something to read,.
i just found a site where david yoder describes the amish culture in great detail.
it is fascinating to get an inside view of their world.
San Francisco:
Hello! My inlaws live in Wyomissing, right next to Sinking Spring! I lived there for about 5 months before moving back to New England with my husband and son. In fact, we get back there two or three times a year.
I like going to the Green Dragon market and seeing some Amish, and Mennonites.
What a coinky dink!!
=)
=)
what was your [or someone else's]most embarrassing comment?.
mine was during a wt study on christian qualities: on courtesy:.
"courtesy is the lubricant for social intercourse.
When my son was about 2 1/2 years old he fell asleep during a Sunday meeting. We sitting right behind an elder, on that used to make comments about kids falling asleep during the meeting. On this particular day, my son wet his pants while sleeping and left a wonderful dark mark on the green carpet.
Boy, did I set a record leaving the hall that day!
as i passed through wol site i saw a post on how to handle microphones.
it was a pointless discussion about using cordless vs cord or a boom.
wow ... big stuff.. it reminded me of a few times i ran the mics.
I never understood why sisters could not help out with the lit, music, and the mikes. Stupid, stupid! Was it the heels? Hey, we have flat shoes too!
hi to all in the forum.
i am new here and would like to briefly share how i arrived here.
i was born and raised a witness.i'm in my 40's and married.i had some doubts as regards to some docrinal teachings and changes in the 80's.
Hey, welcome!
I am sorry that your wife will not discuss what you have found, but I very much respect that fact that you are going to meetings with her, yet not participating. After a while, perhaps by seeing that you are still the same man she married...just with different beliefs...she will start to be more receptive to getting your new points of view.
I hope that your marriage is not too adversely affected by all this. Try to keep your patience with her; I know it is not easy when you finally see the light, so to speak, and cannot get someone so close to you to see it also.
Good luck to you!
i have been dfd since i turned 19, i aux, pioneered for a short time and then selfishly went after the fruits of the flesh.
smoking, sex, drinking, drugs, etc.... the thing i couldn't, or wouldn't, see at the time was that i was acting selfishly.
it didn't matter what others in the cong.
Going nuts,
when I was a teenager (before I was baptised) I decided to drift away and lived a "worldly" life. Did the drugs, sex, rock n' roll, and smoking. Ended up pregnant, and came back after I had my son and was baptized when 21. You see, I still believed the teachings, just finally got around to living the faith I believed in.
However, I became a very serious JW (I was pretty seriously into it before 14 too) and started to see that what was taught was not necessarily right. I got sick of the hypocrits in our congregation, and as "our thinking" kept getting "readjustments" (ie. what 1914 really meant and those of that generation, etc..) I concluded that many of the teachings I just could not align with my own bible reading. I finally left based on those real reasons...no longer social ones...when I was 27 years old.
It sounds like you want to be reinstated...and I would not necessarily discourage you from that. However, while you are waiting, take the time to really research the faith again and WHY you want to be a part of the religion. Never forget that the Watchtower Society is made up of sincere, but IMPERFECT people. Disobeying the Watchtower does not necessarily mean disobeying God.
Let us know how you are doing. Whether you decide to stay or leave, remember to base your decision on what you really believe and can prove...not out of guilty emotions.
hi i've just come home from cleaning windows.what an absolutely soul destroying job.. when i think of the things i could have done.. i remmember how my teachers in school used to tell me i would surely go to university and get a good job.i remmember the shock on one teachers face a few years after i left school when i told her i was a window cleaner.. i was also intrested in art and quite good at it.my grandfather who wasn't a witness offered to help me and my brother get good jobs in the art world.. we turned him down.. arrmegeddon was so soon.. anyone else like me ?.
what do you do and what could you have done?
Ginny
Your money or your life is a great book! Actually it was referred to me by a witness when I was in. Good info!
hi i've just come home from cleaning windows.what an absolutely soul destroying job.. when i think of the things i could have done.. i remmember how my teachers in school used to tell me i would surely go to university and get a good job.i remmember the shock on one teachers face a few years after i left school when i told her i was a window cleaner.. i was also intrested in art and quite good at it.my grandfather who wasn't a witness offered to help me and my brother get good jobs in the art world.. we turned him down.. arrmegeddon was so soon.. anyone else like me ?.
what do you do and what could you have done?
I did think of becoming a toothbrush rebristler for the Goodwill stores.
hi i've just come home from cleaning windows.what an absolutely soul destroying job.. when i think of the things i could have done.. i remmember how my teachers in school used to tell me i would surely go to university and get a good job.i remmember the shock on one teachers face a few years after i left school when i told her i was a window cleaner.. i was also intrested in art and quite good at it.my grandfather who wasn't a witness offered to help me and my brother get good jobs in the art world.. we turned him down.. arrmegeddon was so soon.. anyone else like me ?.
what do you do and what could you have done?
Sleepy,
I understand your anger. I did go to college, still have not finished, but I decided when I was a JW that if Jehovah expected me to take care of my son that I needed good training. I probably would not have gone if I did not have my son...who knows?
It is still not too late...take a class here and there and then you will get to where you want to be. My older brother totally rebelled against my mom when he was a teen, and was never baptised. He was never really encouraged to go to college. He eventually got his GED and after partying hard for a few years, he decided at 26 to go to college full time. He has 4 more classes to go and he will have his BA. He is now applying to grad school. I would like to mention that he also has an 11 year old daughter to support and works as well.
Bottomline...once you pick up the pieces, deal with the post traumatic shock of leaving, you need to move on.
I coulda been a contenda!
Let us know how it goes.
somebody mentioned getting flack for having get togethers for studying...the society is so damned scared that there will be some mob mentality if more than their proscribed little groups get together for anything other than their proscribed activities.
paranoia much?
it reminded me.... when i was first coming in, the congregation i was in had a boatload of kids...a ton around 8-10 years old.
Tina,
heehee! =)
i thought it might be interesting to see how many here remember where and when they were baptised into the borg.
for some the memory may be too painful, but i'm curious.. me.
it was 1966 in vancouver, bc.
Oh..yeah I was 21.
