Posts by LisaRose

3

been their, done that

by olongapo joe in

ok, i was never baptized, raised jw from one yr old till 15 yr old, never really believed, joined u.s. navy at 20 yr old.

i used to think(still do) how much the jw organization was like the military!

to advance, you have to hit certain marks, ( for the military you need high marks in physical fitness) (( could that be field service for jw's?

My husband is a retired army warrant officer, I sometimes see correlations between his military service and my time as a JW, they were both a big part of our life's, affected who we were friends with and how we lived our lives in a huge way. The Big difference being he got paid and now has a retirement income and health benefits for life for his twenty five years, while I have nothing to show for my thirty years of servitude.

23

Faith and Lies.

by sparrowdown in

if you were hooked up to a polygraph machine when you were still an asleep, kool-aid drinking dub and asked if you agree 100% with every single wt teaching (asked as individual questions and collectively), would you have "passed" with no signs of deception?.

i know, i definitely would not have "passed" such an interegation.

i would have tripped up on questions about blood, dfing and non jws being marked for destruction just to name a few.

LisaRose

I never got the ban on birthdays, their logic seemed a little weak. I also never understood the need for all those meetings, field service, study, etc. As a working mom I sat down and did the math and figured if I did everything I was supposed to I would have fifteen minutes in the week left to call my own. I kind of gave up even trying at that point, so obviously I didn't totally believe in it, although it would be another ten years before I left completely.

11

The reward of being a nice guy!

by StephaneLaliberte in

today, an old jw friend came to visit a member of my family who is still active.

i saw them leave together to run errands.

when they left, she didn't say hi and barely looked at me.. after taking care of my cores around the house, i noticed that the sister had forgot to turn off the head lights of her car.

LisaRose

It's like they are surprised you haven't sprouted horns and a tail, and when you are the same nice person you were before they can't get over it.

19

Chronic relapse - what do I do?

by wayoutthere in

jw
friends

my first post here and unfortunately it is asking for help.. i was a born in jehovah's witness and from my earliest memories, i know i hated being one.

i hated the embarrassment of being the "outsider" at school and i hated not being allowed to have any friends.

of course i had the obligatory friends in the kingdom hall - none of whom were my age exactly and none of whom i would have personally chosen to be friends with if i had been left to pick them myself in a natural setting.

LisaRose

You need to find a therapist who is experienced in treating victims of cults. You are suffering from the effects of being raised in a cult, it is no small thing. I also suggest reading Combating Cult Mind Control by Steve Hassan.

Most therapists have no experience with this, and most people don't think JWs are a cult anyway, but your experience proves that it has affected you very deeply and you need help.

56

Hello, fairly new, studying for around 7 months, just thought I would introduce myself.

by Conanthebeliever in

hello everyone, i hope you are all ok. .

my name is conan, i am 25, and from the uk.

i have some brain damage, so i apologise in advance if my syntax is off or i go a long way around explaining things.

LisaRose

Hi Conan, welcome. I think it's a good thing you found your way here. Of course you must make up your own mind. I remember when I first studied I was told never to talk to former JWs, that they were bitter, evil apostates who only wanted to tear people away from God. I never stopped to think that if they were telling lies it would be easy to refute them and that truth, real truth, stands up to scrutiny. I was told this so much I feared apostates, as if they could somehow make me believe something against my will. It was silly, but it wasn't until years after leaving that I came and found this site, I was still afraid of apostates!

Of course I became a JW many years ago before the internet. I attempted to do my own independent research, but I only had the library and they didn't have much about Jehovah's Witnesses. So I believed what they told me and wasted many years of my life in the religion. The internet has made it much harder for them to convert people, there is just too much disturbing information out there.

Lisa🌹

34

Leaving the JWs

by Hurting in

i am 32 years and have recently left the organisation.

i got baptised in last feb. please excuse any typing errors i have dyslexia.

it has been so hard this year i have gone through so many ups and downs.

LisaRose

((Hugs)))

I am so sorry you had to go through this. It seems the religion attracts people with issues in their life like your mother, and it doesn't really help them as much as gives them different ways to be mal adjusted. If this was a good religion they would have helped your mom to be a better person, but it's not a good religion.

But you have escaped, so don't feel guilty about your family, you can't help them, they will not listen to you, so be strong and take care of yourself so you can help your own children. Be proud of yourself for seeing through the lies and deceptions, not all are able to do that.

Lisa 🌹

11

Happy Birthday...

by Saltheart Foamfollower in

... to all who share this day as their birthday with me, particularly if you you still have to pretend to be a jw.. sf.

LisaRose

Happy Happy Birthday🍰🍰🍹👑

50

genuine english guy seeking jw lady

by english_gentleman in

hi, i believe that a lady is put on earth to satisfy the needs of her partner and respect his views in all matters.. i realize some here may consider that old fashioned and not based on sexual equality.. yet a lady and man are not created equal because the lady gives birth and the man must sire many children.

if you are a lady under 30 and keen to meet me, willing to cook and breed, then please message me here.

please do not contact me if you disagree with my views, we can agree to differ.

LisaRose

I hope it's a joke, I would hate to think there is any man out there that actually thinks this way. Because every woman wants a man who expects her to have no needs or viewpoints of her own and who thinks he is better than her because he doesn't give birth, because fathering children is so hard and giving birth us so easy, lol.

92

Only a few days ago I was entirely lost and without hope the rug was pulled out from under me

by elderess in

jw
friends

only a few days ago i was walking around the house in a mindless wander thinking if i needed to seek professional help.

then i got the courage to seek the comfort of complete strangers on the internet and found a world of support here on this website.

thank you simon and whoever else has made this website possible.

LisaRose

Wow! I am so happy for you! What a relief it must be to be able to share this with your husband and have it turn out so well.

I am sure there will be many challenges ahead as you go through the difficult process of getting out of the religion and rebuilding your lives, but doing it together will make it so much easier. You will make new friends and build new memories as you encounter many wonderful new firsts: Your first Christmas, First time voting, first Halloween, etc.

Goodbye fear obligation and guilt, hello sleeping in on Saturday morning!

36

Gay ex-Bethelite

by Chip Williamson in

just now finding this web site and have enjoyed reading the comments.

i've never written down my story and it could be a jerry springer episode but here goes.

i was raised as a jehovah's witness from as early as i can remember.

LisaRose

Welcome, thanks for sharing your story! I can think of few thinks worse than being a gay JW, double the guilt and fear! glad you finally broke free.