Hi Magnum. I had not seen any of this news, but I am curious to read more. If there are any links I should check out please let me know.
Posts by AhHah
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92Reflections
by Frenchy inim starting a new thread because its time i left the bergman discussion.
i would like to address some comments made by ahhah, however, comments which have given me reason to look deep into myself.. even then, i wonder how objective a person could ever be after having had part of their life taken from them by a cult association.
on the other hand, who else (other than an ex-jw) would ever care enough to work as tirelessly as he seems to have in attempting to document the potential harm of this religion (biased as it may be).
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92
Reflections
by Frenchy inim starting a new thread because its time i left the bergman discussion.
i would like to address some comments made by ahhah, however, comments which have given me reason to look deep into myself.. even then, i wonder how objective a person could ever be after having had part of their life taken from them by a cult association.
on the other hand, who else (other than an ex-jw) would ever care enough to work as tirelessly as he seems to have in attempting to document the potential harm of this religion (biased as it may be).
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AhHah
Once in a while I check in here. If any who posted on this thread are reading this, please accept my warmest greetings! Hope this finds you all healthy and moving forward with life. I just re-read this post and was very moved again by the sincerity of everyone and the sense of community that I needed so much at this difficult time of my life. So thank you all once again. Peace and love to all of you. -
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reponse letter to JW-fleshly-brother about my leaving the WT
by AhHah indear (jw-brother), .
i was pleased and pleasantly surprised to receive your thoughtful letter.
thank you for your concern and for taking the time to write.
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AhHah
Thanks problemaddict. When I wrote that letter I had hopes that perhaps by now more moderation would have made its way into the WT society. My JW family has settled into an acceptance of sorts for me and my three sisters who have left. My two brothers are still members and the one to whom I wrote the letter is an elder. I see them socially only very occasionally and I almost never hear from them unless I reach out. It's okay though, I have moved past the hurt. Congrats on your freedom!
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reponse letter to JW-fleshly-brother about my leaving the WT
by AhHah indear (jw-brother), .
i was pleased and pleasantly surprised to receive your thoughtful letter.
thank you for your concern and for taking the time to write.
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AhHah
It's been many years since I have logged on and ten years since I posted this thread. I read the replies and recalled with appreciation how much the fellowship on this site meant to me and how it helped me on my journey. So, if any of you "founding members" are still out there, please reply and let me know how you are doing. I still have no religious affiliation, but I have found peace and acceptance in life. Love to all of you.
Steve
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reponse letter to JW-fleshly-brother about my leaving the WT
by AhHah indear (jw-brother), .
i was pleased and pleasantly surprised to receive your thoughtful letter.
thank you for your concern and for taking the time to write.
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AhHah
It has been a year since I sent this response letter to my brother and he has never chosen to reply. He will not communicate with me unless it is a "family emergency". I remain hopeful, however. It took me over forty years to get out.
StinkyPantz,
I thought about posting my brother's letter, but decided it would not be appropriate since he did not intend for it to be read publicly. I did quote many of his statements in the body of my posted letter to him.
CountryGirl,
Maybe you can't be my brother, but I can be yours!
AhHah
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Do You Regard This Place As A Rehab Centre?
by Englishman into clarify:.
on this site, and others, i regularly come across people who say they are "moving on", or "getting a life for themselves", or simply stating that they have "outgrown this place".. now, i'm not talking about people who have simply got bored with posting, or are cheesed off with someone else and decide not to post anymore.
i'm talking about ex's who have come here purely as some sort of therapy exercise and believe that, once recovery is achieved, that "moving on" is a necessary conclusion to their re-adjustment back to normality.. in other words, like sandra bullock believed in "28 days", they assume that leaving is a sign that they are no longer operating dysfunctionally.
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AhHah
Englishman,
Thanks for this opening this excellent thread. I am grateful for this forum. Thanks, Simon and thanks to all of you! Here is what it has meant to me.
I became active on this site about six months after Simon started it. I had left the WT for about a year and a half at the time, after having been raised in it. I am in my mid forties. My wife (PuppyLove) actually found the site and began posting before I did. We left the Borg at the same time, but other than each other, we had no one else to help us with (what we would learn to be) the enormous adjustment to leaving a cult. This forum was my only family of persons who could relate to what I was going through and provide the encouragement and support that I desperately needed. So, for me, it was definitely an outreach or support group. I still had much to learn, as my early posts make so obvious, but I did learn from many here, who were mostly very patient with me.
There did come a time when I felt I needed to wean myself off of this forum and try to begin living my life for the first time. I believe that was the right decision for me at the time. I wanted to direct my focus forward and stop looking back at where I came from. I wanted to allow myself complete freedom to join the living. I knew that I personally could not do that and still spend hours after work at the computer.
I did often wish that I could personally meet many of those who post here on the chance that the online friendships might become corporeal, if you will. It is a strange experience to feel so close to persons that one has never personally met. In some ways I believe it is an advantage for those seeking a support group. One need not worry about any prejudice or potential rejection by others, on any basis other than the thoughts one chooses to express. There is a great freedom in that for many people. For me, however, it felt very limiting. I longed for new friendships and asscoiation. For me, that includes looking into someone's eyes and feeling the unspoken thoughts just as clearly as the words. Feeling the reassurance of a smile or the validation of a tear in their eyes when relating something very tender and personal.
Although I haven't found as much connection with others as I would like, the time away from the forum (or the nest) has allowed me to grow in some important ways. Maybe it is also just a matter of allowing enough time for the healing.
I now find myself attracted to visiting here again. I am sure that is at least partly loneliness and a desire to connect with others. It feels different now though. Much more about friendship and sharing, with nothing to prove and no desire to debate anything. I feel much more whole now than at first.
I have enjoyed reading many of the threads in the last few days. Feels good to be back.
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reponse letter to JW-fleshly-brother about my leaving the WT
by AhHah indear (jw-brother), .
i was pleased and pleasantly surprised to receive your thoughtful letter.
thank you for your concern and for taking the time to write.
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AhHah
Thanks very much to all for the encouraging words of hope. I hope that sharing this letter may allow others to find some validation for how they may be feeling in similar circumstances. Please do feel free to use any of these thoughts or words if you feel they may be of help in reaching out to your loved ones.
I hope that one day those members of my family still in the WT will learn what Christian love and tolerance mean. Better yet, I hope that the WT messes up so badly that honest-hearted persons have their faith in them shaken to the core and "get out of her", as they love to ascribe to persons leaving other religions. Unfortunately, those who want to believe will probably accept any explanation for anything they may change -- like disfellowshipping or blood prohibitions.
I am still amazed that a "Christian" religion can cause immediate family members to abandon relationships with unbelieving family members. Shows how thoroughly brainwashed and controlled they truly are.
Seven and Path, very good to know that you two are still here! Hope that you both are finding happiness and fulfillment in your lives. Miss chatting with you. I guess I feel a need to visit here again and I am very glad to hear from "old friends" like yourselves.
Love and affection,
Steve
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Watchtower logical fallacies
by RunningMan ini believe that in order to effectively immunize a person against the disease of watchtowerism, it is necessary to bring them to a full, conscious understanding of their tactics.
i am currently working on a document for my son that shows how the society uses faulty logic to make their points.
the document lists several common logical fallacies and then provides examples from the societys teachings.
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AhHah
RunningMan,
Excellent use of examples from WT pubs to illustrate how pervasive logical fallacies are in their teachings! Some of these I was aware of when I was a member, but I am amazed at how many I did not recognize at the time. I was conditioned from youth to accept every word as though from God, without questioning. Thanks for the excellent summary.
AhHah
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What is the worst thing about leaving?
by sleepy in.
everyone probably has a slightly different experience when leaving the witnesses.the worst aspect about this for me is the realisation that my enteire life has been lived and directed by a false premiss, and the effect past decisions now have on my life.. it can make me feel sick in the stomach on occation.. also the idea that friends and family think i have tuned bad or evil to have left jehovah is qute disturbing at times.
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AhHah
Sleepy,
I appreciated the honesty of this question, because leaving is very hard and requires very painful adjustments.
I can relate to many of the responses so far. I grew up in the JWs and did not leave until I was 42 years old (four years ago).
In addition to the pain of losing family relationships (see my post with my repsonse letter to my brother), I now have the pain of loneliness, of not feeling like I truly belong anywhere or that I fit in. It is hard for me to make new friends. Part of this has to do with a relocation and also just being older, I believe. But it is also about growing up feeling like an outsider. Even among the JW's I didn't have many friends -- when I was young it was because I was raised to follow JW policy very strictly, and for years before I left it was because I wore a beard and was more independent-minded.
I am making the effort to join more groups and meet more people, but I wonder if I will ever find close friends. I am open to suggestions from any who may feel the same way and have found new friends.
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Did I turn my back on Jehovah's True Organization?
by sandy ini was wondering as i have been lately; did i turn my back on god and am i wrong for turning my back on the organization?.
are there any of you out there that feel like you have a real personal relationship with god with or without religion in your life?
do you still call god jehovah?
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AhHah
Hi Sandy,
I just posted a letter I wrote to my fleshly JW brother about why I left the Watchtower organization. Maybe some of my reasons for leaving will also help you to sort out your feelings. Please be assured that you are not alone and that there are persons you can reach out to for support.
AhHah