freedomlover

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Posts by freedomlover

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  23

  PROCESS: I don't belong in this world....yet.

  by freedomlover in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have been reading a book my hubby recommended to me- man's search for meaning - by viktor frankl.

  very good book.

  he is a survivor of nazi concentration camps and it's not just another grisly tale of horrors of cc life.

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  freedomlover

  jstalin- HAPPY B-DAY!
  
  parlay - I agree. I am starting to make new friends with non-JW's. I still find this mental block though in getting to know people who aren't JW's or ex-JW's. It is something that in some ways keeps me feeling like I really belong in this other world that is not the JW world. It is just part of this process that we have to go through.
  
  BTW- if you feel like chatting about your area and people around there I'd love to talk. I grew up in the NY/NJ area and know quite a few people there.
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  23

  PROCESS: I don't belong in this world....yet.

  by freedomlover in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i have been reading a book my hubby recommended to me- man's search for meaning - by viktor frankl.

  very good book.

  he is a survivor of nazi concentration camps and it's not just another grisly tale of horrors of cc life.

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  freedomlover

  I have been reading a book my hubby recommended to me- Man's Search for Meaning - by Viktor Frankl. Very good book.
  
  He is a survivor of Nazi concentration camps and it's not just another grisly tale of horrors of CC life. He was a psychiatrist and he developed a therapy called Logotherapy. His book deals with the psychological phases of deportation, incoming prisoners, long-term prisoners, and then the release period. He shares his wisdom learned from his experiences and I've learned a lot from his book.
  
  I was reading a part today that made me cry because it cut so deep into what I've been feeling lately. I've been "out" of the org. about 6 months now and the healing process is just that, a process, something that I don't know will ever end. Mr. Frankl talks about the period of time after his immediate release from the camp. He talks about walking out of his prison/concentration camp and he was passing a field of flowers and he looked at how beautiful they were yet he "felt" nothing. He says he felt a "spark" of joy at this sight yet it was only a "spark" still : -he did not yet belong to this world.-
  
  
  How many of you have felt this?!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  17

  It's My Turn

  by Life Is Grand in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  another post from a newbie(who has been lurking around here for a couple of years now).. my story is nothing exciting really.

  i grew up pretty much from the age of 3 or 4 in the jw religion.

  my parents both became witnesses at that time, then after a couple of years, my mother "saw the light", and stopped going, but my father dragged my sister and i along with him for many years to come.

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  freedomlover

  welcome LIG-
  
  isn't it amazing the way those doubts and guilt can linger?
  
  I'm happy for you that you found this board. it will probably be very helpful for you.
  
  -freedomlover
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  27

  Are you far too trusting in other people?

  by Elsewhere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm afraid i am.

  it is in my nature to expect everyone to act in the best interests of everyone else.

  i never expect that others will intentionally cause harm to another in a willfull and malisious act.

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  freedomlover

  I do think I WAS far too trusting in people. I not a cynic - just realistic.
  
  I am still surprised sometimes at how evil and manipulative people can be. I suppose I'm more understanding nowadays as to the physcological reasons people do "mean" things. Perhaps they are being brainwashed? Traits I find repulsive now (ex. shunning) I totally agreed with not that long ago, so I am more empathetic to people's actions.
  
  however, I am much more cautious about people's motivations these days.
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  13

  So much for the slow road...

  by mavie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i could tell that my wife was having trouble over the past few days dealing after we talked about some of my doubts.

  well, i found out that she has been telling some of her close friends about the situation and is really scared and feeling insecure.

  i totally understand that.

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  freedomlover

  Mavie - JT means well, but I do agree that your wife may not be there yet. I do think that just reading the bible together is a great idea. In the beginning I started reading the gospels in different translations and it was like reading the bible for the first time! It opened my eyes to the REAL idea of Xianity, and it wasn't what I was seeing in the org.
  
  I will get that info. together for you. I will send it from my hubby's PM address since I can't send PM's through JWD because I'm on a MAC.
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  13

  So much for the slow road...

  by mavie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i could tell that my wife was having trouble over the past few days dealing after we talked about some of my doubts.

  well, i found out that she has been telling some of her close friends about the situation and is really scared and feeling insecure.

  i totally understand that.

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  freedomlover

  this was pretty much my exact reaction to the first conversation I ever had with my husband. (I was rationalizing this way even after I had already found info. that 607 was not the date for Jerusalems fall.) He told me that the WTS had been saying that the end would come in 1914, 1925, 1975 etc. I said "no, they didn't say that - it was what some people thought they were saying." He left a folder for me the next day to look through - ON MY OWN, WITHOUT HIM AROUND- and all it was were articles from the turn of the century and Russell's own words about how the end was coming in 1914. They can't be wrong because these are god's words, etc. (I'm paraphrasing here of course) Those articles were shockers to me. There was an article from 1969 that said the end will be here in a few years due to reliable bible prophecy.
  
  I was not willing to look at anything outside of the society's literature at first, so you may have to use there own words against them to make some headway with your wife. Try not to sweat it too much. I did the same thing, confide in a friend, and she later threatened to "turn me in" when I tried to share my doubts with her. I too thought I had personally seen Jehovah's hand in my life and I thought it was Jehovah that got me through the abuse I suffered as a kid in an abusive home. Give your wife time to digest this. Hug her all the time, tell her you aren't going anywhere. Keep being open and just love her. If you need copies of the articles I was talking about let me know. I can help you get those. Let us know how your conversation with the CO goes. I did the same thing when I was having doubts and I'm interested to see how your conversation goes compared with mine.
  
  -great job, BTW. I totally understand how hard it is to not just scream out what you are feeling.
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  22

  Got to see the baby!

  by Nosferatu in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  man, that was cool.

  i got to see the baby beating the crap out of his/her mother today on the ultrasound screen!

  the hospital is mean and doesn't want to tell us the sex of the baby, so we'll have to pick a gender-neutral name like "rocky" or something.. j/k :).

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  freedomlover

  howdy Nos -
  
  I remember those moments well......
  
  it's so amazing to see that little person in there.
  
  congrats again!
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  28

  Good-bye, Sylvester

  by AudeSapere in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  today i must say good-bye to a friend i have known for 14 years.

  sylvester was only four months old when he and his brother scout moved in with me - a dog person - and my australian shephard.

  the kittens were supposed to be pets for the 10-year-old.

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  freedomlover

  (((((denise)))))
  
  I'm sorry. that just plain sucks.
  
  so sorry sweety!
  
  love - freedomlover
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  11

  Conversation with friend leads to despair

  by under_believer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my status is "fading but still sort of in.

  " i don't believe any of it anymore.. i just had a long conversation with a very old friend of mine who is "weak," as in he doesn't preach, and he doesn't make many of the meetings.

  he still believes everything, though... he's just "weak.

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  freedomlover

  u/b -
  
  it is so frustrating and saddening to try to talk to someone you love so much and they just can't SEE IT! You never know what will happen in time from that conversation. I think our human instinct is to defend our actions and beliefs even if they aren't perfect. Let him think about things and digest it. the same with your wife. I was furious when my husband first told me he wanted out. I had to give myself some time and BREATHE and then I was willing to hear his reasons out. today, I'm out and we are doing great.
  
  
  
  
  
  -freedomlover
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  7

  Brandi Binder - JW with half a brain?

  by freedomlover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  howdy ya all!

  we were watching 20/20 tonight and this girl was on whose name was brandi binder and she had half her brain removed and is alive and well.

  quite a remarkable story actually.

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  freedomlover

  wow, quick work Blondie!
  
  The books we saw were not just a symapathic tract here and there. It was gobs of bound volumes, bibles, the rainbow of all the 192 page books.....
  
  they were major JW's.
  
  I wonder if they are out now. There was no comments in the news segment about the blood issue with such a serious surgery.