I too lost 39 and a half years of my life to those religious charlatans at the Watchtower Society. Getting DF'd was the best thing that happened to me. Within a few short months I was mentally free. My life really began at that point. I ony had a semblance of a life before then.
Sometimes those of us who didn't get out until age 39+ kick ourselves when we read of younger people who rebelled earlier against the stupidity or the harshness of the WT Society, and who therefore had more years of freedom.
However it could be worse -- there are some who are no longer JW's but still believe it's a "truth" and a way of life to which they cannot live up. They are still mentally boiund to Watchtowerism even though not actively engaged in it.
At least WE have some years of freedom. It's the quality of the years that count now, not the quantity.
Posts by Gopher
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14Big thanks to everyone
by joe134cd ini can't believe in the short time that i have been visiting ex-jw forums at just how much i have grown.
since i first stumbled on this site i have stopped going to the meetings.
i do feel a bit lonely, but am trying to manage it.
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Gopher
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406
Goodbye JWD/JWN (my last post)
by slimboyfat inafter some considerable thought i have decided that i will no longer post on this forum because i want to return to jehovah.
thank you for all the kindness and many interesting discussions over the years.
i wish you all well in the future and the decisions you make.
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Gopher
Regarding that remarkable "Watchtower Study Sunday 20-10-2013" -- they should take their own counsel.
The negative speech of others can influence us.
Ironically, the Watchtower Society's main teachings are negative. Their main religious teachings are about what they believe is untrue (NO hellfire, NO Trinity, NO eternal suffering, NO infant baptism, etc., etc.)
We do not know all the facts.
They act like they do know all the facts, and that you'd better loyally show support for their current teachings or else you can be cast out.
Do not allow negative speech to affect you.
Did anyone note the double negative in this sentence, with the words "not" and "negative" in the same sentence? Again, the Watchtower is mainly about what you should NOT do, much like a scolding parent.
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9
Sheohl and haides in the New NWT
by pixel inso, in their new nwt they render sheohl and haides "grave".
this is a change from what the teach book says as a pdf.
these words really mean?
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Gopher
:If one were to take a KJV to one of the weekly meetings, would it cause a stir?
That would likely be a visitor or someone's Bible student. I saw some visitors bring a KJV to the Kingdom Hall. We assumed they were sheeplike and interested in maybe becoming a JW, and were happy about that. Personally, I figured they'd eventually catch on to the idea that the NWT was (ahem) a better Bible.
:What if someone brought a copy of both the NWT and a KJV?
That would be really rare -- a serious student, indeed. I stopped going to the Kingdom Hall in 2000. But the Sunday speakers would sometimes quote from other versions if it sounded interesting to them. Heck, even the Watchtower magazine itself quotes from other versions when doing so suits its purpose.
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14
Letting go of trying to convince people makes you happy
by DeWandelaar ini am a thinker... and i was thinking a lot lately about (the absense of) god and about my past years as a witness and suddenly it striked me: the less i think about a caring god being in existence the more happy and relaxed i am.
also the fact that if he is there then i will notice it one day... i am not afraid of anything godlike in any way.
while exploring that feeling i was also noticing something.
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Gopher
Like the song says, at some point it's speaking words of wisdom to say "Let It Be".
I think it's important for people with differing views to come together and discuss them. I never learn much unless I hear from someone whose thinking is quite different from my own. (I think the Bible proverb goes 'like iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another'.)
However when it comes to the point where you feel the need to "convince" people of the urgency of changing their personal viewpoints, it gets personal. On the Internet where people can argue/discuss anonmymously, this can become quite unpleasant for all concerned and a waste of time. However some people seem to LIVE for this kind of anonymous and chaotic conflict. (And you aren't going to change my mind about that, dammit!!) -
7
A good example
by mrhhome into recap my story, i am married to a daed ex-jw.
this last year, i had to deal with a bunch of jw nonsense at a funeral for one of my in-laws.
even though i am a methodist, the whole thing really left me aghast and rattled my faith.
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Gopher
It is SO true that people can make the Bible say whatever they want it to say.
As far as whether a stranger would have been made welcome at a Kingdom Hall, I think it depends on the particular congregation (and I attended several different ones, some nice and some cold).In some cases the JW's stand around in their groiups/cliques and don't reach out to a stranger. In other halls, they reach out to the person hoping to witness to them and possibly make a convert. This is the "love bombing" technique and it lasts until the person gets baptized as a JW (if it gets that far) and then stops shortly thereafter.
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Gopher
Things had to come to a head....
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406
Goodbye JWD/JWN (my last post)
by slimboyfat inafter some considerable thought i have decided that i will no longer post on this forum because i want to return to jehovah.
thank you for all the kindness and many interesting discussions over the years.
i wish you all well in the future and the decisions you make.
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Gopher
- This is the thread that never ends.
- It just goes on and on my friends.
- Some people started posting here not knowing what it was,
- And they'll continue posting here forever just because . . .
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26
Should I ''respect'' Bible and Koran believers?
by ThomasCovenant inbelievers in the koran/islam, that's all of them, not just so called extremists, believe that i, as an unbeliever, will be the fuel for the fires of hell.
that's nice.. they, along with all bible believers, worship a god who is, according to his written publications, a right bastard.
i despise their god/s.. i find that i do not respect their beliefs.. i cannot help but think that when all the philosophical talking of this, that and the other is done, they're just idiots.. i, on my down days, find that i do not respect them as human beings.
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Gopher
The way that many Christians accept their religion is quite superficial - a lot like when you check the box on the bottom of a computer page where you say "I have read the terms of service and agree to it" when really you didn't read all the terms very carefully. A lot of Christians are checkmark believers.
The only believers I cannot respect are those who claim to know all the "terms of service" and start judging others by their "truth" and try to have others believe exactly as I do.
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Evolution - What Darwin Never Knew
by frankiespeakin inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aybrbcli4zu.
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Gopher
Yeah evolution must be "impossible" in spite of all the paleontologic evidence and despite the fact that things are adapting and changing even as we speak. Oh well.... I guess it's more probable that we all die because a naked woman listened to a talking snake.
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No Reading,PA conventions this year
by jdubsnub inhope this isnt a repost.
i tried to search a little but didn't see this anywhere.
does anybody know where the philadelphia region of witnesses are going to be sent to this year?
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Gopher
I guess we'll know for sure in January when the USA convention locations are announced.