first of all let me say hi, ex witness of 19/20 years here - left the borg about 6 or 7 years ago now.. just when i think that i am away from them for good, there is some knock on the door, a familiar face, or something in the media which brings it all back.
how i would love to just let it go and live life to the full without remembering what i went through with the witnesses.. just last week it came back to me again, a knock on the door and i was caught totally offguard.
i made my excuses and basically closed the door in their face but after i lamented on how i should have fought my corner, like i used to when i phased myself out.
I think it is very common to feel anger after the JW experience. As was mentioned by previous posters, we have been lied to, used and abused. Anger is a natural reaction to such treatment.
I hope you find this site to be a healing place. I have. I also recommend counseling to anyone who has a hard time getting past it.
Best wishes to you.
hi im from italy.
im new here i would like know new friends.. my english is very poor.. but few few i read and understand.. i have discovered a lot of things that i was in the dark on wts.. i am reading book crisis of conscience.
if someone recommends me to read anything other in italian language i will be very happy.. i was jw after ex jw and now are jw , have come back because my children and wife are jw and friends of my children are all wj.. so hard left all.
Welcome! Hope you like it here.
or traits cause someone to be susceptible to high control fring religions?
distrust of society and government/religionbeing a social misfithaving some deep seated jealousy of successful people for whatever reason that causes a person to relish the idea of being smarter and knowing that the successful are completely wrong and will dieoverly emotionalinsecurity .
or, do character traits have anything to do with religious susceptibility?.
Any one can be susceptable to manipulation by a cult. Especially if they have recently been through a painful situation such as the death of a loved one, break up of a romantic relationship, financial difficulties, loneliness, concern about the future, etc. We were supposed to be looking for those who were "sighing and crying" remember?
i'm not now, nor have i ever been a jw.
i do have and interest in the jws though.
for the past many months i have been reading this board and it's predicessor and when membership was opened i jumped right in.
Welcome to the board.
In my experience as a JW, they know how to use certain scriptures to defend some WT doctrines, but outside of that narrow segment of scriptures and beliefs, they have little understanding of the Bible. If you ask questions that are outside of their comfort zone, they will not have an answer and often try to steer the conversation back to the handful of subjects they are comfortable talking about.
the po comes to see me and talks round the houses trying to find out what my problem is.. so i tell him "look its something i have to sort out for myself and i dont want to destroy your faith and make you start questioning so id rather not tell you".
he already knew cos the first elder went to his house the second he left mine and told him about [what i thought was a private conversation between mates,] my issues.. so he proceeds to tell me a story of a brother he knows who was always very studious and knowledgable about all prophecies and the details of our beliefs.. well the guy suddenly stopped attending meetings last year, dont know why but the po seemed pretty upset about it as he was an old friend.. so he says " i said to him, but john, where will you go now on sunday afternoons,!
and really wary where else will you go?".
Not knowing where to go is not a reason to stay where you're at. Anyone can start the journey!
http://www.jehovahsjudgment.co.uk/watchtower-un-ngo/.
this may have been dealt with before.
on this site the jw's defend their ngo status in the 1990's.
It was interesting reading your link to the WT apologist site. It seems their main point was to try to deflect from the fact that the WT voluntarily became associated with the UN. They are right that association with the UN did not make them an NGO. And there are many NGOs not associated with the UN. But that is hardly the point.
They also spend a lot of time determining the exact procedure involved when the WT became associated with the UN. I don't think any of that matters. The issue is that, for whatever reasons, the WT voluntarily chose to be associated with the organization they say is the wild beast of Revalation. An organization that they believe is controlled by Satan. They have spent many years claiming that the harlot, "false" religion, will be destroyed by the UN, and that part of what makes them so evil is that they are riding the wild beast.
In my opinion, voluntary association with the UN in any way and for any reason is a huge hypocricsy for the WT. They know this too, which is why they immediately withdrew as soon as they were found out.
I also felt that their excuse was pretty weak. As if the UN had the only good library in New York, and they were simply unable to get the necessary information to continue publishing their literature without it.
scotland, glasgow.
post 4279 of 4282. since 10/5/2006.
....the green man ....is he also osiris?.
Interesting picture. Looks to me like something out of ancient Celtic mythology, or other peoples of the pre-Christian British Isles.
just thought i would introduce myself, as it seems a bit rude not to.
this, in a nut shell, is my story.. i was a third generation witness and i did all the normal stuff we were expected to do.
left school early, pioneered, went to bethel, ms and all that palava.
Welcome, and thanks for telling your story. While it's unique to you, it is also our common heritage as former JWs.
Hope being here is helpful for you. At least you will know you are not alone.
knowing what you know now, are you embarrassed that you ever believed in the jehovah's witness religion?.
I was raised in it, so can't really blame myself for what I was taught as a child. I like to hope I wouldn't have made that choice as an adult, but what I have learned about cults is that they can suck in anybody. Plenty of smart, effective and successful people have been pulled in for one reason or another. The best thing people can do to innoculate themselves, IMO, is to learn all they can about cults and how they work so as to be able to recognize them early on.
That having been said, I do remember wondering, about the time I left, how I could have believed they taught "the truth." That's when I realized what a cult it was. The teachings just don't hold water and are easily shot down with a little dose of facts. Yet I accepted it hook, line and sinker for years.
yes, the care of choice for any good witness family.
how many of you bought one for the good of field service?
you can be privlidged to take the lead in bringing a life saving message to the masses.
When I went to buy my first car I had only one criterion. Yes, of course, it had to be a four door for field service. Other than that, I didn't care what it was. Since then I have wised up. After all, the WT wasn't making my payments for me, no matter how many times I drove in field service.
