Sailaway,
I love the bell ringing I had never heard of it before.
have you ever had a dog that was dumber than a box of rocks?
i have; his name was dave matthews.
we loved him anyway.
Sailaway,
I love the bell ringing I had never heard of it before.
this site is such a great and valuable resource and simon is to be commended for running it for so long.
when i first came i was in such a bad state and really needed support and friendship.
so many posters commented on my threads and showed genuine care some are real life friends, some are facebook friends, some i talk to on the phone and some are forum friends.. i have just realised though that everyone online is not your friend.
KateWild
Chemistry and Biology sorry for the mixup. My field was always math or the arts. Those were the sciences and when I was in school oh lordy day get me out of here quick. Those were science and not my game.
this site is such a great and valuable resource and simon is to be commended for running it for so long.
when i first came i was in such a bad state and really needed support and friendship.
so many posters commented on my threads and showed genuine care some are real life friends, some are facebook friends, some i talk to on the phone and some are forum friends.. i have just realised though that everyone online is not your friend.
Cofty,
My introduction to the JW world was that stupid book on Families the "Elder" gave me to read besides the fact that I had to continually go across the room to retrieve it because I threw the damn thing about every other page. I was totally disgusted by the way JW children and women were being treated and had no idea how to approach the Elder in regard to what I was reading. I could not believe in today's society that this crap was going on.
I also write a lot about the videos and the abuse going on in the cult. Although I do not write about it I make daily runs by 2 KH'S to see how much traffic appears.
Yes, I do write a lot about my experiences but that is to give others the realization that they can make it through thier experiences. Although I do not know what it is like to exit a cult. I only have a mother and a sister and depending on what year or month it was would depend on whether they would be shunning me. Yeah NOT JWS but they play the shunning game too. My sister shunned me over silk poinsettias because I would not go get them out of a storage unit for her. Yeap that is my life. 3 months for that offense. I have gone as long as a year not talking to my family because they have no clue how to act like human beings. LOL
I very well know how someone who has been abused feels Cofty, I know very well. Both my mother and my husband did a very good job. I am a survivor. That is what makes me a Rebel -- at the age of 12 I looked that woman in the face You touch me one more time and you will pick yourself off the ground. And that is why I am a Fighter I fight for everyone's kids -- so you hit your kid and I see it I call 911. Not a problem. I fought for other people's kids education not only mine.
this site is such a great and valuable resource and simon is to be commended for running it for so long.
when i first came i was in such a bad state and really needed support and friendship.
so many posters commented on my threads and showed genuine care some are real life friends, some are facebook friends, some i talk to on the phone and some are forum friends.. i have just realised though that everyone online is not your friend.
Cofty,
Please take this as constructive criticism. You do have some very good post with some very good points. I can also come across very stern at times when I need to in my line of business and my clients understand what is being said must be followed. In other words you do not want to follow my direction I guess my next visit will be with your attorney to figure out how we are getting you out of jail.
But when I am working with the youth groups and the charity organizations I have a totally different way if phrasing what I want to say, that harshness does not work.
You are very brass and bullying when someone does not agree with your point of view. I have seen it on many occasions and out right refuse to post on many threads because I know I have differing points of view and will not put up with your mouth. So what if someone sees or believes different then why do you have to shove your beliefs down their throats.
When you have people who are just exiting a cult or freshly suffering from some sort of abuse they most definitely do not need to be greeted with your attacks. Who gives a care what they believe in as long as it is getting them motivated to get up in the morning moving on with life and making new friends they have just probably lost just about their entire network of family and friends. Let's try to encourage them.
Maybe chemistry and evolution is your thing but for Kate it is Biology and for me it is Finance and Child and women's advocate issues. To each one we do our thing. The WT tries to make EVERYONE the SAME from what I understand. You are in the real world now. We are all individuals we can believe what we choice to believe. When someone post something so state what you believe or this is what science states and leave it at that. Don't become the WT all over again and continually harp on the same point and get into an argument that goes on for days stating the same point over and over. Don't tell me there wasn't enough name calling in that one. I deal with teenage kids who change their belief every ... wait sometimes every 10 minutes it can be nerve racking. That is why sometimes it is important just to listen and not say a word.
I do not think you and I will ever agree on much of anything.
this site is such a great and valuable resource and simon is to be commended for running it for so long.
when i first came i was in such a bad state and really needed support and friendship.
so many posters commented on my threads and showed genuine care some are real life friends, some are facebook friends, some i talk to on the phone and some are forum friends.. i have just realised though that everyone online is not your friend.
KateWild,
Never a JW nor was any member of my family but was raised in a home with much abuse. So I have remained here on this site because of all the abuse JW children suffer.
I see the he has already responded in his typical arrogant upper handed bully style. I have had him pegged since the day I entered the forum. Unfortunately his beliefs have not changed from his KH days you WILL see it his way or else he is going to bully you till you do.
Here is a poem I put in my wallet when I was 12 years old, I am 65.
"I am I, You are you
I do my thing, You do your thing
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, You are not in this world to live my expectations
But if we meet it is beautiful."
Debating is one thing, forcing someone to accept your point of view and calling them names while doing so is not debating a topic.
I challenge Simon to honestly look at people specially females who have recently left the forum, look back at their last post for some name calling. You are dealing with people who already have tender skin this bullying seriously needs to stop. I have seen more then one person refer to this forum as hostile. The same thing can be said without the hostility.
so, i am trying to get my head around what the right position of elders should be when they come across crime is.. i think i get the issuess around clergy confidentiality - and how that might potentially be breached when they talk about it to other elders, let alone the police.. but if people are saying that elders - or clergy of another faith should report crime to the police when it is confessed to the, then where are the boundaries.. so if someone says they should report to police on a confessed example of child abuse, that's one thing.. how about reporting to police consensual sex between a 19year old and 15 year old - which is statutory rape in the uk.
how about criminal fraud if they come across it.
assault on a congregant?.
Anders,
Confidential = shared with 11 Elders now that is not to confidential in my book!
I just wonder how many of those 11 Elders just happened to share that little piece of confidential news with wifey. We could be talking as many as 22 now. Then onto the gossip mill. How sad for the victim.
so, i am trying to get my head around what the right position of elders should be when they come across crime is.. i think i get the issuess around clergy confidentiality - and how that might potentially be breached when they talk about it to other elders, let alone the police.. but if people are saying that elders - or clergy of another faith should report crime to the police when it is confessed to the, then where are the boundaries.. so if someone says they should report to police on a confessed example of child abuse, that's one thing.. how about reporting to police consensual sex between a 19year old and 15 year old - which is statutory rape in the uk.
how about criminal fraud if they come across it.
assault on a congregant?.
I have to say it again I much prefer the organization I am involved with we are Certified Adult Volunteers. We are required to attend a 6 to 8 hour training session per year to IDENTIFY emotional, physical and sexual abuse not to investigate or judge. We go through an extensive background check for all prior addresses. We identify and call authorities then let the people who are trained do their job. Also, a big part of our training includes if a girl comes to a male volunteer saying she has been abused by someone, HE is immediately to escort HER to a FEMALE volunteer and escuse himself. Never ever should a MALE be present when a female is discussing any form of sexual abuse. Totally INAPPROPRIATE! !
I realize the Elders are only following orders but this has got to STOP. Since learning the JW beliefs, if I see Elders handing out literature they get some much needed training. These are children that are being damaged.
All 3 of us are the same age (65). He is a convert. He has been a Witness for 20 years. I was clueless other then those people who rang my door bell and I gave them a hard time.
He gave me the book on Families and I had lots of questions but really tempered them trying to go slow and gentle. This man knew from our conversation over 5 years that I have fought for women and children's rights.
Saename,
For 5 years he was but then I asked the wrong question about his religious beliefs and I guess that is why we never discussed his beliefs. I just was NEVER told you do not question the beliefs of a JW. Rebels and Fighters questions everything. His final words to me were you fight everything you disagree with.
Never a JW here but totally enjoyed reading this thread. I wonder how many more have joined the ranks?
As I said before the "Elder" was the sweetest, kindest, nicest man I had ever met until he made this wordly Italian lady Roasted, Toasted, Deep Fried and BBQ.