AMarie

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Posts by AMarie

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  27

  Colorgenics

  by peaceloveharmony in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  click the link :).

  http://colorgenics.com/.

  a good friend is someone who will come and bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying "that was f**king awesome.

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  AMarie

  That's amazing. It was right on the money!

  AMarie
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  6

  My Story, Part 2, THE DEPARTURE

  by AMarie in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  the departure.

  during my senior year of high school, things began to look hopeful again.

  my grades were soaring, i would be graduating soon and i had a decent job to pay for my own place.

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  AMarie

  THE DEPARTURE

  During my senior year of high school, things began to look hopeful again. My grades were soaring, I would be graduating soon and I had a decent job to pay for my own place. I felt like a marathon runner when the finish line is in site, knowing that I would soon have the power to change my situation. Around this same time, I began dating a nice young brother from the hall I grew up in. To this day, I can still say he's the sweetest, most genuine person I'd ever met. I really liked him as a person, but knew our lives were going in different directions. His goal was to become a Ministerial Servant, settle down, and start raising children right away. As a senior in high school, the last thing I cared to think about was being a mother and living the same small town for the rest of my life. I had dreams of going to school and traveling to different cities.

  Because of this, I decided I would break things off. However, things wouldn't end up working out as planned. It was only a few days later (A month and a half after our first day) that he proposed. The worste thing about it was that we were in a fancy restaurant along with his parents when he popped the big question. I was totally blind-sided and didn't know what to do. I didn't want to embaress him in front of his family, so against better judgement, I said yes, feeling nauseous as he slipped the ring on my finger.

  When my family found out, they were thrilled to say the least. What a fine brother I was landing! He'd be a wonderful spiritual head! Everybody was elated but me, and I knew I had to get out of this situation ASAP. A few days later, I met up with him and explained that I wasn't ready for marriage and returned the ring. He was a little bit hurt, but took it suprisingly well, saying he didn't mind giving more time if that's what I needed. That's what he told ME at least. He turned right back around and started bad mouthing me to his family & friends, making it sound like I was leading him on. Everybody was outraged and the gossip & slander started flying.

  That summer, after I graduated high school, I moved out of my mother's house and rarely attended meetings, maybe going twice a month at best.I also broke my relationship off with this young man, telling him he could shove his engagement ring right up his ass. I was fed up with dealing with everybody's shit and needed to get away for awhile.

  About three months later, I ended up taking a job working for the Pathologists of an area hospital. It was here that I met a very very nice getleman named Michael. He had all the qualities in another person; He was intelligent, compassionate & gorgeous to boot. Shorty thereafter, we began dating which sent my mother (and everybody in the congregation) through the roof. They were so angry in fact, that when I asked Michael to attend a meeting with me, they totally ignored him. My entire family walked right by him like he wasn't there, as well as most of the others in the congregation. To make a long story short, he and I ended up breaking up a little while later, since the whole situation was too much for hime to deal with. Looking back, I can't blame him though. I was still very indoctrinated and put alot of pressure on him to be a JW to please my family and it wasn't fair to him.

  Anyway, around this same time, I moved in with a young JW couple named "Bob" and "Suzie" who I was really good friends with. They were cool people to live with since they pretty much stayed out of my business and never questioned why I wasn't at the meetings. However, they were having marital problems at the time, and it was blatently obvious that Bob wanted to have an affair with me. He didn't just flirt. Oh no. He would actually walk into my bedroom after work when I was changing and come onto me. I was no angel at the time, but there's was no way I was going to have an affair with a married man.
  When things started getting really bad, I talked to my ex-boyfriend, Michael, who let me sleep on his coach a couple of nights so I could avoid going home.

  While this whole fiasco is going on, little did I know that I was being followed and watched. I guess when I quit attending mettings, the Kingdom Hall gossip felt it was her duty to follow me and make sure I wasn't involved in immoral conduct. This had been going on for weeks and I didn't know it. The two nights that I stayed at Michael's house, she stayed awake all night watching the house to see when I'd leave. She immediately called the elders to notify them that I was staying at a "worldly" man's house all night. That's when the shit hit the fan.

  I was shortly thereafter pulled in front of a judicial committee so they could find out what all the commotion was about. I decided to spill the beans and let them know everything about Bob hitting on me.

  When it was all said and done, I was DF'd for staying at Michael's house, simply because of the way it looked, while Bob was privately resproved. I felt it was a bit unfair, because Bob had been disfellowshipped before for fornication and this time they were only giving him a smack wrist since nobody knew.

  December 29, 1999 was the night I was offically DF'd. It was a blessing in disguise, because little did I know, many good things lay ahead.

  AMarie
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  6

  My story Part 1

  by AMarie in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  greetings fellow posters:.

  i've been lurking/posting here for quite a while and i've decided to post a little bit about my past for anybody interested in reading.

  here's my experience with the wtbts:.

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  AMarie

  Thanks for your responses, everybody. After being so apprehensive about posting something so personal, I'm glad you read it and enjoyed it. The next part is a little longer and more complicated; Hopefully I won't bore you to tears.

  Lisa, when I saw Dungbeetles post, I kinda chuckled to myself. I sat here scratching my head thinking, "Did she just hug herself?"

  Bobsgirl, I can't wait to meet you too! It's going to be wierd actually meeting all of these people I only know from the computer screen. I'll try to fight the urge to call you "Bobsgirl" after we meet in person.

  Next install, due Friday to anybody interested in reading.

  AMarie
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  6

  My story Part 1

  by AMarie in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  greetings fellow posters:.

  i've been lurking/posting here for quite a while and i've decided to post a little bit about my past for anybody interested in reading.

  here's my experience with the wtbts:.

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  AMarie

  Greetings fellow posters:

  I've been lurking/posting here for quite a while and I've decided to post a little bit about my past for anybody interested in reading. Here's my experience with the WTBTS:

  THE BEGINNING

  My story begins in a small, quaint town in central Ohio where my sisters and I were brought up. To somebody passing through, it looks like a nice little city to raise your children, with it's numerous rolling hills and tree lined streets. However, when I look at it, all I can remember is sadness and turmoil; Something that often accompanies a small town where everybody's personal business is known and religion controls every facit of your life.

  My mother and father grew up in this small town, both coming from devout Roman Cathoic families. From what I know of their youth, they were both overachievers with bright futures ahead of them. Each was awarded full ride scholarships to Ohio University where they eventually met. Although they loved each other very much from the beginning, they had to marry much sooner than planned when they recieved news that my mother, at age 20, was pregnant for my older sister. This led to my mother dropping out of school with plans of finishing her degree later. But the demands of raising a child and making ends meet (and becoming a JW) while my dad finished shool was too overwhelming for her and she eventually lost all hope of ever going back.

  Six years later, she became pregnant for me and two years later my younger sister. It was around this time, on a cold, rainy Sunday morning that she got a knock on the front door. She opened the door to find a middle aged woman named Bobby standing on her front porch. She saw the bible in Bobby's hand and wasn't interested initially, but let her step inside to save her from the chilling wind. Something about what Bobby said, something about Eternal life really sparked mom's interest. Much to my father's horror, it wasn't very long before she started studying with Jehovah's Witnesses and wanted to get baptised.

  What started out as a good marriage between my mom and dad began rapidly crumbling at this point. there were endless fights between them over which religion was right and how the children would be raised. by the time I was 3 years old, my parents were divorced and my mother gained full custondy of us, raising us as Witnesses. The divorce was so bitter that my father became very distant from us, and we'd only see hime once a month which eventually stopped all together. It was a panful time in my life, but little did I know that the worst was yet to come.

  MY CHILDHOOD

  In many respects, I can say that I had a goood childhood. although we were very poor after dad left, mom always found time to spend with us and always mustered up enough money for piano lessons and other things we enjoyed. But the JW religion itself ended up being a very unhealthy environment for me. While my 2 sisters thrived in the religion, I always felt something wasn't right deep down inside, which I (and my family) blamed on my "lack of faith".

  Feeling I had nowhere to and very misunderstood, I began to withdraw and become very depressed. While it was forbidden to have worldly friends from school, was also considered "bad association" by the JW kids (spoken & unspoken) because pioneering and bethel service weren't goals of mine. Although I was a well behaved teenager, elders would frequently pull me aside and tel me to put more effort for "like my sisters do". "You need to comment more like your sister Lara", "Your sister, Ericka, pioneered. Why aren't you?" is what I often heard from them.

  The pressure to cnform became so great that I developed mild heart problems from stress and was put on medication by the time I was 16. Feeling of inadequcey became so intense that I felt I couldn't go on. The only was I could cope with the situation was by becoming a hermit, using all of my time studying for classes and pouring myself into my artwork. This, ironically, ended up causing a whole new set of problems when teachers at school approached me about applying for scholarships to different schools. College wasn't something to even be considered in my household, with the end so near and all. Sadly, I put my plans of college aside and kept pushing forward, thinking Jehovah may find some approval in his heart for me.

  What finally was the last straw was due to a series of events that took place when I was 18 or 19 years old. This is when I decided to make my departure.

  Coming up in part 2, my reason's for leaving and my life today.

  Thanks for reading

  AMarie
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  12

  Cincinnati Potluck this Friday!

  by Intuit39 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hey, the plans for the potluck this friday are almost complete.. due to the response we've been getting, we're going to hold it in a private home near downtown.

  the more, the merrier!.

  if you have not already received an email with directions, then we just don't have your email address.

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  AMarie

  I plan to be there also, Michelle. Sounds like we're gonna get a nice sized group together.

  I can't wait to meet all of you!!!!
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  37

  If you could have one wish come true....

  by butalbee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you could have one wish come true, what would it be?

  just one wish, that you would have to live w/ for the rest of your life, whether if be winning the lottery, finding true love, world peace, etc...what would you choose?.

  i know what my wish would be...i wish i never met him.

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  AMarie

  Xander:

  I think these people "know" what their doing is ruining other's lives and destroying families. I just think they don't "feel" it.

  They lack empathy; Being able to put themselves in another person's shoes and feel their pain and their joy. I think the Palestinians and Israelis who do such horrendous things are so brainwashed with what they believe that they put aside compassion for their fellow man and made their cause for allah priority. (Kind of like the Witnesses in some ways)

  It's a far fetched wish, but if everybody could put aside personal differences, as in political, religious, racial, etc. etc., and tried to understand where that particular person is coming from, see them as a fellow human being, life would be much better.

  To survive in this world, people are taught to look out for "Number 1" sometimes at the cost of destroying other people's lives. They never stop to think about what their actions are doing to others.

  AMarie
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  37

  If you could have one wish come true....

  by butalbee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you could have one wish come true, what would it be?

  just one wish, that you would have to live w/ for the rest of your life, whether if be winning the lottery, finding true love, world peace, etc...what would you choose?.

  i know what my wish would be...i wish i never met him.

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  AMarie

  I think Sirona's answer is brilliant, and describes very well what I want:

  "I wish that human beings could be completely empathic. We would KNOW other's feelings on an intimate level and how our actions hurt them or make them happy.
  If we were forced to feel other peoples emotions, we would all work for the greater good rather than stepping on people out of selfishness. "

  All the worlds problems would be solved if people could do this one little thing.

  AMarie
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  33

  Unseen Apostate Directorate

  by Dawn in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ok - i'm still fairly new here so don't throw tomatoes......... but what is the "unseen apostate directorate" that i see on some of your signature lines?

  i'm curious.

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  AMarie

  What exactly must one do to be part of this club????? My e-mail is opened.

  AMarie
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  44

  Daughter Going to College this Fall

  by TR in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  wow.

  my first born baby will be going to college in the fall.

  she will graduate high school and spokane community college this year with an aa degree.

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  AMarie

  TR:

  Congratulations. Your daughter is absolutely gorgeous as well as intelligent. I'm happy for you and your daughter both. You must be one proud papa.

  AMarie
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  8

  One of my Elders was a Flasher.

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i don't know whether its good to spread stories regarding individual cases of perverts in the congregation.. but this case shows to me that you just can not tell very easily who is likely to be a pervert or not , even if are elders in the congregation.. this particular elder was very prominent in our area and was a regular pioneer for some time.i belive he also served on the hospital liaison committe.. one day it just appears in the local newspaper "****** has been charged with flashing in a public park" i believe young girls were the victims , though i cant remmeber.. it was only when this appeared in the newspaper that he confessed his crime to the elders, well he couldn't hide it now could he?.

  even though he had been caught and charged and then taken to court , a process that most have teken many months , he had not confessed and continued serving as an elder and on the hospital team.. no one could believe he could actually do this , yet he admited his guilt in court.. just goes to show , that in this so called clean organistaion there could be many more covering up their crimes.. (in my area also two brothers were covicted with rape and jailed).

  so if anyone thinks that in general jehovahs witness are better than normal people, well i know a flasher and two rapists, there are plenty of "good" associations in gods organisation.

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  AMarie

  I'd say that 12 year old girl is one smart cookie. If I were confronted with that situation at her age, I would have been petrified.

  In the congregation I grew up in, my best friend's stepfather was disfellowshipped for about 6 months, so she had to stay at my house for slumber parties instead of me going to hers. After he was reinstated, I of course started staying at her house again (this was when I was 14 years old by the way). I noticed that he was a little bit flirtatious with me, but blew it off being the innocent naive child I was. It became extreme enough that she pulled me aside a few weeks later and notified me that he was previously disfellowshipped for some type of sexual indiscretion that occured with her young cousin (who was also our age).

  Even in an organization that "claims" to have Jehovah's blessing, you just aren't safe. I have to wonder why nobody told me or my mother before letting me stay there.

  AMarie