Posts by Dawn

2

A relationship past...

by Dawn in

jw
friends

when i was 18 i was engaged to a young boy that i was maddly in love with.

it was the real, overwhelming, first love.

when you think "this is it - i could never live without this person".

When I was 18 I was engaged to a young boy that I was maddly in love with. It was the real, overwhelming, first love. When you think "this is it - I could never live without this person". It ended bitterly, a few months before our planned wedding. I was very hurt for a long time. We tried getting back together a year later, I still loved him so much, and I stupidly let him into my heart only to be hurt again.

I eventually healed from that, moved on, married a wonderful man that I love. We have two great kids and a very good life. I am happy now and would not trade what I have to go back to that boy I loved so many years ago. It's funny to think back at how one time I thought I could not live without this person, yet today I am so thankful that he is no part of my life.

He is an elder now - and I find it interesting how my past relationship with him represents my whole past relationship with the JW's.

I will forever be affected by it because it is one of those many small pieces that make up who I am today. But I am no longer controlled by it. It's not something I think of daily. It's no longer a part of who I am. I remember what it was like, but it's something completely in the past.

To all of those who are just leaving, or wanting to leave and are feeling the pain of lost family and friends. I encourage you to keep your eye on the future. Your life as a JW will some day be just like an old flame. Something that was once a very strong and powerful motivator in your life - very emotional at one time, but now just a memory of what once was.

Life will go on. And someday you will sit back, and just like you ponder on a past old flame wondering "what did I ever see in them?" you will ponder on your past life as a JW and say "how did I let them do that to me?". Then you'll remember that it's just part of life. A lesson learned.

22

A JWs thought on volunteering

by kls in

i was reading our local paper and there was a article that a hospice has opened in our area and volunteers are needed to help take care of those who's time is very short.

i thought about it ,if i could handle seeing these people die in-front of me and seeing the sorrow on their loved one's face's , so i mentioned my thought's to my jw husband how i would like to volunteer at the hospice and help them with the caring they need before they die.

who did i think i was telling this to, his answer to me was ,,,,what ?

Dawn

I agree with FairMinded. Not ALL JW's feel that way. But the majority do see it as a waste of time.

Additionally - it's not just the majority of JW's that feel that way. I have friends and family that feel the same way and have never been JW's. So you get that attitude in all grops of life.

You might want to pull out the bible and show your husband again, the story of the good samaritan in Luke. It's interesting to note - if read closely - that the one who would gain eternal life is the one who showed MERCY to someone that was not in his "group" - even someone that was generally felt as "less than worthy" by the "group".

32

What day was man created?

by Gadget in

according to the bibles account of creation, there seems to be a contridiction as to when man was created.

the theory accepted by most people i've spoken to is that, according to gen 2:7, 7 and jehovah god proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul, stating that man was created on the seventh creative day.. however, genesis 1:27 states that on the 6th creative day, 27 and god proceeded to create the man in his image, in god?s image he created him; male and female he created them.. so were man created on the 6th or 7th creative day?

and if god created man on the 7th day, then later created woman from man why does the bible state that he created man and woman at the same time on the 6th day?

Dawn

Why would the eternal creator of the universe be setting his clock and making out his schedule by the orbital or rotational periods of the Earth or Moon anyway?

Especially since the moon and sun, according to the Genesis account, were not created until somewhere around the 4th day (don't remember exactly). Personally, I don't think it is meant to be taken literally.

4

Children preaching in the freezing rain.

by heyfea in

jw
friends

a long time ago,on cold and rainy halloween, while i was still in the borg, i was waiting for my husband in a corner, and remember watching parents and their little children in their halloween customs going from store to store collecting candy.

i thought that the parents were absolut morons.

now that i'm out, i think, the jws parents are also morons.

Dawn

I wanted to go to my friend's halloween costume party dressed as a JW - but he told me I would get thrown out.

So I opted to go as a black cat instead. I do have to say - the cat costume was cuter than the JW costume!

20

I don't play their game any longer

by Dawn in

jw
friends

i've posted a few times about the troubles with my poor mom and the &*!

@# elders telling her she can't talk to her daughter.

being that i'm the only family she has here to take care of her.. anyways - i've kept my distance out of respect for her....that is...until a few weeks ago.

Dawn

It amazes me how many still have the fear even after they've left

True! It's time to watch some of those elders fear ME! Bring it on boys......

28

I never knew

by Bubbamar in

i recently bought a bible after not having one or cracking one open for 18 years.

it's amazing how different it is now.

i thought it was all mumbo jumbo contradictions and insane ramblings.

Dawn

I think that a lot of these stories are just basically stories of a less civilized culture - using "God" as their excuse for their wars and behavior. I see this in other cultures when studying Anthropology. Just because they claim it was God who told them to do it - doesn't mean it WAS God.

After all - how many modern day preachers claim God is telling them to ask for $$$ for their religous empires???

I think that God is much more than what is offered in the old testament - I think the old testament is a very limited view of who God is based on a limited understanding of a savage culture.

My 2 cents.

9

Mis-placed Elders

by tazmaniac in

jw
friends

did you have elders in your congregation that were in positions they could not handle?

we used to have a school overseer that was one of the worst public speakers we ever had.

funny watching mothers faces while their child was being counseled on a point that the school overseer himself never mastered.

Dawn

We had quite a few elders who were horrendously bad public speakers.

The last memorial service I ever went to was with my son (to please mom) and the worst speaker ever gave the talk. My son and I tried not to laugh out loud as he was "filling time" during the passing of the emblems by giving us the recipe for making unleavened bread.

It was especially painful for me to sit through since I had begun attending a new church where the pastor is an incredibly dynamic speaker that keeps you really engaged - and the music is modern christian rock - with a baptist flair. Much more fun! Oh yea - and I can partake of the emblems at this new church without any shocked looks.

4

Children preaching in the freezing rain.

by heyfea in

jw
friends

a long time ago,on cold and rainy halloween, while i was still in the borg, i was waiting for my husband in a corner, and remember watching parents and their little children in their halloween customs going from store to store collecting candy.

i thought that the parents were absolut morons.

now that i'm out, i think, the jws parents are also morons.

Dawn

I'm sure I did - but I just don't remember it.

But I do remember one freezing Halloween taking my son trick-or-treating. Believe me - I would have much rather stayed in by the fire and drink hot cocoa - but he, being 5 at the time, was having NONE of that! He wanted to go trick-or-treating even though it was only about 3 degrees outside. So I bundled him up and took him for as long as he wanted.

I would imagine it makes a difference WHAT you're doing in the bad weather. If the kids want to go - then so be it. I've been snow skiing in some pretty horrendous snow storms and thought it was a blast. But door-to-door in a milder cold rainy day - nah!

20

Why does it hurt so much?

by Purza in

jw
friends

i am feeling pretty negative today.

i got a call from a family member (a successfully faded family member) who asked me if i was going to another family member?s wedding.

i told him i had not been invited.

Dawn

(((Purza)))

I think that JW's have been so used to marking/shunning/etc for so long that they don't even realize how hurtful and unchristian they are behaving. After all - it's supposed to be OUR fault they have to treat us this way right?

Your friend may not yet be completely free of that way of thinking - but be patient with her and know that it is not YOU. It took me some time to really get free and realize how I had hurt other people.

8

The special room in high school for JWs

by Nosferatu in

jw
friends

i don't know how many of you went through this, but did you have to go to a special classroom with other jws in it for the national anthem?.

i remember encountering this, and i thought it was weird.

i remember being told not to be in the classroom, but this was a classroom!

Dawn

When my son graduated this year mom came to his ceremony along with me, hubby, and hubby's parents (hubby & his parents were never JW's). I felt sorry for her when the national anthem played - she was shocked to see not only me, but my daughter and my graduating son all stand and put our hands over our hearts.

Gee - I've been celebrating holidays for years now - even fly a flag outside my house. You'd think she would have guess that I also show respect during the anthem hu?