Posts by esw1966

35

Question

by Moomin in

jw
friends

you've been invited to stay on the island of fiji for 6 months.

your loved ones are not invited, only you are welcome, would you still go?

"I Felt Really Betrayed When I Found Out it Was all a Lie."

by scout575 in

jw
friends

"yes i have anger.

i've been angry at christianity for years.

that doesn't mean i don't love the people who've been brainwashed though.".

esw1966

I am shocked at how SURE I was and how DILIGENTLY I tried to SAVE other people when really I was really hurting those showing interest by leading them down a wrong path.

I do not feel betrayed. I feel that I was blinded and I am GRATEFUL that I am now OUT!

I do not feel it was all a lie either. I think it is a group of Pharisees trying to WORK their way into God's good graces. Along the way they really blew it! And I became one of them in my search for God.

So, YOU wanted to worship God. You went to the wrong source. Find the right one...

We can feel bad for the pain and injury our bad decision caused for us, but we need to regroup and seek out our original goal - worshipping GOD! It really DOES bring you happiness. Living in the past only hurts...

spoken from someone who has lost his marriage, his three kids, his father, and his sister and all of my 'friends' to the society.

38

Question for ex-JWs who are Christians

by whyizit in

jw
friends

i noticed that many who post here have kind of thrown the "baby out with the bathwater", when it comes to the bible and god.. i understand that there is a fine line between love and hate.

maybe they blame god for the deception.

maybe they don't trust anything to do with god any more.

esw1966

I was never angry with God. I was now disfellowshipped a SECOND time and I HAD to stop the insanity. So, I wanted to know why I did what I did. I wanted to have SECURELY in my mind what was true and not true in life and religion, so I looked around while df'd.

I soon came to see jw's were wrong! Shocked...

So, I next went looking for the next "true religion".

I read all sorts of books and listened to religious podcasts. I had a pastor come to my home so that I could ask questions. I soon discovered a church, two infact, that I just LOVE! I go to each of them over the weekend.

I am immersing myself into it, praise music, men's breakfast, camera work, and small groups. I still read tons of religious books. I am completely happy and have real joy in my life that I never experienced as a jw and love motivates my actions.

I LOVE my new change! I fully believe my new beliefs and feel that jws are evil for taking such joy out of christianity!

I always believed that God is a God of LOVE. I knew he would always be there for me if I kept searching.

The timeline for me was 6 months to see that jw was wrong. Then it was 3 months before I stepped into another church. Then one more month before I fell in love with my new church! By the way you can hear them on iTunes under podcasts at Cornwall Church in Bellingham Washington and Christ the King Church in Bellingham. They are great! I think most here would like Cornwall. Also, Mars Hill Church in Seattle with Mark Driscoll can be heard on iTunes and is very good as well.

I saw that the Christian Greek Scriptures really spoke about Jesus and jw's didn't. John 1:1 is translated only 2 ways that I have seen, a God and God. Only jw's say a God. They lied before, I saw this as a lie as well despite how hard it was to change that opinion. I read the Acts through Jude and looked at how they talked about Jesus as BEING the GOOD NEWS! That GRACE WAS a Bible teaching! Suddenly, grace took over my life! It was a surprise what a difference that made in my life! So, I read a lot of books on salvation and grace and the Christian life to re-learn and retrain my mind. I bought several Bibles too. I have the NIV, NASB, and the Message and the KJ.

7

A 30 minute sermon dispelling jw's

by esw1966 in

jw
friends

here is an interesting 30 minute sermon about what jw's believe and where their beliefs conflict with the bible.. frontage roads.

(mormonism & jehovahs witnesses).

november 2324, 2002. pastor bob marvel.

esw1966

I personally liked thinking of the organization as being built by 3 presidents who each died as false prophets.

I enjoyed the fact that when left to just the Bible that people revert to 'normal christianity' after two years.

I liked hearing that they were 'good' people simply on the wrong road. That there IS a correct road which is basically Jesus not any particular religion.

I have a strong faith. I know that doesn't bode well in a place of vengeful angry people who have not gotten over there anger against the society and given up on searching for something God has done and given us - love, forgiveness, and life and freedom.

I think to truly move on you must leave the society and find what it is they covered up that is so good for man.

So, for me, I enjoyed the affirmation that my journey OUT of 'the truth' is a correct choice.

54

I will be turning in my resignation today.

by AK - Jeff in

from the dubs.

after being cornered and tired of the games, i suggested kevin elder meet me and i would give him my letter of da.

he doesn't know it has been posted on this forum and on jwfacts site for a week or better, and that i sent many copies of it out to former friends last friday.

esw1966

Congratulations Jeff!

22

How long did your exit process take?

by StillGroggy in

this has probably been posted before, but i'm new here.

for those who daed or dfed, how long did your exit take and why?.

i'm trying to figure out how long it'll take me to get out.. thanks.

esw1966

I was in for 30 years, ages 9 to 39. I was disfellowshipped about a year and a half ago. I left still firmly believing jw's had the truth.

I searched to know what is right and wrong in life and religion and myself. I left any religious meetings for 6 months. I read books that were interesting to me about religion during that time. Crisis of Conscience, Awakening of a Jehovah's Witness.

Then I started to listen to podcasts of religious meetings. I wanted to see what people believed. It was easy to see what was good or bad.

Soon I began visiting churches. I LOVE my church now! It is Cornwall Church and Christ the King in Bellingham, Washington. You can listen on iTunes.

Now I do camera work and go to men's breakfast clubs and love every minute!

So, for me, about a year and a half. I now have joy and my life is filled with love. I have never been happier. Keep searching and never give up. Gain friends who understand what you are going through. It will help when you have questions. Seek truth, it is out there!

Ethan

7

A 30 minute sermon dispelling jw's

by esw1966 in

jw
friends

here is an interesting 30 minute sermon about what jw's believe and where their beliefs conflict with the bible.. frontage roads.

(mormonism & jehovahs witnesses).

november 2324, 2002. pastor bob marvel.

esw1966

Here is an interesting 30 minute sermon about what jw's believe and where their beliefs conflict with the Bible.

Frontage Roads
(Mormonism & Jehovah’s Witnesses)
November 23–24, 2002
Pastor Bob Marvel
Audio: download | stream ( help )
Notes ( PDF )

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Just push stream or download.

21

Shattered LivesThe Watchtower Trauma and your Healing Process

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

shattered livesthe watchtower trauma and your healing process a few days ago a topic of discussion presented itself .

regarding the subject of suicide and former jehovah's.

witnesses.

esw1966

My desire the whole time was to have a relationship with God.

We didn't go to church as a child and I wanted to go. Soon my parents, in 1975, began studying with jw's. I had been a jw from 9 to 39.

I was on my own, disfellowshipped and divorced without friends or family for chatting online. I sought out truth so that I would never get myself into that mess again.

My search brought me to an unexpected place - JW's were wrong and unchristian! I listened to many different religious podcasts to find out the beliefs of others.

I took my first belief that love was all important. Then I took on that Jesus was the answer to Christianity. Soon, I was agreeing with different Christian churches in town. (I had moved OUT of my home state and now live 1500 miles away!)

Now, I am getting involved at Cornwall Church and I LOVE it!!! I have never been happier and my life is filled with JOY and LOVE! I do camera work, men's breakfast meetings, small groups, etc.!!!

As time progresses I get more and more convinced that jw's are on the wrong path and on a path to destruction. I am SO FREE now!!

I feel VERY fortunate to have gotten out and I encourage all to find God at a good community church. You will be so happy you did. Just hold on, do not give up, know that it will take some time. I read MANY books on religion and listen to religious podcasts constantly. I now LOVE to listen to Christian Praise music! (I used to HATE it!) My life is filled with positive things, love and joy! Something I NEVER had as a jw. I do not feel that any at the hall had joy, just a facade of happiness.

Stick with it. Search. Pray. Seek. You WILL find God. He DOES love you. He WILL guide you! NEVER give up on him just because you were misled by wolves in sheeps clothing! Realize that the past brought you to where you are now and do not feel guilt or shame or embarrassment on the past, you did the best you could at the time with what you knew then.

send me a note if you have questions...

21

5 questions

by Iforget in

jw
friends

i read here so much that sometimes it makes my head hurt with how much bs i have been fed all of my life.

now that i am studying another religion i am so pissed off i can't see straight.

i don't care to get into a heated debate with my family over what i am choosing to do so i come here asking for 5 questions (there can be plenty more) that i can just say to my family that would give them pause as to why i am not going to their church anymore.

esw1966

I like the point that each of the first 3 presidents of the wtbs died as false prophets.

Russel - 1914

Rutherford - 1925

Knorr - 1975

Each came and went.

The other point I like is the wtbs admission that for any who choose not to read their publications but just read the Bible that these return to regular and normal Christian teaching. But for those who do not read the Bible but continue to read the organizational material, they will continue to be 'strong jws'.

It just shows that they have gone off the path of true Bible teaching and have chosen their OWN truth.

For those looking for christianity...

by esw1966 in

i am fully aware of each of the journeys each of us is on spiritually.. as a person who has left jw's after 30 years, i wanted to share with others who were looking for god and were searching for truth the truth that has transformed my life and brought me joy.. i offer this to those who are searching.

i feel it is the truth and that it will bless your life.

it has changed mine in a way i never expected.. if you want to hear it you can just click on download or stream.

esw1966

I am fully aware of each of the journeys each of us is on spiritually.

As a person who has left jw's after 30 years, I wanted to share with others who were looking for God and were searching for truth the truth that has transformed my life and brought me joy.

I offer this to those who are searching. I feel it is the truth and that it will bless your life. It has changed mine in a way I never expected.

If you want to hear it you can just click on download or stream. The website is at cornwallchurch.com

Current Series: September 16 - October 8, 2006

Bottle At The Source Pastor Bob Marvel | October 7/8, 2006 Audio: download | stream ( help )
Notes: download PDF ( help )