Posts by Moxie

15

My Memorial Experience

by oneairhead in

first of all i noticed that this just seemed like another meeting.

when we drove in we had people parking us in strange ways, not to mention that the amount of cars there was just as many as a highly attended sunday meeting and we do fine then when we have no one to park us.

they had more seats set out and there were no new ones just people who had not come in awhile.

Moxie

standing around with people showing fake interest in you is very in

That's Funny!... and yet very sad

29

Elders want to visit after memorial !!

by lancelink in

well, i attended the memorial last night, and since i have been inactive for some time two of the elders came up to me afterwards.

they want to get together and discuss how to get me active again.

since i am going thru some withdrawal pains, i spinelessly agreed to talk with them this friday evening.

Moxie

My advice is not to stand them up... if you don't want to be there reschedule and then reschedule and... you get the idea. Some of the advice here is really important, keeping your conversation brief and to the point. If they coax you into spilling the beans it will be bad news bears. I personally ignored the elders and stood them up on more than one occasion. What I ended up with was a voice mail on my answering machine a few weeks later saying that they were announcing my disfellowshipping that night at the service meeting. So take it from me, if you want to fade, don't give them any reason to get upset with you. Good luck and hang in there :) "Moxie"

21

Atrocities in the name of god

by lilyflor in

http://www.jordanmaxwell.com/articles/religion/christian%20bloodshed.pdf.

.

Moxie

"As a species, humans are developmentally retarded by the effects of religion. As far as I am concerned it is the agnostics, atheists, and secular humanists who are at the vanguard of the mental, psychic, and moral evolution of our species."

Alpaca - I couldn't agree with you more...!

IMO, Religious indoctrination has held back the normal psychological development/evolution of our species for centuries not to mention the atrocities it is responsible for.

"Moxie"

36

Ex-JWs... feelings of isolation, agoraphobia...?

by Moxie in

hi all... :) sorry for the novel.... i'm just wondering if there are any others out there who share similar experiences as me or have any comments and insight.... when i was a jw i was very, very social and active with friends and family in a wide range of activities.

i would even have considered myself the party-starter ;).

i used to plan events and social get togethers for all kinds of situations.

Moxie

TopHat, I appreciate your advice but if the problem were only feeling sorry for myself I would indeed have grown out of it after all this time. No, unfortunately it is much more deep seated than all that. I don't feel self pity, in fact I feel that immensely proud of what I have overcome. The problem, which many others have said that they share is the feeling of being misplaced... of not belonging... of feeling lost and in limbo if you'll pardon the expression. The result of this at least in my case is severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression. I'm beginning to wonder if this afflicts mainly individuals who were raised as a JW and then left. It would be interesting to examine that hypothesis anyway. Being here is helping out a lot, just knowing that there are so many others out there that understand...

"Moxie"

74

"KNOCKING" LEGAL ACTION AGAINST WATCHTOWER COMMENTS

by V in

this notice was emailed to a third party who embeds watchtower comments videos on his blog:.

"my name is tom shepard, co-producer and co-director of knocking, a documentary about jehovah's witnesses.

you have violated u.s. copyright law by not gaining permission to use footage from knocking in the opening sequence of your series of short videos "watchtower comments" archived at the url: http://jehovahswitnessesvideo.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html .

Moxie

That seems so petty... I love the WTcomments videos on YouTube. Such a fuss about 3 seconds of footage. I hope that these videos will still be accessible to the public.

23

What proof is there of evolution?

by hotchocolate in

being raised a witness, throughout my life i've always switched off when i heard an argument for evolution.

so i know almost nothing about the subject, except what i was taught in the "evolution vs creation" book, and i'm guessing that wasn't entirely impartial.

i think of the arguments put forth by witnesses about the amazing design in nature, thereby proving a creator.

Moxie

LtCmd.Lore
"http://richarddawkins.net/growingupintheuniverse (You can download them for free if you have high speed internet.)
This is a great video series about the basics of evolutionary theory. It's designed for kids, but like you I didn't know jack about evolution when I was a witness either, so it was right on my level... "

I second this motion, Richard Dawkins is clear and succinct and is a great source of information if you want to begin to learn about evolution. His books cover beginner to intermediate levels of evolutionary biology, which I have found very, very helpful.

"Moxie"

36

Ex-JWs... feelings of isolation, agoraphobia...?

by Moxie in

hi all... :) sorry for the novel.... i'm just wondering if there are any others out there who share similar experiences as me or have any comments and insight.... when i was a jw i was very, very social and active with friends and family in a wide range of activities.

i would even have considered myself the party-starter ;).

i used to plan events and social get togethers for all kinds of situations.

Moxie

I am truly amazed to see that others can relate to my feelings and experiences on such a deep level. I really thought that I was alone in this, that perhaps it was just me... it is very comforting to know that I am not alone and it gives me courage to continue to fight. Over the last little while, being here has helped me. Finding a community of people who really understand is a first. I feel that venting my frustrations here on the forum and on my new blog (www.exjw.wordpress.com) is so liberating I can't even express it. It is like therapy.

To those of you who are suffering similar things, I want to give you all a big hug... my heart goes out to you. Thank you for sharing your stories and your words of encouragement.

"Moxie"

9

Back on!! Whew!!

by nomoreguilt in

jw
friends

boy, what withdrawl when the board does down.

glad to see everyone survived.

oh, and happy easter to you, for whatever it may mean for you.

Moxie

Hooray!!!!! Thanks!!!

36

Ex-JWs... feelings of isolation, agoraphobia...?

by Moxie in

hi all... :) sorry for the novel.... i'm just wondering if there are any others out there who share similar experiences as me or have any comments and insight.... when i was a jw i was very, very social and active with friends and family in a wide range of activities.

i would even have considered myself the party-starter ;).

i used to plan events and social get togethers for all kinds of situations.

Moxie

Hi CoCo, I can see that I'm not alone in this afterall.... I can sympathize. Thank you.

I really appreciate your words; expecially about helping others. I can agree that giving of yourself and helping people can really cause happiness and joy. Thus the old saying, it is better to give than to receive.

"Moxie"

36

Ex-JWs... feelings of isolation, agoraphobia...?

by Moxie in

hi all... :) sorry for the novel.... i'm just wondering if there are any others out there who share similar experiences as me or have any comments and insight.... when i was a jw i was very, very social and active with friends and family in a wide range of activities.

i would even have considered myself the party-starter ;).

i used to plan events and social get togethers for all kinds of situations.

Moxie

R.Crusoe - thanks for sharing this... sometimes I think that I'm the only one. I'm sorry that you're going through this too. Do you ever wonder why this is? I mean, did you start experiencing this after you left the JWs?

I feel that the shunning I experienced was the catalyst to this downward spiral of depression and isolation. Over time I developed the belief and fear that no one can understand what it is like to be rejected by all your family and friends; to have your entire community shun you over a difference of opinion. I guess this experience has me thinking (perhaps subconsciously) that all relationships and friendships are conditional. If my own family will reject me over a difference of belief, then why even bother with anyone else....? I find it so hard to feel a connection with people. I feel that I have experienced so much that a normal person hasn't, that I was raised in a different world... not for the better. Yet I feel that I have so much depth, passion, strength and compassion but I can't relate to others or they just don't "get" me. I feel alone....

Hortensia - Thank you for your kind words. To be honest, nothing I have tried has really helped. I went to a shrink a few years back, but it just made me angry (and I don't want to be an angry person). Really the only way I get past these feelings is just to get out there and try to conquor my fears head on.... but to do this I have to put myself in a state of denial and really just ignore the bigger problem. I don't know what to do!!!! I'm a 26 year old woman, who has everything going for her, but I feel like I'm throwing my life away... that I'm letting it slip through my fingers.... :(

Maybe this community will help... it's been great so far in that I've been able to vocalize things that I've harbored inside for years and years... and most of the wonderful people here have first hand experience and can relate....

"Moxie"