for good....... just say...... all contacts on here would be shut off, you would have no way of contacting anyone on here that you may have done before or do now, you would be left as you stand now, still with your family and friends, work colleagues in whatever capacity you enjoy them in real life, but without those you now know onscreen through this forum.
would you be able to pick your life back up and carry on.
i don't ask this lightly, i just wonder after reading a few posts recently in the last couple of years just how seriously some hold this forum almost to the point that it seems central to their lives (and that maybe so).. how would you feel?.
I'd save a heckofalotta money! I go through so much ink and paper because every week I sent my friend in another state, stacks of printed threads since she does not have a computer. She is benefitting greatly from seeing that she and her family are certainly not alone in trying to make the break from WTS. I am always hearing the - 'DO MORE ! " refrain from her as she awaits the next delivery.
This is legal, isn't it?
She sends a huge THANK YOU to all !
4JWY
i'm just doing this as an easy reference point for our new board members who came here seeking advice on their witness/non-witness romantic relationships.
questions for board members: .
* have you been in this type of relationship?
I was a raised JW girl -
had a five month engagement to a NON - WITNESS - he broke off the engagement when his Lutheran pastor gave him a book about JW's being a CULT- (imagine that!)
...2 months later - we married anyway. He studied off and on for 10 years, then got baptized, raised kids-
and now we are looking for the book from the pastor to add to our collection since we realize, IT IS A CULT.
With 25 years behind us, we are all out together, enjoying life and no longer stifling our unique personalities.
Best to all -
4JWY
date : nisan 10, 2004. location : south africa.
test : does the wtbts make you sick.
test subject : nadsam (see profile).
Faraon:
You are correct, thank you. I'm not proficient on the computer yet and I thought that was how it could be pulled up. Gotta learn to do all the things I see others do here. BTW - cross reference the JW's Banned in Russia thread where another so kindly posted it too on my behalf.
4JWY
we were fortunate to have fencesitter join today and i asked if i may welcome
fencesitter
publicly here so everyone can get a chance to know this new member!
Dear FenceSitter:
I know it took great effort for you to post here today and you will find friends here very quickly that will listen, offer kind words of comfort, and share their experiences with you. We all have so much in common and are working on now living our life in the present and most are healing wounds of the past. IT CAN BE DONE !
I am concerned that you may be suffering from serious depression, and I would highly recommend that you seek assistance for this possibility right away. Perhaps there is a public health care clinic in your area that you could get to soon for a consultation.
Please take care. We care.
JWY
does anyone know if the song "crystal blue persuasion" (?
) is about the truth book?
i don't remember who sings it, but i remember a rumor to this effect?
Interesting to read those words NOW - but, I don't know about the "open your mind" part.........
One of the last mtgs. we attended had a part on the Svc. Mtg. on using the "Art of Persuasion" while out in svc. and I just couldn't stomach it.
4JWY
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/tm_objectid=14134817&method=full&siteid=50143&headline=from-sex-god-to-doorstep-bible-basher-name_page.html
nothing like tragedy to turn one to a high-control cult that offers paradise in exchange for submission.
from sex god to doorstep bible basher
Yep, it's his new "fix".
i was listening to this song on my way home from work today.
it's a beautiful song.
i had not really listened to its lyrics since i had been set free from the org.
flyin' - great message, thx!
One of the first things I realized after breaking away, is that I was actually hearing the lyrics to songs, in a way I NEVER had before. Often I am driving and trying to scribble down lyrics at the same time that are so meaningful so I can share them with my husband or he's calling me from work telling my to turn on a certain radio station to hear what's playing. I think some of these songwriters were once US.
This is on another vein - but I used to think Bono would make a good JW. Now I hope he continues to be a not at home in the territory.
4JWY
i read online that teenage jw's have a suicide rate four times higher than the national average.
i was curious if anybody could refer me to actual statistics that could either confirm or deny that.
i have a friend who was struggling with suicidal thoughts a few months ago and now her new boyfriend is trying to convert her to be a jw.
Hi Thomas -
Welcome to the board. It's nice that you are showing concern for your friend who has struggled and are trying to do research on her behalf. Unfortunately there are cases where the belief system and problems within the organization have caused people, young and old, to take their lives. I have personally known several including my own father. Compared to the general population - that would be a tricky one to come up with numbers - JW's don't record statistics of that sort. Teen suicide is a big problem everywhere.
The religion, actually a cult, is very restrictive and many teens (& adults) find it a difficult regime to live under. I would first suggest that your friend seek profesional assistance for her ongoing struggles and not be led along the path of believing that JW's have all the answers for the world's problems to include mental, physical issues. We received constant training to convince people of this - but, you will find as you explore areas of this board, many are no longer choosing to live under the illusion. The incidence of emotional distress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks and other mental difficulties does abound within the membership and there are two thoughts on this: that people who struggle in those areas are DRAWN to the JW's and/or, they are created while within. We found the answer to those problems - we left, and all - are now WELL.
You are a wonderful friend to show such concern, and again, please urge your friend to seek guidance from a professional soon.
Warm regards,
4JWY
ok, i know everyone is probably tired of the subject by now.
i haven't had internet access all week so i didn't get a chance to tell about my memorial experience.. not that it is exciting in the least bit.. i arrived 15 minutes early and sat in the middle of the meeting hall (actually a school cafeteria).
this was the first meeting i've been to with my former congregation in about five years now with the exception of a funeral that i basically snuck in and out of.. my whole point in going this year was to prove to myself i am no longer afraid of these people.
Just be being present, we were all shooting up at every meeting -
receiving our "fix" -
so glad to be free of the addiction.
i could never get a handle on prayer - oh i prayed a lot.
i begged jehovah to help with certain things.
nothing.. and then i felt guilty.. and then i felt frustrated.
I actually thank god for those unanswered prayers, or I would not be here now.
