i'm sure this kind of thing has been discussed before, but who here thinks the elders remind them of the pharisees with their guidelines strict rules?
like the length of a slit in your skirt, or no sideburns on men or no beards, or men can't dye their hair, or no colored dress shirts or suits on the "brothers".
they would say these were guidelines but then take your "privileges" away if you didn't comply.
I'd have to say this was one of the first area's in my mind that started me on the road to leaving. I would hear how the Pharisees acted and how 'we' were not like that and yet it so was. I started to realise the discrepancy of what we are told to what actually happens. In the end I decided this system of worship was no better than that which had been rejected by God (as per the bible).
CS 101
People that park on your bumper, how do they think you'll get out? When doing delivery's people that can't wait a few minutes while the roads blocked and lean on the horn. People that stop on the main road to let someone out when there is space behind. Hmm a lot of road pet hates here!
CS 101
i am going to start this debate of by saying that those of us who were raised in the so called truth, and i being one of them, can only come to terms with our past by accepting that our parents infected our minds like a virus infects a computer.
we wouldn't categorise children according to their parents' political stance, since they are too young to make up their minds about such matters.
but they (jw) segregate them from the world.
Because to me all religions want you to do what 'they' say and only 'they' are right, it has always been used to control.
CS 101
how can you be an apostate if you are not oposing something with force?
i do not believe in any religion and have trouble with organizations including corporations (oops already said that with the word religion).
i agree with most everything i have read on this board.
I am only apostate to the WTS which in turn are apostate to the Bible, so at the end of the day its only from the point of view you choose to look at it.
CS 101
i am at a point in my doubt and recovery process where i feel almost completely agnostic.
i am an empiricist; evidence required, please!
) of what i was taught as a witness has been discarded.
They like to play on our fears making people think 'what if?'. I think the feeling is a natural one when we had it drummed into us for so long. Its not based on facts but on emotion. Each time this happens and you counter it with reasoned arguments the less it will happen. None of us knows the future and there are some scary things going on around us, but equaly there are many good and wonderful things too - depends on how we choose to look at it.
CS 101
but i am afraid to send a letter to my old kh.
what should i write to make sure they don't just df me?
also, they refused my request to da myself before.
My own reaction was to not play by their rules so I just left. Later I came here and realised how healthy it was to write a letter to formally terminate your association with them. I can see many people gained satisfaction from doing so.
Because I just walked away, they later found reason to disfellowship me. They found out where I was living and tried to invite me to a judicial hearing, which I refused. I felt that they were trying to control me still, now I cant give a rats arse about it, but I would still have loved to have stuck up the proverbial two fingers by me doing the terminating not them.
CS 101
2 days ago i received a phone call from an elder that recently moved to the cong i was in.. this elder is the type that feels that he is a big shot!
he gives parts in dc and ca's.. he asked me if he can come to visit, i told him that my husband had to be present and he had to call in advance to make an appointment.. this elder is so obnoxious and treat women as a 2nd class citizens.
any suggestions?.
These type of Elders are quite common, they seem to move congregations like its going out of fashion and stir everything up, trying to sort out all the problems they percieve a congregation has. They end up upsetting everyone before they move on to their next victims.
CS 101
my boyfriend and i were having all sorts of problems for the past couple months.
we have been together about 2 and a half years (which, to me, is quite awhile) and it was great for awhile but now i really keep discovering things he lies about to me.
like some are stupid little things, and others are big things... and i just cannot take that anymore.
Trust and honest communication are the back bone of a good relationship, so you did the right thing in ending it. Although he may have his reasons for lying it doesnt change the fact that a relationship cant easily survive when you cant trust a person. It sounds like he need to resolve those issue's he has before contemplating another relationship, maybe by professional help. The initial period after will be raw for you both, so i'm not suprised he wants all or nothing. Best to give that time to both him and yourself and who knows maybe you can still be friends in the future.
CS 101
in the 1990's there were a lot of things that had the saying "no fear" on it and one of the local elders figured out that this meant we live life and do things without fear.
so that basically we could try things and take chances, without the normal fear we associate with things in life.
well in a special needs talk they decided that "no fear" t shirts should not be worn by good witnesses and they asked that we not wear them to witness gatherings, or even in life.
Any other Brits here remember the trend to wear the 'Relax' t-shirts? It was because of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's song. Sisters were reported to have worn them at conventions. I guess that would have been a late 80's trend?
CS 101
well... i've finally worked up the courage to get an account & start posting on this site.
i've been lurking for a couple of months now, voraciously reading all the, mmm, "delightful words of truth" i've found here.
i'm currently deep in dubdom, so i have to be pretty ambiguous about some personal details, (i'm really paranoid, hopefully that will pass :-/) but my story in a nutshell is: i was born into this religion, baptised in my mid teens, happily married to a wonderful (& thankfully, somewhat open-minded) jw lady, & now, several years later, i'm starting to seriously question some of what i believe.
Thats really good to hear that your mind is open to really evaluating everything thats your life has been built around. Its all to easy to ignore those impulses when we fear what we might loose or who we'll upset (ourselves included) but only by a serious and frank look at our lives can we move forward and be truely happy.
Welcome to you and wish you a good (ultimately) journey.
CS 101
