Posts by happpyexjw

20

Anyone from Sweden here?

by AlexHall in

jw
friends

hi.. im new to the posting-part of this forum and was wondering if there s any other ex-witnesses from sweden in here?.

i v been reading a lot of the topics here and i have to admit it have helped me to start seeing the bigger picture.

it took almost a whole year as a ex-borg before i grew the courage to start reading "apostate" information.

happpyexjw

Alex, welcome to the forum. I have been here for less than a month myself and have found it to be helpful in alll the ways you mention.

I can sure relate to how you feel, as can many contributors here. Kind of like a ship without a rudder. It feels strange to have all this freedom after being part of an organization that controls every little thing you do, say and even think. Hang in there - with time the insecure feeling fades away and instead you will feel empowered to take control of your own destiny and really enjoy your life!

You will find support, opinions and advice here. Take what works for you and leave the rest. Everyone is coming from a different set of experiences and has their own perspective on life in the wts.

Good luck!

22

Any behavior you regret due to JW teaching

by happpyexjw in

jw
friends

does anyone wish they could make amends for mistakes made as a jw?

i tried very hard to follow the teachings very closely, right down to shunning some of my relatives who were df'd.

i also think i was very judgemental and hard on others..

happpyexjw

StAnn, are you saying that those who are still in are heartless? Surely that isn't what you think. As we have seen in this forum, there are many who are still struggling to see the real truth about the wts.

36

I wish I was Stronger

by apocryphal22 in

jw
friends

but im not.

i have lost everything.. i am a third generation jw on both sides of my family.

all of my family is in full time service, pioneers, elders, cos, international construction, anointed and gb.

happpyexjw

Apochraphyl, you are stronger! Far stronger than you imagine! Please stick around here and read the many posts from people who have experienced all of the same emotions you describe. This group will understand you and support you in your quest to live life in the here and now. It is normal to grieve for a while over all that you have lost, but someone once told me the best revenge is to live life well.

You will meet many here who have gone to college late in life. I graduated at the age of 55 with a degree in art and history, two great passions of mine. Others have done the same. Now is the time to pursue your interests and in time you will able to reach out and help others who are just beginning to make their exit from this dangerous cult. Your life is not over. The best way I can think of for you to honor the Creator and thank Him for the life He gave you is to live your life fully. You are a worthwhile human being and don't ever let anyone tell you anything different!

22

Any behavior you regret due to JW teaching

by happpyexjw in

jw
friends

does anyone wish they could make amends for mistakes made as a jw?

i tried very hard to follow the teachings very closely, right down to shunning some of my relatives who were df'd.

i also think i was very judgemental and hard on others..

happpyexjw

Thank you all for sharing your thoughts on this question. Personally, I can relate to so many of the things listed here.

As a follow-up I would like to ask if any of you think that considering past mistakes has made you a better person in the here and now? Some things we can't make up for, like sitting out in the car during my DA'd father's funeral, but now when I see someone doing something outrageous, I am more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt. It has helped me to understand that sometimes people are simply misguided, but are doing the best they can. That's why it bothers me when someone makes blanket condemnations of everyone who is still a JW. I believe the majority have their heart in the right place. Let's face it, they aren't staying in because it's easy, but rather because they are convinced it is the right thing to do.

Mary

22

Any behavior you regret due to JW teaching

by happpyexjw in

jw
friends

does anyone wish they could make amends for mistakes made as a jw?

i tried very hard to follow the teachings very closely, right down to shunning some of my relatives who were df'd.

i also think i was very judgemental and hard on others..

happpyexjw

Does anyone wish they could make amends for mistakes made as a JW? I tried very hard to follow the teachings very closely, right down to shunning some of my relatives who were DF'd. I also think I was very judgemental and hard on others.

51

What Were Your Consequences For Leaving The "Truth"???

by minimus in

jw
friends

was it as bad as everyone says, that if you leave the organization, you'll go back to the world, get into trouble and suffer?.

happpyexjw

I agree with the posters who say they regret not leaving sooner. It was not easy since I also lost virtually all of my "friends" and most of my family, although my kids eventually left themselves and we are all friends now. It was scary at first because I was very naive about the real world and did not have an education, but I made a couple of good new friends, (one of whom I later married) who encouraged me and helped me out. Looking back I have no regrets and believe that the difficulties helped me to grow up. I am much happier and better balanced now than I ever was as a JW.

49

Is rejecting supernatural explanations close-minded?

by inkling in

jw
friends

here is an excellent video regarding the accusation that skeptics are.

"close-minded" to the supernatural and to woo-based explanations .

if you have ever been on either side of one of these conversations, .

happpyexjw

VM44 - How funny. it has been proven that anyone can walk on hot coals with a little coaching beforehand. It has to do with how little of the foot actually come in contact with the coals. If one runs on the coals, the contact is harder and more surface meets the coals which accounts for the burns. But if one simply walks at a normal gait, the sensation is warm and there will be no injury.

Mary

9

Well - I've gone and done it - started a blog

by AK - Jeff in

jw
friends

here is the link: http://freefromthewatchtower.blogspot.com/.

i am absolutely new to this.

i hope a few will follow, but if not, i shall gain nonetheless.. jeff .

happpyexjw

AK - Very sharp looking site. I am looking forward to seeing the sequels

Happy

14

What is Divorce like for a Baptised JW

by survived75 in

could you please tell me just what happens at the congregation level when a baptised brother gets divorced?.

does he just go ahead and do it legally or must he let the elders know?

the situation i am wondering about is a fellow who was separated from his non jw wife for several years after she quit attending the kh.

happpyexjw

In my case my husband was disfellowshipped. When I divorced him I was told I was not free to marry unless he either released me or got re-married. I got married again and several months later they looked me up and called me (I had faded and had not been around for nearly a year.) They wanted to meet with me (JC I'm sure) to discuss my adulterous marriage. I told them I had nothing to discuss with them and to please leave me alone.

50

Special Post: 1 year anniversary on JWN - My intro finally posted

by Awakened at Gilead in

i came on jwd a year ago tomorrow, having realized that jws were not the truth, quite painfully, on march 29, 2008. i was here within a week, and within 2 months i was officially dad by my congregation.. ever since joining, i have never actually wrote down a comprehensive look at why i left the organization.

what doubts caused me to leave?

why did a gilead grad leave what i once considered so precious?.

happpyexjw

I read your story last night and could not stop until I had finished the whole thing. I really identified with the feeling that you could parrot the arguments for various beliefs, but had to shove your questions to the back and "wait on Jehovah" for clarification. I had never really thought about this in those terms before.

In my own case, I think I was very susceptible to the conditioning the society does by telling the R&F that being a witness is not going to be easy and that having doubts or questions was somehow evil. The more difficlut things were, the more righteous I felt. I came in to the wts as a nine year old because my mother was contacted in a house to house call in the 1950s. She had accepted the Paradise book and as a young kid, the illustrations in the book and the promise of eternal life were irresistible. I wasted the next 30 years of my life in the clutches of this group.

Like you, coming to the realization that I was not going to live forever was the hardest thing. With time, I have gotten over that. I went back to school and got my degree in 2004 and have learned to live in the here and now and to think for myself. Thank you so much for sharing your amazing story. I'm sure it is going to help a lot of people who are looking for a way to get free.