mamochan13

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Posts by mamochan13

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  21

  Did you blindly accept all the JW teachings?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i was the "good jw", that accepted everything they taught, without even thinking of searching to see if it was true.

  and how could i have searched to see if what they preach was true?

  i don't speak hebrew or greek.

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  mamochan13

  I thought I did, but in retrospect, there were things I questioned. Not so much the big doctrinal stuff, because I could always find some scriptural explanation that made sense (even if it was pulling verses out of context). It was the stuff that had no real explanation - like not celebrating birthdays, or women not wearing pants, or no beards. I guess I didn't really believe in disfellowshipping, either, because I ignored the rules plenty of times.

  I was raised that way, which explains why many of us were pretty much brainwashed. You cannot fault a child for believing in how their parents bring them up, its normal.

  it's only now that I'm out and have gone to university that I understand the power of critical thinking. It's what really liberates us. JW children are not brought up to be free, independent thinkers. Their natural child's curiosity is squashed out of them.
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  57

  Do You EVER---Even A Little Bit----Miss Being A Witness???

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ever??

  ?

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  mamochan13

  Absolutely not. Not even a teensie-weensie bit.

  Even the so-called friendships were artificial. I like my life now. I'm free!

  I just wish I would have escaped sooner - so many lost years. *sigh*
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  25

  tijkmos letter to gb

  by IP_SEC in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  .

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  hows that man?

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  mamochan13

  tijkmo - once again I am amazed at how closely your experience matched mine. Except i couldn't stick around once I was reinstated and chose to remove myself.

  I really appreciated how you explained the df'ing process, because it took me years to understand why i was so devastated. "I do not know why I was disfellowshipped...nobody is disfellowshipped for wrongdoing. They are removed for being a wicked unrepentant wilful wrongdoer and I was none of these things".

  it is so difficult to be a person who considered themselves loyal to the organization, loving jah, trying to do the right thing, etc., yet be labelled as a "wicked unrepentant wilful wrongdoer" who people must avoid in case they are tainted by your evil-ness. It is so wrong, and it destroys your soul.

  I've managed to work through a lot of it, but it is still extremely painful, even 15 years later. I hope you can find peace with yourself, tijkmo - things do get better over time.
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  23

  Did you ever get a speeding ticket or make an accident, serving Jehovah?

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  i know an elder who made a couple of accidents and scrapped his car more than once going to the kingdom hall or assembly hall out of town.

  i guess that the angels weren't looking after him that day.... i even remember a brother making an accident with another brother in the field service...lol.

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  mamochan13

  Aude - actually we had a similar situation in a hall I used to attend. An elder with a carload of sisters out in service made a left turn in front of a semi (not paying attention, I guess, busy with chatter in the car). The sister in the passenger seat was killed. She was pioneering that month. A week later in some portion on pioneering someone gave an example of another person who was "faithful to the end" and had died while pioneering, with the implication that "there was no better way to die". The daughter of the woman who had been killed was at the meeting, and spent the rest of the meeting crying in the bathroom. A lot of people at the meeting were appalled at the lack of sensitivity, but many saw no problem with those kinds of comments.

  The elder voluntarily stepped down and later moved away. He was a good person and was devastated by the accident.
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  43

  I just turned 28, two minutes ago. What advice can you give me?

  by el jarocho mayor in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, what advice can you give me?

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  mamochan13

  Keep up the good fight, and feliz cumpleanos!
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  20

  Children Given Blood Covertly.

  by Englishman in

  1. watchtower
  2. medical

  just recently, i've been in some business discussions with a paediatrician who works away in a large city hospital.

  we've got on pretty well, and, our business negotiations having come to an end, we sat down this morning to have a cup of coffee and a chat.. somehow or other, the subject of jw's came up.

  the paediatrician then told me that he/she had already had several encounters with jw's and was aware of the wt's stance on blood and their permitting of certain substances being used.

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  mamochan13

  I heard this did happen in Canada. This was about 20 years ago, but my ex-sister-in-law who is a nurse reported that she was told by a doctor who supervised her that "if you JW's only knew how often you and your children are transfused while in the operating room without your knowledge"

  Perhaps they've tightened up procedures now so that this is less likely to happen, but I agree with those who suggest doctors may be more concerned about saving a life than respecting a patient's wishes. I don't think it would have to be a huge conspiracy of silence, either. There are plenty of medical mistakes and misdeeds that go on in the hospital, and all those involved stay quiet about it for their own reasons.
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  5

  Houston couple win 1 million Amazing race. YEAH!

  by Special K in

  1. social
  2. physical

  yes, i was hooked on the realilty show "amazing race".. i just loved watching boston rob and amba compete.

  ..but i didn't want them to win.

  hey, they already won a million on survivor...that is enough!.

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  mamochan13

  I liked Amazing Race, but I'm sorry - I thought Rob and Amber were a disgrace. To me, they cheated, lied and manipulated - something that is fine for Survivor, but not Amazing Race. I loved Amazing Race because it was people against the environment across cultures and across the world, a celebration of teamwork and cooperation. I was disgusted to see R & A pay locals to not help other people on the team, steal taxis, cheat, refuse to help a fellow contestant in need - what ever happened to the notion of dignity and fairness in a race? Had they won it would have been proof that cheaters and backstabbers always win. Maybe that's true in real life, but I didn't want to see it in a show I enjoyed.

  Uchenna and Joyce at least were decent people who deserved to win. Rob and Amber would have screwed the taxi driver at the end in order to win - step on anyone to get your way seems to be the philosophy everyone embraces these days.
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  57

  Do you miss feeling that "Jehovah" was listening to prayers?

  by LyinEyes in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  this is hard to explain, but i will try.

  the other day, my neice was put in the hospital for test , after having two seizures, she is 20 and has never had any medical problems at all.

  i now know, that by doing that it seemed to take the burden of helplessness off of my shoulders.

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  mamochan13

  yes, I do miss having someone to pray to that I can believe in, someone who I believe will hear me, who I can talk to about anything.

  I did experience answers to many of my prayers. I know the scientific explanation, but I do miss that feeling of belief, that you were never alone.
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  55

  Did You Ever Think The "End" Was Going To Happen In Your Lifetime"?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  although i was considered an exemplary jw, i never really could see it happening.

  still don't.

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  mamochan13

  I've been thinking about this question, and I believe now that I must have never really bought into the idea, although it certainly affected my life profoundly.

  My mother believed I would not go to school in this system, and she's now a great-grandmother. She never planted any peonies because they take 3 or 4 years to bloom and she figured there wouldn't be time. First thing I did when I bought a house was plant all kinds of things that take years to develop - so obviously I was not a complete convert!

  Fortunately my non-jw dad made sure they saved for retirement, and both of them are now enjoying a comfortable life because of it.
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  55

  Did You Ever Think The "End" Was Going To Happen In Your Lifetime"?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  although i was considered an exemplary jw, i never really could see it happening.

  still don't.

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  mamochan13

  What a great perspective, Liberty! What you say is true, and it can really help with healing if you try to see your life along those lines, rather than as wasted years.