Posts by troubled mind

i've looked at other websites to and i see all this about the jw's, now i'm not one, i was raised a jw but made my own decision and my parents respected that.

i've read so many horror stories, but my life wasn't like that at all, as a matter of fact, when they first knocked on our door and my mother accepted a study our life changed for ever, it was for the best in many ways.

troubled mind

I for one am glad there are sites like this were I can go ,and find people that understand how I feel. This board has a wide range of posters- each with unique experiences ,and you look ,and read until you find what speaks to you. We don't have to agree with everyone's point of view ..that's what's so great, everyone can have an opinion w/o feeling oppressed about expressing it. I was raised my whole life believing my religion was the "truth".Now in my forties I'm finding out that is just not true .Can I just leave and go on to find something else? ....no........Because if I do my children will be expected to shun me the rest of my life ....do you get that at all !!!! I have no desire to go off and live some immoral life style .I just want to find out if there is any real truth when it comes to worshipping God. I have had painful doubts over the years that caused depression and burdened my conscience .Now I find I'm not alone there are others going through similar things.....that's comfort !!

10

what's the best experience...

by BlackSwan of Memphis in

that you ever remember having with an elder, ms, co, do, governing body member etc?.

there was a family that i knew growing up, when my dad died, and our family was going through some problems, the dad,an elder in the hall, was the only one that went out of his way to take me under his wing and treat me like his daughter.

really nice guy.. anyone have any good experiences?.

troubled mind

We had a car accident on the way to an assembly and an older couple came up to us and gave us $50.00 and said it was a gift . And two other families help drive us back and forth to the rest of the assembly and then home. As I recall it wasn't the elders that helped just some in the hall that were very kind. When terrible things happen the people know how to rally around for support ,it's the everyday kindnesses they don't seem to grasp.

23

A modern day CASTE system

by LDH in

jw
friends

where do you rank?

unbaptised publisher?.

publisher?.

troubled mind

Good thread.....I realized it was a chaste system when Pioneer sisters would greet me at meeting for F.S. by saying "Oh it 's so good to have you publishers come out and support us pioneers" .And the part of being" just" a publisher rang alarms in my head too....Now I'm just marked as something to beware of......

27

HOW MANY OF YOU REPORTED FAKE HOURS LAST YEAR?

by badboy in

jw
friends

any takers?

troubled mind

Does the cong.secretary get extra brownie points for keeping everyone as reg. publishers ? For yrs. my husband faked his hours. Once when the secretary called to get his hours, he wasn't home, so the brother wanted me to tell him what I thought he may have gotten.I told him," honestly I don't think he got any time in this month ",but the brother wouldn't accept that answer ,and said' oh I'm sure he got at least an hour in', so I said ,"Okay whatever you say !". After that I figured what works for the goose works for the gander ,and stopped knocking myself out to get those real hours in and went to pretend hours also.

30

HOW MANY OF YOU ARE AFRAID OF BEING ON THIS SITE?

by juni in

jw
friends

i have heard of this through pms.

to each their own and i can understand the fear-factor - we are only human.

what can they do to ya?

troubled mind

I was scared at first , but I reason if someone see's my posts it means they were on here also. I am usually on when no one else is at home. I think my husband has figured it out though by looking at history, I don't always delete those. It seems a bit paranoid to be an adult in my own home worried some one could recognize my posts on a web site.

44

My Crazy Mother learns a lesson

by RichieRich in

jw
friends

yesterday (monday) i was off school and work, and i told my mother i would go out in service.

so monday morning i got up, got dressed, drove to the hall, and there was no one there.

i fell asleep in my car while i waited, woke up to wave at a brother, then fell back asleep, and then woke up, looked around and left.

troubled mind

Hey Richie , First I have to say, I saw your pic's from Bethel, and Boy ,you could have been one of my own ! As for the mom thing unfortunatly I must admit I have been the psyco-mom on more than one occasion.Good for you that you had a friend to depend on ,mom will have to begin seeing you are growing up and can take care of somethings on your own.She will too, just give it time .It's hard for mom's to admit their babies don't need them as much anymore. It's great you have school friends too.I have just recently figured out how much my kids needed to have association outside the borg. I have been encouraging this with my 17 yr. old son .His worldly friends provide validation for him as a descent guy that none of his witness friends ever did.They make him feel accepted w/o conditions, such as how much service time he has got in this month.And he has less trouble with worldly friends stabbing him in the back. If your friend can't provide transportation remind your mom, she set the punishment, and she should provide your way to work and school .

41

Are you supposed to enjoy field service????

by lucifer in

jw
friends

are you supposed to enjoy field service?

find joy in god's work?

i hated service, hated getting up early, hated wearing dresses/skirts,hated bugging people early on the weekend, hated "preparing" for service (all i did was read the little blurb on the inside of the awake lol) hated being grouped with elder ihatecoffeebreaks and sister letsdoonemoredooreventhoughits12.......one day brother ihatecoffeebreaks asked me why my time was dropping in service and i said "because i hate service" ( i mean i was taught to be honest right?

troubled mind

I enjoyed service when I was a child, it was something to do, and I actually felt special helping people see the "truth'". Then after 40 years I could no longer rationalize what good I was really doing driving around the country side wasting gas on houses where no one was home anyways. It's been months since I turned in a (fake) service report, they don't even call and ask for it anymore. I do wonder how the pioneers can afford driving in rural territory with gas prices the way they are now? In the small cong. here the number of inactive is growing fast, I don't remember the exact number from the past co visit,but it is increasing.

60

Without naming your city, tell us more about it

by JH in

jw
friends

where i live, you can smell the odor of paper mills.

it's a port city and people speak french here.

i think the average age of people here is one of the higest in canada.. there is a shrine that attracts many tourists in the summer time.

troubled mind

I live in a town of about 7000 .The fire whistle blows at noon and church bells ring at noon and six p.m.(not wisconsin). This town has eight churches and just as many bars! Wal-mart is the biggest store And cornfields surround us on all sides.