im at a crossroads my friends.
im beginning to feel that my oppurtunities to get my wife out are waning.
weve misssed many meetings she still smokes a cig a day.
This may sound mean but maybe, just maybe it would shake her up. Why not let it slip that your wife smokes? Then they would be down on her like a ton of bricks. That just may be the last straw, when she experiences their lack of care and judgemental approach.
After saying that 8 weeks is no time at all, just explain that you are very disturbed emotionally and need space and being away from the meetings does not mean that you are a failure spiritually.
hey guys !
i've stopped believing the watchtower crap a few years ago.
i achieved this on my own, despite being raised as one.
Proud of your strength to see through the blackmail, wish I had done that and got an education way back when I was leaving school. Sorry you have to live with the paranoia, hope that you find a way out in the end.
Best regards
Chicken little
what made you realize it was time to go?
i've been having health problems for the last few years and instead of any help, i'm listed as spiritually weak and of course associations is only my kids and husband.
all the good jw's have moved to other congregations and are doing well.
Welcome Angus Beef (nice steaks!)
You have taken a big step just to come on here. I was shaking and so nervous the first time I looked at this site some six years ago. I was a born in and was in the religion 47 years. I would make a suggestion that may give you space. Everytime someone asks you a question at the khall or over the phone relating to your spirituality, ALWAYS say," You know what bro/sis, I am taking this matter to Jehovah in prayer every day and I am sure he will help me to find the right way to go".
My experience has been that they cannot argue with the "Jehovah" card you pull out each time. Mention that you have much mental turmoil but that you are relying on him to help you and if you are not at meetings it is because you just cannot possibly make it, but Jehovah is supporting you.
If you stop going to meetings, keep repeating this mantra to anyone who calls (in my experience nobody does).
Hope to hear more from you in the future.
Kind regards
Chicken little
picked up by a friend (not an appointed man) in his car, linked my phone to his bluetooth stereo for music, the big screen immediately showed what i'd been listening to previously.
a podcast from healing x outreach on jw's new light.
awkward much?
After we stopped going to the meetings we had a palm tree thing with lights and ornaments on the first christmas. A sister came by with her kids two days before christmas and all my kids were home with their partners, presents everywhere. We invited her in and I warned her before she came in that we were not going to meetings and we had decorations up. She seemed ok and we had coffee and cake and chatted away. (We had helped this sister and her three kids a great deal in the past, even having them stay in our home for 6 weeks).
Well after she left she went to an elder, who contacted bethel, who told the elders to investigate. (My husband had been an elder for years when we just stopped). My husband met one of the elders in a shop, he told him that the elders were going to come and talk. Don't bother was my husbands reply.
These days I don't care what anyone thinks, this year we are going to dress the pine tree in our garden. Lovely.
absolutely weird.
minding my own business while pumping gas - this 60 year old short jw lady with fluffed bun styled 60's hair and her 30 year old attractive 5 ' 10 inch jw lady partner came straight up to me as i'm pumping.
they picked the wrong hombre .
Well done, they will not forget what you have said, they will have to battle with the feelings that it will have caused. That is a positive thing as it just may sink down and start something going in their critical thinking.
here is my introduction letter.
my jw and biological sister is getting married this weekend and 3 weeks ago i received a letter actually uninviting me to this showy display.
i was stunned to say the least.
I would write to her and tell her you forgive her. Then get on with your life with your wonderful partner and stop thinking about it. She does not deserve a brother like you. But maybe one day she will realise that.
Love to you.
Chicken little
well i do not post here very much and usually what i have to say........well...isn't that important!
but......i am the proud grandmother of twin girls as of august 10!
i am so proud of my daughter, who is 25, just gave birth to twin girls.........no painkillers........nothing!
So happy for you! Congratulations and enjoy your new role in life. I am going to be granny also in November and January, my daughter is expecting and my daughter-in-law. Life is good.
Hugs Chicken little
now i am going to do a rear thing here and i am going to stick up for the wts.
i realise that the wts hasn't got the best of track record, and sure they have made mistakes.
but if i was to go to another church wouldn't they still have the same issues.
Hej,
Seems like you want to keep having a religion in your life, that is your choice and certainly not to be judged by me. However when Peter spoke to Jesus about leaving he did not speak of leaving a religion. He said that Jesus was the way, truth and life. That is very different than an organisation, church or group. I do not believe in God anymore so I feel no need to join a religion, if I did feel that need I would certainly keep Peter's words in mind and look to Jesus and him alone as the example to follow. I turned away from the WT when I could see that they were elevating themselves above Jesus and God, making commands of men more important than the example of Jesus.
All the best.
as everybody jere knows, there is no requirement for a christian to "count and report" their time.
that's totally made-up by the wt/fds/gb, so, they have to make rules to deal with their own rules.... .
re: showing consideration for those involved in theocratic projects .
I was a regular pioneer (90hours) also my husband. We had one child and I was expecting our second. My husband and I did cleaning to support ourselves. When the big renovation of a circuit assembly hall came along my husband was asked to go in fulltime. His service hours were counted as part of the renovation project. However he could not always get to the morning worship at 8.00am that came before the start of the work at the site. He was up with me at 4.00am cleaning and then drove for one hour to get to the site. One brother at the entrance kept telling him it was not good enough that he was late for the day's text. Finally my husband told him that if he was willing to take his work for him at 4 in the morning then he would gladly get there in time for the day's text.
It was shortly after the completion of the project that the elders asked me to go into the "back" room to discuss why I was low on my pioneer hours for that year, I missed the 1000hours by about 70, keeping in mind the project and being pregnant and having a small toddler. At that time I had around 6 bible studies and each assembly we had one of our studies baptiized. None of this meant anything to them, three men said I should step down as it was obviously too much for me. I was so mad, I just resigned and told them I would not be pioneering anymore, after 8 years and over 15 studies baptized. They were not thinking of my well being, only of figures as they said I had not got in my time for some months. I used to get up early to help my husband get off to the site many times pushing our old car (Yes while pregnant!) to get it going as it would often not start. We took a car full of volunteers down to the site at the weekends....none of this seemed to count in their books.
given the confusion faced by gay youth in trying to navigate through a larger, hetero culture, the last thing these kids need is for a religious "authority" to come along and tell them they don't really exist.
that is exactly what the wt has done with this article at jw.org:.
http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/teenagers/ask/pressure-to-be-gay/.
Very well put. I am in the middle of reading John Irving's novel In One Person, it is a story that really shows the heartbreak that goes along with the gender/sexuality problems experienced by young people growing up in a repressed society. Not finished reading yet. There was also a documentary on tv last night dealing with three young teenagers that were transsexual, the agony they were going through was so obvious that my 12 year old son who was watching with me said "why should it be so hard to be who you want to be?" I shudder to think of my past views on homosexuality, I now have friends who are gay and to hear their stories in trying to be accepted as human beings with a different sexual preference is at times heartbreaking.
The Watchtower society wants it both ways to sound accepting and yet really they are condemning. Their insight into human behaviour is superficial, heartless and to me repulsive. They have the same manner in dealing with alcoholism, depression and violence in the family and child abuse.
Kind regards
Chicken little
