well, towards the end of 2007, my life is really basically very good !
i have a lot to be thankful for, a wonderful wife , great son , a good place to live in the mountains , and great animals on our property , a peaceful life .
just one big void still there in my life , my jw daughters have frozen me out of their lives .
Mr. Flipper - I have got to read this book too because it causes me so much pain and anguish to see my son under their control and giving his life to it.
It is good to have a plan like this, something to work on that has a good chance of succeeding. I pray that it works for you
Maddie
ive' lost you, yes ive' lost.
i don't hear you laugh, i don't see you smile, i see the face so sad, it's because i am so bad.. your eyes use to sparkle and shine, now they are dull.
your smile is not there, it's gone.
(((((Blueshades)))))) Love and hugs as you go through this pain
Maddie
If all the ice in the world melted, it would only raise sea levels by 300-400ft. There is a lot of land well above 400ft. The bible flood story is based on an event that happened approx 9000years ago when the Mediterranean Sea broke through what is now the Bosporus straights into land now flooded by the black sea. A lot of biblical events are based on actual events that have been twisted by time and being passed down by many generations. John - Maddies Husband Bsc Geoscience Student
my little boy, aged 4 1/2 loves his bedtime stories, and also loves "jesus stories" as he calls them... .
now, i have never gotten around to going to a book store and actually buying a childrens bible story book from the shops (yes...i still have a bit of a mental block and some deep seated issues about any religious literature).
my mom gave my kids a copy of the bible story book, as well as listening to the great teacher (the new soft cover book - think it is called that?
No, anything published by the WT is full of indoctrination albeit subtle.
Maddie
if you mate died suddenly or left you, could you handle life alone?
would you remain single or get married again?
i ask this because my brother in law's witness mom just died recently, and we're wondering how his dad is going to handle life alone now.
I probably could handle life alone as I have had to in the past. I am married for the second time now and although its not been for very long I can't imagine ever finding anyone else that could replace him, so would stay single if anything parted us.
Maddie
i am very curious, since i am myself trying to figure out where to turn to, if anywhwere.
(i am still debating if i am truly an atheist at heart and religion in general turns me off at least as of now) where have you turned to since you left the wt?
i would imagine that many people who became witnesses had spiritual needs (which is ironic why i am feeling atheist, lol) but have you gone to other churches, stopped going to church, become atheist, etc?
I have spent lots of time on this one myself since finding out the JW's are just a cult. I am wary of religious organisations now so the worst thing I can do IMO is dive straight into one. I think for some of us there is a tendency to want to belong somewhere after being a JW. I feel it is better to take time to heal and get to know myself. I am conscious of my spiritual need but this is a more personal relationship with God now. I have been to a Christian church a couple of times and found the people there relaxed and friendly, but I don't make a habit of it.
Maddie
is just how deep the witlings manage to get their carp into the minds of people.
let me clarify that.
with my active relatives i understand the brainwashing, because they continuously feed on the pap from the book publishing company.
I do know that being df'd doesn't automatically mean that the indoctrination and mind control goes away. I was df'd many years ago at a time when I was very ill and at an extremely low period in my life. However, I still believed the JW's had the "Truth", defended them to everyone and went back and got reinstated. I grateful that my mind has been freed from their control now.
Maddie
many of us believe the days of the watchower society may be numbered.
they are receiving an unprecedented amount of well deserved negative publicity.
however, they are still experiencing modest growth.
Sadly I think it will continue in one form or another, as has already been suggested on this forum. Karl Marx said "Religion is the opiate of the masses"
I am not an advocate of Karl Marx by any stretch of the imagination. I have a Christian faith but religious organisations, especially cults like the JW's are evil and exploit vulnerable people for their own ends. IMO this will always be a fact while the world is like it is.
Maddie
it happened again like in july when i talked to an elder and his wife about child abuse, but this time i got a hold of rank and file members who fortunately i was able to play like a fiddle as they had no idea what they were up against here.
so brother middle age ex-hippie convert ( as he told me later ) and sister middle age hair in a bun offered me the awake on death or our view of death.
i graciously accepted gaining their trust saying yes, i had close loved ones who had died over the years but didn't know if i believed in a resurrection or hereafter.
I think it was fantastic the way you handled it, I wish I could express things so well. Well done!
Maddie
forgive me if this has been said and done already.
but i thought a new thread wouldn't hurt.
i get two every couple of days and i hardly make use of that.
I think its a good way of trying to reach people and I hope it works for you. I am forever trying to come up with the "right way" to let my JW family know the truth about what the WT are really like. It may often seem like a drip-feed but is an effective method.
Maddie
