Just read all 5 parts...never saw this thread. Simon, thanks for sharing your story.
Thanks Noni for bumping it up.
shopaholic
JoinedPosts by shopaholic
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103
My life ... and how JWD came to be - Part 5
by Simon inmy life ... and how jwd came to be - part 1. my life ... and how jwd came to be - part 2. my life ... and how jwd came to be - part 3. my life ... and how jwd came to be - part 4. i swear, i thought it was only a couple of years at most since i wrote part 4 of "my life and how jwd came to be".
i re-read it after someone posted to it and brought it back on active topics and it was kind of prophetic in a way ... well, i had the 5 years part right if nothing else:.
it would be nice to visit the site (or whatever one is around then) in 5 years time to let people know how we're doing and find only a few of the same people still around.
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OMG shunning story
by man in black inmy wife and i went to fedex / kinko's this afternoon and ran into a girl who was df'ed several years ago, (her parents are quite the rabid jw's.).
they have two daughters, and the younger one recently got married at the kh.. the older one who we were talking to proceeded to tell us that she decided to attend her younger sisters wedding ceremony which was fine despite the fact that nobody talked to her.. but after the wedding she was basically ushered out of the hall.
she was not allowed to participate in any pictures, or allowed to speak to the new couple.
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shopaholic
I don't know about anyone else but I just wouldn't go if I was asked by some pimple-faced attendant kid. A simple, "No, I'm staying. I'm family," would be my response
This happened at a wedding I attended. The JW woman getting married had a sister that was a "disapproved associate". Well, she attended to the wedding but was not in it. Then she came to the reception. The attendants asked her to leave and she refused. Saying she would only leave if her sister or the groom asked her to leave. Several elders attempted to convince her to leave but she ignored each one but her non-JW family didn't. The elders had the ballroom stop serving the remaining tables. The elders left and many followed right behind them and said some not-so-nice things as they walked pass her table. We stayed because we wanted to see what was going to happen.
Most of the guests left and then the bride was crying and finally went over and asked her sister to leave. Her sister and everyone at the table left but by that time they only had about 30 min left for the reception so the remaining guests headed over to nearby restaurant. The whole ordeal lasted for more than 3 hours during which no one ate (except non-JW family) because a "disapproved associate" had entered the room. There was only time for the new couple's first dance before everyone had to leave the ballroom.
I'm sure the only reason the bride waited so long to approach her sister was because her sitting at a table filled with non-JW family members. That didn't stop the elders from approaching her and asking her to leave.
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I'm scared sometimes that the WTBTS might be right about everything.
by Chemical Emotions ini wake up thinking: what if my boyfriend and i die a terrifying death during armageddon?
with no hope of any life afterwards?.
do any of you ever feel that way?.
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shopaholic
I felt that way off and on during the first 6 months after my departure. Then sanity kicked in and I realized it to be nothing more than a fear tactic.
The further away you get, the less JW you become and you can see them and their tactics for what they really are. You'll be fine.
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Long Call With Elder: Doesn't Know About "Generations/Overlapping"
by daringhart13 ini had a call with a good buddy......still an elder the other night.. when i mentioned generations/overlapping.......he had no clue what i was talking about.
such a good man.......... but it doesn't matter.....they don't even realize what is being said to them; what is being done to them.
a high stature elder in their organization....and he had no clue there was another change..... how the hell does this happen?.
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shopaholic
Another new thing was that the millennial reign began in 1914 and how happy we are that there are only 900 years to go!
Is this true? Are they now claiming that we are living in the millennial reign that was supposed to start after Armageddon?
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Newbie want's to say hi
by Adso injust wanted to say hi and thanks to everyone that has posted their stories and comments.
i was df'ed a few months ago now and reading this forum has helped out heaps.
based on that i wanted to contribute in the hope that my experiences resonate with someone and help with the healing proccess the way it's helped me.
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shopaholic
Hi Adso,
Welcome to the board. I'm sorry to hear about all that you've gone through. It does get better.
Wishing you a peaceful journey,
Shop.
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Bin Laden Plotted New Attack
by Bangalore inbin laden plotted new attack.. http://online.wsj.com/article/sb10001424052702304521304576446213098582284.html.
bangalore.
.
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shopaholic
The whole Bin Ladin thing is a total fabrication. He's been dead for about 10 years, just do a little homework.
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Has there been a change on how JW's view those that have drifted away?
by lonestar63 ini wonder if an article in the wt came out telling them to reach out to those that have drifted away.
i suspect the defection has been great in the last few years, and they're trying to bring some back.
i've told my story here, how i was able to succesfully fade away along with my family, without being df'd.
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shopaholic
It varies by area. They may be on a witch hunt depending on how fired up of a CO they have.
After the circuit I was in got a new CO, I got a semi-threatening message from an elder after being away for about two years without so much as a phone call. I never returned his call as instructed so I can only guess that he acted upon the "or else!" portion of his message because I haven't heard from anyone since then. Not even a call or visit around their Memorial celebration.
I saw a few JWs over the next several weeks after that and they avoided me like the plague. It was almost funny. So I can only assume that I was DF'd in absentia.
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My Letter I'm Out of the Synagogue of Satan
by discreetslave intodays text is matthew 18:17 ...speak to the congregation.
so i'm giving everyone i can a copy of after the meeting.
i put the elders copy in the snail mail.. [if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:trackmoves /> <w:trackformatting /> <w:punctuationkerning /> <w:validateagainstschemas /> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:saveifxmlinvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:ignoremixedcontent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext> <w:donotpromoteqf /> <w:lidthemeother>en-us</w:lidthemeother> <w:lidthemeasian>x-none</w:lidthemeasian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>x-none</w:lidthemecomplexscript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables /> <w:snaptogridincell /> <w:wraptextwithpunct /> <w:useasianbreakrules /> <w:dontgrowautofit /> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark /> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp /> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables /> <w:dontvertalignintxbx /> <w:word11kerningpairs /> <w:cachedcolbalance /> </w:compatibility> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont m:val="cambria math" /> <m:brkbin m:val="before" /> <m:brkbinsub m:val="--" /> <m:smallfrac m:val="off" /> <m:dispdef /> <m:lmargin m:val="0" /> <m:rmargin m:val="0" /> <m:defjc m:val="centergroup" /> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440" /> <m:intlim m:val="subsup" /> <m:narylim m:val="undovr" /> </m:mathpr></w:worddocument> </xml><!
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shopaholic
DS,
I think it was a great idea to give copies to members of your congregation so they know you decided to leave and was not disfellowshipped by the org. Your letter has a very sincere feel to it and will not doubt linger in the minds of some.
For others considering writing a letter, its probably best not to include so many scriptures as it is a turn off for most JWs. However, in the end, write what you feel and what brings you closure.
Wishing you all the best,
Shop.
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Long Call With Elder: Doesn't Know About "Generations/Overlapping"
by daringhart13 ini had a call with a good buddy......still an elder the other night.. when i mentioned generations/overlapping.......he had no clue what i was talking about.
such a good man.......... but it doesn't matter.....they don't even realize what is being said to them; what is being done to them.
a high stature elder in their organization....and he had no clue there was another change..... how the hell does this happen?.
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shopaholic
A Circuit Overseer said it best when he told us during a pioneer meeting, "The organization doesn't need clever people, what they need are obedient people."
I've also had conversations with people that hold positions within the congregation that have no clue about the latest generation change. A few even told me that if I got my spiritual food from the meeting than online then I would know its not true because overlapping generations makes no sense. When I told them it was in their magazines and was covered in a study article and convention talk, they told me I must be mistaken because they would have remembered that.
One MS told me he quickly googled it and only found reference to it on apostate sites and did not want to discuss it any further. A pioneer told me that she had no need to research it. If it was from the GB, then she trusts that the change was needed.
Can you say...zombie?
This is what typically happens...they call or want to meet to "encourage" me but in the end they "don't want to talk about it."
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Long Call With Elder: Doesn't Know About "Generations/Overlapping"
by daringhart13 ini had a call with a good buddy......still an elder the other night.. when i mentioned generations/overlapping.......he had no clue what i was talking about.
such a good man.......... but it doesn't matter.....they don't even realize what is being said to them; what is being done to them.
a high stature elder in their organization....and he had no clue there was another change..... how the hell does this happen?.
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