i don't know if anyone has said this before, but i wanted to say a big thank you to all of you non-jw's who have put up with us and stayed with us and helped us out so much.. i know offhand: jerome, detective, and hawkaw.
i know there are many many more of you, but please step up here and take a very well-deserved bow and get a very well-deserved hand from me and from others..
salute!!!!!
Thanks, dungbeetle, what a nice thing to say. I don't think I would have had any comprehension of the fascinating, scary inner JW world, if not for this board. I am a pleased to forever remain a member of the NJW club. I agree, there are wonderful people on this forum, and really great help when you have computer problems.
concerned mama
edited becasue I never get it right the first time
hi guys,.
i'd like to pose a question to the board, but first a bit of background about myself:.
i come from southern england.
I have a friend who teaches Alpha courses. From what she has said, I think that they are fairly evangelical Christian in slant. They aren't tied to a specific church denomination, and if you are a former JW, the course will educate you on more ordinary Christian beliefs, if you are curious. It won't hurt to take one if you want to, and you go in with your eyes open.
i, like many on this board got baptised when still a teenager (17).. at the time i thought i knew what i was doing and could take full responsibility for my actions.. 10 years later i realise i knew very little back then compared to what i know now.. was i old enought to make my mind up?.
or could we always at any age ,be looking back at things we did wrong thinking if only i knew what i know now?.
actually how much responsibility can we hold over what we did as teenagers .weren't we pushed by the congregation and parents, we had little knowledge of anything else being force fed the "truth" since babies.. at such a young age aren't we much more vulnerable to brainwashing ?.
There was a fascinating show on PBS recently about neurological development in teenagers. NMRs have shown a lot of new information regarding the actual physical changes and functional changes that occur during the ages of about 13-17. It had a lot to do with mental co-ordinantion and emotional balance, not IQ. I'm sorry, I only saw a bit, and wish I could remember more of it.
Anyway, I came away from the show with the thought that what we have always called "maturity", really is maturity in a neurological sense, not just an increase in life experiences or a balancing of hormones. It would seem extremely unfair to hold a teenager to a promise made while their brain was in such a state of change.
well, i often shared with benjamin the things i learned through this board, not just the serious stuff, but also some funny fluff.
but most importantly what i've learned about human nature - ex-jws are, in the main, just ordinary people like him and me.
although some of you are extraordinary (in a nice way!).
Hi dmouse,
I let my 14 year old daughter (little red birdie) post last year. She was quite intrigued by the concept of people all over the world reading her story and caring enough to answer her. Some also thought she was a troll, but that is understandable now that I have read the forum longer. She got very interesting, mixed opinion answers, which also reinforced that she didn't exactly know how to handle her situation, herself. All in all, it was a very positive, extremely eye opening and interesting experience for her. Having said that, she is too busy with dancing, homework, friends, shopping, MSN and real life to do more than peak over my shoulder occasionally. I will let her post again if she feels like it when she has more time.
i've been out of the jws for some time now, seven years.
like many of you, i left a lot of acquaintances, friends, and family behind.. the acquaintances were fairly easy to let go, the friends very hard, and the family, well, near impossible, at least up until now.
that she should listen to both sides of the story without fear and make her own decision.
As an outsider, and a never JW, I have to say that the systematic destruction of families has to be one of the most evil things that WT does. My heart just bleeds for the pain that so many of you deal with. Whether you believe in God or not, there is NO logic is pushing people away. The WT is WRONG! If someone is troubled, you open your heart and arms to them, if they have questions, you talk and listen to them, and most of all, you love and accept them for who they are.
this is my first post.
my name ben moorhouse and i am the son of dmouse.
i'm 14 years old and looking forward to talking with you.
Hello Ben,
Welcome to the forum. I have a daughter your age as well. She posted on the forum a couple of times, but got too busy for regular posting. I hope that the people here can give you the help and support you need.
hi, i'm a new member and i am trying to find people that i might know, or have something in common with.
if you are from canada, tell me from where....it would be funny to find someone i know or who has been to the same assemblies as me.
by the way, im disfellowshipped, in case anyone was wondering.
Welcome Parsnips,
I'm always happy to see another Canadian on board. Have a look at
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=25143&site=3
greetings, and wow!
did i enter this forum with a biggie.
i've been lurking for quite awhile - with some threads, laughing to tears, and others, reliving those years.
Balsam, I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your son.
Some of the Fundies and Evangelical Christians are no better on this topic.
A teenage relative of mine is suicidally depressed and his Dad is convinced that the kid is having a spiritual crisis and the Devil is fighting for his soul. Thank goodness, the doctors know better.
hey guys, i'd like to hear what you think about this article i read tonight.
>>why drug tests flunk.
if the supreme court rules in favor of drug testing in public schools, will students come clean?
Xander and TR, I agree with both of you. I cannot believe how many parents chose to ignore what their kids are up to because then they are going to have to deal with it. So often I hear "kids will be kids" and "well, I did it and I survived". I have seen some wonderful kids get seriously off track because their parents don't care enough to be parents.
my best friend is a jw but she can't do anything outside of school with me.
it's really hard cuz she gets jealous when i do things with our other friends outside of school.
we invite her but she's never allowed to go.
winston w, how old are you? My daughter is in a similar situation with some romance thrown in, so i understand how you feel.
I think blindfool makes a lot of practical sense. A kid is trapped by their parent's rules, and most kids don't seem to know what they believe anyway. Attacking her religion will only confuse and hurt her, although you can be very honest that you have differing opinions. You will be a living, breathing example that a worldly friend can be as kind, loyal, moral and ethical as any JW. Prisila also makes excellent points, in that eventually if you can't deal with the conflict between the JW world and the real world, you will have to drift apart. I have watched 2 kids try to deal with it for 2 years, and I think it is an impossible situation on a long term basis.
