penny2

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Posts by penny2

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  20

  Do we have stats on a 'mass exodus'?

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i see at times, talk of how many are leaving the jws, how the young ones are leaving in droves, that more and more are 'waking up' etc.. can we substanciate this?.

  i mean, actual stats to show this, not just small or negitive growth in lands such as the united states, as there are larger growths in other countries.. there are of course the downsizings of bethels etc, but downsizing is not always a sign of members leaving is it?

  sales may be down resulting in streamlining organization as with any corporation.. numbers d/f each year getting larger?

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  penny2

  As far as I know, the stats do not show a mass exodus. They actually show a small increase.

  penny
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  33

  You may have forgotten about me but here's my update

  by doublelife in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it's been a while since i've posted because i've been so busy looking for a full-time job so that i could leave my husband.

  well, i've finally got one today.

  actually, it's the same job i've had for about a year but someone else just put in their notice to quit so my manager finally gave me full-time status.

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  penny2

  Congratulations doublelife, getting the job must be a weight off your mind.

  You have a lot of courage.

  penny
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  5

  Need Watchtower print numbers from a few years ago

  by jwfacts in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  does anyone have some old magazines from a full month.

  this can be either immediately prior to the change to a monthly awake, or from 2005 or 2010?.

  i would like number printed from a complete month for:.

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  penny2

  jwfacts, I have a full set from February 2010:

  WT 1 Feb 2010 - 39,601,000

  Awake Feb 2010 - 38,451,000

  I couldn't find print numbers in the study edition.

  penny
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  23

  to buy a house or not... suggestions, experience, help!

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. social
  2. family

  many years ago i bought a house because the government basically threw money at us and the mortgage was pretty much the same as the weekly rent in $ per week.. obviusly that has changed, here in aust real estate has gone through the roof with a house considered a bargain at $300,000 for a first home buyer.. so here i am at 47, thinking about buying a house so that when i retire, the wife and i will not have to pay rent or mortgage at all.

  we have to raise $25k more (we have 10) for deposit and fees in the next 18 months to do this.

  (offer is to buy mil house at reduced market price).

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  penny2

  With 10K saved so far for a deposit, there is nothing you can do at the moment because that's not enough for the banks.

  So your 2 options right now are:

  1. Spend the 10K on the holiday and forget about ever buying;
  2. Keep saving with a view to buying in the future.

  In my mind, being retired and renting is a nightmare. In Australia, you can live on a pension if you are a couple, but only if you have your own home.

  I think you can take option 2 without making it stressful. Set up your plan and put it in writing. Stick to it but don't stress about it on a daily basis. Your plan should include a budget and how much you can save each week without totally cramping your lifestyle.

  It's amazing where you can save when you put your mind to it and you have a goal.

  penny
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  22

  Convention talk 2010 ...

  by iknowall558 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  aulani alohajehovah's witness mind diddling testamonials: this is insane!

  outline of a 2010 district convention talk from the symposium, "remain in .

  the secret place of the most high".

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  penny2

  Sounds too ridiculous to be true. Thanks for the info but I won't believe this until someone has actually heard it at a DC.

  penny
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  15

  What now? Where to from here on in?

  by Aussie Oz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, it is about six months since i came on here.. i have a stack of files and information at my finger tips that frankly i dont know what to do with!

  it is almost like i have forgotten more than i learnt when i go back through it all.

  sometimes i re-read stuff just to make sure i am really really sure of it all.. one of my main reasons for beginning this journey from apologist to 'apostate' was first to de-construct the power that held me since i was 10 and secondly, when i realized the truth about the 'truth' and the watchtower corporation/s, to get my kids out of it.. on one hand i want the wbts to be some distant forgotten memory but realize this probably will now not be until i feel they are 'safe' and.

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  penny2

  Aussie, I can totally relate.

  Sometimes I feel like I can't get on with my own life. I don't even know what I want that "life" to be.

  penny
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  12

  I feel less and less like an ex-jw every day.

  by Growingup in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i've had so much anger and depression over the last 6 years.

  when i left the b0rg i replaced people i hardly knew with my family... i had so many psychological problems then and when those relationships failed i turned to drugs, self harm through burning and cutting and even was hospitalized a few times because i tried to kill myself.

  i was in and out of toxic relationships with people who i thought i needed to complete me as a person.. about two years ago i hit another 'rock bottom' in my life and was drinking and using cocaine and was completly cycling in another jw's guilt pity party.

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  penny2

  Growingup, welcome and congratulations for getting your life on the right track.

  You must have been only 18 or so when your family started to shun you. That's a very young, vulnerable age when a person needs support from their family. Unconditional love - that's something JWs don't know anything about.

  Hope your life continues to improve.

  penny
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  4

  My Dad asked if I had a mtg last night...

  by cognac in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i couldn't remember if the co was at our hall this week or not.

  i panicked a bit and said, "i don't know.

  i don't think so.

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  penny2

  Once they get used to the idea that you're not going back (and you get used to the idea that they are used to the idea) - it's very liberating. There might be a bit of pain to get to that point but it's worth it.

  penny
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  43

  Do you remember the moment that you stopped believing that it was "The Truth"?

  by freeflyingfaerie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  was there one incident or epiphany that struck you hard?

  or was it a slow...gradual awakening (no pun)?.

  my coming out of the jw coma (as i like to call it) began at a family rendezvous in the beautiful florida gulf coast.

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  penny2

  I remember clearly the moment I realised it wasn't "the truth" and I wasn't going to die in Armageddon. A family member told me he expected to "grow old". I'd already been "fading" for a few years and leading a bit of a double life. But having that conversation, I realised he was trying to tell me something and the penny dropped.
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  22

  Cheating in the Congregation

  by EXMS in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  how often does anyone see cheating happening throughout the congregation?.

  reason that i ask this is because it happened to me.

  in this three years things seemed to go great.

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  penny2

  Welcome, EXMS. Sorry you had this bad experience. After 3 years - it must have been a shock.

  penny