Posts by jamiebowers

It has taken my mother, the woman who was my greatest inspriration. It has changed her liberal, free thinking ways to fearful, self-righteousness. God, I miss her so much.

40

Hi, I'm new

by Diva in

jw
friends

hi, this is my first post but ive been lurking around this discussion board for some time now.

my husband (the borg) occasionally posts and i had the pleasure of meeting some great people at the apostofest in covent garden, london last year arranged by bestie and sweetpea , hi to you both and hi to freetothink, mr majestic and everyone that was there hope youre all ok.. my story in a nutshell: raised a jw from birth, my whole family, expect one brother and sister (disfellowshipped) are still jws - basically i was raised in a family who were considered one of the pillars of the congregation, we all pioneered and did the whole witness thing, in fact one of my sisters is a missionary.

my whole jw world crumbled when i learnt about the jw/un connection and from that moment on there was no turning back.

jamiebowers

Welcome!

27

I'm so down...my birthday is tomorrow and...

by FreedomFrog in

jw
friends

i just had to pay $79.

for my stupid license and tags.

happy birthday to me!!

jamiebowers

Once when I'd only been out for a few years and just moved to a new city and lived alone, I bought myself a little birthday cake and candles. I lit the candles and just cried and cried, because I felt so alone. I had few friends, my mom and brother were jws, and even my "worldly" father forgot my birthday, oh, and I was broke all of the time. I'll never forget that day, and that's why I do my best to make sure everyone I know is remembered on their birthday.

Don't feel too bad honey. This happens to most of us exjws and even some "worldly" people too. Every time something really shitty happens, I just keep repeating to myself, "It won't be like this forever." And things won't be tough for you forever either. Once you are out of school and working at a good job, you will have a better life for you and your kids. You will also have a chance to meet and make friends with a wide circle of people. In the meantime, drinks lots of water and use lots of lotion on those hands. When wrinkles develop, it means you've learned a life lesson well. Happy Birthday, sweetie!

And please do let us know what types of books you are interested in. I have a few around that I would be happy to send to you too. I just knew John Doe was an old softy!

12

1 Down 6 MILLION to go!!!

by Tuesday in

jw
friends

so it's official my little channel of tough questions for jehovah's witnesses has made someone's little jw switch turn off.

i got a private message today from an active witness who both himself and his wife now say that "i now see that jw's are all about interpretation and not some special understanding".

figures that i'm almost done with the series too lol, i've got one more update to do before my final question that i've come up with for the series.

jamiebowers

You will never know for sure how many people you help to leave the cult. Someone who watches one of your videos today, may not have the courage to leave for years. But there will be that tough question hanging in the air. Good job!

14

Help/Advice

by andrrea in

i've been lurking here for a while, reading and learning.. i'm not jw, nor have i ever been.

recently however, my younger brother (he's 25 years old) began dating a girl (she's 27) who is jw.

she has succeeded in completely converting him, to the point where any discussion about jw turns into a screaming match.

jamiebowers

She has regularly slept over at my parents house (in the same bed as my brother...

Why not try the obvious? Tell the elders! Your family knows it happened, right? That's the "two witnesses" they need to take judicial action against this girl for "porneia". One witness to the event is supposed to be a JW; that would be her. If she tells the truth she'll be disciplined by the elders (reproof, disfellowshipping), if she lies your brother will see another side of her..and of JW's.

Maybe if your brother sees what it's *really* like to be a JW he'll wise up and quit before it's too late (baptism).

Wow, I missed that little tidbit of information. AnneB is right. You need to let the elders in that girl's congregation know asap. She should not even be dating a "worldly" man, let alone be sleeping with him, (or anyone else for that matter). Your brother needs to see first hand how dating outside of the organization and fornication are dealt with.

56

Death of an Elder

by sacolton in

jw
friends

my wife planned to get her two-hours of service time on saturday - like we did every month.

two hours.

well, yesterday she came home early with sad news.

jamiebowers

The point being that JW's still for the most part feel as much pain as anybody else when losing a loved one. Most are not, cold, heartless robotic humanoids, void of emotion or love, as what was implied by Sacolton.

Then how can they stand to shun their family members and friends, treating them as if they were dead?

Sacolton then posts thye Awake cover and then says:..."Ask yourself ... is the point of this cover to help us grieve these children? Do JW view them as martyrs? Now, who has the twisted thinking about death?"

**** Sorry dude but you have missed the mark several times now. You just don't get it for some reason. People have died on the battlegrounds and received Purple Heart medals in the process. They are recognized as HEROS by those left behind for the very way they might have died. But rest assured, my friend, that many of these same people honoring the deceased, also shed many tears and felt the deepest pain when losing people they once knew and loved.

It is sad that people die as martyrs on the battlefiel, but those people aren't children as the ones who are featured on the cover of the Awake magazine.

Jamiebowers says:.."I don't think lack of sympathetic response on the part of jws is bs. I experienced such as a jw when a dear "worldly" friend of mine died suddenly. The prevailing attitude was, "What are you crying about? At least he'll be in the resurrection". **** I don't believe you. When JW's die, loved ones cry. Nobody ever said or even implied to me we should not cry. I think you are making things up on the fly. They may try not to wail and grieve uncontrollably, but they sure do cry and feel pain and sadness.

I'm certain jws do cry when one of their loved ones die, but the point of this whole thread is their reaction to the grief and pain of others, not their own. Your not believing me is pointless. You did not live my life. I suppose you think I'm lying when an elder told me that at least I'd be guaranteed a spot in the new system if my abusive, mentally unstable jw husband killed me during one of his violent rampages. I also suppose you don't believe that my jw aunt found herself in big trouble when my jw mother reported her to the elders for allowing my df'd cousins to attend a wake for an unbelieving uncle. I don't care if you believe me or not. It is all true.

JamieBowers replies to Changeling quote:.."No one asked for the dc to be canceled, but even at concerts or other events, there is usually an announcement made about what happened." **** More bologna. People die at football stadiums, baseball games and more. The games NEVER get stopped. People fall off cruise ships and more yet the ships continue on. I've heard of people becoming dehydrated and even dying at rock concerts yet the shows go on.

I don't know what kind of concerts and events you attend, but at the ones that I've been to, announcements have been made if it is necessary in order to assist the emergency responders, and I've heard of concerts being halted when craziness such as stampeding has occurred. The cruise ships that continue their journey after someone has gone overboard have been heavily criticized in the media and by law enforcement.

42

My First Post!!!

by IreallydidwalkoutofaKH in

jw
friends

after a year of reading all of your experiences and expressions i decided it was time for me to start sharing some of mine.

hopefully they can benefit others, like many of yours have benefited me!

being raised in the wtbts, the jehovahs witness docrine and culture really was the prism from which all of my experiences and understanding of life originated.

jamiebowers

Welcome oh demonized one!

14

Help/Advice

by andrrea in

i've been lurking here for a while, reading and learning.. i'm not jw, nor have i ever been.

recently however, my younger brother (he's 25 years old) began dating a girl (she's 27) who is jw.

she has succeeded in completely converting him, to the point where any discussion about jw turns into a screaming match.

jamiebowers

Steven Hassan's Combatting Cult Mind Control