Posts by Tornintwo

9

Does growing up in a religious family make you MEAN?

by Divergent in

jw
friends

yeah, i was mean.

could it be that i was not encouraged to have non-jw's as friends, so i viewed them as insignificant?

could it be that i found it difficult to live up to "christian standards" and took it out on others?

Tornintwo

I actually think birthdays are quite important in this respect and missing out on them has a more profound effect than you would at first think to the jw youth. The WT teaches us that they glorify the individual but actually the opposite is true. When kids celebrate someone else's birthday, they learn it is someone else's special day, that they have to take a back seat and wait their turn, whilst the attention and gifts go to the birthday boy/girl. They have to give something maybe they would have wanted themselves. But then with patience their own special day comes along.

At these and other celebrations you have to think about others, There is also chance to play at party games which involve sharing, taking turns and losing plus just being part of the wider community. It may sound simplistic, but looking back at my older kids who we raised as JWs until mid teens when they have left (one a year before me and one just after me) I can see that they really missed out on a lot of life lessons through not having a part in such celebrations.

14

The Stupidity of the "Preaching Work" ...

by Muddy Waters in

this came up in another thread and i wondered if any one else thought this way while they were still in..... - that it is actually better not to preach as people who don't hear "the truth" are said to be given a resurrection rather than the poor saps who refused a paltry magazine and now merit everlasting destruction..

Tornintwo

I was with my husband the other day who is still in and fully convinced, we saw two sisters strolling along the promenade with tracts folders in hand but deep in conversation with eachother, I said "well they clearly have an urgent message don't they?". Where I am the preaching work is such a waste of time, a 'searching' for foreign language speakers, spending ages trying to find an address which is not at home, wandering around in circles, finishing ASAP to get coffee. The ironic thing is at the next assembly they'll say "we're in the last minutes of the last hours of the last days" and all the dubs nod and agree, "it can't go on much longer".

On a shepherding call to 'encourage' me, I brought up how many people haven't had a true opportunity to hear & understand the message, an elder got quite exasperated with me and said a that people in frequently worked territory have had 'plenty of chances'. Rubbish! I agree with jookbeard, the vast majority of people haven't a clue what JWs believe accept no blood, no celebrations and some weird magazines offered on a Saturday morning. That's a JW survey I would love to see done and well publicized, how many people in these so called 'well worked territories', actually understand the JWs preach Armageddon is coming? Very few, I am sure. But of course they are deserving of eternal destruction.....what a complete load of crap.

32

London Bethelites Living on Their Nerves?

by The Searcher in

just got home and received information from a source regarding london bethel: .

a bethel couple told my source that they are getting rid of about 20/25 bethelites every week and that if they are to go, they will get called in on a friday and given their leaving date.everyone is "on edge" and hoping that if they get the boot, they've got time to make alternative plans.. perhaps bethelites everywhere should apply this scripture, by looking for a job and accommodation now - and then just resign from their "vow of poverty" without giving advance warning.

(proverbs 22:3) "the shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, but the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.".

Tornintwo

It would be so good if several did this, throw a spanner in the works. Why wait to be pushed out when you can walk away on your own terms with your head held high?

32

Being interviewed by police tomorrow

by moley in

well tomorrow is a big day for me.

i'm finally going to be interviewed by the police about what happened to me as a kid.. im running the whole gamut of emotions at the moment.

sad, anxious, angry, guilt, fear and many more that cannot be quantified.. i feel physically sick, cannot sleep, have lost my appetite and i am desperately trying not to self harm.. i've got my sister to thank for getting this far.

Tornintwo

Well done, you are so courageous. You and your sister showing this strength can help many others. My thoughts and prayers go out to you, thank you for sharing this with us.

38

How have you felt since you learned TTATT?

by tornapart in

it's been 4 years since it happened to me.

an almost overnight experience.

i read ray franz coc in 3 days and that was it.

Tornintwo

Im 6 months into my awakening and have faded fast. I have days when I feel elated, finally free of the oppressive guilt and 'never good enough' demands of the Borg.... I have days when I'm angry as hell about the lost opportunities, decisions taken wrongly, damage done to my kids and others....I have days when I feel lonely, miss the community and friends, wonder if God is angry with me & I get sucked back in to self doubt and guilt (today's one of those).

I hope it settles down soon and I can just live a normal life and forget this small minded cult ever darkened my path.

116

3 words to describe.....

by punkofnice in

..your experience with the watchtower corporation:.

i'll start...... bully boy elders.

Tornintwo

Man made rules

fear of man

expectation postponed

sacrifice your life

prominent abuse lowly

372

On respect for the belief of others. Sorry for the long post

by StarTrekAngel in

i am inclined to start this thread in response to some comments made in other threads.

i have been coming around these forum for quite some time now so whatever you find in here is not just related to something someone may have said this week.

it can go months back as well.. i have seen many who claim to respect the belief of others but when it comes down to applying it into practice, things take a whole different tune.

Tornintwo

Regarding respect for others beliefs: I remember when I was a super zealous new jw and my mother's mother had just died, my mother and her were very close, she had lost her father when she was a teenager. I pushed and pushed for her to listen to and respect the resurrection hope, quoting 'their conscious of nothing at all etc etc' thinking it would make her feel better. At some point She stopped me, grabbed me by the shoulders and said, 'I need to believe she's looking down on us in heaven with my dad, taking care of us, I NEED that'. That's what has kept her going when her dad died as a youth.

with my superiority complex I thought I could easily disprove her belief, but that didn't take into account the affection she had for that belief and the importance it played in her life.

Some members here would say that with enough education and research all belief in a deity can be disproved. I find it difficult to believe that any such thing can be completely disproved or proved, haven't scholars tried to do so for centuries? That's where there is room for faith.

We are at various stages of awakening, after a high control religion was our crutch and whole life, it could be insensitive and cruel for someone further along in the process or with a greater knowledge of certain areas of study to ridicule and tear down someone else's dearly held religious belief.

I think the important thing for us all to display here is open mindedness and mutual respect for each others beliefs, considering we came out of a cult which encouraged close mindedness, blinkered thinking and disrespect for anyone else's religion.

30

Handing out candy

by mikeypants in

growing up my parents would barricade our home off by parking vehicles bumper to bumper - you would have to crawl under the cars or over the bumpers to get to our door.

also, we would turn off all the lights and hide in the back room away from the street.. that was the norm for me.

isnt that insane?

Tornintwo

I living in a reverse divided home, last night my hubby said 'the kids are coming around for trick or treat' let's turn the lights off and go in the back room. I said "don't be silly. I've bought some sweets and I'll handle it". He didn't say anything else! My daughter dressed as a cat and went to a friends house with about 15 kids to watch scary movies, but was careful not to post any photos on social media for the JWs to see. My son was 'the real batman' and went nightclubbing with his mates. So Happy they are getting back to the real world and enjoying themselves.

47

Suicide or Real Freedom? - My Story As One Of Jehovah's Witnesses

by dubstepped in

"sometimes i think the only thing i could do that wouldn't upset someone would be to kill myself.".

those were the frustrated words of my friend as we stood out in his large yard in the country, just about to enjoy a nice bonfire on a beautiful night.

what was it that could have been a lesser evil than killing himself?

Tornintwo

Wonderful story Dubstepped and so well written.

it really illustrates how this organisation tramples on individuality and people's emotions in pursuit of drone slaves for the watchtower. I'm so sorry your family have made such a narrow minded choice, it is their loss and I hope they realize that one day.

its great that you didn't throw the baby out with the bath water and abandon your faith. I am clinging to a faith in God and Christ, there are things in my life that have made me just feel there is a God, unpopular as such thinking may be with some here. it's difficult because the witnesses claim ownership of God, yesterday I was told 'Jehovah misses me' because I'm not at the meetings, I was like 'how do you know Jehovah isn't with me?'.

Thanks again for a great story, enjoy the rest of your lives and a huge congratulations that your wife is by your side, it's a luxury many of us here don't have X

18

I could sue the WTBTS

by shattered_origins in

ever since my sister gave me an " awakening," i have been somewhat obsessed with the failings of the religion i was born into.

i am especially outraged at the article i read about how the elders are supposed to deal with accusations of sexual abuse (jwfacts.com/watchtower/paedophelia.php).

i myself suffered sexual and emotional abuse from a family "friend"/ministerial servant in a neighboring congregation.

Tornintwo

Sue them!!! Call Irwin zalkin and at least get some advice. After all you've been through you deserve compensation. I'm so sorry you suffered this abuse and mistreatment.

Reinstated after a year, eugh, "we're not permissive to pedophiles" said Lett on jw broadcasting, well plenty of experiences like this say you are.