when trying to figure what out what i now believe and what is true i can only think of one truth that keeps coming back to me...everything is 8
TBL, do you mean you keep coming back to the same point and can't come to any conclusions? Are you OK, TBL?
You don't have to decide what you believe in now or in someone else's time frame. Many of us take our whole lives to decide what to believe in and this can change as we read, learn and grow.
Thinking of you, TBL
penny2
the ridiculous teenager is me.
this story takes me back to 1969, when i was 15 years old.
we were attending the international assembly at wembley stadium, near london, the only time, i think, that wembley was ever used for an assembly.. if youve ever read any of the stories i posted on jwd over the years, youll know that i was never one of those kids growing up in the truth who always had doubts about it or was unhappy and miserable with the religion, just waiting for the chance to get out.
As a teenager I got counselled for my skirt which wasn't quite long enough. The elder told me if I didn't wear a longer skirt, I would be taken off the TMS. That was in the 70s when mini mini-skirts were in fashion. The only clothes which satisfied the elders were 'granny' clothes (which were OK for a granny but not for a "wanting to blend in" teenager). I was most annoyed!
penny2
the other day i visited some jw relatives and they were busy studying the reasoning book in preparation for a meeting.
does anyone know whether they are going through that book in the tms or service meeting?.
penny2.
Penny you would not have me convinced because the whole JW chronology is based on a faulty date.
Put it this way Ticker, I thought it was convincing and no-one ever argued with me. And I always got a 'G' on the TMS.
I was most annoyed when I found out that 607 wasn't correct.
penny2
i want to thank all of you for all your thoughtful pms.
i'll respond to them in time but can't at the moment.
i wanted to just check in and let you know that i'm doing relatively ok. the confrontation with my parents was a bit sticky.
Glad you survived until now, TBL. 3.00am - that sounds like sleep deprivation - isn't that torture? Don't worry too much about proving things to your parents - you can't, because they are totally brainwashed. It should be enough that you don't believe it anymore.
Hope you don't have to face an elder inquisition too soon. We'll be thinking of you in any case!
penny2
hello in there ;-p. wow wow wow.... i never knew such a place existed.... unfortunatly i don't have a lot of time to type right now & believe me i'd need days, perhaps even weeks & i'd probably still feel like i wasn't done.... in short... my name is jodie, i'm from australia, i'm about to turn 32 & i am a jehovah's witness outkast... i wasn't kicked out, i left of my own accord when my parents divorced & i was about 14... my father, my younger brother & me - the 3 black sheep !!
my father was disfellowshipped, he was an elder who also happened to have bi polar... the day ( or technically night ) my father was disfellowshipped was the saddest time of my life - it was more like a death or a funeral, something tragic... when my parents divorced i went to live with dad, i was always closer to my father plus when he left he had nothing... he lived on the river bank in the middle of winter for 6 weeks in a tent ( while his good christian jehovah's witness father & sister slept warm in their beds in the same town... ) dad bought a little caravan & he & i lived in it, eventually he bought some land & built a house & my younger brother joined us.... anyway to cut it all short... i've suffered badly from depression - so badly it's almost killed me & my brother also... the crux of our depression is our mother, our sister's, our grandfather, our aunt's & all of our relatives are jehovah's witnesses - most of them live in the same town as us altho they may as well live on the other side of the world.... you know, sitting here thinking about it all - it all makes perfect sense... how can families be torn apart like this, how do they not realise it is wrong & sad & wicked ??.
i've spent more than half my life trying to have any sort of relationship with the rest of my family.... anyway i have to get going.... hasta la vista .
Hi SpaWn, welcome to JWD. I'm from South Australia - there are quite a few posters here from Australia. Sorry that you, your dad and brother have suffered because of the policies of the WTS. Hope you find some help and healing on this site.
penny2
this subject was discussed last week.
i do not know if anyone has posted this information or not.
if they have, please disregard.
I also thought this was an interesting comment. Especially because they have said the 144,000 was complete in 1935 (except for replacements for those who had become unfaithful).
It would be interesting to know how many of the pre-1935 group are still alive.
'if not, you better get them out to preach six hours a day during summer break!!'.
this is my first post here... i stopped associating a just about a year ago, serving as an elder (wt conductor) up until i stopped going.
multi-generational jw, baptized 1984, pioneered, all that stuff.
Hi TJ, welcome to JWD. Look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
penny2
how many times are they going to study that book.
i left the year that it was published 1988 so i never had a chance to study it at bookstudy.
but i do have a copy(my mom sent me a copy in 1989 hoping i would return to jw's) and i just can't believe they say the whole book of revelation was fulfilled by actions of the wt society and russell and rutherford.
The JWs I know think it's wonderful that the book is being studied again. Faith strengthening to see how everything fits together like a jigsaw and it's so obvious that the end is near. Even the changes are seen positively - it's a sign that the FDS is on the ball and keeping up with "current" truth.
Personally, I think it's being covered again because they've run out of books to study - it was cheaper than printing a completely new publication.
Maybe the GB members are getting tired or the inspiration isn't flowing like it used to. Can you imagine the effort involved in writing a new book and then making sure that every comment is in harmony with other recent interpretations.
penny2
i was baptized in adelaide south australia in 1983 and around this time my first wife and i , along with our small children decided to go to the bethel in sydney new south wales as part of our holiday one summer.
we camped along the way as we travelled the coast road from adelaide and had a really interesting time and when we got to sydney we decided to stay at a caravan camping ground right near bethel ,so we did not have to travell far the next day for our visit there.. when we pulled in to the park and went to register at the office the two people in charge seemed to be very strained and distant when we spoke to them .we setup our tent and unpacked to settle in for dinner and on the way to the shower block i spoke to someone there for a few minutes and remarked that the people who ran this park did'nt seem too freindly.
he then pointed out why, that day a man had killed one of his family and everyone felt nervous and upset because of this .. of course i jumped into witness mode as i was full of "the spirit" not being long baptised ,but just got a blank stare and i knew i should not persue this any more - i feel so stupid now but i'm sure some here can relate to this blind faith enthusiasm as a chance to witness to the great god of the printing presses and think we can help heal all the troubles of the world!.
I also visited the Aussie bethel in about 1983. I was struck by how small the rooms were that 2 single people had to share. The room I saw had 2 single beds at right angles to each other with the head ends touching. I remember thinking how difficult it would be if someone was gay. But the most difficult would be living in such a controlled environment.
penny2
well as you all know its official im no longer a jw.
when my father spoke to me he said other than emergencies he could have no contact with me, thats fine im cool with that.
but i just got a phone call from hubby from my dad who is apparently holidaying in new zealand, to let me know that my great uncle passed away last night.
they totally think they are doing the right thing for me
Yes, they have a very distorted way of looking at things! Hopefully your grandma will set them straight.
Love
penny2
