Posts by Eyes Open

12

hey

by Mrs_R in

i'm new so thought i'd say hi.

been thinking about the witnesses alot lately and have a had a good search online and found this place.. was born into the ahem 'truth' and left when i was 17, baptized at twelve i think.

i couldnt answer something covered in the baptism questions and all 3 elders who did my questions mentioned that this was their only doubt.

Eyes Open

Hey. :) Thanks for the well done - you too!

27

Second Cousin commits Suicide

by Undecided in

jw
friends

my 2nd cousin walked out of her house after her husband and children were asleep and shot herself.

she was in her early 40s.

she was a jw.

Diary of a thinking to return ex-Jw

by reniaa in

i thought long and hard about posting this but the mis-information on this site finally persuaded me, i already accept many may not accept what i say on face value and get their appologist pens ready for making sure no pro-witness propaganda slips through the net on this site but here goes....... i've been on this forum for a few months my first post was about how i was thinking of returning to jw's and at my sisters recommendation to look at this site for both sides of the story before taking that step.. i faded from jw's 10/11 years ago now i left my hubby at the time divorced him to going on to have more relationships and kids, i was definately given the impression after asking on this site and with what i read that if i tried to return i might face df or at least a jc but definately a couple of elders questioning me over what i've been upto these last few years - none of these have happened.

i talked with an old jw friend (yes i do have then and she never shunned me quite happily accepted an offer of coffee from me and my asking for a chat) i told her i was interested in going back and was very frank about what i done in the last 10 years but not sure how returning was done now, she quite happily said she go ask for me to find out.. result!

she came back this week and said "all i had to do was goto meetings again" and an offer of a study was there for me if i wanted it to explore the open doubts that i had expressed i now had.. not quite the fire and brimstone welcome this site led me to believe would happen.. i will keep you posted with further updates if i feel the need to put them in future.. .

Eyes Open

reniaa,

Unfortunately (in some ways), life just isn't that simple. Humans have been getting it wrong, learning, getting it wrong, learning, getting something right, learning, etc. for millennia. That's not about to change. That doesn't mean you need a high control group to give you false answers.

You can't buy your life pre-packaged off the WTS shelf. Well... you can, but the price is always (always) far too high because the it involves the deprivation of intellectual freedom.

Please don't be offended by responses here. People are calling it as they see it and we all hope you will find a way to escape from the dependency on an all-encompassing belief system. Part of life's wonder is not having all of the answers.

All the best.

And by the way, the book I recommended does not seek to destroy faith.

31

Pop Psychology - warning

by Uzzah in

jw
friends

for the past few months i have found myself biting my tongue at what i have been observing with some participants on jwd.

please keep in mind i have been around since noah on these boards (circa 1997) and have watched several trends and people come and go over the years.. i am not seeking approval, support or anything other than expressing a personal observation.. every once in a while an egoist appears on the ex-jw boards.

more often than not a former elder who feels they continue to hold some sort of special wisdom that they must proclaim to the masses.

Eyes Open

A warning worth bearing in mind. LOL at Jimmy.

41

Anybody ever read any really thick books?

by JimmyPage in

jw
friends

anybody ever read any really thick books?

(i mean besides the one with the talking snake and the dragon that got hurled down to the sea).

books like "anna karenina" or "the brothers karamazov"?

Eyes Open

Come to think of it, I haven't actually. I've got the Dune trilogy which is quite thick but haven't started that and have more important non-fiction to read first.

51

I think I just need to tell the story to someone who will get it?

by aimless in

hi everyone, im new.

i've been feeling a burden on myself for the years that i have been out and i just don't know how to ease it.

i can't talk about the organization or the people in it to anyone... if i try i immediately feel sick and want to close up and just disappear.

Eyes Open

Hi Aimless,

Welcome to the board - reading around here may well be helpful for you to understand your situation in the context of the JW experience as a whole, as experienced by others.

I feel that educating one's self about the bible is key to overcoming the fallacies that the WT teaches. The dogma can be so deeply engrained that taking apart the belief system piece by piece can be a necessity. JW Facts is a great place to start as there is a lot of concise information presented logically.

Reading the books would also be good. A newer book by Steven Hassan, which apparently includes updated methodology, is Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves, but I guess this may be more to do with helping others out than the one Flipper mentioned (I'm part way through Releasing and haven't read Combatting).

This is just my initial reaction on reading your post, but I think it would be good if you can talk through it with your boyfriend. It's great he wants you to share it with him; don't bottle it up. Even if it sounds stupid as you say it, try and sit down (with tissues and even a bucket if it really does make you feel sick) and get it out. Process it and mourn. Perhaps it would help both of you as he would be able to understand things more.

Maybe once you've done this you'll be a little more inclined to do things like college or hobbies. Anyway, recognise that you're a person in your own right and now have wonderful possibilities before you. As you're ready, let things into your life. You may have fears of doing things - everyone does. But you'll deal with them and continue to grow.

All the best, and keep posting. :)