Posts by 4JWY

19

2 jws just called

by Satanus in

two jw ladies w their best smiles on knocked on my door today.

i just closed the door on them, after one had said her good morning line.

i suppose you could say that i left them w smiles on their faces.

4JWY

Saturday I was e-mailing a friend and mentioning that it seemed probable that, being Saturday, we'd get a knock at the door and an invite to the DC coming up.

Not sure why I felt that way, since no one has ever come a calling to "shepherd" us, except for one year ago when Mr. Elder came to the door on the day of the memorial to invite us to it. At that very moment as I was typing my e-mail, walking past my front window IS Mr. Elder and his wife, passing us right by and going to the next house. That was a little too weird for me.

It may have been the American flag out front that scared them off, or his recollection of the interesting conversation we'd had with him at our door a year ago.

43

Why did you leave?

by greendawn in

if someone asked to state briefly why you left the jw brotherhood what would you say?

4JWY

Initially because I could not believe any "god" would expect a parent to feel sickened and guilty for allowing their own offspring to ACTIVATE THEIR OWN BRAIN, and that that human would perhaps think and want to believe differently than me. I didn't need a dead kid and forcing kids to go to meetings is just insane and driving all in that direction. I also would not sit and have pounded into my head at each meeting the topics of "death and destruction and judgement" of all mankind but JW's any longer. I informed the elders I would go running and screaming out of the kingdum hall if I heard it expressed one more time.

85

Add your own Awake caption!

by doodle-v in

jw
friends

ok guys, it's awake caption time!!.

here's a blank one for you to use:.

here is the original one:.

4JWY

START TRAINING NOW!

FOR RUNNING AWAY AT 18

4

Put a smile on my face!

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

if you want to be super cool and make me a happy little boy, you will do these things for me:.

1. you can buy me this along with this and this.2.

while you're in a buying mood...go ahead and pick up this.3.

4JWY

Low maintenance guy

Here I expected to see a Ferrari or something.

4

Jehovahs Witness and Disability

by mactoph in

hello all- i am putting together a directory of resources from different religious organizations that address the topic of disability and have had a difficult time finding anything from the jehovahs witnesses.... i am wondering if anyone out there knows of anything in the area of disability- websites, organizations, people??

the kind of thing i'm looking for is under the 'faith group specific' section here at http://www.faithability.org/directory/ i'm not really familiar with the jehovahs witnesses teaching on the topic, but our neighbors were jehovahs witnesses growing up and they were great neighbors to my two younger brothers with disabilities- i just want to make sure that i have a good and accurate representation- any help is appreciated.

thanks, christopher phillips http://www.faithability.org/

4JWY

Christopher,

Interesting sites and articles to peruse that you shared. I can't think of anywhere that you would find specifics on this issue regarding Jehovah's Witnesses.

The only resources offered by the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses that I had been a part of for 4 decades were:

- the use of sign language at certain conventions

- reserved seating for the elderly and infirm at conventions, and handicapped parking areas

- headphones at a scattered few Kingdom Halls for those hard of hearing

- telephone hookup to their weekly meetings for someone unable to be physically present at the Kingdom Hall

Not sure on this, but I believe there may be a very limited amount of their literature offered in Braille. Much of their literature is written at grade school level.

They pride themselves on the fact that ALL individuals in the congregations worldwide, are taught in the same manner. There are NO separate classes, like Sunday school, for children and no special considerations given for those with learning disabilities or mental illness. For decades, it had been taught that a member seeking out counseling or psychiatric care was going against the JW governing body's directives. All members are expected to go in the door to door ministry activity despite any physical or mental disability, or old age concerns. In some countries, they do have programs for teaching people to read, so as to be able to indoctrinate them in their cult's teachings.

Unfortunately, there is a high rate of disability, mentally within their ranks. The way they deal with it is by reading scriptures to you, telling you to never miss a weekly meeting (5 a week), and prayer.

Hope this gives you a start on what you're looking for.

183

It is finished, or is it just beginning?

by IP_SEC in

jw
friends

well i am no longer one of jehovah's witnesses.

i had fully intentioned to disassociate myself from the platform today, but i decided that if i wanted a chance to save my marriage that i'd better tell my wife.

she immediately went to to one of the elders.

4JWY

Matt,

A quote by an unknown author has been posted on our refridgerator for all of us to be reminded of and thought I'd share it with you:

COURAGE TO CHANGE

To Seek Unknown Potential

"It takes great courage and inner strength to change from what is known and comfortable,

to something which is new and fresh.

That which is unknown often contains our greatest potential.

To seek our potential by visiting change, is the path of true greatness."

_______________________

Here's to new beginnings!

4JWY & family

115

Dating a JW info

by Lady Lee in

other than telling a person to run:what do you think a person (who knows nothing about the jws) needs to know if they are getting involved with a jw.what would be helpful to them to end things before they get further involved?what will help them if they decide to go further and marry this jw?what challenges would a non-jw woman have if she gets involved with the jw man?what about having children and the struggles that will develop from that?.

if you think of anything else that would be halpful please add it to the thread.

i would like to have a lot of this info in one thread besides some of the great "dating a jw" threads we already have in the best of section.

4JWY

...but so that he's not a temptation for me coming into the JW.

????

It's obvious they don't want you around to tempt him, and/or cause him to perhaps question his beliefs, ie: lead him astray.

Does he have a mind of his own?

Signing off,

4JWY

....of the "scummy dross"on the "slag heap of destruction" class, as folks like me are so kindly referred to in tomorrow's Watchtower lesson.

See the thread by Blondie: Comments you will not hear at the 5-29-95 WT Study (apostates; Inactive)

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/10/91529/1.ashx

14

New Baby Grandson

by alw in

we are now the proud grandparents of a little boy.

our son and his partner had their baby on mr alw's birthday (bit ironic) - lovely birthday present.

both mum and baby are well and we are ecstatic!!!

4JWY

alw~

Congrats to you!! Take plenty of and enjoy every second together with this beautiful

Happy Birthday grandchild!

115

Dating a JW info

by Lady Lee in

other than telling a person to run:what do you think a person (who knows nothing about the jws) needs to know if they are getting involved with a jw.what would be helpful to them to end things before they get further involved?what will help them if they decide to go further and marry this jw?what challenges would a non-jw woman have if she gets involved with the jw man?what about having children and the struggles that will develop from that?.

if you think of anything else that would be halpful please add it to the thread.

i would like to have a lot of this info in one thread besides some of the great "dating a jw" threads we already have in the best of section.

4JWY

My biggest concern is the Watchtower and it's authority

Yes, that needs to be your biggest concern.

Having been raised in and lived the life for 42 years under their authority, believe me, I can be trusted to know what goes on. If I could talk to you in person, you could see and hear my sincerity for your plight. My son is your age and I wouldn't wish this situation on him for anything. If I believed in angels, he would be one, for being the one that brought us all out of JW's three years ago.

I wasn't allowed to be in contact with any "worldly" boyfriend either during my years as a JW growing up. I was followed, spied on, reported on to the elders by my own sister for continuing to see my non JW boyfriend, and suffered from a public announcement of punishment in the congregation. Yet, I stuck around......for 30 more years. Brainwashed.

The authority of which you speak in your above comment, will RULE your life and destroy your true self, eventually. If you had seen your father, as I did mine, literally surrounded by the Watchtower's literature before taking his life - always seeking to allow this authority to rule his life, searching for THEIR answers, maybe the depth of what is involved could be understood.

For now though, this is a lot of info to digest, and you need to experience more life, before you give that life over to an organization (cult) like JW's.

I would suggest you get a copy of the book by Steven Hassan, "Combatting Cult Mind Control" and read it while you still have somewhat of an open mind. Perhaps you can share it with Jon and get his viewpoint on it's contents. Sadly, it's another thing he won't be allowed to do though, read this book, unless he does it on the sly and feels guilty for doing so.

All the best to you

(now the count is up to 14, 478 views, hmmmm....)

115

Dating a JW info

by Lady Lee in

other than telling a person to run:what do you think a person (who knows nothing about the jws) needs to know if they are getting involved with a jw.what would be helpful to them to end things before they get further involved?what will help them if they decide to go further and marry this jw?what challenges would a non-jw woman have if she gets involved with the jw man?what about having children and the struggles that will develop from that?.

if you think of anything else that would be halpful please add it to the thread.

i would like to have a lot of this info in one thread besides some of the great "dating a jw" threads we already have in the best of section.

4JWY

.....when we were engaged to be married, my husband's Lutheran pastor had given him a book on CULTS to hopefully convince him not to marry a JW, cult follower. He left the book at my apartment, with a note, and moved out all his stuff that he'd been moving in slowly. He had decided to call off our marriage until he could think things through more regarding our differences in faith.

Well, two months later, we did get married and our only difficulties those first years were related to the JW/vs. non JW issues, most of which I believe have been mentioned somewhere along the way on this long thread, so I won't reiterate them all.

Several years later, once two baby boys had arrived on the scene, my husband took the JW plunge into baptism and cult life. All in the name of having a "unified family".

Once these babies were growing and developing their thinking abilities, ( ie: normal brain development) , it became clear that this was a NO-NO in the JW faith. We were instructed continuously that they were to be MOLDED and SHAPED in the cult life, and personalities put on hold, stunted, shut down from developing normally. Our eyes finally opened to the destructiveness of this way of life, the harm being caused to our children that could last their lifetime. With the help of our youngest, in seeing these truths, we were able to salvage our lives together as a family and get out.

Please consider seriously all that you have read here. It's a topic that touches us deeply as you can see from the number of times the thread has been viewed. (14, 399)

4JWY