i have been lurking on this site for nearly a year now and finally feel comfortable enough to begin posting.
so i thought a little introduction would be appropriate.
my whole family, except for my two sisters, are jw's.
These were churchgoers who prayed for and confirmed their love for me.
JW's love to teach that church goers don't care for one another or that they fake it. But I have never experienced such genuine care and love as I do now with my church family and other Christians who I meet.
And this is love that is not conditional either.
i have been lurking on this site for nearly a year now and finally feel comfortable enough to begin posting.
so i thought a little introduction would be appropriate.
my whole family, except for my two sisters, are jw's.
What do you suppose is the real agenda of the Watchtower to get its members to think churches are so demonized?
Well simply, Control. JW's are taught that there is nowhere else to go, that churches are full of uncaring people and that they just want your money. That you will spiritually starve to death in church. It's a control tactic to keep member's from leaving the ranks and so the R&F won't get curious enough to investigate for themselves.
Did you experience anything evil? Fear? What did you feel in your heart? What was the voice that was crying out inside you?
Nope, never anything evil. The whole experience has been wonderful and very uplifting. Each week I learn something new. Except for the first day I walk through the doors I never experienced fear. I was fearful of attending for the first time but once I made it through the door all that fear washed away. From that first day on I experience joy, peace and love in my heart. I also experience a lot of wonderment, I'm amazed at just how little about God I actually new, and I thought I new it all! I can't really explain the crying. All I know is that I would be overcome with emotion of feeling loved and accepted. Like coming coming home after years of seperation. My heart was full of pain at that time and I didn't realize just how burdened down I had become under the WT until the burden was lifted. The first time I took communion I was bawling,lol.
hi all, it's been a while, for most part i'm happy but.
i finally had to send a "i don't want to be a jw anylonger" to the elders, since they were very anxious to talk to me, which i've refused so now my only sister who's still a jw with husband at bethel, told me she won't call or see me anymore.
i've been crying all day.
Oh newborn I'm sorry you lost a sister but you are right I do know exactly how you feel. It's so sad how this organization splits families and then they try and justify it by saying "Well Jesus said he came to divide households", blah!
You go ahead and cry, you have every right to moarn right now. But remember, your actions in the future and how you freely and happily live your life will be a witness to your sister. It may even make her think just what she is missing in her own life and start her THINKING.
You and your sister will be in my prayers. You so you may have the strength to overcome and carry on and for your sister that she may one day see the light and get out herself.
((HUGS))
just a little note, my husband was never a jw or ever expressed any interest in becoming one.
he just quietly and patiently waited for me to come to my senses.. on thanksgiving my little family celebrated our first thanksgiving.this day also happened to be my 11th wedding anniversary.
i cooked a large dinner for my little family and made sure to have everyone's favorite foods on the table.
Just a little note, my husband was never a JW or ever expressed any interest in becoming one. He just quietly and patiently waited for me to come to my senses.
On Thanksgiving my little family celebrated our first Thanksgiving.This day also happened to be my 11th wedding anniversary. I cooked a large dinner for my little family and made sure to have everyone's favorite foods on the table. My girls helped me the best they could and my son hung out with his dad. At dinner the kids presented my husband and me with anniversary cards they had made themselves. Then I got the best present ever.
Before we began to eat my husband said we need to say a prayer. I said ok, expecting him to ask me to say the prayer or one of the kids like usual. Instead he said he was going to say it! I was so elated, this was the first time my husband has ever led us in prayer. And the prayer was so beautiful, I think, cause it was all from his heart and revealed so much to me as to how God is working on my husband's heart.
We, as a family, are definitely becoming stronger spiritually. God and Jesus have become a part of our day to day conversation. Where as before God was a hushed word I would whisper but now my husband and I (and the children) freely talk about God in our lives. We can now say things like how blessed we are, outwardly thank the Lord, or turn to each other in times of stress and relate how we must lean and trust in God. It's just so refreshing.
Just thought I share my joy. I'm still excited about that day.
i have been lurking on this site for nearly a year now and finally feel comfortable enough to begin posting.
so i thought a little introduction would be appropriate.
my whole family, except for my two sisters, are jw's.
Hey that is a smart thing to do attend another church right away!
I hope many people will read your story and follow your good example.
Let me tell you it wasn't easy after being told by JWs what churches were like and how demonized they are. The first time I went, I was just with my kids. My hubby was still turned off by the JWs but he now attends with us. Anywho, I was SCARED to step through those doors. This is a church that looks like a church, not just some building used by congregation. But the people were friendly but not love-bomb friendly. An older lady asked if I would like to sit with her since the children went to Sunday school and I was alone. I sat with her and was just amazed at what the pastor was saying.
He was talking about all these things that JW's say churches never teach! I was floored. And the service wasn't weird or off the wall. It was very beautiful. Let me just tell you that those first few months of sitting in church I would be overcome with emotion as I was learning new things and cry. JWs have no idea what churches are really like or what they really teach. They convinced their members of how evil they are and when a JW leaves they are still to scared to even think about checking one out.
I know church isn't for everyone and that there are some negative churches but I think all in all a church can be a beautiful thing and a welcome rest for the soul.
P.S. Here is the link to my churches website, it has pics of the church if anyone cares to see, I think our church is just beautiful. http://www.chulavistachurch.org
i have been lurking on this site for nearly a year now and finally feel comfortable enough to begin posting.
so i thought a little introduction would be appropriate.
my whole family, except for my two sisters, are jw's.
This wonderful song is dedicated to you and all lurkers and really any former JW's and ones still stuck going to the hall to preserve family:
Thanks, that is a great song. I forgot I even liked Cat Stevens,lol
looking back i don't think i really ever had any good friends being witness, cause if i would have some out of all those people and so called friends i thought i had, you would think one of them would have looked me up over the years.
what a farce.
Here's the thing. I had friends and I considered them true friends but I always carried around with me the fact that if I were to leave the org. that they would turn from me in a heart beat,
Come to think of it, I don't know why I considered them friends. They were never there for us in times of need or any other time for that matter.
i have been lurking on this site for nearly a year now and finally feel comfortable enough to begin posting.
so i thought a little introduction would be appropriate.
my whole family, except for my two sisters, are jw's.
Without the blinkers and fetters of the Watchtowerites' false religion, your faith and love will continue to blossom and grow.
It's amazing how different things are without reading throug the WT filters.
i have been lurking on this site for nearly a year now and finally feel comfortable enough to begin posting.
so i thought a little introduction would be appropriate.
my whole family, except for my two sisters, are jw's.
I hope your mother is in a better place now and just maybe she can happily see you've made a better choice for yourself and your family.
I hope so too, her life was so tormented that it's nice to think she is actually at peace now. I sure hope she was able to find the peace she was searching for. Even on her death bed she was searching for peace. She had asked her JW sister (one of the few times my aunt made the occasion to see her while my mom was dying) and asked if Jehovah would forgive her for all the mistakes she made. My aunts reply "I don't know." That really pissed me off.
i have only a handful of my dear jw friends left....and jw friends are all i ever had once i got out of high school (had a hellofa good double life there)......but i have found that the few i have left...and damm good people, really.......do not shun me because i have been open with them about my new understandings of the truth...or what i thought was the truth....and they understand why my faith is shot to hell.....even my elder/dad and my other elder friends....and they do not admit it....but i know their faith is shakey too......................oompa
I know what you mean oompa. In my family I am the first one to ever leave and I have been labeled an apostate. Even though it's true by their standards I still hate it and it still bothers me. I think it bothers me more than it should cause I know how they think and feel about apostates and I hate the thought of others thinking of me in such a way.
Stay strong, we are here for ya!
