Posts by troubled mind

20

Do US JWs Still Knock on Doors?

by cultBgone in

this may sound like a silly question, but do jws even door-knock any more?

the few i know only speak of "manning the cart" at some public location, and because they get defensive if i even ask an innocent question like this i thought i'd ask it on the forum.

thanks!.

troubled mind

I just saw some out yesterday doing door to door work . I hardly ever see them doing that anymore .

25

interesting stuff re the RC in my local area

by umbertoecho in

i was sent a list of places i could contact in my part of wa.

i was cautious.

i always ask if they are jws.

That's great umbertoecho ! I hope you find some healing and comfort .I think the Royal Commission has done some excellent work supporting victims in the cases they are researching . Please continue to pursue the support you need .

39

JW UN Rumor

by ivanatahan in

jw
friends

yes, i have returned.. a short recap of major events since my inactivity began: i finally revealed to my parents that i do not believe the same thing they believe in (after i was caught smooching my girlfriend by a family of good-for-nothing pieces of human feces), and of course they view themselves as failed parents who were unable to brainwash their children.

that is, of course, the reason why they are much more controlling over what i do in my life now (my mom even tried having a "bible study" with me).

i told them everything and i was unable to dent their jw imposed mind force field, while also exposing a clear jw misunderstanding of probability, evolution, history, logic/reason, and the big bang theory.. in a conversation i had with my mother a few weeks back (i also heard this rumor before, but my mother told me it again), she mentioned how the un held a summit of all religions and when the jws presented themselves and mentioned their preaching work warning of the coming un ban on religion (referring to an international organization who can't even prevent genocide, much less impose human rights), a un official came up to the jw who presented the cult and told him to "speed up the preaching work", because they plan on doing the ban soon.. it saddens me to think of how ignorant jws are in relation to the principles upon which the un was founded and being unaware that the un at least has some sense as to not ban religion, but this rumor, as ridiculous as it is, needs to be put at rest.

troubled mind

I heard that same Urban Legend back in 1977 ! I was a young teenager .Our group of other JW teens would sit around discussing how close the end was ,and this secret private intel was PROOF .....boy were we gullible

18

Books by Former Witnesses

by GiftsinMen in

i am interested in reading books published by former jws which detail personal experiences of their time with the organisation.

i know of coc, exiting the jw cult, mamas club, 30yrs a wt slave, and told ones were written by otwo, punk and terry.

i'd like to spend some time making my way through them so titles, authors and links would be really useful.

troubled mind

On the lighter side ......I read ,Kyria Abrahams book "I'm Perfect,You're Doomed"...tale of a Jehovah's Witness upbringing ,and liked it very much . It is her life experience written in her own humorous style .

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Perfect-Youre-Doomed-Upbringing/dp/1416556869

33

Thought I was stronger!

by Peony in

just come home from a weight loss class early.

it's 6 months since i da'd and two and a half years since i've been to a meeting.

there was a witness there (unless she has left, i wouldn't know) we made eye contact!

troubled mind

I felt much like you did when we first faded .We live in a small town and see JWs quite often . In fact at one time five families lived with in one block of me !

But I am here to tell you it gets so much better ! It took me actually about 3 yrs to gain enough confidence to no longer care when I ran into any JWs.

My husbands step brother is an Elder here ,and his wife is an elite Elderess :) . They make quite the dramatic show of shunning us in public . We literally bumped into my sister in law at the grocery store while turning down an aisle . I am a friendly person so I immediately said, " Oh Hi !" She looked through us as if we were invisible ! I just busted up laughing because it was so ridiculous..

I have run into her son, our nephew,and he at least was nice enough to smile, and say hello . You know just like a normal human being .

For the most part I just treat them like any other person I see on the street . I wave ,smile ,say hello ,because that is what you should do .If they want to be jerks ,well that is on them ,but I won't be like them .

Seriously Peony ,hold your head up ,look right at them and smile ,say hello ,then move on along . It builds your self confidence each time you do this .Any onlooker will see who is being small and smug .

59

Introducing Myself

by Peony in

i've finally got round to joining the site (after over 2 years lurking!

i was born into jws, pioneered for 10 years (met my husband at pioneer school).

had health issues that saw me catapulted away from 'the centre of the cong' and wow what a different place that was!

troubled mind

Welcome Peony ! So nice to see so many are waking up in such a big way . My husband and I had a very similar experience .

I too use to have severe anxiety and depression problems ,that cleared up after getting free from the pressures of the JWs .

It does take time to decompress. I think it took us a good three years to get back onto stable ground after we left .

How are you and your husband coping with the loss of family and friends ?

41

Ganged up via Telephone

by vinman in

i've been fading for about 9 months.

the elders know exactly why.

i received a phone call a couple of days ago.

troubled mind

Totally proud of you !

39

Are There Good People Out There?

by LaurenM in

even though i'm no longer mentally a jw (i still technically am) i do recognize that there are some benefits to being raised one.

for example, the first (and only so far) wordly guy i was involved with had to smoke weed every day and got drunk all the time and that was his idea of fun.

i couldn't help but feel bad for him.

troubled mind

Yes ,I assure you there are some truly amazing people out there . I could see that even when I was still an active JW. I never liked the way Witnesses lumped everyone not a JW as 'worldly ', as if that was a bad thing . I could ,even back then ,look around in my own community and see some loving,kind people that were moral and lived modest lives . People are just people every where . Some are good some are not ...just the same within the JW organization .

Take the time to really get to know a variety of people before you judge.

16

So I just saw my sister....

by LexIsFree in

jw
friends

so i usually get dressed for school at my job.

i couldn't today so i figured i'd drive by my parent's house and ask if i could change there seeing as they live two blocks from my house.

as i am pulling up to my parent's i see a familiar face.

troubled mind

I am sorry you had to experience that treatment . I will never understand someone like your sister .She has been DF'd before ,and knows how horrible it feels ,yet is okay to treat you that way . Makes no sense to me .

Your story reminded me that last weekend I was driving down my street and saw my brother and sister in law in there car across from me at the stop sign . It didn't register to me until I passed who they were ....I have not seen them in over 5 yrs ! They shun me ..... I wondered if they were driving past my house on purpose ,but I assume they were just in the area visiting a JW that lives down the block .

42

i feel more confused than ever

by BlackWolf in

jw
friends

well i know i've been posting a lot of topics like this lately and i'm sorry if i sound whiny or annoying.

my parents were asking me why i was so upset lately and i ended up just telling them the whole truth.

i told them i don't believe in god or the bible because i don't have any evidence of anything.

troubled mind

You are 16 . You still live under your parents rules . Keep the peace ,but expand your mind . Now is a great time to read books on critical thinking skills . These skills will go with you the rest of your life .

Please ask your parents about allowing you to increase your education exposure . You have plenty of time to learn and live .I promise Armageddon is not near or just around the corner. Please do not let the unfounded fears Jehovah's Witnesses ingrain in their members hinder you .

I was once much like you . Young and afraid . I was raised as a JW. I worried so much about the end coming . My Dad was not a Witness ,my oldest brother was DA'd . I was so concerned that they would die if the end came ! But of course none of those fears ever came true ......Realize that I was born in the 1960's ! When I was a child my Mother was so sure the end was soooo near because the world was in such turmoil .America was in the cold war with Russia ,my Dad was fighting in Vietnam ,the United States was having Civil rights riots, the President of the U.S.A. was assassinated !

She told me I would never have to go to kindergarten because the end would come before that .....then when that didn't happen she said I would never go to High School .....then get married ...or have children ......Guess What ? I am 54 yrs old now and I went to School ,graduated ,and raised my own family . But that fear I was raised under kept me from going to college ,or believing I could excel in any personal goals such as music or art . I lived most of my life feeling trapped in someone else's definition of life .

Believing the 'end is near' stops a person from living life now ! It wastes a persons true potential .

Live your life preparing for your future ....because your future will come and go just as it has done for everyone that has lived before you .