i found this place, purely by accident, and have been very amazed, at all of these touching, personal revelations, that many are sharing, here.
i actually was doing a search, jus tryin to learn how michael jackson's appearance came to be so radically changed..(that's a whole nother topic, and i came away, feelin sorry for him, after all i read, but, another time ) and ran across this forum.
im 41, was "raised" in the truth, my mother and her whole side of our family are long time witnesses, my father converted when i was around 4 years old.
Hey Gimme - welcome! I, like you, was raised in the "truth" and also escaped baptism (I will be 29 next month) - for other reasons of course (I never believed!), but we are lucky to have avoided so much more future anquish as you mentioned! It's great to have you with us!
daisy
i know there are people on this board who despite earnest efforts to reach the hearts of friends or family still in the wt org feel they have to give up or that they are flogging a dead horse.. someone very close to me is preparing herself to leave.
her heart has already left.
she finally sees the true colours of the organisation she has faithfully followed for over 30 years.. but it has not been easy or swift.
Hey Free2BeMe, Your story gives such hope! I applaud you and your friend - what a journey! My step-sister recently returned to the borg (and after all that we've been thru!) and said to me that her husband would soon be baptised - lucky guy! :) I hope that thru my example they can see what a fulfilling life we can have outside of the JW's, but could use some tips. LOL
daisy
i thought it might be interesting to see how many here remember where and when they were baptised into the borg.
for some the memory may be too painful, but i'm curious.. me.
it was 1966 in vancouver, bc.
Never!!! I was too fast, they couldn't catch me!
LOL!
daisy
jehovah's witnesses convene in biloxi .
by christine harvey .
the sun herald .
I was raised a JW (out now for 10 + yr.s). Even though I never considered myself a JW, (even as a kid) - I could see the short-term benefits of getting baptised. The baptised kids actually had more freedom - I mean they didn't have to prove themselves anymore, people looked up to them as great examples (some were almost on pedestals), they weren't watched and spyed on. Some baptised kids acted and talked just like the rest of us trouble makers when in private. However, the short-term benefits couldn't out-weigh the downside as all of you have mentioned. Another JW friend and I made a promise to eachother long ago (I was 14, she 16) that we would never get baptised, no matter what the costs - we kept our promise to eachother and ourselves to this day!
Later!
daisy
my brother was just here and of course since we are both disfellowshipped we have nothing better to talk about than jw bs.
so as he understands it those of us that are disfellowshipped are still counted as jw's by the society.
on one hand i could understand the math.
DF'ed or non-believers (anyone not annointed) who would partake were not counted in my old congregation - bishop, CA.
here's my list of experiences and comments about time-wasting on dub field ministry.
it's a bit raw; sorry i haven't prosed it up.. -------------------------------------------------------------.
taking a personal interest in the householder.
Can I just tell you guys that a non-JW has no idea what it's like to have to go out in field-service and just talking about our common experiences makes me as giddy as a school girl! :) These stories are cracking me up! Hey and you know what, now that I think about it, my dad - the self-rightous elder that he was, used to do some of the things you guys are talking about - walking slowly or visiting another JW family that lived in the area - pretty hilarious!!
later!
daisy
i am very sad this morning.. i just found out this morning that a man that i grew up with and have known since i was a very young girl commited suicide earlier this week.
i had not seen him in 11 years, since i left the kingdom hall for the last time.
he was about 5 years older than me.
Stacey - So sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts are with you at this very difficult time.
daisy
Don't forget the good times with your friend, I'm sure he appreciated you and your friendship!
here's my list of experiences and comments about time-wasting on dub field ministry.
it's a bit raw; sorry i haven't prosed it up.. -------------------------------------------------------------.
taking a personal interest in the householder.
I love your storys! They seem like yesterday, thankfully that was like 12 years ago for me! As a kid, if another kid was allowed to go with me (instead of an adult), we would just go to each house and silently knock on the door and wait and wait and wait and then silently knock again - for some reason - no one was ever home at our houses! ;)
daisy
hey ... i'm just getting into the swing of this great 'apostasy' thing right ... ?
... i thought y'all out there might well have a story or two to tell, so ... plz tell me tell me tell me about the most embarrasing thing you ever saw at a meeting ...
The funniest thing I ever saw was during a service mtg. - A kid was sitting diagonal across the aisle from me and my brother, so we had been watching him off and on the whole time - you know kids and their antics! Well, suddenly he had projectile puke all over the back of the seat and all over the floor around him ... I think this was the only time my dad didn't get p.o'ed at us kids for cracking up laughing - he was laughing too!
daisymay
when i was a witness:.
i used to think they were materialistic, wordly and didn't raise their kids right.. i used to tell my non-jw husband that if he didn't come to the meetings that we wouldn't be together forever.
i'd say that when he'd say something like "i'll love you forever".
Pierced - thanks for the post - I could see that attitude in so many so-called witnesses especially the women - in my congregation (I never considered myself one in my heart). But I did want to say that one of my younger cousins (who at the time was 12) and I was like a big sis to, you know babysat when he was little, taught him how to tie his shoes, played games, etc. Anyway, I had been disassociated by the JW's for around a year when in the middle of an ordinary conversation he said something like - "how long have you been out of the truth?...yeah, you can tell" and rolled his eyes at me. I don't recall the exact content of the discussion, but I was just blown away at the way he put me down so quickly and easily, he had never talked to me like that before. Oh well, I hope one day he will come around - Josh if your reading - good for you, I love you kid!!
daisy
