Posts by Eliveleth

28

How Many of us Have Shared Our Stories on JWD ? Helps us Know you Better

by flipper in

jw
friends

just thought of starting this thread because of the problem of living in an emotionally disconnected society as we do.

some of us have shared our personal stories with you all, my wife and mine was , " the story of mr. & mrs. flipper ".

i think it would be good to share some insight into ourselves , then perhaps others on the board will be understanding more deeply about posts that we start.

Eliveleth

Oh Bluebell,

My heart goes out to you. Your story is so similar to mine except I did not go to the elders. When I was young (in the 40s) the elders (servants) in my congregation were so harsh to children "children should be seen (or maybe not) and not heard". We were constantly being told by them how bad we were and that what we were doing was wrong, that to tell them would have been bringing doom to myself and I knew it. I knew there would be not help coming from them. I did not tell my mother because whe was so kind and loving and I knew that she would have no way of supporting herself if she had to leave him. It was really hard. I did not know at the time but he molested my sister and later on my niece. I am not sure if there were others. He was a servant until he died at the age of 63. I have forgiven him because I know that he probably was abused by his father, and his father by his father, ad infinitum. I have no proof of this, because our family was a "keep it in the closet" type and this sort of thing was known but not talked about, but I believe it is true from events that I knew about.

I nev er doubted that Jehovah loved me, but I did not know why He permitted this to happen. I believe that it did work for my good in many ways. For one thing, I was never promiscuous. I hated what had happened to me and it just turned me off. However, it made it a bit difficult in my marriage, but because my husband was a kind and caring man, I overcame this. I believe God protected me through it all. Romans 8:28 says that "God makes EVERYTHING work together for good for those who love him". I believe this and know that when "bad" things come my way, He will see me through it and make it work for my good".

Love and hugs,

Velta

28

How Many of us Have Shared Our Stories on JWD ? Helps us Know you Better

by flipper in

jw
friends

just thought of starting this thread because of the problem of living in an emotionally disconnected society as we do.

some of us have shared our personal stories with you all, my wife and mine was , " the story of mr. & mrs. flipper ".

i think it would be good to share some insight into ourselves , then perhaps others on the board will be understanding more deeply about posts that we start.

Eliveleth

Serendipity,

What a great story. You overcame all the negatives and lived your life the way you felt God wanted you to and did it while still a JW. This is unbelievable. I am not sure how you did it by yourself but am glad to hear that you did. It is wonderful that you have broken that bondage of abuse. It just takes one person to do it. I was the one who decided that child molestation was not going any further in our family line and to my knowledge it has not. I praise God for that. I learned a lot from being a JW. I would not change my past life because it made me who I am today.

Love and hugs,

Velta

29

Did everyone see this?

by Eliveleth in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjzbht4vzty.

Eliveleth

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJZBHt4vztY

54

My story- Here goes!

by Younglove1999 in

i've just been writing away the past few days about my thoughts and feelings since my husband and i decided to finally call it quits and stop going to meetings.

in fact, he's the one who told me about this website.

he's a lurker though, so i don't think any have heard from him.

Eliveleth

Hi,Younglove

My computer crashed a couple of days ago and this is the first time I have been able to get on. Glad I got to see your post. My husband and I were JWs for over 45 years (raised in the WT) We were so glad to be out. We got out more or less at the same time, I was ahead of him in actually leaving by 4 months, but we were mentally out together. We are so happy for you. Leaving the WT is like leaving any other religion. It does not mean you have turned your back on God. So glad you found JWD. It is a blessing. When we came out there was no support like this. Here is our website: www.geocities.com/veliveleth

Love and hugs,

Velta

15

Can we still be friends even if we are not JWs???

by Justafriend in

jw
friends

recently i have noticed that a couple of my friends that are jws, especially this one guy that i play sports with.

in the beginning he was just there because of a friend, but later on he came more often and we became friends.

from the start, i knew there was something different about him.

Eliveleth

justafriend,

It is really hard to say what your JW friend is really thinking. Perhaps he feels like he is getting too close. Perhaps your friendship is getting too important to him, so he feels like he has to distance himself before it becomes something that involves his heart. He wants to be your friend, but feels guilty because you are not a JW. JWs see friendship with the world (people who are not JW) as something to be avoided. This is very hard for young JWs. I remember how it was when I was young. I had friends who were not JWs and sometimes I felt guilty. This is hard to explain to someone who has never been a JW. It really does not make sense to them. But there is such control in the Watchtower organization that everyone feels that in order to "keep the organization clean" from the influences of the world, they have to report any conduct they see as different from what the organization demands. I agree with the posters that say: Be his friend, but be careful, now that I know you are a girl, my answer is different. There may be more than friendship on his mind, which will complicate matters. Dating is a whole different subject. Young people are young people and sometimes they can get involved almost without thinking. Take it from a Gramma who has been there. (and still remembers)

Velta

30

Aren't we really the pioneers?

by purplesofa in

we are blazing through the time we live in, seeking freedom from the oppression around is, in us, through us.

we are opening our minds to new ways of thinking, feeling, living, sharing.. it's not easy, we pay a price, for some of its much higher than others.

we suffer alone, endure hardships, bear the truth and it's consequences.. there is no new land to conquer, no nations to be born, no places to run to any longer.

Eliveleth

purps, finally-free, Narkissos, writetoknow, Propecor,

I have never read a thread more poetic and one that I totally understand and relate to. Freedom from the WT has been a real journey for all of us. We have all gone in different or similar directions, but we all understand where we have come from. I do not hate the Watchtower, who I am today is because of all I went through. This site has helped so many people. When my husband and I came out in 1983, if there was an Internet, we did not have access to it. We felt so alone. My brother-in-law, who had left before us had been in Bethel, a CO and a DO so he knew a lot of people who had left and he put us in touch with them. At one time, I was writing to 30 different people. The Internet has made it a lot easier. I am so glad to be part of such an encouraging group of people.

Love you all,

Velta

162

Blondie needs encouragement

by blondie in

jw
friends

i have been battling an incurable illness and will be able to post less and less.

i will post my email, and any help you cna asend my way will be appreciated.

there is treatment but no cure and no cancer yet.

Eliveleth

blondie,

I am very new here, at posting anyway, I am so sorry to hear that you are ill. It is very hard when you lose your strength to do the things that you want to do. I have been there. I will put your email in my address book and hope there is some way that I can encourage you.

Love and hugs,

Velta

78

UNDENIABLE LOGIC. Some cherish it while others dismiss it. Which are you?

by nicolaou in

there are so many ways to get into this topic; homeopathy, astrology, feng shui, alien abductions, seances and so on ad nauseum but let's pick a simple one - mathematics.

do you accept the undeniable logic that 1+1 must always equal 2?.

i cannot conceive of a situation where 1+1=3 but there was a time when i did!

Eliveleth

Paralipomenon said:

Good morning Eliveleth,

I must say I have been enjoying your posts recently even if I have not been active in the "Lazy Faith" thread.

So I guess I'll redirect your question back at you in a different form. If God is infinite, couldn't the universe be infinite as well? Why can't the concept of infinity be applied to evolution? Thank you so much for your kindness. It has been very hard for me to accept any part of evolution. I have done a lot of research online today to try to get an idea of why so many people believe that evolution is so much more acceptable than the idea that God is the creator. People believe in evolution in so many different ways. I still do not see it as more logical. I do see that animals adapt to their environment in different ways, I had just not seen that as evolution. . I guess it is true, the universe could be infinite. I just never thought about it before. I have really enjoyed interacting with those with different beliefs. As a witness, I was so judgmental . I am so glad that I am free from that mindset and I can accept people for who they are.

78

UNDENIABLE LOGIC. Some cherish it while others dismiss it. Which are you?

by nicolaou in

there are so many ways to get into this topic; homeopathy, astrology, feng shui, alien abductions, seances and so on ad nauseum but let's pick a simple one - mathematics.

do you accept the undeniable logic that 1+1 must always equal 2?.

i cannot conceive of a situation where 1+1=3 but there was a time when i did!

Eliveleth

Terry said:

Everything comes from something, right?

So, the Universe had to come from something.

But, God didn't come from anything, right?

And God is more complex than the Universe itself.

So, logic doesn't really work in proving God doesn't need an origin.

The wondrous complexity of a Creator demands an origin too.

But, this doesn't bother believers. They suddenly become satisfied we need look for no further answers.

Just as long as you give them God they'll be happy.

It is perfectly ILLOGICAL that God doesn't need a beginning or an origin.

Otherwise, it becomes perfectly logical that the universe needs no origin.

You can't have it both ways!

I guess you are right. It is illogical that God didn't have a beginning. I always thought I was a logical person, but I guess I am not. I believe, I have faith that God exists and that the Bible is true regarding his origin (or lack thereof). I really feel that my faith is based on logic. The things I see, seem to me to tell me about the God I worship. The trees, vegetation, sun, water, all the things that we need to live. It is hard for me to believe that it just randomly happened; that the universe and we all came to be by chance. Perhaps I am blinded because I want to believe it is true, but I choose to do so because it gives me joy and peace. Given the fact that the alternative, which is there is no God, no heaven, I just feel that since you pointed out it is a toss-up anyway, I choose to believe that God exists. Perhaps there is a certain adaptive evolution which causes changes to existing species, but I cannot accept that we descended from some single-celled organism that grew out of a sea of mud. (Which apparently some evolutionists don't believe either from some of my research). I truly feel for you Terry. I would hate to have an unfilled God-sized hole. I can't even imagine how that would be. I truly pray that God will reveal himself to you.

37

How to get the programming out of my mind.

by Apostate.Jr in

jw
friends

i have been reading this board for a year now, so i'm not new, but new to posting :)

please let me apologize in advance as i am having trouble separating what is true - from what i hear at the meetings, vs here, and private research, so i may ramble or say things that may sound watchtowery.

i still go to the meetings due to family pressure which may eventually end, not sure when, probably when i decide its enough.

Eliveleth

Hi Apostate, Jr,

Welcome! I am a Newbie here too. Although I have been out of the organization since 1983 (kicked out as an Apostate) I have been lurking here off and on for a long time. I have been posting for a short time.

First I would like to say, The Watchtower is not the "truth". Jesus is. John 14:6 "Jesus said to him: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." When the members of the Judicial Committee were interrogating us, they asked us the question, just as the apostles asked Jesus "Who will you go away to", we told them we were going to Jesus. They think that if you leave them you "will go into outer darkness". This could not be further from the truth.

My husband and I have gone to other churches, but I do not believe it is necessary to be part of a religious organization to serve God. Some people do need fellowship and I know that it is helpful to attend a church fellowship if you feel the need.

I always hated going from door to door and I felt pushed into doing it because my husband was an elder. I got physically ill each time I had to do it. Although I did feel that it was something that Jehovah wanted me to do so I did. I am so grateful that I found out that it is not necessary to do this. I believe that there are many more effective ways to preach. As a couple of people on here posted, living your life, showing kindness and caring is a far better way to show you are a Christian. Also the advice was also given, check out all the sites that talk about the organization. You can see for yourself. You do not have to accept everything that is written. Go slow, don't just jump. It is really important that you check out all your options. You are a unique person. God made you that way. You do not have to pattern your life after anyone else. Yes, I do believe God reads the heart and I do believe he has a true Church. It is the Church of Christ and it is found all over the world. You will find them in any church group that believes that Jesus is the only way to salvation. When i first got out of the org. God showed me that the scripture about the "wheat and the weeds" was about the Church. You will find wheat and weeds in any church fellowship, however, you do not have to decide who are the weeds or who are the wheat. This is the job of the angels. Read the account and you will understand. Matthew 13: 24-30. I am so glad that I do not have to determine who are the weeds as I did when I was a JW. It is really freeing to accept people for who they are and not to judge them..

I will be praying for you that God will give you peace of mind to decide what you want to do.

This is our website: www.geocities.com/veliveleth