I'm with you Longhairgal!! What a horrible sitation to be in. I feel for these misguided women!
MMO
i am saddened and angry to observe the pitiful situation some of my jw single female friends are in.
they are over 40 and have little work record, hardly any money and in some instances compromised health issues.
i am angry because these women were waiting for armageddon to come and save them.
I'm with you Longhairgal!! What a horrible sitation to be in. I feel for these misguided women!
MMO
how many of you initally checked out this site for completely innocent reasons?
just stumbed across it and couldnt' stop reading, or to see what was being read with the intent of setting us or someone else in your life straight?
then b/c of what you read you could no longer buy into the whole jw fraud and left the org or are in the process of leaving?
I had already left when I started reading this site, someone had sent me the link. I also refer as many people as I can to this site!
MMO
.
so its june 11th, sorta summer, if it stops raining here.... what are you doing to enjoy yourself for the next few months?
cheers!
Going on a sunny vacay with friends in a couple of weeks and then down to business for me. I just started my new company so I will be working like crazy to get that going so I can afford more vacations! I will also be happy if it stops raining here. It's been like what, 4 weeks now? Tired of it.
MMO
when i was active, i was always (usually) proud to talk about being a jw, our faith, reasons for our stupid beliefs on birthdays, x-mas, etc.
now with everything i'm going through, given how much of an impact this is to my life, i want to talk to others about it, like coworkers, and other friends.
but thinking about how i would explain how it's a mind-controlling cult, i feel stupid for falling for it.
I don't tell anyone except for a select few people that are very close to me and I know they would never judge me. I don't discuss it though. It's embarrassing and I always think people will think less of me, or that I will lose some of my credibility with them if they find out.
MMO
you don't need to exaggerate the foibles of jws to get the point across that they are not "the truth".
can you state some facts that show that jehovah's witnesses are not "normal' and that their religion is weird and simply abnormal?.
Where do I begin?? Well the fact that they shun those that leave the org. is one of them. Also, that those that are not JW's are refered to as "worldly". That always made me feel weird.
MMO
how many of you initally checked out this site for completely innocent reasons?
just stumbed across it and couldnt' stop reading, or to see what was being read with the intent of setting us or someone else in your life straight?
then b/c of what you read you could no longer buy into the whole jw fraud and left the org or are in the process of leaving?
How many of you initally checked out this site for completely innocent reasons? Just stumbed across it and couldnt' stop reading, or to see what was being read with the intent of setting us or someone else in your life straight? Then b/c of what you read you could no longer buy into the whole JW fraud and left the org or are in the process of leaving?
Your experiences please! Anyone?
MMO
in december i started reading things and thinking with an open mind (for the first time in my life).
i'm still discovering things daily that irritate me about the wts.
i've been to about half a dozen meetings since march.
In my experience it has taken years but everyone is different. At least you are dealing with it head on b/c you don't want to suffer these feelings for the rest of your life by supressing them! I think it's great you are reading the material that you are b/c it is helping you cope with things. You are looking at it square in the face. Deal with it all upfront and then it will be over and you can truly live your life.
Take it from me, I supressed it for years which is why I am here now.
MMO
i accompanied my jw wife to one day (sunday) of the district convention this weekend.
for any who are interested, i offer these observations from the sunday afternoon session:.
the concluding talk was given by a gentleman by the name of steven lett, a member of the jw governing body.
Thank you for your observations, they are greatly appreciated!!
MMO
for those of you who have left the watchtower have you experienced greater happiness since leaving than when you were in.especially a feeling of all that pressure lifting of conforming to the tower that you didnt realize originally made you misrable and was blamed on satan.thats how ive feel these days since leaving.i feel more natural and mentally stable than when i was a conforming jw.. on the other hand have you noticed these days when i bump into my ex congregation associates they look quite unhappy and depressed.then again it could be because some of them dont know how to deal with me knowing that ive left watchtower land..
I am MUCH happier since I left, I wasn't happy at all when I was in.
It's so great not to have every evening of the week taken up by meetings, service or personal study. I can do whatever I want to do, my life isn't controlled by fear, I have true friends, I am allowed to have secular goals, I have freedom of speech, I am not the subject of cruel gossip or being stabbed in the back, I am allowed to use the internet, go to school, marry and be friends with whoever I want...I really could go on and on.
Leaving is one of the best things I have ever done. It was definately the smartest!!
MMO
my wife excitedly told me that she talked to the wife of an elder that just came back from.
the special training for elders in upper state new york and that the elders are being told .
to go back to their congregations and to get them ready for the great tribulation.. i said to her that is great news !!!!
What? The great tribulation is coming? Oh sh!t, I better get my act together!!!
MMO