It makes me wonder also why we are so preoccupied with God and what the meaning of life is and what our purpose is. Does it really matter? I mean in the whole scheme of things. So many witnesses living for their reward of paradise (or heaven in some cases).I was a teenager in the 70's when all the adults talked about 1975 being a marked year. People sold their homes they had worked their whole lives for and moved to apartments so they wouldn't be caught up in the love of the old system of materialism. Funny though, 5 to 10 years later, all those poor saps had bought homes again and tried to make a future for retirement before its too late. Why must this preoccupation with pleasing a higher power encompass our entire lives?? Why do we look for something , some greater power to make life better for us..
lilybird
JoinedPosts by lilybird
-
13
My God Complex
by xjw_b12 inwhen i left jwism i still believed in god.
i even ordered other bible editions and literature from religious book clubs.
but the more i researched, especially on the internet, and some of the thesises i read, i've begrudgingly come to the conclusion that the bible is nothing more than a series of stories, genelogies, and fables passed down from generation to generation.
-
-
-
-
-
lilybird
Thanks Blondie, great tribute, My sister and I watched him alot over summer vacations and Friday nites. Its true that even though he was no longer on tv it was nice to know he was still there. The day before he died, I heard on the news how he would read the newspaper and get some ideas for jokes, He would send the jokes to David Letterman and then get a kick out of hearing him telll the jokes on his show. Its sad, so many good talents lost,,,, Bob Hope, I still miss him at Christmas, Its not the same without his Christmas specials. Maybe they are still hosting comedy shows somewhere out there in the mystical spirit world. if there is such a world out there.....
-
45
newbie seeking others thoughts
by brokenfairy inbasically i have been reading the bible lately & doing extensive research on the web and have come across many things in my search...any imput put on various scriptures or sites i would appreciate.... .
first of all i found more than a few religions that resemble the teaching of the jw's...so can they honestly say they are the only ones with the "truth"?
scriptures i came across in my studies this week (if you have any other translations of these same scriptures please quote them in ur response i have 2 kjvs as well as the nwt that i am using...thanks!
-
-
lilybird
I have been disassociated for 20 years now. The best thing I ever did.Its difficult at first because you lose all your friends and family you loved for years. But I found that the "worldly people" out there are not scary, In fact, there are more caring people in other organizations, who truly care about others because they want to. Not because they are trying to impress other JWs or Jehovah. The freedom to choose how you want to live and what you want to learn and who you associate with is amazing. My son is so happy and thanks me all the time that I didn't raise him in this life style. I am happy to have found this forum. Its reassuring to be able to discuss our thoughts and problems with others who have dealt with the same issues. I am sure you will find your way, Broken Fairy. Every day gets easier. Just believe in yourself...
-
9
Who was Charles T.Russell really?
by anonymouslyyours inlet me know what you really think and who he was...and i will inform you.
-
-
lilybird
Just stumbled onto this post. Thanks Brooke for an early morning Saturday chuckle.. I needed that....umm ... expect I think that cover is a little too sophisticated.....lol
-
72
High rates of depression in Org.
by chuckyy ini noticed after being a jw for a while that many members of my congregation were having to take antedepressants.
(i counted at least 30 out of 100).
after a few years i too began to have bouts of depression and problems with anxiety.
-
-
lilybird
My mother, who was the sweetest most loving person you could meet suffered from severe depression and schizophrenia, When she took her meds , she was wonderful. But a few well meaning sisters told her it was bad to take drugs, It could let in the demons, So she stopped taking her meds, and became sick again, My father would eventually get her on meds again and she would be better, but eventually she would always stop taking meds, Most in the congregation knew she suffered from mental illness, but a few times when she went off meds she would act out at meetings , yell at the speaker and accuse others of things that any reasonable person would know is not true, One elder really took personal offense to something she said, He and other elders decided she should be disfellowshipped as she was bring reproach on Jehovah's name, I had to defend her and plead for them not to do that, I said if she was d'f all the sisters that she knew and loved would no longer be able to talk to her,,, Then,,,, and this is amazing to me,,,,,, and this is what really made me decide I needed to get out of the org...... the elders asked me to tell them what to do. I said just make an announcement from the podium explaining she is suffering from mental illness and we must ignore any strange behaviour.. Even in the "wicked system of things" people with mental disabilities are not treated so badly!!!!!!! I couldn't believe that elders supposedly guided by God would ask me,, a lowly publisher ...what to do... Anyways,, they did not d'f her,,, but a year later she took her own life when she was off meds again... guess the elders were happy to be done with problem.....
-
-
-
lilybird
The only true way to live your life is to believe what is right for you, Not what a bunch of knobs in Brooklin decide for you, not from reading their publications and their version of the Bible.I personally don't believe in God, a loving god would not allow all the sad and bad events in our world, just to prove he's better than Satan, and if that was the case, I don't want to live in "new system" run by an egotistical god and his thug hunchmen, Amen,,,,or whatever,,,,
-
16
Culture or the lack thereof
by Justin into belong to a culture is part of being human.
yet, jws and evangelicals are told to avoid being contaminated by the secular culture.
the evangelical movement, however, has created a subculture of its own.
-
-
lilybird
All I know is.. my son,, who was just 2 when we "escaped the org" ,(so he doesn't remember any of it), thanks me all the time for not staying a JW, He knows others in high school who are witnesses and they are not allowed to do so many things. When I had kids, i knew I couldn't raise them the way i was raised, I wanted them to experience all of life- good or bad-..and not be judged by other closed minded JW's. I do know of a few JW's who tried to keep their kids interested, One elder took his kids to a rock concert, I guess he felt if they were allowed to experience it with his supervision, they would get over their curiousity of the "lures of the worldly system". Anyways, none of his kids stayed with it. One son had an affair with an elder's wife for years, until he tired of it and wanted out, He was df'd I think she was only publicy-reproved.
-
21
George Carlin
by Golf inforward .
george carlin (his wife recently died...) .
isn't it amazing that geoge carlin - iconoclastic and mouthy comedian of the 70's and 80's - could write something so very eloquent ... and so very appropriate post 9-11. .
-
-
lilybird
So true that the org stiffles your emotions, We were critisized when we weeped over the death of a beloved sister. "Jehovah will resurrect her, don't waste time crying now" an elder advised us, As I remember, families did not seem to hug much or show any physical closeness,the families I was acquainted with were not emotionally stable. Sad for a group professing the love of god and man, but doesn't teach how to deeply care for your family as your family,, the whole emphasis is how to be "a family serving Jehovah together"..Sad... really...... -
72
High rates of depression in Org.
by chuckyy ini noticed after being a jw for a while that many members of my congregation were having to take antedepressants.
(i counted at least 30 out of 100).
after a few years i too began to have bouts of depression and problems with anxiety.
-
-
lilybird
My husband and I also found that Elders, Ministerial Servants and regular publishers would live double lives, they would be pious and all that at meetings but at work or other events , they would act just like "worldy people".-Maybe that is how they escaped the depresion.- One elder at our congregation- My husband found out much later after we "escaped " the society, - this elder had not told anyone at work that he was a witness, In fact my husband attended his retirement party, they had rented a hotel room and played porno films. What a joke it all was, My husband and I are so happy to be free of the madness. To live our lives without being judged by others who do whatever the "heck" they like to do but they are the first to point accusing fingers at you if you step out of line!!!!
-
33
1,200,000 Publishers left between 1993-2002
by Bluegrass Tom ini have been bothered for some time by the sneaking suspicion that the publisher increases published annually are never realized in a tangible way.
therefore, i sat down and studied a 10 year period of what has been published by the society to see if i could get a warm and fuzzy feeling about these increases.
after hours i have realized the following:
-
-
lilybird
When we were "vacation" pioneering, we would go and stand on the main corner downtown and hold up our Awake mags and talk to anyone who would listen, Then we would go for coffee and to the service meeting before field service and then on to field service for the morning.. That way we could count 2 extra hours as we would count right thru the service meeting,, lots of sister did it.. really helped rack up the hours. Embarrassing standing on the corner like a hooker though :)