Yes, it was a few hours ago. For 8 years (since I got my first computer) I hadn't been able to even type the words "Jehovah's Witnesses" into a search engine. Even today, as I was typing them, my pulse began racing, beads of sweat rolled down my arms, and I got lightheaded. Whew, just when you thought you were recovered!
robxy
JoinedPosts by robxy
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65
Do you remember when you first Googled "Jehovah's Witnesses"?
by Funchback ini remember when i first googled "jehovah's witnesses".
i was sick to my stomach because i feared that i was disobeying jehovah.
although i was scared that i would find something "apostate" or "demonic", i still continued to click on different links.
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Witness only schools
by freedom96 inwhen i was growing up, there was a "school" in the area, that catered only to witness children.
there was probably about 60 students, mostly elementary school, but there were a few that were from high school.
i had a friend that went for a while, and i got to visit a few times.. the teaching was barely enough, and consisted of two or three classrooms.
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robxy
There was a school in the Sacramento, California area in the 70's and 80's called Sacramento State Preparatory School. Brother Bill [edit] started it and served as Principal. It's the only school I ever attended (well, until college that is). It was a K-12 school designed for witness children (although you didn't have to be a JW to attend). All the teachers and staff had to be baptized witnesses. Most had teaching credentials, although that would have been tough to prove from the way some of them taught. I graduated in 1985. It stayed in existence into the early 90's I think, then they sold the campus to Country Day School. The old school still exists sort of - they changed their name and operate out of an office now, as a homeschool.
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Education - How encouraging low self esteem creates better witnesses.
by BigG infunny title you might think but consider this point and apologies if i am covering old ground here...its not intentional.. i was raised by my mother who was and is a devout jw and as such until i was 20 (10 years ago) i was the same...trying my best to fit into the social environment i clearly was not made for but benefiting from good wholesome association with fellow brothers and sisters (note the sarcastic tone...make what you will of it).. althought at the time i didnt realise it but i was what others consider intelligent and quite academically able; i had a mind like a sponge and would spend hours in the jw library at the kh (which surprisingly enough contained non jw literature)...it was this that i read and would digest endlessly where i could.. one of those books (why it was there i dont know), was what i later undertood to be criminal law reports concerning cases that had gone before the courts.
my childish thirst for knowledge was intrigued...(i was then about 12).
the legal arguments i hadnt a clue what they meant but the facts surrounding these crimes were good reading.. i then knew i wanted to be a lawyer and that was what i said when an elder asked me what i wanted to do when i grew up; i mentioned trusting this man that i had read a book in the kh library and found it interesting...and that i wanted to be lawyer...i remember him smiling and saying that it was better to pioneer rather than seek a highly paid job...personally i didnt know what he meant properly but i felt a bit sad...and demotivated...i later in the week went back into the library and found the book had gone...!!.
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robxy
To my parents, me getting a higher education was like me wanting to go hit the crack pipe. An abomination. ("You don't need anything more than a high school diploma to get a job and pioneer"...my dad. "Reading the Watchtower and Awake magazines for 4 years is like getting a college degree"...my mom) I got a college degree and ended up in a profession that affords me a very comfortable living. That's not even the point though. The point is that after having been raised "in the truth" and baptized they should have figured that I was strong enough to resist any "worldly temptations" that I might have found through higher education. But even back then they knew I was a critical thinker, able to use logic and reason to come to an understanding of things. All childhood I had been told how much I couldn't do ("you're not smart enough, you're not big enough...") In many ways I'm thankful for those experiences. I have never had an ego (because I don't think I'm very bright). I take my time to make a decision (because I second-guess myself). I'm very tolerant of other peoples beliefs and values (because I know how painful it feels when people aren't). I do wish I had heard the phrase "we're proud of you" just once from my parents though.
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How did your congregation react when you moved out on your own?
by truthseeker ini left home at the age of 21 - the time was right and i needed my space and independence.. a few witnesses had their own opinionsabout my move.
there were some old timers that said the only reason you should leave home is because you're married.
some traditionalists think you should stay home with your parents until you're married, as moving out on your own makes you selfish and too independent.. how did your congregation react when they heard you were moving out?
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robxy
I moved out of my parents house when I was 19. I would have moved out earlier but I didn't want it to look like I jumped ship the moment I became an adult. Funny, I've always considered how my actions would look to others. So I stuck it out till 19 and then moved into my own apartment. My father asked 2 other elders (he's an elder himself) to admonish me to continue living in their house, under thier rules and full-time pioneer. I remember the day I moved out my parents told me they would keep my room for me (they didn't think I could make it out on my own). It's been 18 years now and I never looked back. I bet they still have my room waiting though.
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For those of us with active JW parents
by JustTickledPink inthere seem to a commonality around here about active jw parents shunning us.. my question is: if your parents weren't a jw, do you think they would be normal, act kindly, be a real parent to you?
or would they still be cold and callused towards you, controlling, etc.
my thought is this, so many times i used to think i wish my mom wasn't a jw because then i thought she would be this wonderful caring mother that i could go to lunch with, share shopping days with, recipes, and we'd be close.
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robxy
I'm a 37 year old man raised "in the truth". I never knew the meaning of "unconditional love". I had herd the term and understood what it meant in theory, but never experienced it from my parents - both of whom are still active JW's, dad has been an elder for decades. It wasn't until finding my own path in life that I found a wonderful loving relationship which I can receive (and give) love unconditionally. I have a hard time understanding why worshippers of a "God of love" have such strict guidelines as to when and to what extent they will dole out love to their children.