i recently found these forums and have been browsing them.
i thought it time to introduce myself in case i ever have something to say.
here is a very brief history (it may not seem brief but with all that has gone on and is going on, trust me, it's brief .
Welcome! As Mulan said, we're all manner of fruits and nuts here. But we're "mostly harmless", to quote one of my favorite authors, the late Douglas Adams.
I'm so sorry that you've lost so much to cancer. :( I hope that you can find some comfort and inspiration here. You're among friends (and that's a lot better than being among "the friends") ;)
hugs
essie
englishman had his op today and all is going according to plan.
he's feeling woozy and sore tonight, but hopefully that will pass in a day or so.
chris says he will probably have to stay in for about a week, but no doubt he will be posting if he can get hold of a laptop.
Glad to hear the op is over and wishing you the quickest possible recovery!
hugs
essie
i have seen quite a few posts from many ex-jw women about how unhappy they were about male domination in congregation.
was it really that bad?
when i was still a jw, no one ever told me anything to that effect.
Yes, it was that bad.
Forget the way I was treated when I worked my ass off on assembly halls and KH building sites (I was not one of the girls who showed up in her sunday finest to flirt and serve doughnuts to the workers, I needed the construction helmet that I wore) forget how one elders 13 year old kid was put in my place because he was male even though he didn't have any idea what the hell he was doing. He had a p*n*s: he was better than me.
Forget all that for a moment, and realize that the words that will still make me angrier than a hornet and sick to my stomach are "You need to be a better wife, and pray more."
Yeah, that really stopped the abuse. Thanks, Brother Dip****.
Yes, it was, and IS that bad and I do not ever want to be a part again of any organization that is set up to condone and further the abuse of women and children. Period.
~essie
hi all, forgive me and my n00bness if this has been discussed, or if i started this thread in the wrong place.
how does everyone feel about death,and what happens to you afterward?
do you still believe what the wts teaches?
oh, I forgot...someone (I think it was Mulan, can't remember for sure) recommended to me Mitch Albom's book "The Five People You meet in Heaven." I have found it to be very interesting, comforting, and though it is fiction, it has really had a profound effect on me. You might want to check it out next time you're at the bookstore.
essie
hi all, forgive me and my n00bness if this has been discussed, or if i started this thread in the wrong place.
how does everyone feel about death,and what happens to you afterward?
do you still believe what the wts teaches?
wow look at all the newbies this week! welcome 3rdeye!
this subject has weighed on me a lot lately since i just lost someone close to me. I am so f'd up with the JW belief system still that I am trying to figure out what I believe.
I don't want to believe that people are sleeping or gone forever. I have to think that there is more to all this than that. But I guess none of us can really know till we get there, can we?
welcome to JWD!
essie
i am so glad that i found this site.
i have been reading these posts and they have made me feel so much better.
my family was "in the truth" when i was little, and i feel like i really had a messed up child hood.
Welcome embeth! You are among friends here...we can all relate to what you're dealing with.
There's lots to share and learn here...glad to have you with us.
hugs
esmeralda
i sent a pm to one of the forum assistants telling him this, and he said i should post and let everyone know how it went.. i didn't want to do this until mario posted first, because it's about his daughter, not mine.
but, i know all you wonderful people out there are waiting for some news on the memorial service, and i think mario is too grief stricken to be able to write right now.
sometimes these things hit you harder after it's all over, because now you have more time to think about it.
thank you hubert for going for all of us who couldn't...I know that it wasn't easy but you did a very good thing, thank you.
Thanks for posting too, it is much appreciated by us all and I'm sure Mario will too.
hugs,
essie
iam very new to this forum.
so glad to meet all of you.
ive been reading here for quite a while but never felt the need to join in.
I second the suggestion of going to freeminds.org and reading everything you can.
I would also recommend that you read as many threads on shunning as you can so that you can get educated. If you become a JW, there is no way to gracefully leave it later once you've been baptized so be sure of what you're getting into before you get into that pool!
Welcome, I hope you will find what you're looking for here. Believe me, the facts are there.
essie
i?m off to los angeles tomorrow.
i think i found my grandfather.
as most of you know, i grew up without half my family, thanks to my jw father.
Good luck, Bryan. Wishing you peace, and the answers that you seek.
hugs
essie
the jws have an aversion to the cross but a love for the watchtower symbol.
is one a graven image, but not the other?
check the following watchtower paraphernalia offered for sale by a jw owned business.. http://www.westcoastclips.com/store/templates/basic/productindex.asp
UGH!!!!!!! the unmitagated gaul! My mother condemns my plastic christmas tree but she writes the yhwh symbol and letters out and tapes them up over her doorways. No, unfortunately, I am NOT kidding.
There are more examples of 'so called' image worship in her house it's not even funny.
Ha. I'll keep my pagan fake fir, thanks!
essie
