Posts by conflicted

3

Witch does not belong?

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

put your torches down, it's just a play on words!.

a post over on h20 got me looking at the different translations of this verse.

matt.

conflicted

Unbelievable. All these yaers I thought I was reading the holy word of God - and it was just the ramblings of some guy on a translation-trip.

conflicted no more

4

man am i on a roll after talking to my cousin and reading stupid stuff by xandit..... why is the whole jw website ( http://www.watchtower.org ) sitting on a standard non-secure server, but if you want to ask them a question via e-mail, you are rolled to a secure site?.

https://watch001.securesites.com/contact/submit.htm.

i guess it doesn't matter anyway, because you have to give them all of your personal info, and then they won't answer you via email (even though it's on a secure server) but they will send someone to your door.. now why do they need to roll you to a secure server if you're not transmitting confidential info for them to act on?

conflicted

Always on the lookout for apostates. You know I was so scared as a child that I would run into one in service. I had this idea they'd have 7 heads and 10 horns and all that.

Sorry, OT - You know they have to keep tabs on everyone they preach to before the end :)

12

being locked up in organisaton

by nad in

jw
friends

?my parents will never alow me to get out of this...i'm stucked!

are there other people in here with the same problem?

give me a reaction...ok???

conflicted

NAD,

Don't despair. I'm not sure of your particular circumstances, but it sounds like you have family in "the truth" and you want to leave without alienating yourself from them.

If you are financially able - move out. Continue to go to meetings and slowly ease your way out. There will be a time when first your family, then the elders visit you and urge you to return to "the flock"At this point you will have to stand your ground - state what you believe and above all DONT ARGUE with them. In their eyes they can lose sheep, but not an argument - thay are always right. If this is done with tact you may be able to maintain good relations with your family.

Hopefully your family will understand - maybe even see it from your side, but you have to prepare for the fact that they may not.

The longer you've been in the harder it will be to leave.

I'm not saying this is the only way to do get out, just one way.

Hope this helps.

5

My life as a JW

by conflicted in

jw
friends

hello all, i don't know if this is the right place to post this, but i need to get it out.. i'm new to the board (registered today), and here's my story:.

born into the "truth" so to speak, my parents just started studying after i was born.

after the 1975 prophesy failed my father slowly distanced himself from the org.

conflicted

Thanks to all for their kind toughts. I've pretty much gotten over that part of my life now, and my family is doing well. I just kept the experience pent up inside and had to let it out. WHEW!!

I'm a pretty well adjusted adult now - with a few lingering "demons" to get rid of, but all in all I'm okay.

I'll continue to post here, both for the support I receive as well as for any I can give to others.

As time goes on you'll all see that I (according to me) have a pretty vivid sense of humor laced with sarcasm - it's just my way. I'll try not to make waves though.

conflicted

25

confused

by conflicted in

jw
friends

i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

conflicted

Thanks for all the support. It is greatly appreciated. Although I have been out for a long time the healing is just beginning because I spnet so much time denying myself - for what?!? I'll take your advise and see some of these places, do activites previously forbidden.

Again, thanks.

Eric

5

My life as a JW

by conflicted in

jw
friends

hello all, i don't know if this is the right place to post this, but i need to get it out.. i'm new to the board (registered today), and here's my story:.

born into the "truth" so to speak, my parents just started studying after i was born.

after the 1975 prophesy failed my father slowly distanced himself from the org.

conflicted

Hello all, I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I need to get it out.

I'm new to the board (registered today), and here's my story:

Born into the "truth" so to speak, my parents just started studying after I was born. After the 1975 prophesy failed my father slowly distanced himself from the org. My mother kept on attending meetings, and we moved to California in 1976. I was 5 at the time and this is about where my own memory of my life begins. I started school and, as usual, was an outcast because of my religious constrictions... er convictions. We continued to go to meetings, but started missing a few here and there until aroud 1979 when we stopped altogether. A few years later my parents divorced, my mother remarried and we started going back to meetings in 1983.

Now, up to this point I have been an active witness child for nine years, and inactive for four. During the inactive years we still lived our lives as though we were active - no holidays, no sports, no T.V. or movies, no friends. That was pretty tough since the witnesses at school wouldn't talk me, and I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone else.

When we did start attending meetings again everything seemed okay for a while, my step-father didn't know much about JW's and we had been out for years, so it was kind of like starting fresh. But after my step-father learned the rules he quickly dropped out and used the organization against us. He learned that my mother could only divorce him if he committed adultery - so pretty much everything else was okay, and he did it all.

First he started drinking heavily, then he started using drugs, and then selling drugs out of our house to support his habit. The elders said we weren't strong enough in the truth and that Jehovah was testing our faith. Then he started hitting us - four kids (including myself) and my mother. Again the elders told us it was our fault and re-emphisized that my mom couldn't divorce him. We eventually had to move out of our house and live with the PO for a while. Then step-daddy shows up at the PO's house one day and grovels "I know how wrong I was - I repent - send my family home." So off we go, but step-dad didn't miss us, it's just that his knuckles hurt from hitting walls and he wanted softer targets back home. Again the elders tell us that it's up to Jehovah when our test should end.

So, we ended it ourselves. We stopped going to meetings, threw him out, my mom got her divorce and restraining order and we got on with our lives.

Subsequently we got a sheparding call from the PO who had the gall to repremand my mother for her actions. That was the last time we spoke to a JW.

Sorry for rambling, but I had to tell my story to listening ears.

Thanks for your time.

9

Got a Prom dress?

by EyesonthePies in

jw
friends

i was in england on business last week and took the opportunity to visit my jw parents for an afternoon before returning to the london area for a flight today (saturday).

i had a pleasant time with them but i carefully avoided certain topics.

i almost couldn't resist saying something at some points but i let it pass.

conflicted

I know this is slightly off topic, but it kind of fits.

When I was in high school I made excellent grades, as every JW is supposed to. As a result I was offered scholarships, grants to cover my college education. I had to deny these and never went to college as per WTBS policy at the time.

Now I find out they have "new light" on this subject, and JW kids can pursue higher education if they so desire.

What a crock!

Beware of what you deny yourself because of the WTS - they may change the rules tomorrow.

25

confused

by conflicted in

jw
friends

i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

conflicted

I really need to get this stuff out - I can't talk to my family, even though we all "came out", my mother doesn't want to talk about it and my brothers and sister were young enough that they weren't as fully "programmed" as I was. And I can't really express to my wife what I'm going through - she's understanding, but I need to talk to someone who's been there.

It took a long time to for me to even think about finding the real truth - I still didn't want to read apostate material, didn't want to do anything to bring reproach on the society, and I was seriously concerned that I don't do anything to get DFed in case I needed to return. For 11 years I felt this way, just recently have I come to the conclusion that I dont care anymore and I need to purge myself of all the misinformation that has been the bane of my existance for far too long!

Again thanks for all you kind words - typewriiten comfort is better than none at all. :D

12

You heard it here second...

by SixofNine in

jw
friends

page 29 of the wt publication, "true peace and security, how can you find it?

" (circa 1986- orange book- just to bring back a rich visual memory for you oldtimers).

sex before marriage, with one or more partners...will henceforth be considered morally acceptable.. .

conflicted

You people are questioning Society Publications. (gasp)

That's a no-no - You know better.

Books are for underlining, not reading. LOL

25

confused

by conflicted in

jw
friends

i left the jw's 11 years ago and even though i never looked back i'm constantly concerned about the things i do.

for example, my wife's family is fairly devout in their faith (catholic) and therefore i occasionally have to attend their church, and i am always riddled with guilt upon entering and participating in the services.

also, every time some calamity occurs around the world i am always wondering if "this is the beginning of the end"?

conflicted

It's refreshing to find confirmation after all this time. I left because it just didn't feel right, not because I found contradictory evidence (that came later). Little threads of suspicion were always lingering, every time some small thing seemed to fit into their way of thinking I would question myself, "What if they really are right?"

I finally came to the conclusion that was a real breakthrough for me:

Even if they are right I would rather become nonexistant at Armaggedon than live forever constantly worrying and second guessing every minor decision in my life - forever.

Now that I came to this reality, all that's left is to confirm what I think I already know - THEY ARE WRONG.

I have been reading about WTBS history and it's like a great weight has been lifted - all this doctrine and their whole belief system is based upon MEN - not DEVINE inspiration.

I think all I needed was to get all this out.
I need to thank the people on this board for making this available to me.