Posts by Billygoat

48

Oh God Why? Tell Me Why??

by LouBelle in

jw
friends

now that i'm totally free of the wt & it's indoctrination, standing alone not sure of my purpose in life, not sure where to turn to.

i still believe in god but find myself on the verge/or perhaps already questioning him.

this is quite a sensitve topic & not sure it suitable, but i just need it out there.

Billygoat

Now that you are out, you can see the suffering around you, and it hurts. You are thawing out. You are becoming human.
You are feeling compassion, empathy and love for fellow human beings on this planet. How it hurts to be alive... but it is better than being living dead.

Lisa,

This is so true. I can't imagine what it's like for a newborn to exit the quiet, warm, safe, nurturing womb of their mother. But I imagine the painful journey into the cold, noisy, bright lights of the world are traumatizing. It's much like us that have exited a high-control group. We feel things we've never felt, we see things we've never thought were there. It's scary as hell. But the raw honesty that comes with it is something I will never ever regret experiencing. I AM ALIVE!!! I HAVE BEEN REBORN!!!

Sometimes I imagine God in heaven, watching us exJWs with tears in his eyes. Tears of relief and excitement and fear. Just like a new parent watches their child being born.

Thank you for reminding me what a gift I have!

Andi

22

THIS IS IT!!! EARTHQUAKES!!!

by jula71 in

jw
friends

i have to laugh, just heard from 2 dub friends that proceeded to tell me this is a sign.

california has had 4 earthquakes in the last 3 days.

so all of you still on the fence.straighten upcant be long now.

Billygoat

Isn't it amazing how easily statistics can be abused when you have an agenda?

Exactly!

My first thought was to laugh at this "sign". But honestly...when you really think about it, it's terribly sad. It's like a little child that's been promised by dad every year that she'll be taken out for a special night on her birthday. But dad works late that night, forgetting his promise and even forgetting her birthday, just like he has every year before that. So she continues to sit on her bed, all night, all dolled up in her little dress and shoes, just knowing that Daddy will be home any minute.

The weight of disappointment, when she realizes he's not coming, will be enough to choke a horse.

It really breaks my heart for my family. They've put their whole lives into a manmade organization that continually promises and never delivers. When are they going to see the difference between God and the Watchtower?

13

Pastor Russell and the Colored Friends

by Kenneson in

jw
friends

keeping in mind that charles taze russell began publishing the watch tower in 1879, it is interesting to note that as early as may, 1882 (zion's watch tower), copies had made their way down to caledonia, mississippi where an unnamed colored congregational minister had also recently read "food" and "tabernacle.

" he wrote to russell begging for a copy of the emphatic diaglott since he couldn't afford it.

in the june issue russell replies: "the colored minister who desired a diaglott has been supplied.

Billygoat

Wow, this blows me away. Great research Kenneson!

14

FLAT STANLEY---list of travels and stats!

by Princess in

jw
friends

flat stanley arrived home today from his travels!

such fanfare on his arrival too.

he brought cookies from billygoat and the class enjoyed them as a finale.

Billygoat

Rachel,

Wow! That's some mileage to get racked up on American Airlines. Shoot - half that trip could have been for free if it were a real person flying! I'm so glad that Rhys had a good time with this project. What an interesting and fun project for the teacher to come up with. I always appreciate teachers that can find interesting ways to help children learn...so few of them around!

I have no idea what Rhys looks like, but I always imagine a little red haired, freckle faced, twinkly eyed boy with a cute little cowlick and crooked adult teeth growing in. LOL (I'm probably way off base, but the thing I for sure know is there is the red hair and the twinkly eyes!) Did anyone else notice that Rhys' Flat Stanley had red hair?

I'm so glad it was a fun experience for him.

Andi

15

Michael Jackson GUILTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

kingdom hall windows broken, litter-ature looted!!!.

post here.

what will you be wearing to the riots?

Billygoat

That's just not true. Michael J. has just been pronounced innocent on all ten counts. Period. End of Story.
Rod P.

Rod, Six is joking here - being funny - you know...having a laugh to see who'll bite with a comment like yours. BTW - he was never pronounced innocent. He was pronounced NOT GUILTY. There's a big difference.

14

Michael Jackson INNOCENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

kingdom hall windows broken, litter-ature looted!!!.

post here.

what will you be wearing to the riots?

Billygoat

The sad thing is, there are many parents who are very willing to put their children at risk again

This is terribly sad. Unfortunately, I think you're right.

21

Hoochie mama's

by swiftbreeze in

jw
friends

well it's that time of year again ladies.....summer.

i went out yesterday with my husband.

it was hot.

Billygoat

Don't worry about competing with those hoochies, just dress a little sexier, it's as simple as wearing a tank top and shorts - and they don't have to be booty shorts to be sexy. Go to Fashion Cents and try on some new trendy clothing that you feel comforatable wearing. Then wear it like you know your the S**t. And as men fall out dead in your wake you will feel like a goddess! I know, I do it almost every day .

LOL! You're too much!

28

After 15 Years I Finally Did It

by Honesty in

i publicly said the pledge of allegiance with my right hand over my heart.

the irony of it all is it happened during vacation bible school this week in my church's sanctuary.

it felt good.

Billygoat

Personally....I think it's dumb and never have liked talking to a piece of cloth as if it reminds me to be a decent citizen.

I'm probably going to get blasted by this, but...

This comment reminds me of the holier-than-thou JWs that used to say, "I appreciate my kids every day of the year. Why should I give them special attention on their birthday?" What it boils down is this is a lame ass excuse to NOT do it at all. Most JW parents don't show their children love anymore on every normal day than worldly people do. (In fact probably less, but that's another thread.) But they say that because they think they're better than the average worldly joe. I've always thought it pretty pathetic when people have to have that attitude to make themselves feel better.

27

Medscape Article: Munchausen by Internet

by Scully in

medscape article

munchausen by internet

marc d. feldman, md, birmingham, ala .

Billygoat

I think that the high instance of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia among JW women is due to an interesting phenomenon titled Munchausen by Kingdom Hall.

It's funny that you say this, because the only three people I know that have been diagnosed with this either are or have been JWs. My father was diagnosed with both of those several years back. The docs still don't know what's wrong with him. I imagine if he wised up and left this crazy bunch of people, his symptoms might likely disappear.

It truly is amazing to me how the human body manifests stress.

58

We touch each other...

by MerryMagdalene in

jw
friends

.

...in so many ways, some known to us, others remaining unknown and unrecognised, sometimes for years, sometimes forever.. so, my question is: would you rather know of the ways in which your presence effects others or would you prefer such things not be drawn to your attention?

recognition or anonymity?.

Billygoat

The internet is so much different than RL. Sometimes that's good and sometimes that's bad.

In the good way, we have a tendency to be very honest and open about ourselves. We don't have a physical audience waiting in front of us...sometimes that takes the pressure off of sharing, so we share more personal things than we would even with close RL friends. I know some of you know more about my heart and childhood than a lot of my close RL friends do.

In the bad way, that honesty and openness can come back to bite us in the butt. If someone we meet online is being dishonest about who they are, then you can quickly find yourself in a relationship with someone you REALLY don't know at all. (See: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/16/63411/1.ashx.) Do any of you JWD veterans remember Mario Kempes on this board from several years ago? I must admit I was one of those people that was taken in by his sob-story. But that situation proved to me that it's easier to check back on a liar's previous posts and see what's not adding up. It's easier to catch them if they are being dishonest. It's not always that easy to do that in person. I've been deceived for years by some people in person and I never caught it. (Or maybe I chose to not see it...I guess there's a difference.)

I must say that I feel doubly blessed because this is just a discussion board. Yet I've had the opportunity to meet many of you in RL. To me that makes a HUGE difference. Unless you've escaped from a crazy cult yourself, you can't understand what it's like to escape a crazy cult. You may understand pain, you may understand betrayal, you may understand abuse. But nobody understands THIS part of my life except you guys. And I'm soooo grateful that y'all are here.