Posts by themonster123

37

Do you believe you have a particular purpose in life?

by journey-on in

jw
friends

i ask this because as a jw, you are programmed to think your only purpose is to preach the good news of the kingdom....period.

but more and more, i've noticed in my own life a strong pull toward something i won't elaborate on, but it has me thinking that maybe we really do each have a particular purpose and it's up to us to discover what it is.

i know i'm kind of new to the forum, but please let me know if any of you have experienced this same kind of unusually strong pull toward something you can't fully explain.

themonster123

No, I don't think I have a specific purpose that I was "born" to do x,y, or z.

40

Did Anything In Field Service Make You Question The Society?

by The wanderer in

jw
friends

did anything in field service make you question the society?

an ex-jehovahs witnesses planted a seed of doubt by stating that she felt to be a good .

witness an individual had to be a conformist.

themonster123

yeah, once i went to the door with a pioneer sister and she invited him to come to our hall or whatever and then he said something to the effect of, "I think that's great what you're doing and I also invite you to come to my church." Afterwards I asked her how we're supposed to combat that nicely when someone says that and then I realized why do i have to combat it at all? If we're coming to THEIR door to talk to them about OUR religion, why is it so horrible to return the favor to them? If they come to our hall (in actuality, usually doesn't happen) to see what we believe and having an open mind to see what we believe, how can we not do the same for theM?!

24

Cults

by darth frosty in

i was just watching the repeat of the history channel cults program.

needless to say a lot of the cults they talked about and their beliefs reminded me of the dubs to an extent.

but, it got me to thinking...has the wt$ ever featured an article on cults and recognizing them?

themonster123

Funky Derek, you're SO right! That's what made me think, "okay, they're not a cult" when I was in was the fact that, "hey, they're talking about it and actually confronting the rumor-they must not be," just because they'r confronting it doesn't mean they're not!!!

14

Photographs and Illustrations in WT Publications

by RubyStevens in

this is i guess geared more toward bethelites or those in the know.

in the endless sunday meetings i was always facinated by the photographs and pictures in the books and magazines.

is there a large photo studio at bethel were the pictures are taken?

themonster123

Those illustrations and photos are one of the many reasons I left....What's up with those Paradise illustrations!? They look very cult-like... And the Armageddon illustrations are crazy looking too.

BUt the Watchtower photographs and the COVERS of the Awakes and Watchtowers are soooOOO cheesy! I mean, they have pictures of "bad guys" with "bad guy looks" on their faces, like stealing a bag of money or whatver and looking over their shoudler. They should practically have him wearing stripes and carrying a bag of money with a money dollar sign on it, like in those old cartoons. and when showing pictures of how we should dress, according to the GB, has anyone noticed the prevelance of those 3/4 button-up shirts that a lot of the sisters in the pictures wear?

11

All you new people: Themonster123, Stoic, Snowangel, and Wafe

by unique1 in

jw
friends

and any i have missed: welcome to the board!!!.

feel free to look about, ask questions, discuss the jw's or even just post some fluff (limited fluff please though).

we are here to support you in whatever you decide to do.

themonster123

Thanks. It's "good" to be here-kind of. I only left the organization in the past three months, don't worry I"m going to stay strong but I'm still in the -having no friends mode cuz all my friends were Witnesses- and all that stuff...oh yeah, and still in the -getting the phone calls from my concerned family and friends, just ignoring and deleting the voice mails- I love and miss all my witnesses friends and family, BUT I realize I will get nowhere with them. Now what I believe and what they believe is soooooOOOooOOO different, our relationships will forever be changed and hollowed.

6

Does anyone remember the Awake or Watchtower that came out after Sep 11?

by themonster123 in

jw
friends

i am now vaguely recalling either an awake or watchtower that came out right after the september 11th terrorist attacks on the world trade center....and anyone can hear me out on this...i remember they had a bunch of little stories of people that were actually there and like every single person they wrote about apparantly ran to bethel away from the chaos and all of what was going on by the world trade centers...i'm not doubting these people in the article did run there, but seriously, the whole point of the article was to just be like, "ah, yes, all of them ran to the safe mother," it was really weird.

i mean, it was all like a commercial that apparantly bethel is the place to be when disaster strikes or other bologna like that.

:(

themonster123

I am now vaguely recalling either an Awake or Watchtower that came out right after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center....and anyone can hear me out on this...I remember they had a bunch of little stories of people that were actually there and like every single person they wrote about apparantly RAN TO BETHEL away from the chaos and all of what was going on by the World Trade Centers...I'm not doubting these people in the article did run there, but seriously, the whole point of the article was to just be like, "Ah, yes, all of them ran to the Safe Mother," it was really weird. I mean, it was all like a commercial that apparantly Bethel is the place to be when disaster strikes or other bologna like that. :(

40

HI!! BRAND NEW...JUST LEFT THE ORGANIZATION ABOUT A MONTH AGO...

by themonster123 in

jw
friends

i'm totally new to this...so it's nice to be on here-quite an interesting site.

well, i'm a 22-year old girl.

i seriously just stopped being a witness like this past month.

themonster123

Well, thank you EVERYONE for all the great feedback! It's all very helpful.... I esp. like your comment Crumpet. :) You funny lady. Oh...and since everyone kept asking me, I"m from California. That's about as specific as I get.

24

Got my mom out of the cult after 25 years of indoctrination

by What-A-Coincidence in

jw
friends

yep.

after she spent 25 years in the troof she finaly has come to realize that the org.

is a cult.

themonster123

That's so crazy. All I can do is hope the same for my poor old mom. She's sooooo sooo dedicated. I just imagine her sitting alone at the meetings without her daughter (me) sitting next to her....it makes me so sad...cuz we have a really good relationship. Ever since I left (a month ago), I miss her emotionally (even though we live together)...she was actually disfellowshipped years ago (like 25 years) when she met and moved in with her boyfriend (my Dad).

12

What happens AFTER baptism?

by onlycurious in

jw
friends

my friend is getting baptised sometime in april.

i have lots of questions.. first of all, she willing inquired about some christian books i have and is currently reading them.

both have to do with purity but i am sure she would notice some theological differences when she reads them.

themonster123

Well, Witnesses have religious conventions called "assemblies" or sometimes "conventions" and these happen about 3 times a year (give or take). No, it's not like the entire audience gets baptized at once! There is a pool usually located at the front, near the podium, pretty small, like a jacuzzi size and two or three older men, usually ministerial servants are there in the pool to baptize you. Only one or two people are in the pool at one time to get baptized. It's not an impersonal experience, it's very personal. Before you're baptized, you go through about 100 questions (literally) of questions about the organization, God, family etc. all based on specific Scriptures. Then, once you're studied up, a couple elders go through the questions with you to really make sure your heart is in it. If they don't think you seem ready, then they don't let you get baptized till they think you're ready (I've never known anyone who is actually NOT allowed to get baptized, unless obvious stuff-like they were still smoking or living with their boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever).

And as for you saying that Witnesses treat the Watchtower like the voice of God, well, technically you're right....Witnesses believe the Watchtower organization is the only mouthpiece of the "true God" or "Jehovah," but it's not like we explicitly said that. I mean, as a Witness you truly believe you're doing everything for "God" and "Jehovah," NOT "the watchtower organization," which I guess in the end that's all being a Witness is really about. So, to her, she's thinking she's getting baptized for God, and the Watchtower organization itself is kind of secondary. For example, Witnesses have at one of their weekly meetings the bible reading where they literally go over the entire bible (only 3 chapters a week though) and the congregation gives their comments on what they thought of those 3 or 4 assigned chapters....So, it's not like Witnesses ALWAYS have Watchtower aids to study the Bible...anyway, that's my two cents.

40

HI!! BRAND NEW...JUST LEFT THE ORGANIZATION ABOUT A MONTH AGO...

by themonster123 in

jw
friends

i'm totally new to this...so it's nice to be on here-quite an interesting site.

well, i'm a 22-year old girl.

i seriously just stopped being a witness like this past month.

themonster123

Hello everyone. I'm totally new to this...so it's nice to be on here-quite an interesting site. Well, I'm a 22-year old girl. I seriously just stopped being a Witness like this past month. My Mom and brother are WItnesses. My other brother and Dad aren't. O man, I don't know where to start....well basically I stopped going to meetings for a couple months and it really allowed me some time to THINK in a non-Witness environment (if you go to meetings three times a week, only hang out with WItnesses, go to assemblies all the time, and go out in service a lot, you're CONSTANTLY in that environment-gives you no time to question it....) I'm still in sad-mode, meaning I've decided not to hang out with my Witness girlfriends anymore...actually it's kind of mutual between me and them...

There are a lot of reasons I left...too many to even list, but the wrong dates over the years all gave me a red flag. Not only that, growing up as a Witness in a divided household I really had to stand up for what I believed against my dad when I was about 16 and he was being really strict about me not being a witness. Now I'm in my early 20s, still living at home, but just....so unsure about it all! When I was baptized at 18, sure, I believed it wholeheartedly, but the whole "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your living savior and accept this organization as the only living mouthpiece of Jehovah" (or whatever they ask you at baptism) a little....much... When you get baptized, you have to "repent of your sins to God," but what is the deal with that!? I live an everyday life. I don't believe in having a relationship with Jesus and/or God who live in some other dimension! it seems like bologna.

Right now, they're studying the Revelation book again in bookstudy. My elder kept saying in all his talks, "We've studied this book before over the years, but we have to ask ourselves...Will this be the last time? WILL this be the last time?" True, it scares me to hear talks like that, but I'm really trying to stay strong in my decision to not be a Witness.

In a world of 6 billion people, how can only 6 million + be right? What about some guy living in the jungles of AFrica who's never heard of Jehovah's Witnesses? WHat's his fate at "Armageddon?" My brother told me, "Well, it'll be like in Noah's day when only him and his family lived and everyone else died." But....I don't know IF I EVEN BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE!!! Then my other brother told me, "What are the chances that Noah's ark even happened? THat would mean tha ALL the animals in the WORLD would have to fit into that ark. And that ark was smaller than a lot of ships we have TODAY..."

Anywayanyway anyway....I"m totally going on and on..but I thought this would be a good forum for me to come and let some of my very new non-witness self out and maybe get some support!!! I would appreciate any feedback or questions or whatever. :)