Posts by hotchocolate

30

Hubby told Elders I thought JWs were brainwashed...

by cognac in

jw
friends

guess cause i'm considered inactive?

well, he moved to a new hall and went to 1 meeting with him.

didn't even stay the whole time.

hotchocolate

Cognac, I haven't had a chance to get on here much lately, and tonight I just specifically searched for you cause I wondered how you were doing. I was in the same situation you are now. In the end, for people like us who refuse to live hypocritically, you won't have much of a choice. It was tough, but definitely worth it. Don't let your child grow up that way. x

33

How should I reply?

by hotchocolate in

jw
friends

so i wrote an email to my brother to tell him that i love him and that it's sad that a religion has come between us.

this is the reply i got:.

stupid and ignorant.

hotchocolate

DJEggnog, my initial email read like this:

Just wanted to say that I love you heaps and miss you. It sucks that religion has the power to control the fate of our relationship, but I will never regret the decision to have freedom. You may not get it yet but my dearest wish is that one day things become clearer for you and you'll understand. x Nothing controversial or provocative, simple and loving I think. I was reading your response with regard to Jesus coming between families, I wonder if you are writing this as devil's advocate, or whether you believe that yourself? The Bible contradicts itself so often that it is possible to back up any belief a person wishes to choose by using the appropriately matching scriptures. I have no doubt that whatever I write, including direct quotes from the Awake, will be twisted to fit what the Society wants him to believe. That doesn't change the fact that the Awake did in fact make a very succinct and poignant statement in that no one should have to choose between family and religion, and no scriptural twisting can take the truth away from that statement. With regard to prayer though, you said:

- but to whom exactly does @I quit! or does anyone else that leaves off from worshipping Jehovah pray?

Well, Encyclopaedia Britannica talks about prayer being an ancient form of spiritual expression. We see contemporary tribespeople directing their prayers to various numina (spiritual powers): the dead, the divinities of nature, protective gods or actor gods, the Supreme Being, or a feminine divinity linked to the earth (i.e., the great mother). Hindus pray to various gods and goddesses. For many Buddhists, there is no Supreme God, and prayer instead expresses an aspiration to pull new energy or a purifying influence into their life, to inspire wisdom and compassion for others. Out of every 100 people on this planet, 67 of them are NOT CHRISTIAN. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone's beliefs, but it does seem to me that many Christians have their head up their own bottoms when it comes to understanding that most of the world don't believe in Jesus, nor the Bible - myself included. So who do I pray to? I DON'T.

33

How should I reply?

by hotchocolate in

jw
friends

so i wrote an email to my brother to tell him that i love him and that it's sad that a religion has come between us.

this is the reply i got:.

stupid and ignorant.

hotchocolate

How about this:

Well, by your response I would say that you haven't at all moved past a worldly and shallow attitude. The Bible says that "anybody who doesn't provide for those who are his own, and especially for those those who are members of his household, he is worse than a person without faith." I'm not sure how any God would find your hatred toward me acceptable. What do you even mean by living a "worldly" life? Oh, I guess you must mean taking drugs and sleeping around. Yes, of course, because if you're not a Jehovah's Witness, you must automatically be living an evil and self-centred life. Give me a break.

Don't talk to me about study. I researched witness literature for two years before I realised I had sadly been following something that was incorrect for my whole life. I had no choice but to leave my friends and family. I'll never live a hypocritical life, and if my family cut me off because they are told they have to, then I can't do a damn thing about that. I would love to hear about your study efforts. It would be impossible to regard the Watchtower as truth after doing legitimate research. Or did you mean you re-read the information you have been taught since childhood?

"No one should be forced to worship in a way that he finds unacceptable or be made to choose between his beliefs and his family." Awake! 2009 July, page 29. What an ironic statement. And I definitely agree. No one should be made to pay the price of their family in exchange for truth and freedom, but if that's the choice I need to make, I would make it a hundred times over again. How extremely awful of you to talk to me like you did in that email simply because I don't believe what you believe. If you want my heart, I may as well cut it out and hand it over on a plate. But you do not own my heart, it is alive and well and beating better than it ever did.

You should be ashamed of yourself, speaking to your sister like that. You will see that one day, but maybe it will be too late.

33

How should I reply?

by hotchocolate in

jw
friends

so i wrote an email to my brother to tell him that i love him and that it's sad that a religion has come between us.

this is the reply i got:.

stupid and ignorant.

hotchocolate

Thanks for your replies, yes that email on Christmas morning was really upsetting.

JWFacts, ta for that quote, I will add it in. Actually I really like the study line too. Done. You really should write a website you know? ;-) Hope you're doing good by the way! x

Mr Freeze and AGuest - thank you, I really like those points, hard to work out what to put in to the letter before he hits delete and doesn't read any more anyway.

Drafting a response.

33

How should I reply?

by hotchocolate in

jw
friends

so i wrote an email to my brother to tell him that i love him and that it's sad that a religion has come between us.

this is the reply i got:.

stupid and ignorant.

hotchocolate

So I wrote an email to my brother to tell him that I love him and that it's sad that a religion has come between us. This is the reply I got:

stupid and ignorant. You have no idea what i have been thru in my life. I was living a worldly life and i saw the shallowness of it all so i made my decision based on lots of study to return to the truth. MY DECISION. Things have never been clearer. Don't send me anymore messages.

Which is just such a nice email to get, don't you think? :-(

So of course I want to reply. Something like this?

***

Living a "worldly" life? Oh, I guess you must mean drugs and alcohol and sleeping around. Yes, of course, because if you're not a Jehovah's Witness, you must automatically be living an evil and self-centered life. Give me a break. And don't talk to me about study. I researched the Jehovah's Witness religion using only witness literature - did that for two years before I realised I had sadly been following something that was incorrect for my whole life. I had no choice but to leave my friends and family. I'll never live a hypocritical life, and if my family cut me off because some men in New York tell them they have to, then I can't do a damn thing about that.

No-one should be made to pay the price of their family in exchange for truth and freedom, but if that's the choice I need to make, I would make it a hundred times over again. How extremely awful of you to talk to me like you did in that email simply because I don't believe what you believe. If you want my heart, I may as well cut it out and hand it over on a plate. But you do not own my heart, it is alive and well and beating better than it ever did.

PS What's the latest change on 1914? Surely they're going to drop that once it hits 100 years on? Bit embarrassing, that's for sure.

***

Okay so maybe I'll drop the PS.. :-)

Not sure if I'm on the right track with this email - it's hard to see things through that cognitive dissonance mentality, and I would sooner try to appeal than dig in points that really will fall on deaf ears.

Thoughts?

x

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