i know that this has been a popular post in the past.
but after my last post, it got me thinking.
i used to always use those stupid field service report slips as scratch paper.
(can't believe I'm about to admit this) - I was counselled by my husband for um...(blushes) taking care of things on my own one night. I thought he was asleep! After yet ANOTHER unsatisfying (for me) missionary style "encounter". He rolls off and starts snoring. The next day he calls me into the room and sits down with me and studies the chapter in the YPA book on masturbation!
Oh yeah...welcome to humiliation 101.
what a waste of living being "in the truth" was!
sometimes i see persons suggesting that the witness religion isn't all so wrong.
actually they suggest that they themselves are the issue.
Vinny,
You are correct. I deleted my original post because as angry as it made me to watch the gathering mob mentality ESPECIALLY in light of recent board events, I realized that responding in anger as I did only added fuel. I'm addressing you now, once, in answer to your question but that is the end of it. I will not play.
You asked for my opinion. Here it is - none of us has the right to judge another person. If Stilla wants to dance naked on the top of Bethel waving a Watchtower, guess what? He CAN. Conversely, if he wants to kiss the ass of a GB member, he CAN (granted, a completely revolting mental picture). Do you honestly think that whether he helps at a KH building or not the organization is going to crumble? You are imposing YOUR morality and YOUR standards and values on him and THAT is exactly what was done to all of us when in. My own morality and standards and values won't let me do that to another human being. He is not yet mentally and emotionally in a place where he sees the dichotomy - and you know what? That's ok. Everyone who participated in this harmful attack, though, may have driven him further in and may have taken away a valuable resource from him. If nothing else, it appears that Stilla has consistently provided "insider" information that we may not have been privy too in any other way. I don't see any gratitude for that.
The very title of this thread was condescending and it certainly went downhill from there. How would any of you react if the WT site had a section entitled: "Do you CLEARLY understand (i.e. you stupid unreasoning morons) that JWD and apostates are Nothing But Bullcrap?" I mean...come on. Last time I checked my driver's license I was an adult. Can't we all ACT that like that? And furthermore, I deliberately keep personal information off of the public section of this board, but know that I survived this organization for all of my life, I have prominent members of my family still in, I suffered abuse at the hands (literally - shudder) of an elder, I served in a full-time capacity. I may not have as many "street creds" as A@G, but I got 'em.
Is the organization harmful? OMG yes. Is it a cult? I don't honestly know. I personally think so. So if a person is ensnared in a harmful cult, do they always think logically? NO. On the other hand, we have to watch that hatred for the organization does not spill over into unloving treatment of the individuals still caught within it. This thread did that and I think that is wrong.
what a waste of living being "in the truth" was!
sometimes i see persons suggesting that the witness religion isn't all so wrong.
actually they suggest that they themselves are the issue.
....and the lynch mob strikes again...Congratulations guys. Nice job. Your JWD-elder cards are in the mail.
Stilla - I'm sorry. The majority of this was ridiculous, cruel, and judgmental.
what a waste of living being "in the truth" was!
sometimes i see persons suggesting that the witness religion isn't all so wrong.
actually they suggest that they themselves are the issue.
Forget. Just not even worth it. Edited to delete response.
i'm sitting in the living room reading jwd on my laptop.
my elderly parents are in the adjacent dining room having lunch.
my mother pulls out the "daily text" and asks: "what day is it?
Happy Birthday!!!
i was about six at the time.
i asked my mother, "where are they going?
at the time, i just wanted to be like the real people and if jesus would love me and make me a real person then i was all for that.
Thank you for posting this! I hadn't heard of her before. I'm in the process of writing an essay for a scholarship for college (now THERE'S something we should all start - a scholarship fund for ex-JWs) and there are some things in here I would love to use!
2:24 through 5:12 of the following video says they did:.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiezx74p5ck&feature=related.
And that was one of the parts of CofC that upset me the most...I remember our congregation doing the letter-writing campaign to the government in Malawi and to find out that it could have all been prevented? A VOTE? A FREAKING VOTE?
Ok. Seriously. I need to log off now and regroup. Wow. Talk about triggering.
2:24 through 5:12 of the following video says they did:.
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiezx74p5ck&feature=related.
Catbert - But most scary was all the talks about the torture I would undergo to test my faith.
A CO described the human bodies defense mechanism of going into shock when it could take no
more pain. He even described tortures that may be used and the tortures that were being used
on JW's in Africa, Malawi. Spokes from bicycle wheels jammed into the calves of men who were then made
to walk in pain. From the stage these things were described. Rape and torture spoken of from the stage.
I was not looking forward to this at all!
I am sitting here crying. I thought I was the only one who heard this. I would have been - 4 or 5 years old. For years I would think about the men and be terrified. I actually had tricked myself into believing that maybe I had made that up because I was so young. Thank you for validating that memory.
WTF WERE THEY THINKING? HOW MANY KIDS HAVE GROWN UP WITH THIS KIND OF S*&T IN THEIR HEADS?
i shall give you a little of information about myself.. i am 28 and from the uk.
i was baptised as a jw (big mistake) in 1996. i married a 'sister' in 2004 and had a child with her in may 2006.. however, things have turned really sour.. last year, my now ex-wife walked out of our home with support from the police, social workers and domestic violence workers.
by chance i returned from work one day to discover her family (her grandmother in particular) perched outside the local police station.
Just out of curiosity, if her accusations were in writing and they were false, wouldn't that be malicious slander/libel and therefore subject to a judicial committee? If you're not DF'd (need to go back and re-read) I sure would consider pursuing it.
so - i thought i'd put this question out there for the newbies here.
how are you benefiting from the supportive discussion you are partaking in here on jwd ?
do you see a different sense of freedom of speech which you can partake in - as opposed to being under " information control " as a jehovah's witness and only being allowed to talk about subjects that are previously arranged for you to discuss ?
Honestly? Completely mixed. I don't participate in alot because I can't stand the way so many posts turn into personal attacks because posters disagree. If you want to disagree, fine, but why does that make your point the only option? To fade or not to fade, to reminisce or not to reminisce, to publicly try to make a scene at an assembly or a memorial or not too - many times it ends up with people being unkind because they disagree. Gee, shades of the organization, huh?
The threads that are most helpful are the ones that are doctrinal and non-emotional. It seems that many of the others disintegrate into anger, name calling, and people who will fight to the bitter end just for the sake of fighting. I can't stand that. For those who truly need help and are hurting, JWD can be a scary place to be. I've lurked for almost a year but you can see my number of posts is very low because frankly, it's just not usually worth it. I've been thrilled to see some posters who are reasonable and point out that while the organization and those who are in charge of it have caused incredible harm, the majority of those in it are simply misled. That's just sad...it's not a reason for us to call them names and condemn them as a group. The recent thread on suicide, for example - there is a poster on it who very reasonably and accurately points out the facts about the number of suicides; people aren't jumping out of windows in droves. (And yes, I am INTIMATELY familiar with someone who has committed suicide). Or the posts about a grand conspiracy in the artwork. All refuted - yet reasonably and kindly. Very refreshing.
The thread about some of the ex-Bethelites re-connecting started to turn ugly and frankly, it made me sick to my stomach. I was very impressed and appreciative of the kindness in how they handled the anger and personal attacks by some of the posters. I don't know what I believe anymore (seems to be common among ex-JWs) but my first reaction was that their responses were truly Christian. Yes, express hurt. Yes, express pain - but why does it turn into personal attacks? Why?
I know there are posters who have been hurt. I have been hurt, very much, and much more than I will ever choose to share on a public forum. I do believe the best revenge is in living well, and I choose not to dwell in anger. I choose not to make my life story about fighting and anger and hatred. I think that's probably the best advertisement for any questioning JWs who might happen on this board to STAY in the organization - when they see the anger and the name calling and the foul language. It just perpetuates the "apostates are evil" message they are given.
Because we CAN express ourselves freely now - that is a gift that should be used well and with care and respect and reasonableness. (and this is the longest post I have ever or probably will ever write on JWD!)
