Ciara, Findingme & PaulE -- thanks for your support. I probably will keep trying for awhile even though I believe it is futile. I guess I am kind of used to banging my head into the wall (its normal when dealing with my mother).
Posts by Purza
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11Has this happened to anyone?
by Purza inso my mother opens the door for a discussion (via email) and i totally freeze up.
i find it almost impossible to tell her how i feel about the jw religion.
when i finally figure out what i want to say, she completely dismisses my thoughts.
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11
Has this happened to anyone?
by Purza inso my mother opens the door for a discussion (via email) and i totally freeze up.
i find it almost impossible to tell her how i feel about the jw religion.
when i finally figure out what i want to say, she completely dismisses my thoughts.
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Purza
Fleur -- you are right -- she is still brainwashed. It is so easy to understand now why she just doesn't get it.
Corvin -- ah yes, the black and white world. We used to have a joke that a Sunday talk should be entitled "Taking Advantage of the Grey Areas"
Nos -- selective memory. My mother has that too.
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11
Has this happened to anyone?
by Purza inso my mother opens the door for a discussion (via email) and i totally freeze up.
i find it almost impossible to tell her how i feel about the jw religion.
when i finally figure out what i want to say, she completely dismisses my thoughts.
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Purza
So my mother opens the door for a discussion (via email) and I totally freeze up. I find it almost impossible to tell her how I feel about the JW religion. When I finally figure out what I want to say, she completely dismisses my thoughts. Here is an example:
I say: I feel like I was pushed beyond what I could bear and I snapped. I could no longer maintain the farce that the truth was in my heart. Because it wasnt. I am coming to terms with that now. I have endured (and still am) a lot of pain an agony over this decision. I am used to being part of a community with a lot of friends around. It is difficult to walk away from that. It is difficult being disfellowshipped and treated like you are dead
She says in return: just maybe if you had read and applied the Youth Book like I was trying to get you to do when you were still home with us, you once told me, "none of the kids want to read that book." It would have protected you from making ill wise decisions so young in life if you had just kept
She just doesn't get it. I feel like I could "discuss" things with her and we will go in circles. Anyone else just give up in trying to make another family member understand? Sorry -- I can't figure out how to turn this highlighting thing off.
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16
Come on, who really TALKS like this? "Your people are so joyful!" etc...
by somebodylovesme ini recently snuck a read of the km newsletter, which talked about assembly preparation.
aside from how ridiculous it is that they have to tell people not to push and shove (duhhh), i thought the quotes seemed a little, well, hokey.
i don't have it with me, so i can't quote it, but it was what i can guess is a commonly cited compliment: that the hotel manager/police/venue host said they are "thrilled to have jehovah's people" with them because "your people are so joyful" and so on.
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Purza
OMG Truthseeker1 -- your post brought back many memories of getting to the assembly site at 6:30 in order to be in line by 7:00 so we could get the "box" seats with all the leg room. Believe me THAT was not a joyful time -- even though they read the daily text to us before we stampeded into the convention site. Later on they then turned the box seats into seating for the 65 and up.
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35
I did it!!!
by joelbear inwell, this week i become a college graduate.
thanks for all those who offered encouragement over the years.
it meant a lot to me.
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Purza
Congratulations!!!! I am so happy for you. I know it took a lot of hard work and determination. Yay for you!!!!
Purza
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7
thoughts
by prgirl79 inhi i was with a ex jw for 5 years, and he never attended funerals, christmas, birthdays, weddings, etc.
i found their reasoning that it is pagan and their bible verses against birthdays to be ridiculous.
i was bothered more with funerals.
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Purza
Perhaps he did not attend funerals in other churches by his own choice. I know my dad carried his father's casket and that funeral was in a catholic church. My dad was/is "super elder" and does no wrong in his own eyes. It is possible that some JWs consider going into another church a "conscience matter" and didn't go in because they felt uncomfortable.
To this day (I have been out 2 years now) I feel uncomfortable going into a church -- don't know why -- maybe it was the "conditioning" I received at the KH.
Purza
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23
I am sitting here eating...
by myauntfanny insomething that is really vile but i am wondering if i'll acquire a taste for it.
i went into a very posh gourmet chocolate shop today, and feeling cheap got the cheapest chocolate in the shop.
it was still expensive.
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Purza
ROTFLMAO OMG -- even I wouldn't be able to eat that. Wonder what they were going for when they thought of that receipe!?!?!?
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San Jose, CA to Texas - via IH-10
by Jim_TX inokay... this is _sorta_ a 'reunion' - so i posted it here.. i will be flying out to san jose tomorrow (april 27th), and then driving back to texas via ih-10.
(i think we are going to start off by coming through part of los angeles.).
this will take me through all sorts of interesting places that i have never been... (i've been to san jose, ca - but not out ih-10).. anyway... i think that it would be really really really cool if i could meet (even if just over the phone) some of you folks - who might be in this 'path'.. so... if you feel 'brave' enuf to want to meet up with a nerd - and trust that i am not psychotic... neurotic, or any of those other 'otics', then perhaps... if you could pm me... i can give you my e-mail addy, and we could then exchange a phone number or something.. i leave tomorrow... i know this is pretty sudden-like... so... you will need to make a 'coin-toss' decision - and pm me tonight... or no later than tomorrow am.. i hope that i can at least talk to... or meet... one person from this forum in the next few days.
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Purza
Okay I am coming into this thread late. I am close enough to SJ for a gathering, but the evenings would be difficult -- weekend would be better. Anyone here from Northern CA -- north of the Golden Gate? If so, PM me. . . .if you wish.
Purza
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14
Where did they get their brainwashing tecniques?
by cyber-sista inwhat is really the most disturbing thing to me is that i really do feel that i was brainwashed in those 20 + years in the org--i mean seriously brainwashed.
i am not an idiot, but there were times that i look back on now where i was a radical jw, though this is not really my personality to be such.
i remember after assemblies (while greatly relieved it was over with aching back and all) i would feel different--sometimes i would start donating more money to the wt and at one point i seriously thought of puttingthe wt in my will.
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Purza
My boyfriend recently told me I had been brainwashed. I think he said that because there are certain things that I am still paranoid about. I am certain it was a brainwashing, but more like I was "easily guided". My boyfriend also stated (in his humble opinion) that they can only brainwash people who are sheep -- and I think he meant people who need to follow in order to have a direction.
So I would guess that we were once easy targets for the JW organization to mold us into whatever they wanted. It amazing how things seem a lot clearer once you get out of the monotonous routine of weekly meetings, etc.
Purza
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18
My Dissassociation Letter
by eljefe ini have been poking around the forum for a while.
i have looked at a lot people's experiences on the forum and many of them mirror my own.
here is my disassociation letter.
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Purza
I like your letter too. I would bet that a lot of JWs do not know anything about JW molestation cases. I know I sure didn't until I faded away and saw a newspaper article about an attorney in Sacramento suing the JWs in various counties around CA for sexual abuse. I am sure that is just scratching the surface. And of course my mother had to put a positive spin on that one saying we don't know all the facts. Oh brother.
I also like the idea of sending the letter to family, friends, and the elders simultaneously. If you do get feedback from friends, please share it if you feel inclined to do so. Maybe your letter will trigger others who have similar feelings to get out (hey one can be hopeful - right?)
Purza