Once I realized there were major problems with the theology of the JW's I finally began to disengage from the fear I had felt all my life, of not doing enough, EVER.
Releasing yourself from the fear can make all the difference in determining what it is you really believe. I'm still figuring that out, right now I'm agnostic bordering on atheism.
I don't have alot of wisdom to give, but if pressed, I would say first give yourself permission to explore ideas and information without fear of repurcussion. And give yourself some time.
redredrose
JoinedPosts by redredrose
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43
im an atheist and i like the idea of being an athiest but its kinda hard
by Lotus65 inim an atheist and i like the idea that comes with freedom of though and analytical thinking that follows being atheistic vs having a religion im just kinda in a jam because i need to try and find something to completely lose the thoughts in the back of my head that say what if im wrong and i "suffer" because of it.
i feel that if i can find something to destroy these thoughts i can be alot more comfortable with my views and opinions.
anyone have any thoughts on what i should do.
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redredrose
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How Many Are From The South (USA)?
by snowbird inthank you, professor.. you are most kind.. sylvia.
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redredrose
Definitely from the South. I can speak Southernese, Redneck and Northernese. Oh, and I am white, though hubby doubts that I am ALL white.
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What's the most ridiculous thing that was ever said to you personally?
by iamthewolf5562 inwere you told that you werent "spiritually mature"?
you were "acting worldly"?
you need to "rethink your association"?.
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redredrose
When I was a teenager I left the truth for a few years, but later came back.
After I had come back and married a ministerial servant the Congregation Overseer (this was a long time ago)who had given me such a hard time before I left said to my parents an assembly that "You probably think I was too hard on *** but just think, if I hadn't been she would probably still be out in the world"!
To think of the arrogance of that man still burns me up! -
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I feel disheartened, confused, betrayed, depressed and angry.
by NickJ999 inlike many i probably hesitated to post anything.
i've been a baptized witness for 21 years.
i was raised roman catholic, went to a parochial school for 8 years, public high school, the usaf for 4 years during vietnam, got my first good job after the military in 1974 at age 25, got married in 1976, went to pentecostal, baptist churches for awhile, and was presbyterian for 8 years during my first marriage that ended after 10 years.
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redredrose
So many on this board have or have had these same feelings, I think you will find a lot of understanding here.
Its also a great place to ask questions. -
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Emotionally drained
by heybaby inwe got into another "discussion" about the validity of the wts and whether or not they teach the truth....i expected that, so it wasn't a big deal.
what i didn't expect is the interesting turn that the conversation took.
we actually discussed getting a divorce.
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redredrose
Heybaby,
I'm so sorry you're going through this. And I also agree wholeheartedly about it being hard to let go of something that you've invested so much time, effort and emotion into.
It would be nice to have some insightful advice to you, but all I know is that only time will help you heal. -
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Can I start a new chapter of my life?
by redredrose inmy mother died earlier this month.
some of you have seen my post about calling in hospice.
she had alzheimers.
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redredrose
Mr. Flipper,
Thanks for the kind words. I know I was lucky to have as much say in her memorial as I did, its a combination of being an only child and of being thought of as a little bit odd anyway. (If they only knew, lol!)
And you're right, I think the next step is to find some friends. I already have one, an old one: Oompa! We discovered recently that we have a lot more in common than we thought! -
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redredrose
Thanks guys for the encouragement! I've reposted this with some actual content, lol!
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Can I start a new chapter of my life?
by redredrose inmy mother died earlier this month.
some of you have seen my post about calling in hospice.
she had alzheimers.
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redredrose
Let me try this again...
My mother died earlier this month. Some of you have seen my post about calling in hospice. She had Alzheimers.
I and my husband have been inactive for several years. My mother wasn't aware of my disillusionment, and I am glad of that. Being 4th generation myself, it would have broken her heart to know I rejected the faith of her grandmother and parents.
While still trying to stay under the radar as far as possible, I planned her memorial. We decided to have it at our house and at first I only wanted to have good friends and family. However the elder we picked to speak turned out to be a Chatty Kathy to the Witnesses and we ended up having it announced in several congregations. We told the elder to make it short and personal, I did not want the outline and surprisingly enough he didn't give us a hard time. (Although he did manage to sneak in some of the outline, which pissed me off but certainly didn't surprise me) I also made sure and invited worldly family members I haven't seen, in some cases for 30 years. I decided to serve food and would have loved to have served wine, but alas, that would have been too much! Amazingly, several elders showed up, even one my husband had actually called a liar several years ago (lots of background on that one), lol. My whole point was I didn't want a somber, self righteous religious feel to the whole thing. I wanted it to be warm and respectful of my mother and her life. And it worked!
One sister made a disapproving remark because we were taking pictures, but it felt like a reunion of family AND friends, and my sweet husband just walked away from her without replying.
So from now on my life will be very different. My dilemma now is how to really divorce myself from the Witnesses and live life to the full while still keeping of good terms with my family and hopefully my very best friends. Living in a small town makes it more complicated, but now I am finally ready to start living my own life, but its scary!
I will welcome any and all suggestions on accomplishing this, so many of you guys have been in similar situations, and I've seen a tremendous amount of collective wisdom on this board! -
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The elders came last night and i stood my NEW ground!!! be proud!
by New light for you inso yes, the brothers came for "encouragement" and of course, my husband is out of town on business... so it was me and the kids.. so i did let them in, i like these brothers...these are some things we discussed.... 1. i went over how that stupid "obey" email got all this started, got me to divulge to my girlfriend how i was feeling about the whole religion.
about how at the end of the call she said that she can't associate with me anymore, and then right after that call/ 30seconds later while i'm crying a pioneer called and asked "do you consider yourself one of jeh witnesses anymore??
" and i thought that was crazy for someone to try to trap me when i was sitting crying on the phone, upset with the last call... i told them that for all purposes i am already dfed since noone will talk to me anymore, and only one friend called to see what happened, everyone else just listened to the gossip of whatever spread, and wrote me off even though i'm technically in good standing.
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redredrose
I am amazed at the courage it took to face them all on your own! You SHOULD be proud as a peacock. Hopefully someday I can be as brave.
Its surprising that they would help you fade, it could be as Saltocon says: that the body may not agree, but I'm sure you are prepared for that.
Congratulations!