I did rid myself of all of it. Even though I lived with my JW parents, I trashed every piece of literatrash I owned. GONE. No more NWT, no more mags or useless KMs... I only own one bible now, and it's a NIV.
Morbidzbaby
JoinedPosts by Morbidzbaby
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19
I am proud to say I saw a WatchTower and Awake........
by paulnotsaul income out of the bottom of a totter into the hopper of my trash truck.
because that exactly where they all belong.
in the bottom of the landfill.
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46
Would you go back if you thought there were one in a million chances you were wrong?
by Paul Duda inoften i wake up in a cold sweat wondering if i'm wrong.
life is short.
i have only a brief time to make a decision.
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Morbidzbaby
No, I wouldn't. If there were even the SLIGHTEST chance that I was wrong, the freedom I have now is worth being smited by the Invisible Sky Daddy. BRING IT ON!
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19
I am proud to say I saw a WatchTower and Awake........
by paulnotsaul income out of the bottom of a totter into the hopper of my trash truck.
because that exactly where they all belong.
in the bottom of the landfill.
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Morbidzbaby
The only time I come across them is in public. There's no Witlessing allowed in my apartments, so I don't get knocks on the door... But when I see them at the laundromat or the bank or the doctor's office, you bet your sweet bippy I rip them up and circular file them! My proudest moment was when I first moved to the area and me and bf were out doing laundry and I spotted a Watchtower and Awake on the table. I tore them up into little pieces and threw them in the trash and walked away with a smug smile of satisfaction on my face. Bf said with a grin "Baby? Why are you smiling like that?". So I told him and he cracked up and told his dad (who was with us). He guffawed and said "Good 'nuff that's where that shit belongs!"
The Watchtower- Announcing the Governing Body's Idiocy
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51
Suggestions for finally talking to my parents about my doubts?
by stillstuckcruz ini'll give my story again:.
i was raised a believing witness.
i had a normal life and very loving parents who would do anything for me and my brother(who is 21).
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Morbidzbaby
I've been where you're at. If I can just echo what others have said DO NOT discuss doctrine.
Unfortunately, the people we THINK we know so well, the ones we THINK love us and can handle the truth about "The Truth" are the very ones who turn us in to the elders or open their mouths out of "concern for our spiritual health". This is a very slippery slope. Once you open your mouth, you kind of can't take it back. You may find yourself on the business end of three elders asking you if you believe this is god's spirit directed organization!
My experience is sort of like CHG's... I did, however, open my mouth to my parents because the fire inside me to tell them the truth (that they are in a cult) was eating me up and I just had to tell them! I didn't just blurt it out, but after reading a lot, I was armed when the conversation presented itself.
Even full of alcohol, my dad defends the organization. He has an excuse or a twisted convoluted reason for every point I bring up. My mom is too naive to know any better and even though she has accidentally admitted that my points made sense, when she realized her faux pas, she got angry and shook her head and told me in an angry and shaking voice "I will NEVER believe that! I will NEVER let you break my relationship with Jehovah!". So... I fucking give up, honestly. This all happened while I was living under their roof and hadn't been to a meeting in about 6 months, nor out door to door.
I spent months dodging the elders... Their phone calls, their pop-in visits, etc. Twice they came over uninvited when my parents weren't home and I told them I was busy and had no time to talk. Avoid Avoid AVOID! I do have to say that my dad was pretty cool about things...when they would approach him and tell him they were going to come over on the weekend, he'd tell me ahead of time so I could make myself scarce. So 9 times out of 10, when they came over, I wasn't there. My dad's a MS and my mom is a pioneer...but they both knew the repercussions if the elders found out how I really thought. So in their own way, they protected me.
I moved away a few months ago. I moved in with my boyfriend, I'm incredibly happy, and I still have the freedom to speak to my parents because I haven't been DF'ed, nor have I DA'ed. I haven't set foot in a Kingdom Hall in over a year, haven't gone in service, haven't been to a Memorial or an assembly or convention...and I feel SO FREE. I knew it would feel good to be completely out, but I didn't know it would be like this. My boyfriend encourages me to look into whatever interests me, whether it's science or witchcraft, aliens or atheism. I can read what I want and WATCH what I want without having to look over my shoulder and wonder if a JW will see me...because if they do, they have no idea what my background is, so it wouldn't matter to them anyway lol.
I've made some friends here. My bf introduced me to some of his friends and I've made some acquaintances at work. One of the women the bf introduced me to actually studied with JW's and went to meetings for 2 months a long time ago and she got a very weird feeling and knew exactly what it was and beat a hasty retreat. So she pretty much understands me in a lot of ways. She said she couldn't imagine being raised like that and then marrying into it as well. Her sister-in-law married a JW and is now in the midst of a divorce. So this woman "gets it".
I guess I'm saying this because the one real way you can leave the org without losing your family is to keep your mouth shut and get out on your own...preferably a distance away from people who know you so you're free to be who you are and pursue what you want to pursue without being scared that you'll be spotted. Don't be afraid of "worldly people". To be honest, a lot of us here are now considered as such and you have no problem talking to us and "associating" with us, so just take it into real life.
Keep us updated and let us know how things go for you, whatever you decide.
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Typical earthquake comment
by MrFreeze inmy mom texted me after i texted her letting her know i felt the quake today.
her only response was "'matthew 24:7".
it really annoyed the hell out of me..
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Morbidzbaby
I made a comment on my FB about the JW's saying this was it and that Jesus said there would be earthquakes, etc. I ended it by saying it's so much bullshit.
Apparently, my inactive aunt who still speaks to her disfellowshipped daughter and really has no room to talk thought that I was an embarrassment to my mother (who would never read my comment) and that I was saying stuff that would hurt her. This is an aunt who never had anything much to do with my mom and treated us like we were lepers for some reason. She was horrible to my mom growing up. So why the hell does she care? She said I should think before posting about something and laughing at something others believe in still... My sister-in-law posted that it's MY FB and I can post anything I want lol.
Honestly, after that, I was pretty much resigned to being found out and DF'ed in absentia even though I'm no longer in the same state. Honestly? I kind of welcome it.
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14
Service Leeches
by man in black ini remember that in my old hall there was a single pioneer sister who lived in the kh basement.
she did not drive, (22 years old) and she was.
such a "spiritual example" .. but now i remember going out in service with the group on a saturday morning, and she would be part of the group that was in my car.. we would do about an hour of service door to door, and then return visits for an hour or two.
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Morbidzbaby
Yeah I know a lot of pioneers who did stuff like that. They ran their errands and still counted the time because they left a freakin' tract inside the bank.
Or there were some who would stop for lunch, but say they were "working straight through"...we're talking a restaurant, sit-down meal... And they'd give the waitress their little spiel and hand her a Watchtower or a tract and then count the entire lunch plus the time it took to get to the next door.
So much for not counting time until they're actually IN the territory!
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Too much to do, not enough time!!!!!
by sinis ingod, growing up it always felt like the day wouldn't end, school went on forever, and i couldn't wait to be a "grown up".
now, i wish the days were longer, i had more time to do the things i need to do, and someone else would take care of me.
too much to do, and not enough time!!!
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Morbidzbaby
Maybe this is what living forever feels like?
And therein lies the reason that we don't!! LOL
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As a JW Kid Were You Expected To Get Baptised By Your Parents/ Congregation
by Hairyhegoat inhere is a quote from a ex-jw about this subject, i myself had alot of pressure from my family to get baptised and finally gave in at 14, wish i had left them a present on the way out of the pool that floated..at the dudley assembley hall .
i can't justify my entire family (parents, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandma) and friends shunning me because i chose not to uphold a dedication i made at twelve years old.
sure it was my "choice" to get baptized.
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Morbidzbaby
I was one of those little zealots who wanted to get "warshed" at a young age... I was 8 when I started asking. My mom thought I was too young, even though I BEGGED (which just goes to show that a CHILD isn't capable of making such a decision because here I am!). I finally decided to approach the elders about becoming an unbaptized publisher when I was 10 (I was always out in field circus, but could never count my time...talk about not being recognized for your hard work!). They said I needed to comment more and go in service more (*sigh* it was NEVER enough, no matter how much I did).
Finally they conceded and allowed it. About 6 months after that, I did my baptism questions and surprisingly, even though I couldn't answer about 1/3 of the questions, they let me get dunked.
I regretted it very soon after when I wasn't imparted with any more of a helping of Holy Spirit, and I was still ignored by the cliquey bitches in the congregation.
My brother was pretty much pushed into it, though. He was 18, and they gave him the whole "you're an adult now, you're held responsible at Armageddon and if you're not baptised..." He was DF'ed less than a year later, remained that way for about 8 years, was reinstated, and now is faded like me.
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JW directives you thought were downright stupid
by fallen_princess ini remember one time when i was about 17 years old, i wanted to arrange a costume party for the young brothers in the congo around my age.
i suggested it to one of my friends and was told that the elders had advised against it because it could be construed as pagan and masks have their roots in demonism.
of course, i was never shown any biblical proof of this but just that response took the wind out of my sails and i decided to just not go through with it.
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Morbidzbaby
A year or so ago, my mom told me that an elder stated (in a talk) that it would be inappropriate for a husband and wife to embrace or hold hands during prayers at the meetings/assemblies. This really bothered her and was one of only two negative(ish) things that I ever remember my mom saying about the Organization.
This was mentioned in an article, too I believe.
Interestingly, in my old cong, the spouses never really embraced or held hands during prayers and songs...until my dad converted and would hold my mom. Then everyone started doing it... And then they said nobody could. Stupid asses.
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Oh, you are a born-in. You had it easy!
by TotallyADD inafter reading sabastious post on when did you lose your confidence.
i started thinking about what it was like in the early 70's when large groups of people were coming into the wt cult because of the 1975 teaching.
talking with these people they whould tell me how hard it was for them to become a jw.
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Morbidzbaby
I was born-in... And I only had one parent in "Da Troof". However, my dad acquiesced to my mom when it came to raising us in the religion. He didn't push holidays and birthdays (Hell, he got to save money! We were freakin' poor!) and didn't prevent her from bringing us to the KH. Years later, he converted when I was an adult.
Being a born-in was hard for me because of the previously mentioned self-esteems issues and feeling left out, etc. However, it was even more difficult when I only had one parent who was a JW. Not only was I excluded at school, but also at the KH. So growing up, I had nobody. No friends at all, nothing.
I know a lot of people who convert have issues with having to leave friends behind and then getting love-bombed when they come to the KH, only to lose these so-called friends as soon as they get baptized. The "friends" move on to greener pastures (ie. new recruits). So it's equally hard for them as well.
I think everyone has an equal struggle, but the details of those struggles are different, but still incredibly difficult. I hate when born-ins and converts debate over who had it worse... We're all on the same side. And it's comparable to certain Christians pulling the "My Jesus is better than your Jesus" card (in my mind, anyway).