i was sitting here thinking: am i making fun of my children's religion?
am i being disrespectful to witnesses?
i was raised to be accepting of other people's religious choices.
Wombat--I'm a Beatles fan! I threw out my records when I was a teenager because they were sooooooo wicked and were drug addicts!
The minute I left that stupid cult religion, I started collecting Beatle albums again--only this time in the form of tapes and CDs.
i was sitting here thinking: am i making fun of my children's religion?
am i being disrespectful to witnesses?
i was raised to be accepting of other people's religious choices.
The right to feel that you don't have all the answers about why we are here and whether there is one true God to worship.
everything, when i was growing up was connected to "demonism".
handwriting analysis was borderline.
wind chimes would bring the demons right to your porch!
my penis, when i was about 17. it did the weirdest things, and even spoke to tongues.
sincerely,
TS
Hee Hee Hee You guys crack me up!
lol!!
okay i know this is a dumb question, but was it just me or did we seem to have a lot of janitors and landscape people in that religion.
i did know a couple of higher paying professions in our congregation, nurses, large business owners and a couple of retail managers.
I don't think this subject is necessarily looking down on certain lines of work. I respect anyone who works hard. I think the point people are trying to make is that if you took time out to go to college or get further training--your spirituality was weak because JWs consider that as trying to attain riches in the "world", and it takes time away from converting others to their little cult.
everything, when i was growing up was connected to "demonism".
handwriting analysis was borderline.
wind chimes would bring the demons right to your porch!
OMG and let's not forget all the Oija Board stories!
everything, when i was growing up was connected to "demonism".
handwriting analysis was borderline.
wind chimes would bring the demons right to your porch!
Once my sister was accused of wearing a possessed head scarf that she bought used. The person who accused my sister was of the anointed and a little off her rocker anyway, but she said my sister's clothes might be possessed because my sister said something silly and then said "I don't know why I said that" and then the person said "Where did you get that scarf"
it seems as though many people come to this board and leave in a short space of time.. it's a pity.. there are people on this board who are very nice and polite even when discussing various views.
this leads to understanding and concern.
i would like to meet you people.. please post in here.. i term nice as being kind, not cursing, love for god almighty, thrives on the right things in life, not hurting other's feelings, etc.. blessed star
You people make my day and crack me up until my sides are busting!
Love the answers about Mr. Rogers and Santa Claus.
I'm not really sure if you started this post just to piss people off but I'm pretty suspicious. Every human will have a little bit different version of what 'nice' is. I consider myself nice but I struggle with my belief system because almost all religions and churches turn me off in some way, usually because it's their way or no way. The JW's teach and portray a very twisted view of the Bible and what it teaches, so it doesn't surprise me that a lot of xJWs are turned off by God and the Bible.
As I have gotten older and more time has passed since leaving Jdubdom, I find I have much more empathy and tolerance for people that I did not feel as a judgemental JW. I would never judge someone because they don't believe the same religiously as I do.
looking back at the 10 or so cases of disfellowshipping i recall, i think only 1 was due to the orwellian borg spy system.
he was ratted out.. all the other cases were actually "confessions" by people that otherwise would have gotten away with it.
i am wondering is these percentages.
Merry--love that!
Nowman--awesome that you have your mom back!
Anewme--great how you made a new life for yourself!
Other posters--love to hear your stories!
I went to a Christmas office party, got drunk, and danced all night. Everyone tried to hide the story from my JW co-worker but I finally confessed to her because I knew she would eventually find out or so I worried. She threatened to rat me out to the elders, so I called them, met with them, and said I don't want to be a JW anymore and they promptly DF me. Shocked everyone because I had always been such a goody goody but I was tired of being judged and tired of constantly being reminded that anything I did might "stumble" someone, and that nothing we ever did would be good enough for Jehovah.
I got reinstated 2 years later because I missed my sister and my friends, and within a short time stopped attending meetings and reverted back to my wicked wordly ways. When the elders came sniffing around and saw me with my bearded brother, I'm sure they assumed he was my boyfriend, they got out of the car across the street and hand motioned and mouthed the words "Call us". I smiled and said ok. But I never went back to the BS and I guess they put me down as "Inactive", that was 14 years ago or so. And oddly enough, I have a relationship with my JW sister although I'm not sure why; I'm assuming because she thinks she'll be able to "Witness" to my kids. My kids are teenagers now so I warned them about that evil religion.
i was browsing through some things on the internet and i came across this post cult trauma syndrome.
i don't know how familiar everyone is with this term.
this is the first time i had come across this syndrome and the symptoms correlate exactly to what i have been going through.
That's great information. I read some of the info on that site and wow it really hits home. I always thought that I was just suffering from low self-esteem and depression, but after reading some of that info it looks like I was suffering from post cult trauma.
not ever having been a jw, i was curious to know something.... are witnesses ever encouraged to do good works for the less fortunate?
(giving to the poor, working in a soup kitchen, helping the elderly, other volunteer work, etc..).
i know scripture states you will know believers by their "fruit".
The following experience sums up how I feel toward the Watchtower Society and Jehovah's Witnesses in general (although I realize there are a few decent people involved in that cult):
A family had a baby daughter that was deathly ill and the doctors enforced a court-ordered blood-transfusion to the young child. Because the JW parents would not agree to the elders' plan to kidnap the child out of the hospital (who was in such bad health that probably if they moved the child she would have died), the elders and the congregation shunned the family and made terrible comments to them like "I hope your child dies from AIDS". Several years down the road the child dies from the same life-threatening illness. The congregation did not even acknowledge the child's death, nor all the JW relatives, however, the local town church and all the neighbors brought over food and took care of the family during their time of need. At the funeral the place was packed, EXCEPT for the first 2 rows reserved for relatives who were basically all JWs.
That is their idea of Christian love!
