Posts by kitsune

33

Name Things That Are Uniquely "Special" To Jehovah's Witnesses

by minimus in

jw
friends

jws have certain must haves.

for example a jw needs his or her own "bookbag".

an elder needs an "elder case", something very big, because after all, he's an elder!

kitsune

doing the "pioneer shuffle"...although I wish I could have convinced them it was the truffle shuffle...that would have made all that walking much more enjoyable...

31

What Draws Out The Lurker/Newbies

by Not Feeling It in

jw
friends

i'm sure this has been discussed.

i was wondering what attracts a lurker/n00b to post for the first time.

i made my first post in someone else's thread eschewing the "hi, i'm new" thing.. for anyone, particularly the lurkers/noobies:.

To get comfortable on the board I post here and there. I lurk a lot more than I post. I haven't yet done the "hi, here's my story" thread yet, but the more I post, the more comfortable I will get to eventually share my story.

36

Hello Atheists......need advice

by wings in

jw
friends

how do you deal with "no faith"?

what do you put faith in?

how was you transition from belief to non belief?

kitsune

Hello Wings! I guess I was a "closet" atheist for all the years that I stayed in before I finally made the break. There were many things both about the JW doctrine in general and other religions that just never sat right with me. I wish to offend no one with my opinions so I apologize if I do. To answer your questions:

How do you deal with "no faith"?
I think is relative depending on what you are talking about. I have faith and belief that if the sky is dark and I thunder, that it will rain. However, when it comes to an entity controlling my life and telling me how I need to live or else I will die, I don't have any faith or belief in that at all. I never really found it to be an issue as I lost "faith" in a godhead long ago.

What do you put faith in?
Humanity. We have a lot a problems, but a study of history shows that all that is going on is just the growing pains of a young civilization (this country) and a world coping with rapid change. Countries, religion, peoples; they all go through it and so far, have come out the other end okay. It starts one person at a time. People don't need religion to be moral, we know when we do something against nature, even the scriptures acknowledge that. I treat my fellow humans with respect because they are people like me. I respect the planet we live on and do my part to help keep it clean and healthy for the future generations and fellow man. Scientific discoveries are making religious belief look more and more archaic, the leftover myth of a species that couldn't explain rain, growing cycles, lunar/solar eclipses, and had to make up something that could. I put my faith in each person to, in their own time, realize this and make this world a better place.

How was you transition from belief to non belief?
It took years and years and years of in depth research for me. I holed myself up in libraries and used online libraries and searches to read papers and books about anthropology, physics, chemistry, biology, religions of the world, the list could go on for awhile. After reading all this material, it was plain to me that religion, in its entirety, just wasn't necessary. There was nothing in any religion I studied or service I attended that made me feel that there was a godhead or some kind of spirit to move me. I many people who have been moved, it just never happened to me. What helped me the most was by immersing myself in projects that helped people. I volunteer a lot. I work in the non-profit education industry by choice so that I can help students of all background learn more about the marvelous universe we live in, even though I make squat money at it. I work with charities and help organize events for "lower income" families whenever I can. I find this work more rewarding than any amount of hours I spent knocking on doors.

Does it bother you that others have faith in God, and why?
It only bothers me when they push it in my face. No matter how calmly I talk and no matter how many facts I present, people who want to talk to you about their God aren't willing to listen to any other line of thought (not just JWs). Recently a co-worker of mine died and I sat next to my boss who streamed tears and declared that she was mad at God for taking such a wonderful person. She didn't care if he needed an angel. She was young and bright and didn't deserve to be taken by God. This line of thinking made me sick to my stomach. I was a wreck from the loss of my friend, but it made me more angry that everyone had an idea about where she went depending on what religion they were. She is apparently in heaven, but also coming back soon in some other form to help guide us, and maybe in limbo if she hadn't made it to church that weekend. If only they listened to themselves.

59

I've been studying JW for 6 months. Please help..

by fb130 in

jw
friends

i'm still trying 2 figure out if this is a pro or anti jw forum but here goes..

i started studying jw 6 months ago & i do feel i'm growing.

i think at the rate things are going i'll b babtised in another 6 months.

kitsune

Welcome to the board! I can echo what many have all ready said and what they have said is true. I know from experience. I was born and raised a 4th generation JW. I was baptized young and when I was a teenager I started to find things that didn't jive, I had to keep it to myself. When I was finally ready to leave (meaning that I lost ALL contact with ALL of my family as they are ALL JW's), and went to the elders with my doubts (I wish fading had been an option) I was told that I wasn't praying hard enough, that the only truth I could find was in the WT pubs, and that something must be wrong with my life because Jehovah would answer my questions if I was doing the right things.

I was single too, but the warm and friendly "friends" quickly stopped inviting me to get-togethers and to meals after the meetings the second they saw me go into the room with the elders, even though they had no idea what the nature of the conversation was.

The elders told me that I should still attend meetings and service, even if I didn't believe, because it was not a daughter's duty to hurt her parents. Every time I talked to them they used emotional blackmail to try and make me change my mind. I still left and have had very little to no contact with any of my family, well over 40 cousins, my sister and parents and all of my grandparents, and more than 15 aunts and uncles (BIG Italian family); all because I found their lies and questioned their doctrines.

RUN do not walk away from this study. Once you get baptized, you sign your freedom and your life away and you may never ever get it back.

23

The JW Police need to be ticketed!!!!

by wings in

jw
friends

i knew this would happen.

i moved into a neighborhood where i knew some former "friends" and now they are patrolling my house and discovering gross sins on my behalf.

bs, for one, but no need to go there.

kitsune

Wow. Where in the scriptures does it say, "stalk thy neighbor and accuse with sin"? When I was on my way out, I used to run into people from the hall all the time and in my JC I was told "several people have seen you...blah blah blah" even though I had never seen anyone. Since I left, I have seen people from the hall once and that was because they happened to be in the same movie I was in with my friends (didn't even look at me as they walked past...some friends they really are/were). I didn't want to think that following/stalking was possible, but now it seems my suspicions were correct. My heart goes out to you in this situation. No one's privacy has the right to be invaded like that.

Side note: my dad has been an elder all my life. I would hope that he had never done anything like this, but now thinking back to those "late night elders meetings", I'm not too sure. *sigh*

5

'My year of living biblically'

by IT Support in

yet another ted talk; this one by a.j.

jacobs called 'my year of living biblically.'.

this is a fascinating and funny tale of one man's serious attempt, for one year, to obey every bible command (he even runs into jws!

kitsune

The book is awesome! I really enjoyed it. It is very humorous and yet just makes you shake your head with some of things that are written in the bible. He had some very on point observations. A friend of his just released a book about the "Christian" sub culture (movies, books, music, etc...) that was also very good.

27

Bethel! Is there anyone who DID NOT long to visit Bethel

by purpleplus in

jw
friends

bethel is the witness equivalent to mecca.

i never had a strong urge to go, unlike others in the borg.

its funny to hear people marvel at the speed of the printing presses there.

kitsune

I went once because I wanted to get a couple days off work and go to NYC. I went with a bunch from the hall, including some of my family and my (now ex) best friend. Thought it would be great. Worst trip I ever took.

15

Pantyhose

by Princess Daisy Boo in

something that has facinated me since i started reading and posting on this board was the whole "women must always wear pantyhose" idea... .

the thought sometimes crosses my mind as to whether or not there were any differences in the borg from country to country - but the only issue i have come across is the pantyhose one.

in south africa, to the best of my knowledge, while i was "in", this was not a requirement - we only wore stockings if the weather required it.

kitsune

I grew up in a place where it was you always wore pantyhose, even in the summer, and summer dresses had to have wide straps (my mom wouldn't allow me sleveless dresses anyway) and sandals on the platform were a no no. Then I moved to Florida and was very happy to buy my first "spaghetti strap" dress, not having to wear stockings, and having sandals, and seeing sisters on the DC in the same type of dress. Well, it didn't matter anyway because I was planning the next phase of my exit strategy, but at least I could do that comfortably.

22

Did You Receive All Those Gifts You Were Supposed To Get All Year Around?

by White Dove in

because i was a born-in and raised in the wt, i was always told that we don't need holidays to tell us to give gifts to our children.

we give them gifts all year around.. did your parents ever make good on that promise?.

kitsune

We didn't have much, but my parents always managed to get something small here and there throughout the year. We used to get toys and stuff for my cousins when we go to visit on the holiday breaks from school and they would get us stuff too. I used to get "bigger" presents for getting straight a's all year and to my surprise when I made Dean's List in college. Oh wait, no one is supposed to know I have a "corrupting" higher education. Darn.

22

Happiness

by heybaby in

something always bothered me growing up as a witness.

we were always taught that people in the "world" couldn't possibly be happy because they didn't have the "truth.

" this always bothered me.

kitsune

I can understand where you come from. I never understood growing up why I had to think that "worldly" people were mean and miserable and I shouldn't associate with them, but yet it was the loving thing to preach to them to make them happy like me (which of course I was just BURSTING with happiness *sarcasam*). It never clicked with me and was one of the things that got me thinking as a teenager that something wasn't right.

I still have to contend with this with my mother since I DA'd and it has been a huge source of frustration for me. When I do get the occasion to talk to her (but since I have been reading the posts here, I am determined to not play by their rules, even if it means I send them a letter to tell them I love every single week even if they won't talk to me ) she always spends 10 to 15 minutes spouting about how I am not "truly happy" until I put myself back on the "right path to true happiness and repentance", which of course means getting rid of the "worldly and sinful influence" that is my boyfriend (we met after I left). She just doesn't get it. I have a wonderful relationship with my boyfriend (soon to be engaged), were looking for a house to start a family, I have a ton of friends, and have enjoyed celebrating my birthday for the first time; all the things I would have never enjoyed had I continued in the organization to keep the family happy. She is so programmed that she is nothing without the organization, I don't think she'll ever realize it. I just try to stay hopeful that one day she will think about the information that I tell her a little at a time and realize that she doesn't need them.