Posts by LisaRose

38

Decided to sign up...

by campaign of hate in

so i decided to sign up after many years of lurking.

started researching after finding out about ray franz, which inevitably brought me to this site.. i'm still well and truly inn, but don't want to give any information out, i'm sure you guys know the reasons.. since "jay double you .

org" came online, there has been a definite sense of hysteria with everyone who is "inn", and i get a feeling it's going to get a whole lot crazier as the years press on.. one point i would like to raise is that i feel, without a doubt, that 2034 is going to be the new finish line.

LisaRose

I was reading a book the other day, it was historical fiction, but took place during the time of the Millerites, a group following William Miller. The believed based on some chronology he pulled out of his rear that the end was coming in 1843. People actually didn't bother bringing in the crops or milking the cows, they went up on the roof of their barn and waited for the end. At the end of the night they sheepishly got down and went on with their lives.

The millerites did not give up, they then explained that Christ had come invisibly (sound familiar?) Various factions come up with alternate theories and new dates, one group becoming the Seventh Day adventists, and of course CT Russel browsed heavily from them for his own special end time predictions. The bible states quite cleary that no one knows the day or the hour, so anyone making any prediction is going against the scriptures, but they just keep doing it because fear is useful to manipulate people. The more things change, the more they remain the same. It's a con game that has been going on for a while.

It made me realize that I was just as foolish as those people standing on the roof of their barn. It's hard thing to have to admit you were wrong, but the alternative is to remain in ignorance, afraid to see reality.

33

Losing Faith

by cappytan in

i've always been a "spiritual" person.

i've been an avid bible reader since as early as i can remember.

i read the bible cover to cover for the first time when i was about 17 years old and have read it at least twice more since then.

LisaRose

It's a dilemma, one we all have faced. No one can make that decision for you, each person and their circumstances are different. There is a price to be paid no matter what you do, it's hard living a lie, it takes its toll. It's also hard to lose family and friends, the harsh disfellowshiping policies are there to keep people from leaving, being shunned is very painful.

I am glad I left, I would never go back, but that doesn't work for everyone.

54

Separated from a loveless Marriage

by PLAYGROUND in

i don't know where to start.

i got married a year and half ago.

some months into the marriage things where discovered.

LisaRose

Erased post, the cat stepped on my Kindle, her post was way off topic.

54

Separated from a loveless Marriage

by PLAYGROUND in

i don't know where to start.

i got married a year and half ago.

some months into the marriage things where discovered.

LisaRose

I spent 28 years in such a marriage, trust me, it won't get better. I finally realized that no God of love would expect me to live like that, so I left the husband and the religion. That was fifteen years ago and I have never been happier.

51

Is this a discussion forum or a debating forum , which is it ?

by smiddy in

jw
friends

do you get confused sometimes whether this site is a discussion forum or a debating forum ?.

just asking.

whats your thoughts.. smiddy.

LisaRose

I know of no discussion forum that doesn't involve some debate, it's the nature of the beast. There are some topics that are always going to be contentious, it's pretty simple to avoid them if you don't like that kind of thing. I find them interesting, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood for it, so I avoid them, no problem. It is what it is.

23

When they ask in exasperation; "But what if it IS the Truth?"

by nicolaou in

this is how robert ingersoll responded to a fundamentalist's question, 'what if it's the truth?

' back in the 19th century.

"why," they say to me, "suppose all this should turn out to be true, and you should come to the day of judgement and find all these things to be true.

LisaRose

You could ask yourself what if Martians land on the earth, or what if pigs fly, or any of a thousand other improbable "what ifs". The question is not "what if it's the truth" but why would it be?

You just have to use common sense and reason, and the possibility that some almighty creator made humans and then sat idly by while his creation killed each other in a million cruel ways seems quite remote to me.

I go with the odds.

28

1st POST: A romance with a JW

by myangelface in

i am not a jw ...however i began having bible studies (i d call them watchtower studies).

i was beginning to get lured in and brainwashed into accepting the religion as the true religion...but something inside of me told me there was something odd.

some time passes and i was invited to a meeting and i accepted.

LisaRose

Why would you want someone who feels guilty about being with you? You will probably not be able to convince him that this religion is not "the truth", and he would always feel guilty that he was weak and resent the fact that you seduced him. Does that sound like a good way to start a relationship to you?

Walk away from this.

26

Counsellor needed please!

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

hi all.. i have noticed that many of our forum members have sought professional help from counsellors who deal with ones like us who have broken free from high control groups or "cults".. my self esteem has been rocked by recent events in the cong, and while i know ttatt it still has taken my joy in life away quite a bit.. as you all know, mentally i broke free from the org several years ago, but now that i am trying to start making the physical break, i feel really unsettled and nervous.. i wonder if a good counsellor could assist in helping me clarify and sort my feelings and emotions , and provide help to take practical steps to cut all ties with the org?.

if anyone can provide ideas of good counsellors, it would be appreciated.. thanks everyone!.

LisaRose

Definitely get counseling if you can, or at least try and find a support group. Knowing ttatt does not mean it hurts any less when you lose your friends, it's still painful. Don't set any expectations about how long it will take to feel normal, it takes as long as it takes. Be kind to yourself.

I highly recommend meditation, it costs nothing and takes only a little time. It has been life changing for me. I sometimes have high blood pressure, 140 or more, after meditating more the last few weeks it is down to 117, probably better than meds could do.

40

First Time Post - Long time reader

by Samaritan At the Well in

today is my first post on jwd, i was one of jehovahs witness for almost 50 years of my life, i was born into the religion.

i was baptized at a young age and once i got married i was a very spiritual woman as they would call me.

my husband and i served as full time pioneers, we traveled abroad and went to international conventions, did some special pioneer service in other states in the us.

LisaRose

Welcome, very good story, I am so glad you found the truth after many years of "The Lie".

41

Do you believe what the Bible teaches? If "yes", why? If "no", why?

by Tenacious in

if you do believe in the bible's message, do you believe society has gotten better, worse, or has remained the same?.

if you don't believe in the bible's message, do you believe society has gotten better, worse, or has remained the same?.

on a personal note, there are many things that i can't help but notice that coincide with what the apostle paul wrote to timothy in his second letter chapter 3 regarding tough times:.

LisaRose

The words of Paul resonate with me when statistically speaking, the wars that Jesus describes in the gospels, the violence that is so prevalent today as opposed to 50 years ago.

Your sentence makes no sense, but I am guessing you mean that there is more violence today than fifty years ago. Of course the population has increased dramatically, but do you have statistics that prove you are more likely to be the victim of violence today as opposed to fifty years ago?

Most kids growing up today are much more independent and rebellious with parents.

Society has changed, people are not raising their children as they did in the fifties. I think that in some ways that is a good thing, we need people who can think independently to solve the problems in the world. I think in some ways we have become too permissive, but I don't want to go back to the conformist fifties either, which wasn't as carefree as some would like to believe. I think we need to improve, but it's not hopeless by any means.

Corporate greed has skyrocketed

Really? Corporations weren't greedy 100 years ago, when children worked in coal mines ? Corporations have always been greedy, but we have more laws now to keep them in check.

and while many third world countries have improved dramatically, there are still millions of people who live in poverty and die hungry.

Yes, we should do something about that. As Jesus said, the poor will always be with us, so how is that a sign of anything?

It's the nature of people to focus on bad news and to think things are some much worse now. And if you are invested in believing that we are in the last days, then you will more likely to focus on the bad in the world. I think that is a mistake, because you miss all the good there is and you don't do anything to improve the world, because you think it's hopeless.

People have been speculating that the end is near since the time of Jesus. The founder of the JWs was convinced he was in the last days and the end would come in 1914. He based much of it on others who wrongly predicted other dates. The fact is every generation had some who thought things were so bad it must be the last days. These beliefs are based more on perception than fact.