as i write this,im aware of my heart hammering in my chest.ok where shall i start,ill try to keep this as short as possible.ive never been religious before in my life,the occasional wedding or funeral was the only time ive been in a church or viewed a bibles cover.in 2013 my step-dad was diagnosed with cancer and had to go for an operation to remove the tumor.i became close to his nephew and we communicated a lot and had a few strong feelings for each other,but neither of us told anyone,it was just harmless flirting and a few hugs that lasted a bit longer than normal.two days after my dads operation,he died through complications,and my path of self destruct was set.my boss had also been sexually harassing me at work and i was unfairly dismissed and was told by my landlord that i was to pay the rent or be evicted.then out of the blue my cousin tells me he was an unbaptised publisher (he was baptised at the aug convention last year)and to start having faith in god,that it would all work out.so i went to a kh and took up a study.that was a year ago and they now feel im ready to become a publisher.the thing is..i was made homless and am living with a jw of 50 years,a real spiritual person.these last two months ive been researching and i simply like you all disagree with so much of it.for the past twi weeks ive avoided meetings because of work,or pretended im at work and stayed away from the home i have with this witness.i cant afford to leave but at same time im being pushed to go into ministry and meetings.guys what the hell am i going to do?im so trapped scared and i cant believe i wanted to get baptised!
!my son lives with his dad and there trying to get a hold on him when he visits me!
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dubs do have teachings that state parents are spiritually responsible for their own children, not others. So they need to butt out. Ask them who's responsible spiritually? When they answer you are, then say you will let them know if you need help, but for now you are making decisions for your own child.
Then get the fark out of that house and away from that cult as fast as you can.
i had a horrible conversation with my 14 year old last night which i regret.
im still in but doubting more and more every day.. she is recently baptized.
she is outgoing and gorgeous and make friends easily, although not so much with the sisters in our hall, who pick her up and drop her again regularly , leaving her out of parties etc but then bringing her back into the circle, dropping her again...and so on.
I was in the same situation, hot-then-cold jw 'friends' who were backstabbing bullies--just socializing with me sporadically because they felt guilty. [2 exceptions only.] But that's to be expected really--most human beings are douchebags and when they're forced to pretend they're nice, it doesn't work out too well.
Create opportunities for your daughter to socialize in a fun and healthy way with non-jw friends. 14-year-olds in totally unstructured situations may get her radar up--peer pressure and all of that. Structured activities at first will reassure her no one is going to turn her into a drug-crazed, demon-possessed, prostitute nudist in the first 15 minutes.
She needs to be around kids her age to develop socially. None of that occurred with me, and I can tell you it took me years to heal the resulting social retardation, with lots of avoidable pain for me and others. Seriously--this is a developmental need.
the congregation that i am associated with pledged a monthly amount for the construction of a new assembly hall.
after it was built, that was where we went for several years, even though it was the farthest-away place we had ever had for our circuit assemblies.. after a few years, lo and behold, our congregation is assigned to a new circuit where (surprise!
) a new assembly hall is in the early stages of construction.
what i can't seem reconcile are the concepts of 'clergy' and 'ordained minister'.. the wts has consistently won legal battles, specifically in cases involving military exemption, by making the claim that each and every baptized jw is an 'ordained minister'.
and, they bolstered this label with the assertion that 'we do not have a clergy class'.
so, why is that different now in the sex abuse trials that happening right now?
On my pioneer ID card, it said I was an ordained jw minister. Do elders have those silly ID cards?
IIRC, at the time, all baptized, active publishers were technically considered ordained ministers...but us appointees were the only ones with ID cards to prove it. (I was told to show it when called to jury duty or if I needed time off work to attend assemblies.)
When I told them for the last time that I am not going to participate in dubism anymore, they were hot to get my pioneer ID card back because it said the ordination thing.
Silly.
joined the site, not that i have much to share.. i'm married to a jw (wife).
i never have been or will be a jw, i honestly hate the wt (not the jws).
being married to a jw, can sometimes make you crazy, i never believed any of the bs.
are you saying she is able to report preaching hours I join her at meeting??
Yes, it counts as a 'return visit' because she is re-witnessing to you. And she can count her time 'bringing' you there and any time she spends chatting about the meeting before and after.
I hate it and I'm sure everybody at the KH can tell
She gets bonus points for this, socially speaking. She is now both the pitiful Wife in a Divided Household and the faithful Wife Who Gets Her Unbelieving Husband to Attend Meetings Even Though He Doesn't Want to. Sympathy and admiration.
I personally know someone like you who went for years and finally gave in and joined. Witnesses know these stories--they pass them around all the time and are all undoubtedly believing your 'hard heart' is softening. Often they are unable to fathom how a person could be repeatedly exposed to their Special Truths w/o joining.
yes friends.....this is the comment said to me by an elder!.
"your bad attitude is evident because you don't bring your meeting bag anymore!".
i calmly replied: "but everything i need is on the tablet now......".
yes friends.....this is the comment said to me by an elder!.
"your bad attitude is evident because you don't bring your meeting bag anymore!".
i calmly replied: "but everything i need is on the tablet now......".
Bookbags and highlighters were a sign of spiritual depth when I was in, for sure.
If I got this advice, I would be tempted to go Superfine Turbo 1970sjw. Do this, approach the elders, and say, "Better now?"
For men--polyester, wide lapeled suit, wide tie, highwater hem, oxfords, vest, coat buttoned all the way up, watchtower tie tack, glasses with masking tape holding them together, pulled together with an enormous bookbag. Hair must be parted on the side, sideburns must be present but not be longer than the earlobe, no beard or mustache.
For women--thick pantyhose, low-heeled pumps, a-line skirt with a mid-calf or lower hemline, half slip, camisole under your polyester blouse (which is buttoned up One Extra Button So You Don't Stumble the Brothers), modest haircut, little makeup, Stepford Wives vacant smile, lady-sized bookbag with a slew of highlighters, earmarked magazines with underlining. If you have kids, include a wooden spoon or ruler for spanking.
joined the site, not that i have much to share.. i'm married to a jw (wife).
i never have been or will be a jw, i honestly hate the wt (not the jws).
being married to a jw, can sometimes make you crazy, i never believed any of the bs.
Welcome.
I only join her at the meeting 1 or 2 times a month
I have always wondered about this. What do you see as the benefit of attending meetings?
From my experience, nonbelievers attending only does more damage.
Good luck with your situation.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/685988/group-offers-to-translate-bible-into-pangasinan.
group offers to translate bible into pangasinan .
skilled translators from various pangasinan-speaking towns work hard every day without pay at the remote translation office of the watch tower in san carlos city, pangasinan province, to translate english bibles and bible-based literature into the mother tongue.
i noticed this verse the other night and thought it looked so obviously ridiculously provably untrue that there must be something more to it.
surely even a bible writer must understand that desalination isn't witchcraft?.
new american standard bible:"nor can salt water produce fresh.".
fukitol, The Bible's blatant inaccuracy is not "obscure and irrelevant" to a discussion forum about a religion based upon it.
That evidence is, in fact, not irrelevant to human society in general. That book has caused much death, stunting of technology, human rights violations, etc.
Its inaccuracy is extremely important.