lovelylil

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Posts by lovelylil

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  14

  Did you get depression?

  by KW13 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

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  after i left and maybe even during i was depressed and down a lot.

  even now i suffer in some ways like that.. do you or have you?.

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  lovelylil

  I have suffered since I was young from depression but when I was in the Org. it was very severe. I think it had to do with all the requirements they put on you, it is hard for an emotionally healthy person to keep up with never mind one that is ill. I was on two kinds of antidepressents and still almsot committed suicide twice. Since leaving about two years ago, I am totally off meds but still get what I call "the blues" once in a while. You may still feel depressed as your mom is still in and you cannot have a decent relationship with her because of it. That is hard. I am blessed that my hubby and kids came out with me. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Lilly
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  1

  Could you be a legalist Quiz

  by lovelylil in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i found this interesting quiz on the plain truth ministries website.

  i enjoy reading some of the articles there.

  and the pastor greg albrecht recently wrote a book called "bad news religion", has anyone read it?

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  lovelylil

  I found this interesting quiz on the Plain Truth Ministries Website. I enjoy reading some of the articles there. And the Pastor Greg Albrecht recently wrote a book called "Bad News Religion", has anyone read it? I wish I did before joining the Witnesses because it would have saved me 10 years of slavery. Anyway, see how your church does.

  Could you be a legalist?—Take the quiz!

  Answer yes or no to the following questions:

  1) God's love for me depends on what I do.

  2) Meeting the expectations of others, especially those in my congregation or in positions of authority, are paramount.

  3) Moral and ethical questions are usually black and white and only made into fuzzy shades of gray by hand-wringing, bleeding-heart types.

  4) I try hard to obey God and it irritates me that others think they can get away with avoiding the same level of dedication.

  5) I fall short because I don't have enough faith, or because I haven't prayed enough, or because I just need to be a better person.

  6) God is predisposed to be angry with me because I am a sinner. My main goal in life is to try to gain God's favor by doing things that will impress him.

  7) My sense of spiritual well-being is linked to a Christian leader or membership in my church rather than a personal relationship with God.

  8) I tell my children not to do something in church or around other Christian families that I allow in my home.

  9) I believe my church is God's true church and that most other Christians may be sincere, but are sincerely wrong.

  10) The exterior choices a person makes in what they wear, hairstyle, piercings, tattoos, etc. is a clear indication of that person's character.

  11) I sometimes worry that people might take advantage of grace if it's preached too much —people might think they can do anything they want.

  12) After being around Christians for a while I feel drained —weary of putting up a false front.

  13) When I happen to miss a service or activity of my church I feel guilty.

  14) I will likely get into heaven, even though I'm far from perfect, because I have tried to be a basically good person and God will take that into account

  The more you answer yes, the more legalistic you are or your church. Go to www.ptm.com to find out how to combat legalism.
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  12

  SINCE THE END IS NEAR WE CANNOT MISS THE MEETINGS

  by What-A-Coincidence in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  well, seems like i can't get away - the elders my parents.

  dangit!.

  my parents and i were watching the news and low and behold ... my mom blurts out, "we are in the end huh?

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  lovelylil

  Coincidance,

  you make a good point. The Witnesses are too hung up on their meeting schedule routine and listening to every word from the WT as if it is from Jehovah and Jesus themselves. I wonder if any would have enough faith in God to survive an "amegeddon" like they describe IF their precious WT society is destroyed? If no one is there to tell them exactly what to do, what will happen to them? I pray that God opens their eyes soon and releases them from the bondage of false religion a.k.a. Babylon the Great.
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  31

  Are Christendoms Sheperds any Better than Witness Sheperds?

  by gumby in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i've been out since about 1995.......and never had an elder call on me.

  not that i desire this....but.. suppose you were an elder in a church of christendom and you were removed because you smoked and they felt you weren't exemplary.

  after that, you never went to that church again.

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  lovelylil

  The one I attend is very loving. Lots of stress on grace and not works. And I enjoy the fellowship before and after. It is so different from the KH where it was so stuffy. I really feel encouraged when I leave and you can feel the love there. It is not fake like at the KH. I live so far away though that we only get there about 2x a month. I always get emails though from some of the members just to say hello and see how we are doing in our "neck of the woods". I think it depends on the church. Some are more loving than others.
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  7

  I'm running in a 5K tomorrow

  by jstalin in

  1. social
  2. physical

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  i'm running in a 5k tomorrow, wish me luck.

  i've just started running again and i'm not sure i'm gonna be able to make it :p

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  lovelylil

  good luck to you. Eat some carbs tonight for energy.
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  24

  When former Witnesses do this, it kind of freaks me out.

  by free2beme in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  okay, this is going to step on someones toes, i just know it.. when i stopped going to the meetings, i was talking a person at the time in the 1990's who had been out for a long time.

  i thought it was interesting when he mentioned that he still went to meetings and worshipped jehovah, just not with the watchtower.

  so i was wondering what he meant, and one weekend while in california with him and a group function for my employer at the time, he invited me to go a meeting.

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  lovelylil

  There are a lot of groups out there that are similiar to the witnesses. I associated with one for a very brief time after leaving the WT. For many, they have not learned to rely on God on a personal basis and still feel they need to go to a place to get spiritual food. So, for them this is like an easy transition from the witnesses. Or I should say an easy replacement.

  I found that it was exactly the same and I had to decide whether I wanted to do down the same road again. Of course I decided no way, been there, done that. Why would I want to go to meetings again and have things interpreted for me? I decided that thru faith in Christ, I could now approach God directly.

  Anyway, when my hubby and I went to this "bible group" and they started quoting from the WTs, just like the Witnesses (because they are another Russell Group) and used the same catch phrases like asking how we learned "the truth", we felt like we were in the twilight Zone. I dont blame you for not going back.
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  40

  Hello

  by EyesOpened in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  my parents became jw's in 1972 - i was 6 yrs old.

  i followed their lead, baptized at 15, regular pioneer at 19, ms at 21, elder at 27. have given district and circuit talks, tms overseer yada, yada, yada... .

  last september i stopped and haven't looked back.

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  lovelylil

  Hi eyesopened,

  welcome to the board. Many of us have felt the same way as you do right now when we left. It took me over a year to break down the WT teachings and build up my faith I have today. It is hard in the beginning to decide what to believe and many are not even ready to think about religion until they are fully decompressed from all the meetings, etc. that comes with being a witness.

  It just takes time that is all. I think you will like this board. There is a great mixture of information and it is an excellent resource for information.

  I feel for you, I have been there. I brought my family in about 14 years ago, stayed for 12 and then helped lead them out.

  I'll be saying prayers for you that no matter which direction you go in, you will have peace. Welcome again, glad to have you here, Lilly
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  17

  What would you do.....

  by delilah in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  tonight, my son's school put on an opera.

  during the second scene, my son was helping the younger grades to step up onto the stage, and one of the girl's costume got caught on the stairs.

  my son reached out to help her, and the principle appeared, asked what he thought he was doing, and then proceeded to reach out and slap him across the back of the head.

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  lovelylil

  poor kid. I know when my son went thru this it was very traumatic. This teacher he had kept picking on him and embarrasing him in front of the class. When the principle would confront the teacher she would just deny it. But eventually becuase I kept complaining and told them I was going to the superintendent in charge of the school, the priniciple sent a spy down to see what was going on.

  Well, they did not tell me exactly what happened when the spy was there but the teacher was reprimanded and had to opologize to my son. He felt better after that. And I raised complete HELL threatening the school with my lawyer. I told them that if my son feels in any way at all that he is retaliated against, I would hit my lawyers number on my speedial!

  Some may think I went overboard but I used to work in education of young kids and I have seen too many "adults" abuse their power and emotionally abuse children. this is so traumatic for them because they are in a position where they are so vulnerable. And I hate it when this happens.

  My daughter who is a 7th grader and her teacher called a boy in class an idiot and told him he was mentally retarded. Well, this offended my daughter too becuase my kids know it is so outrageous so I called the school to complain. The boy's parents spoke up too which was great and the school put this teacher on a warning.

  Good luck, I hope it all works out well. Your son is very lucky to have a mom like you who is so involved. I always tell my kids new teachers that whatever happens in school with them, I will know about it the SECOND they get in my car at the end of the day, because my kids tell me EVERYTHING! Whether good or bad and I want to keep it that way. Your son is lucky that you can talk with him about issues like this. And it is so important for him to know that he did nothing wrong and this lady, although an adult was acting inapproprately - as I am sure you told him already.
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  27

  What Used To Bother Your Conscience?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  many jws were trained to have "sensitive" consciences.

  very little ever bothered my conscience.

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  lovelylil

  I hated the term "worldly" or "worldlings" the Witnesses used (sometimes I used it too in the beginning but it really started to bother me) to use for everyone other than themselves. To me, this term was very judgemental and I could not understand how we could use it and then say things like "only Jehovah can read hearts". Then if that is the case, how can we judge someone as worldly?

  A little off the topic:

  Also my biggest pet peave: Parents with unbelieving mates who had their young children try to "talk" to them and tell them that they did not want them destroyed so they want them to come to the meetings". This put so much stress on some of the young kids I knew in the hall and I found it utterly offensive and said so. My hubby taught me kids this too but I went behind his back and told them it was not true.
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  74

  Please don't take offence at this ...

  by Joe Grundy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm not a jw, never have been, and in no danger of becoming one.. having read several of the wt mags and publications (and many more extracts on this and other sites) they come across to me as being very patronising in tone and full of pseudo-scholarship, misquoted (or unnamed) sources, references taken out of context, mis-translations, etc.

  i'm aware of jw 'teaching' on the subject of higher education for its members (i.e.

  not a good or necessary thing) so i can understand why many jws raised in it may not challenge the publications.

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  lovelylil

  Joe,

  I understood what you meant. You were talking about education level not intelligence. There is a difference. Because of my education and training in the english language (english on college level & writing), I was able to see all the subtle inferences in the WT. Such as insinuating that someone is spiritual weak for not attending meetings, instead of directly saying it. My hubby who only went thru high school thought I was crazy and just being negative as he could not see until we left that the WT was doing this. I am sure everyone out there knows what I am saying. Many JWs are very intelligent but may not have the skills needed to see throught the veil of the WT.