you are being coerced by your parents. Isolating and controling you in the way they have through raising you as a JW and homeschooling is just wrong. It sounds like they are simply not willing to listen to you, but I want you to know something I didn't know for the first 52 years of my life-- you have legitimate rights as a human being.

  Please read and re-read this list. It is your birth right. You deserve to be treated with love, dignity and respect. Please believe that. Only you can stand up to your parents and say, "No, I am just not ready." This is supposed to be your dedication from you heart, not their decision for you. Please listen to everyone here that has said, "Don't do it!" The consequences of this one decision are monumental and life long. It is not too late to change your mind. Cults take away our legitimate human rights. We have to stand up for ourselves. It is hard at your age, but you can do it! We are cheering for you.

  
  
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  32

  Are the anointed really "lovely people"?

  by purrpurr in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i've personally never met any of those who claim to be anointed but the other jw's who have are always unanimous in their praise of how lovely and what wonderful people they are.

  and i don't mean the gb i mean common or garden anointed.

  i was told that when they speak about being in heaven that they almost "seem to glow".. is this right?

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  Sail Away

  I've known three. Two genuine Christian men. One a complete front loop who ended up getting the book thrown at him during a custody hearing. The judge was not happy with his brand of raving lunacy. He represented himself. He was thought to have been a replacement for one of the annointed who fell away. 

  The oldest of the three was a colporter back in the day. He treated his non-anointed wife with great love and respect, even stating that the society needed to show more respect toward women. I regularly sat in on a study he conducted with a woman in his later life-- not the norm, I know. She did get baptized, but was later disfellowshipped for wickedness. It seems she had over 12 (I think 13) lifesaving blood transfusions and was not repentant. She would not sign a letter stating it was a moment of weakness and that she wouldn't do it again. One day the crows were particularly loud and annoying and disrupted their study. He believed Satan sent them to interfere. He died with late-stage dementia. He was well-loved.

  I didn't now the third well, but worked with him in the ministry. He was a true believer and a company man through and through.
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  34

  Hello

  by WITNESS-FOR-WATCHTOWER-REFORM in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  just to say a big hello.

  i have been reading this site for some time now and have been very unhappy with some of the things emanating from watchtower head quarters in new york.

  the final straw for me is the upcoming watchtower study this weekend encouraging us to shun our own family members (our own mothers if need be) if they are disfellowshipped....a step too far for my liking.

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  Sail Away

  Welcome WFWR! I left the organization knowing there was no way I was ever going to shun my adult children. I knew things were heading down that road nearly five years ago, and now we are here. We can only hope that even more people will choose to live the life they have here and now with their loved family members over living in fear of a judgementall, punishing God. You are in good company here.