Posts by fairchild

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi Alan,

I read your post, and especially the link you provided, with great interest.

First of all, I am shocked to hear that Noah's ark was not discovered. I swear I saw a documentary about that on TV a few years ago, where they had dug up the whole thing right on the mountain, and they had built a restaurant that overlooked 'the ark'. Grrrrrr

Okay, the link. I don't mean to be a pain in your butt, but even after reading it carefully, I am not convinced. For one thing, none of us speaks Hebrew (at least I don't think so). All we have is a translation. I speak several languages, and have actually read the bible in 3 different languages. Having been between different languages all my life, I know how hard it is to translate. To give you one example, I know that there are a few people from the Netherlands on this site, so they can confirm my statement here. In the bible, when the Israelites left Egypt, it says that they went through the 'wilderness'. If you read that in Dutch, the word 'desert' is used instead of wilderness. I always thought that they actually went through miles and miles of desert, and was kind of shocked to see the word 'wilderness' in an English translation. This is only one small example of how translations differ. So, the word 'circle' has been translated as round, sphere, etc.. in Isaiah.

Furthermore, as I was reading through that site, before I ever cam to the word 'poetic', it was the word that I already had stuck in my head. I teach poetry and have been studying this art since I was very young. Reading the bible from a poetci viewpoint, I have to say that it does contain a large amount of writings that can definitely be defined as poetry, which does not make the reading any easier.

I don't know what to say about the scripture in Matthew, other than that it could be a figure of speech. For example, John Glen could have said "I took a look through the shuttle window and saw the whole world". Wrong, he could not have seen every country all at once.

Oh, I'm tired and it's time to go to bed. Will come back to this.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi all,

A couple people have brought to my attention that it is not necessary to answer everyone individually. I have to admit that I've been trying hard to keep up with the posts, but it has gone over my head now. I still want to acknowledge all your kindness in replying to my story. Here's a few words for each of you, as I appreciate every effort you made to give me your opinions.

Steve2

Overwhelming indeed. I see that you are a newbie as well. We'll probably meet again somewhere on the board. Thanks for replying.

outoftheorg,

Wow, you spent quite a lot of years with the organization. I'd be very interested to know what made you leave after so many years. I'm not asking that just to be curious, but because it rather puzzles me. You don't have to answer this if you don't feel comfortable doing so.

Anuva,

You definitely have a point, and yes I am familiar with that saying in the bible. It has actually bugged me at times. It is easy indeed to love the people who love you, but not so easy to love everyone regardless. I have 30 co-workers where I work. It is impossible to like everyone equally. When I started working there about a year ago, many were prejudiced against me for two reasons. I am foreigner, living in a small town where foreigners are not liked all that much, and I am female working in a male dominated profession. Almost all of my co workers are male. Soon after I started working there it was clear that some were out to make things hard for me. Instead of getting mad, I would keep being friendly to every one of them. It really paid off in the end, but believe me, it was not an easy thing to do. I so wanted to tell them to go to h*ll.

NewLight,

"God will forgive you no matter how big of a sin it was" That is true, as long as one repents in a sincere way. But I noticed that you used the word "was". In my situation, there is a past, a present, and possibly (unfortunately) a future.

CodeBlue,

I just learned exactly that. The fact that fellow worshippers should not be judged by the amount of time they put in, because all our lives are different and every situation is different. I'd be hipocrit though, if I said that in the kingdom hall where I go people don't get judged that way. In the end, we are all (imperfect) people. Gosh, I wonder sometimes how they judge ME.

gdt,

I took note of Hosea11 and Jonah 4, will read it before going to bed tonight. Thank you very much for the encouragement.

under74,

Thank you for your imput and for your concern with me trying to answer everyone individually. As you can see, I have found a quicker method to do so!

Pintail,

I totally agree on the prayer part, living a life free of hate and loving others as we love ourselves. Not an easy thing to do, but if everyone would do an effort, it might be a totally different world!

gdt,

Not to worry, I don't feel bad at all because you said to hang on. I very much appreciate your encouragement.

jgnat,

Thanks a lot for that link, I'll check it out as soon as I'm done writing here.

golf,

thanks for the words of encouragement and for your time to reply.

granny lisa,

yes, I agree about the hurtful things that go on in this world. I think that in a way, it is a matter of finding our own peace of mind, each one individually. Thanks for coming back.

outoftheorg,

You again? Ooohhh, gotcha, you're practicing on how to get my name right. How considerate! This is a valid point you brought up with gdt. I am wondering sometimes if things are not always the same in different kingdom halls? I remember, years ago back in Europe, a girl got disfellowshipped. Her parents however, were allowed to talk to her. It was said that it was a matter of personal preference. Meaning, talking or not talking to their daughter would have been okay one way or the other. But my friend here in America, her son was disfellowshipped a few years ago and she is no longer allowed to talk to him. As a matter of fact, she got in pretty bad trouble for going to his wedding.

Bebu,

Haha, you are SO right. My head has been spiining for 2 days.

Quotes,

Thanks for the link. I checked it out and did some reading, but it seems every time I try to read an article or something, there is this 'box' that's sitting on the left side of the screen and it half covers the words. Do other people have problems with that?

Dutifully yours,

Thanks for the welcome. Yeah, I hear you. To be honest, I had expected as many replies from JW's and non JW's. Hmm.. going to do some more reading though, it never hurts (I don't think so at least)

Alan, I haven't read your post yet. Will do that in a minute.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi sixofnine,

It's a fair question and it deserves an answer.

One of the major things that has always impressed me about the bible is the fact that it was written in the bible that the earth was round, (Isaiah 40:22) long before this was a generally accepted fact.

Another thing that impresses me are let's say the sanitation rules (Leviticus, Deuteronomy), should it have been written by some Hebrew men, how would they have known about such sanitation issues way back then?

Also, the bible has been backed up by scientifical evidence over and over again. And I'm sure you have heard this over and over again.. the harmony of 66 books written by 40 men over a long period of time.

Are any of the other books, written by men, from that time period still available today? No, not as far as I know. But then, i think what convinced me most was the discovery of Noah's ark, and how the measurements were in accordance with what was written in the bible, so many years before they discovered the ark.

Let's say in the worst case scenario, I am totally wrong and the bible is not the word of God. Okay, that would be a huge disappointment for me, but I would still truly advertise it as a great book to live by.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi outoftheorg,

You got a ten for spelling my name right. Of course I let it slip last time because you seemed like a nice person. (Just kidding, but not about the nice person part).

Yes, I hear you, and it is something that has worried me at times. My best friend, the kind of friend who calls several times a day, asking me which dress she should wear, or what she should make for dinner, well, she is a JW. If for some reason the JW's would no longer be allowed to associate with me some day (it can happen, no matter how well one';s intentions, let's say I fall in love with someone who's married), she would no longer be allowed to talk to me. I can't even imagine that situation, even if I tried hard. But the fact is that such thing can happen and I am well aware of that. It's something like... God above all, and if you do something that offends God, that would end association with certain friends. No matter how good of a friend she is, and she really is a turly good friend, I know that she would not talk to me anymore if she was not allowed to do so. That saddens me, it really does.

Actually, here's a story. Well, a true story. There is this really old lady in our kingdom hall. I like her a lot and always sit next to her and help her find scriptures, because her hands are so shaky. Unfortunately, in the past year, Alsheimers has been getting a hold of her, little by little. She has the habit of introducing herself to anyone and everyone who doesn't look familiar to her. So one day, about 3 weeks ago, this new lady and her son came to the Sunday meeting. After the meeting, I was standing in the hallway, talking to my elderly friend, when this lady and her son passed by us. So my friend grabbed her by the arm and introduced both of us. The lady said "I'm sorry, I am disfellowshipped", and then walked away. Later that day I told what happened to my good JW friend, and she told me she had known the lady for years and how hard it was for her not to talk to this person. That's pretty sad, don't you think?

Yes, I do get your point and it is taken. The caring would not continue should disfellowshipping happen, I know.

Thanks again for coming back, outoftheorg.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi again NewLight2,

As a matter of fact, I have found websites that were remotely related to what is going on with me, but then I get scared and even hurry to wipe out the 'history' on my computer. I'm very sorry I can't be more specific, and I very much appreciate your attempt to help. It all started about 10 years ago, and I feel as if I have somehow 'lost' the past 10 years of my life. On the other hand, I do think that I have endured those years in the best way possible. On a rare occasion, i have thought that perhaps God will understand that what happened went beyond my comprehension, so I couldn't react while I had a chance. It's like throwing a snowball off a mountain, not realizing that you are going to cause an avalenge with it. And then some day you are the one on the base of the mountain, covered in snow and you can't shake it off, because it has become too heavy. Some people will try to shovel it away for you, but the problem is, it doesn't take a shovel to get rid of it, it takes a backhoe and nobody has such a thing. The 'normal' world as you knew it before lies beyond those tons of snow, but you can't get to it.

Sorry, I know this probably doesn't make sense to you, but it is the only way I can explain the hopelessness of the situation. I honestly have done anything humanly possible, except for one thing. That is the one thing I can't do.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi Alan,

Your post confused me a bit, especially the part about the UN. Isn't the UN the 'disgusting thing that causes desolation', as described in the book of Daniel? I am unaware that the JW's have dealings with the UN, but then, I don't really know all that much, as I have only been on one side of the fence so far.

Do I confuse JW's with the bible? Not sure.. I read the bible several times, and then observed different religions that use the bible, to see which one lived closest to the requirements of the bible. Unless there are religions out there I have never heard of, I do believe that JW's live closest to bible principles. I know that there are countless exceptions, but people are individuals and all make mistakes. I think what I'm trying to say is that, in my opinion, JW's teach a way of living that is closest to bible principles. From browsing around on this site, I have found many examples of people doing very wrong things, like child molesting, stealing, not paying their taxes, etc.. etc.. but it does not eliminate the fact that they were taught something else.

As far as people (elders) go, who teach one thing and do another thing.. in the end they will have to answer to God. The talk at the kingdom hall two Sundays ago, was about people leaving the organization because they can't get along with another witness, because of something this particular person said or did... Well, that was part of the talk at least. The speaker said that many people who leave because they can't get along with someone, or they have a personal grudge against someone, usually have an underlying reason for leaving. Sigh, this is all pretty complicated if you ask me. Bottom line is that nobody is perfect and that includes JW's. But let's say I decide that baptism is not the way to go, that what IS the way to go?? Some days I tell myself that it is sufficient to thank God every day for life in general and for all the good things that come our way, but then I remember the sctipture in Hebrews where it says 'do not forsake the gatherings..' Thinking I still have a lot of figuring out to do..

Thank you for your thoughts, Alan. Your honesty is appreciated.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Thank you for coming back, Fleur. Oh this site is quite interesting, I've been doing a lot of reading tonight. I didn't think you were suggesting to post any secrets here, don't worry. Sometimes I wonder if there is really someone else out there who has been through the same thing, but I highly doubt it, it is kind of unique. It would be nice though, because then I could ask them how they dealt with it and if there is a solution in the long run.

So far, this site has been an interesting journey to me.

28

Just a thought-Has anyone ever wondered?

by redhotchilipepper in

jw
friends

maybe if there is a god, that maybe he doesn't want us to know who he is?

maybe he only wants to know us through prayer.

maybe the bible is a hoax?

fairchild

Good question you brought up. What puzzles me often is this.. I don't doubt that there is a God at all. But why didn't he make it so that we could all be 100% certain? Like, have a bible scripture appear in a blue sky with red letters every Wednesday afternoon or something.. something really clear so that there would be no doubt at all for anyone. This idea might sound crazy, but wouldn't that be easier, for all of us? I am told that God gave us the bible and that should be sufficient, but then others tell me that the bible is just another book.. so who am I, little being, to know who is right?

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi bebu,

Yeah, I try to answer everyone individually, people deserve that when they take the time to read my story and talk to me.

Your reply brought a smile to my face. Yes, I totally agree that all aspects should be considered. That is one of several reasons why I am on this site. Here, I will find people who have left the organization for one reason or another, and I owe it to myself to hear their voices as well. (Only hoping that it won't start confusing me tooooo much)

Thank you for popping in and have a nice evening.

108

My story, please read

by fairchild in

jw
friends

first of all, thank you very much for taking the time to read this.

i hope that i am putting this in the right forum.. .

i studied as much about different religions as i could and read every book available to me.

fairchild

Hi jgnat,

Thank you for the link and for the advice. Got to admit, I have done more than my share in searching, and these have been my thoughts exactly at amny times.. if I search long enough and sincerely, then God will help me to find Him. Strangely, I always end up at a kingdom hall somewhere, even after a few detours to various churches..