things that make you go "hmmmmm": just learned that an elder i know living near waco, texas is hosting a graduation party for his son.
don't remember ever reading of any faithful christian in the bible ever having such a party.
and to think, all that honor and attention will be focused on a mere human being instead of yhwh.....
HS graduation parties were a big deal in my cong. I of course was not allowed to have one because I had an "unbelieving" father (my mother's excuse). I was given a congratulatory card and instructed to appear at my cousin's grad party on the same day. My mom apparently changed her mind when it was time for my younger sibs to graduate; they had big catered parties with hundreds of guests (and they got cars as a gift).
....Yes, I am still bitter.
may i ask a few questions?
i'm sure some have already been asked, and some are not meant to be hurtful, i just don't understand.
backround- i am not jw, in fact quite anti jw, husband has been studying for about two years, not baptized, not field service, i know doctine quite well, flipflops, un, new 1914, etc......... do any of you feel 'guilty' for getting someone 'in'?
Carla, I never got anyone "in", although I would feel heartbroken today if I had. Although I was forced "in" myself (as a kid) and left when I was legally able to make my own decisions, I still feel deeply guilty for ever going out in FS or doing anything that had a positive reflection on the WTS. I have made all amends possible to those that I could, apologizing to them for cooperating with my JW mother's wishes. I also do a lot of anti-witnessing these days and hope to "make up" for any of the positive things I ever said in dubdom.
I personally can't answer your other questions, because I've been "out" too long to know what the current practice/belief is on those issues.
while i'm not a jehovah's witness, i am doing a research paper on the topic.
i would like a first-hand source if possible.
i'm not here to be judgemental, i am only going to be asking fundamental questions in regards to beliefs and origins.
Well billy, if you aren't able to get a speaker, here are some sites to help:
are you coasting along day by day taking it as it comes?.
are you planning for emergencies and setting aside for the unexpected?
sacrificing here and there to have something later?.
Is your life driven by a purpose?When you were a JW your life had a specific purpose and everything you did worked toward it: surviving Armageddon and living on God's paradise earth for all eternity.
But-----that is GONE!
The void must be filled. Nature abhors a vacuum.
To quote from the Humanist Living Spring 2005 issue (Paul Heffron's article):
"...Suppose this life is all there is, that there's no god or eternal life. Since you have only this one life to live, the wisest course is to make the most of it. Pursue the enjoyment of a good life for yourself and contribute to the well being of others, for that in turn enhances your own well being. If you're right, you won't have wasted your precious time and resources on false hopes or expended your energy trying to please an imaginary diety. If you're wrong, you'll still most likely have made the best bet. You will have lived a good life and avoided punishment in an afterlife for not believing. Why? Because the most credible and laudable, however improbable, theological conception of a god is of one that is gradious and loving. Such a god would surely approve of your decision to enjoy the good life and contribute to the happiness of others. Such a god wouldn't withhold anything from you in this life or the hereafter, even if you couldn't believe..."
last friday night sucked big time.
i just don't know whats wrong with me.
i have many worldly friends that would like to hang out with me but i just didn't feel like calling anybody up.
What you are feeling is a normal part of the ex-JW healing process. It's to be expected you feel on the outside of 2 worlds, so to speak. On the one hand, the JW world is distasteful to you and you don't want to be around them unneccessarily. On the other hand, you feel a bit at odds with your "worldly" friends because your life has been so different than theirs. You will eventually get through this--your perception of "being different" will minimize (you're not as different as you think) and the actual differences will minimize as your life becomes normal.
Don't push yourself into constant socialization, but don't isolate yourself entirely either. Give yourself time to adjust.
PS-Now is a good time to come up with a different term than "worldly friends"! :)
i saw a debate on here about why men cannot have beards in org and it kinda got me thinking.. if a sister decided that she wanted to go natural (as god intended) and not shave her legs or her armpits (let's leave lady beards - the poor cows have got enough on their plate without engaging in debate about it) would that be frowned upon?.
say, if a french or a german sister came to the congregation, looking like she was wearing afghan boots and had two fair sized hamsters nesting in her pits.
would the brothers have valid reason to counsel her?.
In the congs I attended, most women didn't shave their legs or underarms (or face for that matter).
Wow. You're not that far away from me, and I can't say I ever saw that at the kingkong hall.
if you are out there, i would really appreciate you sharing your experience with me.
i am an ex-jw with a serious disease that has required blood transfusions from time to time throughout my life.
when i was a child, my jw mother went to great lengths, not only to withhold transfusions, but to avoid needed preventative and emergency medical care for fear it may result in blood being forced upon me.
Thanks! I'll take a look at the stories.
as we (still) await the decision of the new hampshire supreme court on the berry girls' appeal, a timeline of the events up until now is appropriate.
timeline of berry girls case.
1997 -- holly brewer (incorrectly called "holly berry" in nh supreme court filings) returns to new hampshire after running away from home, and for the first time discloses the brutal sexual assualts suffered during her childhood by then-stepfather paul berry (by this time divorced from her mother sarah, now sarah poisson, for a number of years).
TY for that informative timeline. Let's hope justice will come.
the following is an excerpt and was found in new york king's county clerks's court record 1940 vol.
ii p. 795. it has to do with court testimony that was being made by fred franz in a lawsuit brought against the wtbts by others.. .
"lawyer: who subsequently became the editor of the magazine, the main editor of the 'watch tower' magazine?
TY for posting that. Very interesting!
If anyone has a scan of the actual court document, I'm willing to post it on my web site. Send scan to [email protected] I'm not comfortable posting a retyped version due to libel laws, scans only.
a while back i posted my experience about running into an old jw friend who revealed to me he had left the "borg" and told me all about why he had.
today he e-mailed me something he had written and i want to share it for the sake of those who are going thru something similar.
i think it helps to know that we're not alone in our turmoil.
MerryM, You have a PM.
