Posts by LisaRose

29

My fade might well start today.

by StarTrekAngel in

many here whom have read my previous posts know more or less my situation.

wife is not hardcore but we still bump heads from time to time.

if it wasn't for this cult, and while it was not an issue, we had an almost perfect marriage.

LisaRose

If you had a good marriage for many years the odds are good that you can salvage this. Yes, it will be hard, and it's not ideal, but divorce will also be very hard on you, your girls and your wife.It won't solve your issues of how to bring up the girls, in fact you will have even less influence. Of course your wife will present her side of things, be prepared for that to make sure things stay on tract with the therapist. Your therapist is not going to jump in and criticize your wife's religion right off the bat, he/she will probably just seek to take in information at this point and built up trust, but it doesn't mean he/she will believe everything your wife says, so be patient.

Make sure you are calm and neutral, but don't let your wife get away with pretending that this is just a normal religion, because it is not. Most JWs present one side to people outside the group, but we know what they really believe and teach. Explain to the therapist that if your children become JWs it will result in them eventually shunning you. Show the therapist the Caleb and Sofia videos and the bible stories book. Talk about their baptism of young children, and the repercussions if they later chose to not be JWs, the shunning. Talk about their low retention rate and high suicide rate. Have quotes from the Watchtower showing how warped their teachings are. Have the evidence that they are a cult.

This is actually a good opportunity for you, your wife can see first hand how other people react to what Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe as compared to the whitewashed version they sell to the public.

69

Did you know anyone who commited suicide in the org?

by JH in

jw
friends

back in 1991, a young brother maybe 18 years old living next to my place committed suicide.

his father expected him to be very zealous just like he was, but the son never wanted to be like that.

he was always controlled by his father.

LisaRose

I know of five or more. It's not a religion that is kind, especially to those who suffer from depression or any other mental illness.

51

Happy Veterans Day! (America)

by freemindfade in

people have varied and strong feelings about politics and wars, but you can't deny the courage a sacrifice of our veterans.

too often they do not get the honor they deserve.

in this country once they come home their sacrifice and heroism is too quickly forgotten.

LisaRose

Here is my two cents on the miltary and war.

My husband is a veteran, he did twenty five years in the Army, retiring as a chief warrant officer. He is a peaceful man who would never hurt a fellow human if he didn't have to, but he knows that any country that does not have an army will soon be taken by some other country that wants what they have or doesn't like their religion. That is a reality. Since an army is a necessity, someone has to serve in it. Servicemen and women do not have the luxury of picking and choosing what war they want to serve in, they don't make the decision, they just do their duty. My husband served in Desert Storm, a war he did not agree with at the time, but he did his duty, because that is who he is.

As part of the breaching force he was told to expect 40% casualties. Fortunately that was not the case, he never even fired his weapon at another person, but he had to think about his death, and as he was a sergeant at the time, the death of the young men he served with. It was a life changing experience, not enjoyable in any way, but he did it because that was what he was trained to do, that is who he is. When 9/11 happened he even volunteered to reenlist, because he has such a strong sense of duty. Fortunately they did not take him up on his offer, but at 48 he was willing to do so.

I am very proud of my husband and my step son, who is a former marine, served in Afghanistan and Iraq and currently serves in the army reserves, and of my grandson, who is currently serving in the Air Force. Yes, war is a horrible thing, no one knows that better than those who have been in it, but because of people like them, other people can sit safely at home, criticising them for doing what has to be done to keep them sitting safely at home.

This is not aimed at TruthSeeker, I understand his attitude and am not offended, as Jehovah's Witnesses we were taught to look down on the military and military service. At the same time, as the wife, mother and grand mother of warriors, I wanted to show why these brave men do what they do, it is simply honor and duty, not love of violence or hatred for others.

51

Happy Veterans Day! (America)

by freemindfade in

people have varied and strong feelings about politics and wars, but you can't deny the courage a sacrifice of our veterans.

too often they do not get the honor they deserve.

in this country once they come home their sacrifice and heroism is too quickly forgotten.

LisaRose

For all who have served, thank you for your service.

183

JWs have more good points than bad

by lsw1961 in

1) many who were on the destructive path have been transformed by their teachings (this includes me who was once vicious, and presumptuous and atheistic).

2) equal monthly pay to all members of the bethel community regardless of whether they are bc members or sweepers.

this is something that still remains as an unattainable dream for the world.

LisaRose

The fact the Watchtower does some good means nothing, every religion does some good. The lie about their history, manipulate people using fear, obligation and guilt and wrongly claim to be God's sole channel of communication to mankind. If they truly were being led by God, they wouldn't have to keep flip flopping on doctrine and wouldn't need to lie. There are far better religions that this one, religions that don't break up families, that don't hide pedophiles, that don't push people into suicide.

By their own teachings any religion that teaches falsehoods should be rejected.

2

Allen Toussaint 1938-2015

by glenster in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dy2tuf915e https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr5v3m6jmwy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7abp4q33laa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/allen_toussaint

LisaRose

It's funny, I was just thinking about Lady Marmelade a few days ago.

51

One Year Later - A Thank You to Tony Morris.

by cappytan in

jw
friends

dear anthony morris, iii:.

i wanted to send you a note of "thanks" on this special day.. why is this day special, you may ask?

one year ago today, you, tony, woke me up to the fact that the governing body could not have jehovah's blessing or direction.. last year, on november 8th & 9th, 2014, the united states branch visit was broadcast to over 1,000,000 jehovah's witnesses across the country.. as i sat at the kingdom hall listening to the "historic occasion," i was ignoring certain doubts that had surfaced in the few months prior.

LisaRose

Well put Cappytan. Perhaps in years to come we will look back and realize this was the turning point, the beginning of the end. I hope so. This leader of the Watchtower showed all Jehovah's witnesses what he was, a petty little tyrant. A religion facing huge problems with money, that has the lowest retention rate of any religion, that has been accused of protecting pedophiles, chooses to speak out on the evils of ......tight pants.

Truth really is stranger than fiction.

17

JW Religion same as Stock Market/Gambling (Concept)

by Da.Furious in

for the last few days i was discussing with a colleague of mine at work about the stock market and how some people, even when losing money, they will hold onto their shares because someone said they will rise again.

this may lead to lost opportunities or even losing all their money instead of de-risking and offsetting loses by buying another stock, in other word jumping ship.. this got me thinking about jws (knowing that i am still in).

took one step back and looked at our family and what we have done by sticking to this religion.

LisaRose

They understand human nature. The more people have invested in a decision or belief, they less likely they are to admit they made a mistake, even to themselves. It's easier to keep hanging on, hoping for a payoff than admit they made a mistake and cut their losses.

25

Brian Williams should interview Ben Carson

by Simon in

just imagine the crazy stories they could invent together !.

ben carson has to be finished as a candidate doesn't he?

can you imagine him being the republican nominee?

LisaRose

The republican party is in trouble when their two leading candidates are delusional narcissists. Having been a JW I get the cognitive dissonance that would allow someone to believe the things they seem to believe, but I can't imagine either Carson or Trump running the country. Both have excelled in certain areas, where they were in a controlled environment and where they were top of the food chain, but neither has an ounce of introspection, or any awareness of their own faults. They are good for the interesting sound bite, but that does not in any way indicate someone who is ready to lead the country. People want easy answers and these two give it, but it's not that simple.

58

I gave the elders some ammo to use

by atacrossroads in

jw
friends

i was having dinner at olive garden with my cousin who was disfellowshipped for apostacy.

a holier than thou pioneer couple saw us.

if that was not enough i saw her take a picture of me with my cousin.

LisaRose

Oh you evil hussy, having dinner with a relative, how dare you!

If it were not for the fact that these clowns can cause you to be shunned by your family it would be funny. I think most normal people would be shocked that in 2013, in a civilized country, an adult person would be shunned by their family over having dinner with a cousin, because that cousin decided to leave a religion. It's absurd, only highly indoctrinated cult members wouldn't see how ridiculous it all is.

This is the problem with fading. Depending on your circumstances, it sometimes means you have to live a life of secrets, or else be constantly looking over your shoulder, wondering when you will get outed. Only you can decide if fading is worth it to you, you might be able to lie your way through the JC, but then you will have to live like that, pretending and hiding your true feelings, in the immortal words of Sweet Brown, "ain't nobody got time for that!"

I couldn't do it. My JW brother friended me on Facebook and I tried for a time to maintain two lists, one for non JWs, one for everyone else, but it was too much work, so now I send everything to everyone, whether it's my Halloween outfit, Christmas pictures or whatever. If he doesn't like it, that is his problem, he can unfriend me, I am fine either way.

Do what you have to do.