Posts by Numinous

31

What Was Your Social Life Like As A Witness?

by minimus in

jw
friends

my (ex)wife and i asssociated with a few other couples and was considered "popular".

how was your social life?

did you have much of one?

Numinous

In my experience, if you are not outgoing in this religion you will be relying on the content of the meetings for entertainment. Good luck with that right? There were some who said the meetings were their social life, or the service they considered their social life because all of the obligations of being a witness took up so much of their time. The elder/servant/married rank has a better social life, but their were so many in our congregation and others that were so strange that I couldn't imagine spending any of my free time with them, but those interesting characters were memorable and really lovable once I got to know them better.

42

Does Being A Jehovahs Witness Lead To Disorders?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

does being a jehovahs witness lead to disorders?the life of being one of jehovahs witnesses was a challenging one at best .

and an agonizing one at worst.

i recall the days of my black depression .

Numinous

There is a tendancy to be obcessive compulsive when there is a lack of control in one's life. Even the Bible says that the one overly oppressed will act crazy. When we put off living for today, in a life of misery, for a reward tomorrow, it goes against the nature of the human being.

12

What Was Your Mindset Like When You Were Disfellowshiped?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

what was your mindset like when you were disfellowshiped?recalling the day, i wrote the watchtower society to tell them that they were disfellowshiped .

as an organization for conduct unbecoming a christian organization was one of mixed feelings .

it was a sad heart wrenching reality that fourteen years of my life in this organization had finally .

Numinous

I really believed that this god Jehovah rejected me. I felt it was blasphemous to feel that I had more love for humanity than he did, but that is the actual truth behind why I left. The sickening loneliness...like out of all the people on earth who have ever lived, everybody has a chance at life except for me. This was so very profound in it's sadness for me because I loved me. How could it be that I, a creation of this god, could have a greater capacity for love than the god who made me? These, ironically, were the very words I used to help my elder husband who never got reproved or DFed because he just moved out of the situation. I told him that if I could still love him, surely god could. My heart went out for someone in pain for what they were going through emotionally. Why couldn't god have any understanding? Looking back, I did absolutely nothing wrong. I had a friend who was a man and this was 2 1/2 years after my divorce. My Dfing was on a principle of the one flesh even though I never, nor did they ask, had sex with this man... I must say though, that one of the reasons I come here is for that comraderie of fellow feeling that only someone else in this position of profound, unbearable numbness can understand. Today I am very well adjusted, truly happy and want very much to help other people in some way.

26

Happy New Year! 80 million more "wicked" ones added to the bird food pile.

by Open mind in

what is the net effect of every year that our loving god jehovah, who is patient and desires "none to be destroyed", holds back the winds of destruction?

it ultimately results in roughly 80 million more humans to be added to the pile of post-armageddon bird food.

i've read this concept several times before on jwd but decided to do a little googling to get the 80 million number.

Numinous

An excellent point to be made regarding population growth worldwide and the growth of the witnesses. They pray for the end because for them that's when their life will start. Who will be a last baby born who will have to die right away because neither mom or day answered the door that one day? The witnesses certainly wouldn't agree to abortions or partial birth abortions, but a full life abortion is just fine if the parents don't get with the program right away. "Jehovah" does make Hitler look like Little Bo Peep!

53

JERRY FALWELL DEAD

by sf in

breaking news on all stations.. skally.

Numinous

A friend of mine went on widipedia right after the news of his death and someone wrote up a paragraph already about how he was burning in hell right now for all his sins against the Lord Almighty and true Christians...Then they told me this was erased about an hour later and some perfunctory compliments were thrown in instead...kinda funny.

12

JW converts - what percentage fall away?

by Double Edge in

i got into a discussion today at lunch with someone who years ago 'flirted' with becoming a jw (then 1975 came and went).

i've never been a dub, but what i've gather from this board there are those raised in the religion who after 30-40 years leave for whatever reason.

what percentage of those not raised in the religion, but are converted, become disillusioned and finally leave?

Numinous

The group photographs taken at the hall would seem to indicate through the years that the percentage of people who stay longer than say, 10 years, for our hall anyway, was quite low. There were standbys that were "lifers" for what I could see, with those found in the door-to-door work especially prone to the revolving door. I posed the question to an elder once, 'from the time you have been here how many people have come and gone' and he told me we would have enough to make two more congregations. This is the one figure the society doesn't offer in the year-end reports. I wonder how many have left since the beginning?

15

"Religions tell us we have to give up this life for another ...

by serenitynow in

jw
friends

give up our desire, passions, pleasures ... what type of comfort is that?

'die while you are alive so you can be alive when you are dead?'".

this was a thought-provoking quote i read on the weekend from a french philosopher michael onfray, particularly when we know how much one gives up for life as a dub.

Numinous

Even if we go by the "heavenly Father" scenario, what kind of father would want you to live a life of misery to prove to him that you love him? Right before I left the WT there were many in the hall who contacted me to tell me the REAL circumstances in their life, how very difficult and truely unhappy they were. They did this to try to help me realize that I wasn't alone, but it only solidified my feelings that, for me, enough was enough. I had already given 20 years and I was in a circumstance that I would never have thought I would be able to bear. It was the religion of suffering. God wants us to LIVE and be HAPPY! Could God fault a soul for wanting this?

36

Have you ever had a really bad haircut? (rant)

by restrangled in

jw
friends

went to a salon today with picture in hand.

i spent 2/1/2 hours suffering in the chair, (foiling and cut).

i wound up with about 6 to 7 inches lopped off and came out looking like a big haired, bubble headed 80's special.

Numinous

It could be that they figure they aren't giving you your money's worth if they just trim it. Restrangled, have you thought about a hat, a wig maybe? Einstein would just take all his hair, pile it on top his head, pull it, and cut it with a pair of scissors. Brilliant. I have yet to be so intelligent that I don't care about my hair. I have long curly hair that takes twice the normal time to grow. Nobody touches it but me, and, YES, I think hair is a big deal, I am really feeling for you.

5

Is a lurker a secret apostate?

by aquagirl in

jw
friends

just wondering..when i was in the dubs,even looking at a site such as this would be considered apostacy and grounds for disipline.do they now allow it?

or maybe even,wonder of wonders,encourage weighing the options?and if you are a lurker,i give you credit.it must take guts or curiosity or intelligence to start looking outside the borg..maybe all three..

Numinous

If I were still involved with the witnesses, with my own computer, it would be extremely difficult, once I found this site, to not be addicted to it. This site really has it all, and to have a hidden source of information that nobody else has...a soft place to fall if you have a problem...wow. That's something every J-Ho wants pretty badly. But hiding it would be top priority as I can't imagine it would ever be approved.

5

America's divorce rate falls to lowest level since 1970 - bad luck WT

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

the watchtower is always lamenting "ever increasing levels of divorce" etc, especially when they have wt articles about the family.. this article presents some refreshing views that not every married couple is getting divorced.. perhaps the rate of divorce among jehovah's witnesses is the highest since 1970 as it's becoming more and more common to hear about jw spouses breaking up or having affairs.. .

u.s. divorce rate falls to lowest level since 1970some suggest more couples are living together long-term without marryinghttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18600304/?gt1=9951.

new york - by the numbers, divorce just isnt what it used to be.. despite the common notion that america remains plagued by a divorce epidemic, the national per capita divorce rate has declined steadily since its peak in 1981 and is now at its lowest level since 1970.. yet americans arent necessarily making better choices about their long-term relationships.

Numinous

Agree with Greendawn on the "come into our world and you will be secure" song we all heard. I asked an elder's wife out in service once if there were no penalties to divorce in the organization, what is the percentage that would do so. Without a pause she stated 50 percent. I was one of the first, believe it or not, in my congregation to divorce...they made a big deal out of it at first, then as the months went by nobody cared. I asked the question "So the congregation will help me out if he hits his head and I am stuck with medical, apartment rent, utility bills..." Seven months later, an elder casually asked, "So, how's that divorce coming?" No surprise when I told him it happened a long time ago. This tactic can also work with the "quit your job and pioneer" question that comes up. My prediction: In 20 years everyone will have figured out that God doesn't care about the marriage license records at the local courthouse.