Posts by Alive!

8

Hope and Reality

by Alive! in

for a long time, i've been moving into a place of utmost hope and faith.

universal reconciliation.

as a converted jw - i began my conversion with the joy that there is a hope for something we all would love - a world where each of us sees our fellow kind as a true brother.. i don't think that's an unhealthy way to live.. but - i'm living with the effects of corruptive thinking from a 'sect' - a divisive sect and judgemental sect that has hurt my sense of self.. it's terribly painful to have completely believed one thing, and then completely believe something else.... well that's how it feels to me.. i've read of some here who were jws for years, then became devout born agains for years and now are confirmed atheists.. wow.. how do you cope with the frivolous nature of your 'beliefs' - beliefs that were 'truths' for you in their own time.. i'm struggling - anyone else?.

Alive!

Thanks for all your comments.

Much appreciated - it's all a weird and sometimes not so wonderful roller coaster ride.

I'm so grateful that my husband and I survived together.

8

Hope and Reality

by Alive! in

for a long time, i've been moving into a place of utmost hope and faith.

universal reconciliation.

as a converted jw - i began my conversion with the joy that there is a hope for something we all would love - a world where each of us sees our fellow kind as a true brother.. i don't think that's an unhealthy way to live.. but - i'm living with the effects of corruptive thinking from a 'sect' - a divisive sect and judgemental sect that has hurt my sense of self.. it's terribly painful to have completely believed one thing, and then completely believe something else.... well that's how it feels to me.. i've read of some here who were jws for years, then became devout born agains for years and now are confirmed atheists.. wow.. how do you cope with the frivolous nature of your 'beliefs' - beliefs that were 'truths' for you in their own time.. i'm struggling - anyone else?.

Alive!

For a long time, I've been moving into a place of utmost hope and faith. Universal reconciliation.

As a converted JW - I began my conversion with the joy that there is a hope for something we all would love - a world where each of us sees our fellow kind as a true brother.

I don't think that's an unhealthy way to live.

But - I'm living with the effects of corruptive thinking from a 'sect' - a divisive sect and judgemental sect that has hurt my sense of self.

It's terribly painful to have completely believed one thing, and then completely believe something else.... Well that's how it feels to me.

I've read of some here who were JWs for years, then became devout born agains for years and now are confirmed atheists.

Wow.

How do you cope with the frivolous nature of your 'beliefs' - beliefs that were 'truths' for you in their own time.

I'm struggling - anyone else?

The only 'truth' I want to hold is about hope and life for all of us.

But, I struggle with the shame I feel for falling into a cult. How do others cope?

40

What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

there is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back.

if you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back.

when you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.. my moment (to stop attending all watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager.

Alive!

My husband made a comment the other day - he observed how some 'weak' born in JWs, those immersed in their own materialistic lives, who half heartedly turn up for meetings and give lip service to minimal field service - but by golly - got to shun someone? Absolutely hard core. They 'perfect' this part of their Christian life!

LOL.

40

What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

there is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back.

if you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back.

when you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.. my moment (to stop attending all watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager.

Alive!

Talesin - too many deaths.

(((hug)))

40

What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

there is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back.

if you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back.

when you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.. my moment (to stop attending all watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager.

Alive!

Thanks so much for posting the illustration.

For thinking 'lurkers' - please consider what the message is from the men who call themselves 'Christ's Brothers'....Christ's 'ambassadors'

It's a message to the world.

If you, a caring witness could feel disturbed - imagine how this looks to a someone who you are trying to 'reach'

It's wrong - and you know it.

40

What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

there is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back.

if you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back.

when you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.. my moment (to stop attending all watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager.

Alive!

By the way, I could quote loads of doctrinal issues and false prophesies - but it was the sense of discomfort I got from 'hearing' a voice and perceiving a message through their incalculation tools that was absolutely unsettling.

40

What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS in

there is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back.

if you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back.

when you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.. my moment (to stop attending all watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager.

Alive!

One final straw after another!

A big straw was the illustration of the organisations structure - you know? GB at the top in deluxe leather boardroom chairs....No Jesus (surely you'd expect at least a nod to him in the illustration - aren't they Christian?) it got me on an emotional level - it felt like they were absolutely mocking us.

Each level of the org hierarchy was given lower chair status - LOL.

What message is THAT?

My heart definitely did a hard shift - it was spine tingling.....it told me how 'they' view their brothers and sisters .....

More heavy straws through crazy doctrine - but it was that 'emotional' message I remember - along with the Robert story, he was DF'd and absolutely shunned - and he was grateful, as if his family had given him just a tiny bit of family contact, it would have been enough perhaps to keep him happy and not motivated him to 'return to Jehovah'

Emotional blackmail - nothing less.

And they printed that story twice!!

Blind as bats.

29

Encounter with J.W's at wittnessing kart.

by karter in

jw
friends

me-you allow pedophiles to go d2d and into peoples houses even when they have children.. j.w-no we don't.. me-the one that interfered with a relative of mine does and another i know who raped his sister does in fact he's an elder.. j.w-we cant stop them going d2d.. me- so now your saying they do go d2d you can't stop them,no you don't want to!.

j.w-it happens in all religions.. me- so that justifies sending pedo's into strangers houses.how would you like it if a pedo came to your place and you didn't know.. j.w- it happened to my mother and if he came to my place it knock him out.. me - but you have no problem with anyone from your church going to peoples houses even if they are a pedo.. we argued around in circles with him saying the elders may not know and me saying well i told them and so did the victim and he admitted to it ,then i told him about the r.c in australia and he said that could be anyone claiming to be a j.w could be on the stand ( by this time he was getting desperate)the i said like jeffery jackson?.

i told them to look it up on you tube.. i gave then the names and congro's the 2 pedo's are in and said i'd come back next week and see if they had checked it out.the lady's body language said she knew the elder that raped his sister as they are a well know family they were in the year book a few years ago.. stand by for next week.. karter.

Alive!

I have seen carts in several major cities. In each case the witnesses were either engrossed in conversation with each other and did not appear to be with the 'cart'.

A passer by would not realise the carts were manned, I figured.

The other day I was rushing through a busy city square and my eye caught a sister I knew, sitting with another JW. I stopped for a quick hallo etc - then as I turned to walk on, I noticed the 'cart'. Hundreds of rush hour workers were walking right by, even dodging it as it was awkwardly placed. It occurred to me how absolutely lacking in user friendliness the cart system is. I tried to imagine actually stopping to look and pick up a publication - one would feel quite 'obvious' and unsure about what it's all about.

Everywhere I've seen 'carts' I have yet to see anyone stop.....and on several occasions I've taken up an observation post (lol) and watched....once I spent a couple of hours sitting at a public landmark where there were thousands of tourists - the cart-folk just talked with each-other and not a soul stopped to look at the cart.....not one person.

Karter, I spat out coffee when I read the bit about 'anyone could dress up and pretend to be a JW' - what an insanely desperate comeback - and your response...'err Geoff Jackson?' I wonder how your next conversation will go?

24

Following Christ "from a distance."

by New day in

luke 22:54.

"then they arrested him and led him off, and they brought him into the house of the high priest; but peter was following at a distance.

" i am still raging because this verse was used at a recent circuit overseer's visit.

Alive!

Becoming an elder is bad for your health, bad for relationships. Even "reaching out" to be an elder can be damaging. It brings you closer to a niche of individuals who tend to bully and they will eventually expect you to adopt the same behavioural profile
SO true

24

Following Christ "from a distance."

by New day in

luke 22:54.

"then they arrested him and led him off, and they brought him into the house of the high priest; but peter was following at a distance.

" i am still raging because this verse was used at a recent circuit overseer's visit.

Alive!

Who would want to persuade any unaware soul to be subjected to a lifetime of this vile abuse of scripture - they lay out words and ideas that are designed to make the 'sheep' judgemental and side looking.

They've mastered the art of smooth words which imitate a code of love with darts of poison carefully placed......

I've gone to a couple of dozen services at my local baptist church....on and off over the past two years.

Doctrine is not mentioned, bullying disguised as encouragement has NEVER been used in the 'talks' - I'm not interested in being a church member, but I like a couple of lovely women there who have become friends -

The 'org' broke my husbands self esteem years ago, he was invited very quickly into the company of influential elders, who drank up large and gossiped to him after his 'personal bible study' - my husband was a very lovely, very funny, social and yet very humble and easy to teach guy - they said to me they'd rarely such good elder material in a new 'study'.

Looking back, I can see how they destroyed his 'good' spirit - he failed to reach out - why? Just in those first few elder/MS club drinky get togethers he saw and heard first hand the horrible bullying and sheer malice (sugar coated) that existed - he told me 20 years later that he knew back then, he never wanted to be appointed.

And for years he was considered spiritually weak. He just didn't want to join their 'club'.... But they still invited him for drinks, well why not? He had some of the best scotches and a decent wine 'cellar' and the 'boys' loved a good 'lock in'

We used to laugh it off - but looking back, these men were NOT qualified.