Penny, I think that Australian culture poses some problems with the borg keeping their youngsters in. I've noticed that the borg seems to be targetting newly established ethnic communities. I know of at least one case where they have created a congregation entirely devoted to one particular racial group. This group is very actively supported by the rank and file who believe they are assisting people in learning about God etc - so a two fold approach - target marginalised ethnic groups and bring them in, and give the rank and file a project to dedicate their 'spare' time to. Very clever, very tricky. Unfortunately the Australian culture, I would suggest, is facilitating a lot of the younger dubs who grew up in the borg to leave. I don't see as much pressure here as in the accounts from the U.S about the issue of being DF-ed, they seem to be just fading or leaving without too much of a stir. I'm still getting some accounts of shunning, but that may be specific to a particular familial culture rather than from the Australian version of the borg itself. Hard to tell, but it's great to see that there is movement.
whitman
JoinedPosts by whitman
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22
The contagion is spreading - lots of people quietly leaving JWs
by truthseeker infrom reading reports on jwd it seems that many are in the process of quietly leaving the watchtower organization.. it's almost become disease like - and spreading rapidly, even acutely in lands where access to information is greater.. people who i've known for years have suddenly disappeared - it reads like a stephen king novel.. what have you noticed?.
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The contagion is spreading - lots of people quietly leaving JWs
by truthseeker infrom reading reports on jwd it seems that many are in the process of quietly leaving the watchtower organization.. it's almost become disease like - and spreading rapidly, even acutely in lands where access to information is greater.. people who i've known for years have suddenly disappeared - it reads like a stephen king novel.. what have you noticed?.
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whitman
Did anyone else get a pm about this thread?
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The contagion is spreading - lots of people quietly leaving JWs
by truthseeker infrom reading reports on jwd it seems that many are in the process of quietly leaving the watchtower organization.. it's almost become disease like - and spreading rapidly, even acutely in lands where access to information is greater.. people who i've known for years have suddenly disappeared - it reads like a stephen king novel.. what have you noticed?.
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whitman
The reason I actually came across JWD was because I'd been contacted all of a sudden by three or four people who were in the process of leaving or had recently left. From their accounts much has changed since I was in the borg so I came here to catch up on the 'light' which is becoming so bright it's near blinding. I came here to find out how I could support them in their process of leaving. I think that's a really important part of disengaging from the borg - they need support, they need love, they need to know that they are safe. They need to know they have friends so the shunning doesn't sting as much. If they are supported and are part of a community they have more strength emotionally and spiritually to tackle the difficult issues of retaining relationships with family members, and to be able to do that with dignity, grace and honesty.
So yeah - they are leaving and they need support to stay strong and face the challenges ahead.
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Could you suggest a better way to word this to mom?
by New light for you ini'm trying to figure out how to word what i have to say to mom, and i'm just not cuttin it.
here's the story...came in the "truth" with mom, i was 13, she was going thru a divorce.
she's convinced to this day that we would have no relationship if it wasn't for the fact that we found the witnesses.
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whitman
Please be cautious if you are commiting something to writing to give to your mum. I would suggest that a few visits with the kids that are short and sweet might help re-build the bridge slowly. It just takes time. From observation I've noticed that essentially our families and 'friends' are basically just frightened. Frightened that we've left, frightened of what that means, frightened of what we might say to them. When seeing extended family that I don't keep in regular touch with I always take the lead in establishing how our relationship will work. I always greet them with hugs and kisses, before they even have time to think. Once you've managed to get a hug in, their defenses are down and you can continue to direct the way your meetings together will work. Suddenly their fear is slightly abated, and by including them in my life by sharing funny stories and staying clear of any difficult topics, by the end of the visit they are much more comfortable and will respond even more positively next time. The elephant in the room becomes smaller and smaller over time until it just isn't there, or if it is - too small to notice.
When it comes to my mum, I now include her in all aspects of my life. Initially after leaving the borg I kept most of my life secret, but over time I've tested the water by including more and more challenging things. My mum openly states that she is happy with the way my brother and I have turned out (brother is out too) - we've managed to demonstrate through our actions that we are not frightening people, we don't say frightening things and we love her dearly. Mum now knows that she has nothing to fear. I live with my partner and we are not married, and my mum adores him. She has even bought us bedroom linen and often refers to my partner for help with things in her life. She has learnt that even though there are differences, we are still family and my brother and I are good and loving people.
On the birthday front I have no advice because I don't have children. One thing I do though is call mum every year on my birthday, sing her happy birthday and make a big deal about how happy I am that she gave birth to me and that it is a day to celebrate our lives together. Now when there is any mention of my brother or I having birthday celebrations she doesn't even blink. In fact now she calls us on our birthdays and says a very sweet happy birthday (no singing though - which is probably for the best, I love her to death but she can't sing).
Though I don't agree with the WT - I don't actually want to damage my mother's faith, so it is not in anyone's best interest to get into the details and problems. If mum were to lose her faith she would be devestated and no doubt incredibly upset that she has wasted all of her life believing in lies. I'd rather see her happy and maintain her faith which she relies on to get her through the tough times. I openly refer to her faith but always in a positive way, if she is down or struggling I suggest she pray and remind her of passages in the bible from which she can take strength. In this way she has also come to feel confident in sharing aspects of her life openly with me. It's a long difficult journey, but I think I am closer to my mother because I am not in the borg. I think she knows that too - and that is really the elephant in the room. It's an elephant I'm fond of.
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Australia vs China last weekend
by whitman injust for the record, last weekend's soccoroos vs china game was ridiculous.
damn those fifa refs - why the hell didn't they penalise china for taking so many 'professional' dives - i mean really, you've fallen and can't get up so you have a stretcher brought to you, you go off field and within seconds are ready to take to the pitch again.
at one point i thought there was going to be a riot, and frankly i've always wanted to be in a riot so it would have been a great introduction to rioting.
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whitman
Just for the record, last weekend's Soccoroos vs China game was ridiculous. Damn those FIFA refs - why the hell didn't they penalise China for taking so many 'professional' dives - I mean really, you've fallen and can't get up so you have a stretcher brought to you, you go off field and within seconds are ready to take to the pitch again. At one point I thought there was going to be a riot, and frankly I've always wanted to be in a riot so it would have been a great introduction to rioting. But alas, no riot - just the foul taste of a 1 - 0 China win.
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What's Your Personal Favorite Movie Of All Time?
by minimus ingoodfellas is my favorite.
(i love gangster movies).
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whitman
Withnail and I, Harvey (with Jimmy Stewart), The Goonies, Casablanca, Amelie, Little Miss Sunshine, Holes, Harold and Maude, Sin City, Orphee (directed by jean coctaeu) and any thing directed by Peter Greenaway - and early David Lynch
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Could you suggest a better way to word this to mom?
by New light for you ini'm trying to figure out how to word what i have to say to mom, and i'm just not cuttin it.
here's the story...came in the "truth" with mom, i was 13, she was going thru a divorce.
she's convinced to this day that we would have no relationship if it wasn't for the fact that we found the witnesses.
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whitman
Hi New Light, I had an experience this week which might be of some help. I left the borg years ago and mum has always been fairly relaxed about it - besides the occasional barbs or pointed comments. I've noticed lately that she must be feeling some pressure from the borg to make more of an effort in bringing me back. Over a cup of tea she managed to shift the conversation to her friend who's daughter has just been disfellowshipped, and mum said she was sad for her, and knew how she felt. I thought that comment was out of line since I am not disfellowshipped. So I gently said to her, 'mum, it's not the same - I'm not disfellowshipped, you can't really compare my sitation to the other situation'. Mum said, something along the lines of....yes but you are not in the truth ra ra ra. I very briefly went over the reasons I felt I had to leave the organisation (if you recall me earlier thread of absurd disclosure - that's the stuff I went over with her). Essentially she felt that I had left because I was stumbled. She used the whole - but they are only men and they are not perfect. I agreed and then I stated that I had not left God, and that in a day of reckoning I would be able to stand tall and have my heart read and God would know that my intentions were true, and as an imperfect person I am sure that a compassionate and loving God would not punish me for being uncomfortable with the organisation. I stressed that I maintained a personal relationship with God through prayer (not entirely true - only on the dark days really - just in case, i try to cover all the bases by occasionally including a mention to Ganeesh and others - you can never be too sure lol).
Anyhow, I guess my point is that I used their own reasoning to explain my actions. Being stumbled by the actions of imperfect men while retaining a personal relationship with god seems to have been an acceptable account of my actions. The odd thing is that it seems to have given my mother some peace of mind. She seems to no longer worry about my eternal oblivian at armageddon. She knows that I will stand up to any divine judgement because although i do not worship in the way she does, she sees i have not really left god.
I hope that helps, although I guess everyone is different. Perhaps figure out what approach will best touch her heart and allow you to remain close. Don't let the borg tear your family apart, there has to be a happy medium - it's just finding it that's tricky. Good luck.
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Can we start our own "encouraging" email?
by Mickey mouse ini seem to get one every other day doing the rounds in jw land.
it's usually some wonderful .
for instance: "in 19xx (can't remember year) judge rutherford said "millions now living will never die".
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whitman
I'm intruigued by this proposal.... Unfortunately I am entirely out of the loop when it comes to 'encouraging' J.W emails, I wonder if there is a way that I could somehow get in the loop and be sent J.W spam? Any suggestions on how I could do that?
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!!!Now I have really seen it all... Watchtower Jewelry!!!!
by Princess Daisy Boo insitting at home on a friday night - browsing through all the jw groups on facebook and this catches my eye.... we help support our full-time ministry with this website.
please have a look at the "watchtower" -style pins and pendants.
with a link to this website http://jeffreydesign.com/index.php?main_page=index&cpath=7 aside from the fact that it really ain't pretty, how pukeworthy is this??
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whitman
Could this be a dub response to the secret handshake of the freemason??? Oooooh....conspiracy! How I envy all those lucky lucky witness wives who will be presented with a lovely watchtower pendant this year on their wedding anniversary. Lucky gals, no wonder they stay in the borg with pretty trinkets like that available.
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does anyone have experience getting a PATENT?
by oompa ini have a very simple little item i want to patent and market....very simple and useful...and my patent search on google shows it is original...so what do i do?....oompa.
btw...i have done some field testing and research....and every single person wants to know why they never thought of this, and when can they get one....it is not a stupid beer drinkers hat or anything.....
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whitman
Ah ha!! Thanks for the tip Hope....the tee goes in first and then the hee hee's follow. Right, got it. Is it that apparent I'm a brunette? Darn you blondes and your alluring blonde ways.