hello, i've been lurking for a few months now.
like many others here i've been through quite a bit lately, and what i've learned (thanks to jwd) is very eye opening to say the least.
will write my story when i have time.
Hi jibberish, and welcome to the forum
PS..........I let my "wordly husband" BURN all of my books JW one day in March. I knew most folks here on JWD would be so proud of me!! :)
I burned mine a few months ago, and my husband, also an ex jw, burned his a few years ago, very therapeutic, isn't it, watching the flames lick around them.
a few days ago someone asked me what my name meant, 'miss 8572.
as an unabashed star trek fan i find all the references to the witnesses as "the borg" on this site really charming.
when coming up with my name i just thought "what is anti-borg?
Hi Miss 8572, and welcome to the forum
My name reflects my feelings when I first joined the forum - I hadn't disassociated from the org then.
I'm not in any doubt nowadays, but I kept the name
please never think that you can reason with an "older man", a "spiritual shepherd", an "elder".
elders already know what their agenda is.
if they want to talk with you, they control the format.
You're right ther minimus, they won't leave you alone unless you are firm with them.
Having said that, I was firm with them, but they still wanted to set up a jc for me, until I headed them off at the pass, so to speak, by disassociating.
wow.............caught a programme about them today...........now there is a normal bunch..........not.........what a bunch of loon's.. these people wear t shirts with 'god hates fags' written across them.................. they were enough to put you off god and religion forever.. anybody else come across them?.
I just looked at some information on these nutcases on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church_(Topeka)
Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is a controversial U.S.church headed by Fred Phelps and based in Topeka, Kansas. It runs the websites GodHatesFags.com, [1] GodHatesAmerica.com and others expressing condemnation of homosexuals, Roman Catholics, Muslims and Jews, as well as populations it considers to support the forementioned groups, including Swedes, African Americans, Canadians and Americans.
They don't seem to like many people, and membership must be pretty restricted according to their list of dislikes
can you see them doing anything in the near future that will have a negative effect on the r/f witnesses?
or something that will bring bad publicity?
like date changing or armageddon date setting?
They are very unlikely to set any specific dates again, though they may drop hints from time to time.
Actually, they have made a big change recently with the May 1st watchtower questions from readers,( though I personally doubt that any "reader" other than a gb member would dare ask a doctrinal question anyway), in that they have abandoned the date for the final gathering of the anointed
They have long taught that, apart from replacements for those who fell away, that this took place in 1935. Now they say that this gathering is still taking place, which covers them when anyone questions why the number of memorial partakers goes up rather than down, but don't say when it will be completed. With this "new light" they are able to postpone armageddon again, as they teach that the anointed have to be sealed by the time the end comes. I would think that many jws are as yet unaware of this new teaching, as the QFR articles aren't read by everyone, but I wouldn't be surprised if they publish a watchtower study article on it, referring to the May 1st QFR, sometime this year, maybe just before the annual report is published in the watchtower.
well?
what do you think?
any thoughts?
Gill, I guess jws are raised to believe that they probably won't die, and I can imagine that exchanging a belief like that for the reality of being born, living and eventually dying must be a very difficult transition to make.
I was 21 when I "discovered" I wouldn't have to die, and it resulted in me having a completely skewed outlook on my future. I "knew" that if I did everything the watchtower said, I would never have to plan for my future, never save money, take out life insurance, never have a fulfilling career etc, because the "reward" for not focussing on those things was much greater than the sum of all of them. It was a huge shock to me when I realised just hoe deluded I'd been. It must be far worse for those who have been taught those things from birth.
well?
what do you think?
any thoughts?
So, I would say, an 'abstract and all encompassing fear of death.'
Do you agree?
Yes Gill, I do agree.
That's why most of us, if not all, who weren't brought up in the org became jws. We might have spewed out some bs about wanting to serve the "true god", and some of us might have been genuine to a certain extent about that, but ultimately we all did it for the reward we thought we'd eventually get - everlasting life in paradise.
i wrote a fictional book that incorperates a lot of how i believe, in a fantasy and some what sci fi story line.
it is only about 140 pages long and i really enjoyed writing it.
my spouse thinks it is fun and original, but i did not write it to get published.
Well done free2berne!
You could always try publishing it as an ebook. Here's a link to one of I'm sure many sites that specialise in that
well?
what do you think?
any thoughts?
But what inevitability did/do they ALL seek to escape that led them to have such negative character traits towards others?
Ever having to die?
well?
what do you think?
any thoughts?
They were all taught to believe that they were superior to anyone else because of "special knowledge"?
