Posts by Eppie

3

To shun or not to shun

by Eppie in

jw
friends

i have a question.

i attended my, ehm i think the english word is lie in state (the action of going to a room in which a person who died lies and you can say goodbye with only close relatives, like a few days for the funeral) of my grandfather who recently died and something peculiar happened.. just before we left from my grandmothers house, my cousin who is dfd showed up.

i decided to drive with my sister and brother-in-law to the place and my sister was really upset that he came over and was also going to the 'lie in state'.

Eppie

Hy'all,

I have a question. I attended my, ehm i think the english word is lie in state (the action of going to a room in which a person who died lies and you can say goodbye with only close relatives, like a few days for the funeral) of my grandfather who recently died and something peculiar happened.

Just before we left from my grandmothers house, my cousin who is dfd showed up. I decided to drive with my sister and brother-in-law to the place and my sister was really upset that he came over and was also going to the 'lie in state'. She yelled: 'how can he do this, he should respect grandpa (who was an elder) and grandma, he know we cannot talk to him etc etc.' I, very politely saidL 'but it is his grandfather as well'. This in her eyes was of course not an argument. I then said: 'what about me then?' as she knows i am faded and also knows that i slept with my bf and should be dfd. She then said: 'well you shouldn't have been here either then, you should have thought twice before you got baptised then'. I, as we were on our way to see my dead grandpa, wisely kept my mouth, not to get in an argument. After the whole procedure etc. we went to my grandma's house again and my cousin just stayed and talked to all the family (who are all JWs, also some elders). I was kind of surprised there.

Later on as I was driving home she called me to APOLOGISE for her remarks!!!! She said: 'i was just upset, i shouldn't have said those things. Of course he, and you too, have all the right to be there. And I forgot that you as a family are allowed to talk to dfd family as long as you don't talk about religious stuff.'

Is that true? Is that the official JW rule? I mean I never really thought of it before but I can remember hearing about such a rule but I thought it only applied to parents of whom a child is dfd. But on this board i constantly read posts of people that are shunned by their family as they are dfd.

So what is the 'true organisation rule' about this?

And just a remark: i am so amazed, my very active (so to say OVERactive ) JW sister called to apologise to me! The world can change! Everything will be fine!

Thanks for reading!

Eppie

6

JW bashing

by Dawn in

jw
friends

i have see a few posts on here lately from individuals asking why there there is so much jw bashing on this site.

to you who asked - here's the answer.. when an individual has a traumatic experience this puts an imprint on their sub-conscious and conscous mind (so to speak) - it is a wound and it is painful.

external wounds are healed by covering them and protecting them - however, internal wounds like rejection, fear, etc do not heal by being supressed.

Eppie

Thanks Dawn for your post, i'm one of the Newbies. It's also very funny to see that when i first left I was kind of upset with the people on this forum for their 'bashing' and hence i didn't visit for a long time. But exactly in that time i got upset with all the things that happened to me and that were caused, at least partly, by the organisation. I think that it is quite normal for us Newbies to have so much guilt for leaving that we do not want to bash the JWs immediately, it takes some time to lose the connections to the JW thinking. (hell i still feel guilty after 2 years)

I think it is a very common psychological response to blame something/someone for what happened to you. Another very common phenomenon is to judge something that you don't agree with, of which you are not a part, as wrong and bad, otherwise you yourself would be bad and wrong.

Just a thought,

Eppie

59

Christianity is the worst disaster in human history!

by happysunshine in

.

is there any basis for these claims?.

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/index.html

Eppie

Yup, excellent link, although I do not completely agree with everything they say, it's nice info!

Wondering what JWs would say about this link...... how about the JW organisation is the worst disaster in religious history?

Eppie

5

There's always room for beer

by ApagaLaLuz in

jw
friends

> jar.

students.

> > the pebbles are the other things that matter - like your job, your.

Eppie

So funny to read this while im drunk as i just had a party and drank tons of beer :), always room for more ;)

Night night,

Eppie

7

Forgiveness... Why?

by happysunshine in

what's the use of forgiveness?

Eppie

What do you exactly mean? Forgiving a relative or a friend or e.g. the whole JW organisation ?

Everyone makes mistakes so everyone should be forgiven once in awhile, including yourself. Forgiving is often also a somewhat selfish thing as well: when you forgive that person you won't lose him, often the easy way to take.

56

Is everyone on this Web Board a Jehovah's Witness Basher?

by sandy in

jw
friends

i grew up in the religion and was baptized at.............supposedly the most important day in our lives and i cannot remember how old i actually was, anyways...... i believe it was 13 or 14. i was never disfellowshipped.

i have a "worldly" boyfriend whom i love dearly, and i no longer attend the "meetings".

i do not disagree with the organization entirely; in fact i am not even sure if i disagree with it at all.

Eppie

Dear Tiffany,

Thanks for telling your story! I love this site seriously, it has provided me with lots of information already. Currently I am reading a book about Jehovahs witnesses, and will most definitely read the book everyone is recommending here! I already ordered it and awaiting it in anticipation now!

I think we can all learn alot from each other here, and Sandy, I hope you will remain on this board as it consists of people that really care and may be a bit frustrated and upset but they have every right to be! I know that you are still in the organisation more or less and there has been a time that I was there also but I feel so free now that I can't even imagine going back, remember that God necessarily equals JW. You can also be a good person with god in your heart (i do not believe anymore but you most definitely can) outside of the organisation. I have so many 'worldly' friends and truly they are often more loyal and dedicated and loving than any JW I have met. Please respect the people on this board, they have interesting stories to tell. And we will most definitely respect you and will try to help you when possible.

I am sorry that I haven't emailed you yet but I have a very huge exam of 4000 pages of medical biology next week and am spending all time i have in the library. As soon as I have more time I would love to email with you as I do think we are in the same place or at least you are in a place I have been for a long time.

I hope you will work things out and that you will find the true path that will lead to happiness in your life,

Love,
Eppie

47

Theme Songs for Leaving the WTS

by blondie in

jw
friends

here is an edited version of a favorite of mine:.

with apologies to the eagles .

already gone well, i heard some people talkin' just the other day and they said you were gonna put me on a shelf but let me tell you i got some news for you and you'll soon find out it's true and then you'll have to eat your crap all by yourself 'cause i'm already gone and i'm feelin' strong i will sing this vict'ry song, woo, hoo,hoo,woo,hoo,hoo

Eppie

Blue days by Racoon

Broken down and shut-eyed, dangerous down the road. People's tricky business turns to overload. Don't remember clearly blank behind the eye. I caught up with the memory. I never said goodbye. I remember faces behind that wall of yours. I remember fistfights until one of us dropped. Don't recall all the details. Some are better off. I wish that it was possible to review the best of. Day by day it hits in. Thanks for all you did in the blue days. Bit by bit it hits in. Thanks for all you did in the blue days. I got to try al little more, because I'm an asshole but I'm learning. I got to try al little more, because I'm an asshole but I'm learning, yeah I’m learning This is a picture of us all standing in the hallway. Looking quite ridiculous, a little overdressed. You never understood I had to take the call. Because without dreams there's nothing left at all. Day by day it hits in. Thanks for all you did in the blue days. Bit by bit it hits in. Thanks for all you did in the blue days. You got to try al little more, because you're an asshole but you're learning. You got to try al little more, you're still an asshole but you're learning. , yes you’re learning Broken down and shut-eyed, dangerous down the road. You say I took a sideway. You say I broke the oath. I don't remember clearly. It's blank behind the eye. I caught up with the memory. I never said goodbye.

Especially as I indeed never said goodbye, well not yet anyway, I guess I'll have to some day, especially say goodbye to all the guilt.

Eppie

PS: Also It's my party from Cindy Lauper

30

Do u feel u missed out being a JW Teen?

by Shytears in

jw
friends

do you feel that you missed out on the social part?emotional part?how do u feel your parents handled it?were they strict,let u do anything?

i just have alot going thru my mind,just wanted to hear some of your comments

laura

Eppie

Hi Laura,

YES YES AND YES AGAIN! The funny thing is that you know that you are missing out when you are in. Ever remember being humiliated because you had to sit on the podium during a congregation with your family and pretending to have a family bookstudy? That you then ask e.g. your father: 'Dad, why can I not go to that party' and then in the end you agree with him of course 'Dad thank you for helping me with this, I am happy to listen to Jehovah and love him more than a party BLABLABLABLA'. And then you had to face all your teen JW friends that looked at you like pffff you are such a goody goody. Cause in reality most of young JWs do stuff as going out etc (as long as they are not catched by their parents).

I remember one particular evening when I was dancing and hanging out with my friends in a club and then my second dad (an elder) came in to slap me around the face and drag me home, and then grounded me for the rest of my life (which was of course only three weeks, and only in the weekends as I lived with my other parents during the week).

It's also very funny actually that you are taught as a JW teen to lie! I mean did you ever tell other students that you don't miss parties and getting presents, that you don't mind sitting at home with your parents on Christmas day while you desperately just wanted to have a normal life?

Anyway, I indeed went to college two years ago, and hell i am making up for everything I lost now! Maybe a bit too much, but hell i don't care!

Remember the saying (or at least it is one in my country and i translate it here): when you suppress something it will only get back harder.

Actually JWs should have some period as the Amish have: a period during your teens in which you can do everything that god forbids and then return. Am wondering whether that would decrease the drain in young JWs that is occuring at this moment.

Eppie

10

Profit of watchtower & awake, can anyone tell me???

by jamey X in

jw
friends

i was raised as a jw until the age of 16, when i supposidly "drifted" to the worldly world (which i love) i am 29 now and have my own family and am very happy.

in the last month i have stopped feeling guilty & frightened about not being involved.

i have always tried to compensate to my parents in other ways, but am getting tired never being able to make them really happy.

Eppie

Hai,

Well I don't know how long you've all been out but at the moment you don't have to pay for the magazines anymore. You'll only 'have to' give a voluntary amount of money. They are given to people at the door for free. So I really don't think they make that much money on the magazines. They probably do make a lot of money on all the free labour of the people at Bethel.

I can however remember our congregation that sold their old kingdom hall, gave that money to the organisation and then had to BORROW money from the organisation again to build a new one! Of course this was also largely paid by brothers and sisters.

So yeah overall they probably do make a lot of money, but I do not think that is the main goal of the organisation.

Eppie

12

Question about JW and Brooklyn

by Eppie in

jw
friends

hai all,.

i have a question: when i read on this site i notice that many people are upset by the organisation of jw and not necessarily their beliefs (also, but less upset maybe?).

i have a question though: we talk about jws being indoctrinated and brainwashed etc., but where does it originate?

Eppie

Hai all,

I have a question: When I read on this site i notice that many people are upset by the organisation of JW and not necessarily their beliefs (also, but less upset maybe?).

I have a question though: We talk about JWs being indoctrinated and brainwashed etc., but where does it originate? Do you think that the 'brothers' in Brooklyn are just making things up when they are writing their Watchtower and Awakes? Are they religious as well and just think they are doing the right thing or are they just scheming everything? I also heard something about money, do they do it for that? Also: br Russel (or was it Rutherford, hmmm i was baptised and I forgot this, blimey ) who started the whole thing up, was he just really looking for answers and did it all get out of hand or was he planning smth like this all along?

Why are you upset with the organisation, who is the 'brain' behind this religion? Is there really someone sitting somewhere laughing his guts out because he can do this to 5 million people, knowing that there is no contact with God at all?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Eppie