Posts by JWdaughter

9

The Great Weird Off - Mormonism vs. Jehovah's Witnesses

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

interesting podcast to listen to.

exjws go head to head with ex-mormons on which religion is weirder.

they had judges that determined who won.. http://mormonexpression.com/2014/06/16/episode-258/.

JWdaughter

Even excommunicated LDS are not shunned unless they actually did something so offensive to their family that they couldn't bear to be in the same room with them. JWs often don't even know why they are shunning someone other than the elders said so. Seriously?

And day to day life of a Mormon is actually a lot more normal and inclusive and (dare I say) pleasant. There is a sense of theirs being the 'true faith', but it isn't an overbearing self righteous infestation there so much from what I observed. They have a heirarchy system for sure, but while the doctrine was different from other churches, the basics about living a Christian life (being worthy) were much more standard and the (rich) church actually has extensive charitable outreaches as well as evangelistic. The thing is, the charitable works are funded more by their tithes/offerings and the evangelistic are mostly funded directly by those on the missions (missionaries support themselves with help from their personal families and friends). There is definitely a strong American work ethic structured into LDS teachings, as well as encouragement to be educated and involved in community. This is the opposite of WT values.

44

I Need Help Getting My Head Straight.......

by TTATTelder in

one of the things i have been wresting with mentally is unraveling the "us vs. them" mentality that has been driven into my skull in the organization.. i am starting this thread seeking advice on how others have come to grip with this.. this is what i struggle with:.

i like the feeling/thought of being among people that live, or try to live, or at least know they ought to live by higher standards of conduct (maybe it is just what i'm used to...).

when you walk out of a convention of people dressed up, clean-cut, shaven, non-smoking, less-profanity-speaking, fairly orderly etc and see what greets you in the streets outside, it is a big contrast.. i am also still trying to understand how a religion that has conned people (so is morally wrong) could also be so well organized and have a lot of truly decent folks among their ranks.

JWdaughter

I've been to conventions for business where the same could be said. I was in one in VEGAS and within the hall we could definitely see the contrast because we left the convention of business and business casual attired folks and stepped into the huge casino-where women of questionable morals were offering to keep my husband and I company. There's a disconnect! Good thing it was a LegalShield convention:)

I have been to other churches where this is the same. An SBC conventiton or meeting for VBS teachers has a bunch of people dressed nicely and acting discreetly-and no one gave us a dress code direction at sign up. No one saw fit to comment on the worldly riff raff,either. Refreshing.

(OTOH, going to the mosque-women are very modest with head coverings, but the men, while modest, are definitely dressed for comfort and about 1/3 of them have beards, so they would utterly fail the JW test of conventional business attire. This actually pleases me on the principle of the thing. That our utterly modest and even biblical attire wouldn't make the cut for a KH meeting delights me)

40

Reaching Loved Ones Stuck in a Cult: Reciprocal Letter Writing

by 00DAD in

i've been toying with an idea that i think just might have some legs.

so here i am trotting it out for all of you to consider and comment upon.

for many of us, we are extremely frustrated by the fact that we have no way to communicate with our loved ones still stuck in the organization.

JWdaughter

I am in Texas and am willing to do this for anyone who asks. I have been on the board and done gift exchanges in the past. I will help whoever asks. Just PM me.

M.

48

Farewell from Confused and Alone

by confusedandalone in

jw
friends

i use to hate when people who made goodbye posts on message boards.

why would they think that just because you no longer post on a chevy truck forum or a los angeles lakers forum the world would crumble around those still left there.

this place is definitely different.

JWdaughter

Congratulations on your graduation. All the best for your future success, happiness and family life. You will be missed, but we will survive:)

48

Farewell from Confused and Alone

by confusedandalone in

jw
friends

i use to hate when people who made goodbye posts on message boards.

why would they think that just because you no longer post on a chevy truck forum or a los angeles lakers forum the world would crumble around those still left there.

this place is definitely different.

JWdaughter

Congratulations on your graduation. All the best for your future success, happiness and family life. You will be missed, but we will survive:)

33

Has anyone ever saved another persons life?

by LogCon in

jw
friends

i don't mean you advised them and they changed their lives around, kind of saving a life.. i mean right before your eyes, right now, you had to do something to save a person or they would be dead.. how did it make you feel?

did it have any affect on you?.

forty years ago i was working on a construction site and a back-hoe had loosened a large boulder.

JWdaughter

Sorta. Not sure if this counts but when my mom returned from overseas travels I waited aLOOOONG time for her to get off the plane and when Ifinally saw her, she was in a wheelchair. She looked like death warmed over (barely).She wanted to eat something and was able to walk once we got to the car in the parking garage so we drove to a Wendy's at her insistence. I wanted to take her straight to the hospital. She had taken ill on her vacation and somehow they let her on the plane when she was clearly (to me) critically ill.

At Wendy's she told me a litte of what had happened and how much pain she had and was unable to eat or evacuate. She wanted the icecream but that wasn't happening. I told her I wanted to take her straight to the hospital and she tried to insist on going home and just seeing her doctor in the morning. I told her that I didn't want them trying to take a gurney down the steep stairs from her cliffside house and risk the necks of innocent EMTs( I was trying to make a joke of it), but I seriously didn't think she would live to the next day. I took her to the hospital ER and told the nurse at triage that she had had a small heart attack in her 30's and was having chest pain (everything hurt and I knew that otherwise she could be hours from an exam (mothers day, sunday) She had had a ruptured colon several days prv (Wed, Ithink is when they figured it happened) and had severe peritonitis. Dr. said she would not hav survived the night. So, in a way I saved her life (she would have toughed it out to save$45 ER co pay)

45

ONE REASON

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

out of interest, and to formulate a cordial chat, would you give your top one reason for your belief or non belief?.

my foremost 'one reason' for non belief is:.

the historical evidence that provides an explination and timeline for how the modern religious doctrine's and dogma developed over time.. .

JWdaughter

This world, for all of its "issues", is too beautiful- creation stuns me from the way our hair grows to sexual reproduction(we grow babies!) to the leaves on the trees to the perfection of a sand dollar.

65

I'm afraid I'd be single for life

by ohnightdivine in

this is quite embarrassing for me to share, but as a 30+ year old single female i have lingering doubts as to whether i can still meet a decent man and get married.. you all know how difficult it is for sisters to find an appropriate partner in the congregation.. and now, all the more so that i've learned ttatt.

i still am bound by low self-esteem, and i do have trust issues, especially with men.

i am very lonely and so i just keep myself busy with work to avoid depression (although it is also a great source of stress).. any other single females out there having similar thoughts?.

JWdaughter

ohnightdivine, get yourself in order, enjoy your freedom, do the things you want to, take classes and join the clubs that you did/could not join before. Just live your life, find the things that give you joy and if you meet someone, you meet someone.If you dont, you will be enjoying YOUR life anyway.

Have fun! You do have much better odds out of the org. If you are working or going to school, don't demurr too much if you are offered "blind dates". Don't prejudge, keep yourself safe and just figure that every experience (even awkward dates) adds to you as person. Connections are very important to the exJW as we are limited by our past to some degree. Open yourself to new experiences.

16

Who Will the Circuit Overseers "Report" to Now???

by RubaDub in

jw
friends

i still do not understand the new structure at this point.. there has to be something between thousands of co's and the gb.

i know there were zone overseers that the do's reported to.. i have spoken to a couple of elders i can talk to frankly and they both said they have no idea.. rub a dub.

.

JWdaughter

Villagegirl-it was the brand. It doesn't work with any pudding. I tried, trust me. Schwanns fudgesicles are somehow remnicent more than other brands of fudge pops. .. .

I'm so glad I will never EVER have to go to one of those events that test ones will to live. They were excruciating and we were supposed to be so thrilled to be there. The only fun we ever had was the year Michael Jackson showed up with his entourage and frankly, that only lasted a few moments until the limo left and they were swept up by security and whisked away to whereever they keep celebrity JWs who are about to be DF'd.

63

What is your biggest gripe with the WT and it's teachings?

by FL_Panthers in

jw
friends

as the title says, please list what you find annoying with the organization..

JWdaughter

They train JWs in the art of attack and paranoia. Rather than really examining their own religion, they deflect by finding something "worse" in Christendom or other religion. JWs don't even see how they have been twisted in this way.

Oh, and their finely developed moral superiority that is based on NOTHING actually different than any other religions teach or practice. In any case, they don't actually practice it any better, they just brag about it. Its annoying to listen to their cloying self praise.