Posts by flower

21

WAS YOUR JW HOME DYSFUNCTIONAL?

by stillAwitness in

jw
friends

some days are just worse than others: my mother screamed at me for like 10 minutes because i was running late for the bookstudy!

i don't even wanna go to these things!

and ever since that damn km that came out a couple months ago telling family heads the importance of having a regular family bible study my father won't even let a week pass by without us all gathered around the living room doing a question and ansewr out of the secret to family happiness book.

flower

lol that brings back some memories. hang in there.. there is always that period after a km article or assembly program where everyone starts having their 'regular home bible study' again but it never lasts. i'm sure in a few weeks you'll be free and clear.

if you want a tip..my brothers and i used to make it excrutiating for my father to conduct the study we would refuse to read with any emphasis and would not answer any of the questions. after a while he decided to assign each of us a paragraph where we HAD to answer the question if it was our turn. that way we we didnt sit there half the night with no one answering but my mom and my sister. Then we started just quoted the answer word for word from the paragraph without using any of our own words or emphasis. It was the most boring study imaginable to the point where even my father couldnt take it more than a month or two.

50

If raised JW - or in while young - how strict were your parents?

by Jamelle in

i'm just curious to know where my parents register on the scale of strictness...

growing up, i felt absolutely smothered by my parents (mostly my mother).

the things i couldn't do were above and beyond the limitations put on the other young people in our hall.

flower

My parents were extremely strict too. My father was an elder and so he had to have a family that was an 'example'. I could list all kinds of normal things that we werent allowed to do.

The one that bugged me most was probably the fact that we werent allowed to be involved in any extra curricular activities. No band, no sports, no dances, no football games, no yearbook commitee, no homecoming, prom, senior trip..no nothing except classes and straight home.

That kind of forced anti social behavior over the course of years can cause one to become a dysfunctional member of society when the finally leave the nest and the ~~lie~~ truth because they dont know how to interact with other people who are not jw's. This was a problem I had and it took me a lot of work to get to the point where I can interact with other people in a normal situation without feeling awkward. That is a natural thing that most people learn as children but which we were deprived.

30

Can JW beliefs contribute to suicide?

by TD in

jw
friends

it may sound like a strange question, but aspects of jw behavior that are incomprehensible to outsiders actually make a morbid kind of sense when viewed through the lens of jw doctrine.

for example, about 10-12 years ago there was a single mother in my wifes congregation.

during the course of conversation, she learned that my wifes grandmother had recently passed away.

flower

I was 16 the first time I attempted to do it and I can still quite vividly remember my thoughts and feelings at the time. I thought God hated me and would never love me because I was evil. Even though I didnt do evil things and I tried to do the 'right' things I thought that since God could read our hearts and minds he must know better than me and if he thinks I'm evil then I must be. I cant remember what specifically brought me to the conclusion that God hated me and thought me evil except that it was drilled into my head all the time at home and at the hall that this or that is pleasing to Jehovah or this is displeasing, this makes Jehovahs heart rejoice or that makes Jehovah angry. I felt like my every move was being scrutinized. If I told a white lie about having my homework finished or ate a piece of birthday cake at school or didnt study my watchtower I would beat myself up internally for days and each time I was sure that Jehovah hated me a little bit more. And it was hard being different in high school. One day I remember someone at school asking me if I was one of those 'jehovahs' and I was so embarrased I said 'no way, are you kidding hahaha'. The guilt and depression that followed was one of my worst episodes. I didnt think there could be any worse sin in the world than renouncing jehovah. It wasnt long after that I swallowed my first bunch of pills.

The second attempt, I was like you Billygoat, well I wasnt formally df'd but I was not really going anymore anyway so there was no point in prolonging the inevitable death at Armageddon. I used to have nightmares of Armageddon coming while I was living with my parents and having my family stand there and watching while I was burning to death or being attacked by raining balls of fiery lava. I used to be jumpy all the time waiting for my big death at Armageddon. It was all I could think about for a while. I lived near an airforce base and everytime one of those big jet fighters would fly overhead with their loud noise I would brace myself and say a little prayer for Jehovah to make it quick and painless.

Yea I'd say the jw beliefs can most definately lead to suicide. They sure did a number on me. And while I cant imagine myself ever feeling so low I would contemplate suicide again, I can also understand what drives people to it and I have all the sympathy in the world for them because I can still remember the feelings and thoughts that accompany the action.

30

Can JW beliefs contribute to suicide?

by TD in

jw
friends

it may sound like a strange question, but aspects of jw behavior that are incomprehensible to outsiders actually make a morbid kind of sense when viewed through the lens of jw doctrine.

for example, about 10-12 years ago there was a single mother in my wifes congregation.

during the course of conversation, she learned that my wifes grandmother had recently passed away.

flower

Hey! Nice to see you too! ((((((((lee))))))))) drop me an email some time eh? :x

30

Can JW beliefs contribute to suicide?

by TD in

jw
friends

it may sound like a strange question, but aspects of jw behavior that are incomprehensible to outsiders actually make a morbid kind of sense when viewed through the lens of jw doctrine.

for example, about 10-12 years ago there was a single mother in my wifes congregation.

during the course of conversation, she learned that my wifes grandmother had recently passed away.

flower

I agree..in my own personal experience I know that I wouldnt have attempted suicide had I not been brainwashed by the jw beliefs...specifically the belief that there is this 'unforgivable sin' which can cause God to completely turn his back on you forever. I had no idea what the sin was but I figured I must have inadvertently done it and therefore had no reason to wait for Armageddon to die.

61

List everything you hate here....

by under74 in

there seems to be some people here blaming this on that and that on this.

so, in the spirit of trying to clear the air and moving on i thought i'd start this post.

i'll start....... the amish--because they won't defend themselves.

flower

Hate? I dont know..that implies such strong emotion. Not very many people can generate that kind of emotion in me ...bush jr comes closer than most though, not because he screws us over so much but because he insults our intelligence by pretending to care and because he gives people what they need only when it to his personal advantage to do so.

35

do you resent your parents for bringing you into the WTS?

by kid-A in

for those born into the wts, do you ever feel resentment towards your folks for forcing this upon you?

i went through a stage of strong resentment and anger, but no longer feel this way.

i think they sincerely believed they were acting in my best interests.

flower

I dont resent being raised a dub but I do resent the fact that they allow the organization to control who they can and cant love and I resent that they allow the org to tell them that they have to disown their own children if they believe differently.

I understand that they believe what they did in raising their children as dubs was the right thing to do but they know for a fact that they arent shunning me for 'me' or because they think it will bring me back to the 'truth'. They know there is zero chance of that happening. They are doing it simply because the organization tells them its what they have to do and because if they dont they may have to face the consequences. They are doing it because deep down they are cowards.

I resent the fact that they are cowards.

55

From a true American patriot

by Simon in

people have made claims that i am anti-american for expressing dissatisfaction about american foreign policy or dismay at the ills of american socity.. to be honest, i do not think i am anti-american.

i think i am more pro american than many of the people in the country who like to wave flags and buy t-shirts but who seem happy to turn a blind eye when things are not right and happy to see it's ideals sold to the highest bidder.

imo the true patriots are those who are willing to stand up and take the flak for saying "this isn't good enough, we demand better".

flower

No...six is right. We aren't an isolationist country. When our government has it's hands in the affairs of other countries and it affects every corner of the world...everyone in the world has a right to voice their opinion.

So since Simon originally made the comparison... if everyone who is affected by our countries governmental decisions is allowed to voice their opinion, then why isnt ANYone who is affected by the decisions made here allowed to voice their opinion?

Rule number 11 clearly forbids anyone from disagreeing with any decision made here. (everyone who has followed that rule and pm'd and/or emailed their concerns knows that they almost always go unanswered so that is not an option)

If were making comparisons, then why doesnt any foreigner who wants to disagree with how this country is run send an email or PM to the president and not post publically about it. You'll probably get more of a response than you would if you bring up a valid problem here.

28

Do you find the bible boring?

by ChrisVance in

jw
friends

i was raised as a dub, and i suppose when i was quite young i found some of the bible stories interesting.

however, the older i got the more boring the bible seemed.

obviously, it had a lot to do with repetition.

flower

Sounds like short attention span problems.

nah, more like a low tolerance for religious bs problem. ;)

55

From a true American patriot

by Simon in

people have made claims that i am anti-american for expressing dissatisfaction about american foreign policy or dismay at the ills of american socity.. to be honest, i do not think i am anti-american.

i think i am more pro american than many of the people in the country who like to wave flags and buy t-shirts but who seem happy to turn a blind eye when things are not right and happy to see it's ideals sold to the highest bidder.

imo the true patriots are those who are willing to stand up and take the flak for saying "this isn't good enough, we demand better".

flower

I know what he was commenting on Six. I just dont think a long time board member criticizing the way a board is run is the same as some foreigner criticizing America.

An outsider who has never lived here or paid taxes here or contributed anything worthwhile to America is more like some newbie who has made no posts suddenly criticizing Simon for how things are run.

I think anyone who has spent years and made hundreds or thousands of worthwhile posts here has a right to at least have their opinion heard. They dont deserve to immediately be labled as a troublemaker.