Nellie

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Posts by Nellie

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  55

  An End To Shunning

  by Sunspot in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  well, in my case anyway.

  for those of you that may recall my posts about my family and that after i left the wts, how i wrote long (and painful) letters to my nonjw children among others.

  i had tried to explain why i had shunned them and how very sorry i was, and for all the mistakes i had made throughout their childhoods as a jw mother.

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  Nellie

  For years, one of my favorite sayings is "where there's life, there's hope."

  Thank God your son found the strength to forgive before it was too late. Thank God you lived long enough to be on the receiving end of his love again!

  Enjoy!
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  49

  Ok we've left the Org - Now what?

  by Nellie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am no longer a witness.

  i've told all my worldly friends and my immediate family - my kids have told their friends.

  i haven't been to a meeting in over a year (and have no desire to go to one) - but i'm not dad or dfd.

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  Nellie

  Wow! Thanks everybody for your insightful comments - I knew they would be!

  To answer Defd's question regarding why I left - I have used the analogy of a filing cabinet in my mind & heart. For years (and I mean many years) as I sat at meetings listening to either direction or comments, there were many that I did not accept as correct. I would open the filing cabinet and put it away and not address it. As I started getting older, it became increasingly difficult to close the file draw. As it sat there ajar, I began thinking about the issues inside and questioned why I was associated with a religion called the "Truth" when I clearly identified many issues in my heart as "not true." This site is full of examples of those untruths - some of which I wasn't even aware of until I started exploring here! Eventually, my conscience could no longer allow my God-given sensibilities to allow me to continue.

  Unlike many, my experience in the cong is probably better than most here. It wasn't the people or an experience that drove me away - it was my own inner meter of right and wrong. My ultimate goal is to pass this meter onto my children.
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  37

  Inactive ones - new light.

  by unique1 in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i didn't go to the district convention this year.

  my mom however did and she sends out a daily text email every day.

  she asked all members of the email group to share their favorite part of the convention.

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  Nellie

  No one's called me!
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  49

  Ok we've left the Org - Now what?

  by Nellie in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i am no longer a witness.

  i've told all my worldly friends and my immediate family - my kids have told their friends.

  i haven't been to a meeting in over a year (and have no desire to go to one) - but i'm not dad or dfd.

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  Nellie

  I am no longer a witness. I've told all my worldly friends and my immediate family - my kids have told their friends. i haven't been to a meeting in over a year (and have no desire to go to one) - but I'm not DAd or DFd. I very rarely see congregation members in the community, but when I do they're friendly and speak and I'm cool with that. No one is pressuring or asking anything - surprise, surprise!

  But last week my sister called (she lives nearby and is still attending meetings, with one foot on a banana peel). During the call, she mentioned that even though we're not going to meetings anymore, I should still be instructing my children spiritually. I agreed - but then I started thinking.... besides the basic belief in God and Christ, and the principles of good and bad, what do I teach them? What concepts of the truth (if any) do I still believe? Will there be a new system? What about the 144,000? Should we go to "church"?

  What are you doing or not doing?
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  27

  Seeker4's 500th Post - My letter to the Elders (2nd Posting)

  by Seeker4 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here's the letter i wrote to the body of elders i served with for decades, when they invited me to a judicial committee meeting two months ago.

  i have not heard a word from them since i wrote this.

  i posted this monday night (may 30, 2005) to celebrate my 500th post, but it ended up in the "heated debates" section, when i intended it to go in this area.

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  Nellie

  WOW! AWESOME! COURAGEOUS!

  Somewhere there is a Theocratic Ministry School Teacher who is beaming with pride! Well thought out, articulate, concise, honest, witty, respectful, kind, yet properly sarcastic.

  If I can have your permission to plagerize should the need every present itself - I will gladly memorize a few of those responses!

  Please follow up the story by posting their response to you.
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  166

  **MUST READ** AlanF's email to Knocking.org

  by sf in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  this is a must-read that, hopefully, will stay an "active topic" for all seekers and lurkers, by bumping it to the top as often as possible.

  alan wrote it in randys {dogpatch} thread regarding knocking.org documentary and in reply to the email mr. engardio sent to barbara anderson.

  however, it is so vital a read that it indeed needs its own thread:.

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  Nellie

  This is a fantastic read! When will this "knocking" project air?
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  19

  For anyone scared about being here

  by stevenyc in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  for anyone scared about being here, or if you know someone who will not search information related to the watchtower organization, this is for you!if we want to worship god acceptably, we must know the truth.

  this is an important issue.

  our eternal happiness depends on it.

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  Nellie

  That has always been a sore point with me .... why is it okay to tell others that they need to be open enough to look for truth in their religion and then tell "us" "them" (however you identify yourself) that if you look for answers outside the WBTS, then you're weak!

  Whatever happened to "what's good for the goose is good for the gander?"
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  18

  This concerns WTS as an NGO and then discontinuing

  by juni in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a former jw friend of mine brought up to an active bro.

  about the wts as an ngo and then discontinuing their.

  membership.

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  Nellie

  Anyone know why it took The Guardian over 10 years to find out about the NGO affiliation?
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  82

  Name things that you discovered that you wouldn't do without anymore

  by JH in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  now i only drive automatic transmission cars....because there is so much traffic and too many stop signs.

  it becomes annoying.

  i used to love driving manual transmissions, but no more.. the internet is one other thing that i wouldn't be able to do without.. how about you?.

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  Nellie

  TIVO - Who knew that TV could be improved on!
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  54

  There were some good things about the organisation...

  by Do I Stand Alone? in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have read a number of experiences in this discussion forum and quite frankly, i would have to agree that many, if not all, were pretty terrible experiences if not all together traumatic.

  i know that my personal 9-11 tragedy resulted in finding out that the watchtower society was involved with the united nations.

  that pretty much said it all as far as my "career" in the organisation was concerned.

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  Nellie

  Yes, I agree that there are some good things about the organization.

  For a minute forget about it being the "truth" or not and forget about the "lies" you know about-

  There are many people out there who were ruining their lives through alcohol and drug addiction, criminal activitiy and nonresponsible lifestyles who have changed their ways because of the truth. Now, before you jump on me, I do not think that in order to become a responsible citizen of society you have to be a witness. But some people need the guidance and direction of an organization (be it witness or perhaps the military) to straighten up and become responsible.

  I credit the org with giving me the guidance not to follow the footsteps of my friends in the neighborhood when they started down a path of criminal and sexual activity. Without the structure, I'm sure I would have thought it was all fun and games too. I am thankful that I didn't get into the trouble that they did, and since most of the members of my family were "out there" too, I give full credit to the org for my clean past.

  I have nephews who were raised in the org until they were in their early teens, at which time their family broke up and they went buckwild and have never recovered! I've told them many times, the choice isn't: be a witness or be a drug addict - they CAN be productive members of society without being JWs. I think that point of view always separated me from the rest of the cong - and ultimately led to me being here and out of there!

  I think the org has many faults and they are expounded on in almost every thread (rightfully so) - but I also think some may still be too angry to see (or acknowledge) the good things they got out of it.

  - "I will now go put on my complete suit of armor as I await the arrows about to be slung at me."