Posts by palmtree67

135

Ouija Board Hysteria

by Megachusen in

jw
friends

i always wondered why jw's were always so afraid of ouija(pronounced as "wee-yaw" not "wee-gee") boards.

does anyone have any speculation about who started these jw myths?.

anyone who has actually tried the board and would like to give their opinions are welcome.

palmtree67

Do people still play with Ouija boards? I haven't heard of anyone using one in at least 25 years. Was it a fad that went out?

My family had occasional problems with the demons. They are real. I remember.

7

None of us ever have to die. Ever

by cameo-d in

"none of us ever have to die.

"gene therapy.

what age do you want to be?".

All About Palmtree

by palmtree67 in

here's my story:.

i am the oldest of 5 children.

my parents and grandparents ( on my dad's side ) are all jw's.

Purplesofa : Purple is my favourite color. It took a couple years of therapy to get to the point of being able to talk about this. Sometimes, when I tell "M" things from my childhood, it makes his hair stand on end!

Mrs. Peaches : I do wonder why I stayed so long in the religion. If I had stayed any longer, I would've killed myself. There's just no encouragement, no love, no compassion, no forgiveness, no kindness there. I'm a beautiful flower, and I need water, damn it!!

Ooompa : Make some room on the stage for me! I would love to share a bottle of tequila with you one night and laugh about all the nuttiness and how we escaped with our lives!!

Black Sheep: I will pass on the hug! "M" volunteers to coach pee-wee football and is at practice tonight, bless his furry heart!

37

All About Palmtree

by palmtree67 in

here's my story:.

i am the oldest of 5 children.

my parents and grandparents ( on my dad's side ) are all jw's.

palmtree67

Hi blue,

Don't you think the organization sort of "breeds" that type of man?? I mean, we are constantly told that "wifely subjection" will solve every marriage problem and they go into great detail about how and in what situations to be submissive. But the "cherish your wives" and "love as your own body" is sort of glossed over. No real practical application is given.

My grama (smartest person I have ever met) told me during my time there, that she has seen men in the organization do some truly stupid things with their wives, and the wife will get counselled to be more submissive.

I totally bought into it, too. In 23 years that man never did a load of laundry, washed a dish, cleaned a toilet or made a meal. Even when I was working ful time, iI cooked and cleaned a 5200 sq ft house with no help from him. Ever. When the elders asked him why he didn't help out, he said, "I just thought, well, now SHE knows what it's like to work full-time". I swear, never in 23 years did i ever watch him struggle with womething and just sit back and say, "Well, now HE knows!" Where does that attitude come from? He never lovved me. Only what I did for him. And I couldn't do enough.

Yikes, I don't want to go back there!!

46

who on this boards packing heat?

by 504deist in

jw
friends

i was just wondering who has guns on here and what are they.

i was inspired by john does knife thread.

here's my rundown:.

palmtree67

I'm having a hot flash right now!

37

All About Palmtree

by palmtree67 in

here's my story:.

i am the oldest of 5 children.

my parents and grandparents ( on my dad's side ) are all jw's.

palmtree67

ALL ABOUT PALMTREE - THE FINALE

Now, where was I? Oh ya,....

I got the hell out of there. Hardest thing I've ever done because I had to leave my daughter. She knew I was leaving and we had talked about why. I told her I wasn't leaving her, just her dad. And that I was worried he would treat her the way he treated me. (He already was to an extent, always telling her she was lazy, berating her, any excuse to lecture her.) But she said something that amazed me. She said, "Yes, but when he treats me that way, it doesn't affect me the way it affects you because I'm not married to him."

Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that it affects her and I try to combat it as much as possible.

Anyways, I couldn't stay in that city. His family is prominent, they own many businesses and his family is friends with the mayor, etc. I would've never been able to find a decent job there. About 8 months before I left, he had completely cut me off financially, moved everything into accounts that I had no access to. He paid the bills and the mortage, but I was required to pay for all groceries and anything to do with me and the kids. Our son lived in another city, so if I wanted to see him, I had to pay to wither fly him in or drive there at my expense. Money was always how he controlled me. In planning my exit, I also wrote my GED and passed. I didn't tell him what I was doing.

I had a good friend who had gotten df'ed a couple of years before. And even though I had only limited contact with her for those 2 years, I asked if I could stay with her when I left. (Her JW husband had previously left her high and dry and when that happened to her, I made her mortgage payments for 3 months til she got on her feet.) She said of course I could stay with her, but she was afraid that I was in no condition to make the drive. She got on a plane to meet me and then we drove 8 hours to her place.

I was only there about 6 weeks when my husband tracked me down. He and the elders wanted me to come back and face the music for what I had done. I did feel really bad about cheating on him. They convinced me that the best thing for me was to come back. They gave me a 3 day time limit or I would be df'ed immediately. I was in such a blurred state by then, I didn't know what to do. I ended up going back.

I have to say that the elders were kind, but firm at my JC. They decided NOT to df me. At first I viewed it as a second chance at everything, maybe my husband got the message, maybe things could work out. I was privately reproved. We had several meetings with the elders to "counsel" us and they really did give my husband some very pointed counsel. i remember they made him read the scripture about husbands are to "cherish" their wives. They asked him, what did that mean in a practical sense? You know, he couldn't come up with one thing.

I stayed for almost 6 weeks. Unfortunately, they had told my husband that if we slept together, that constituted forgiveness and once again, I would be stuck with him. So, he spent the entire 6 weeks hounding me to sleep with him. I knew he was just doing it to trap me there forever.

One morning, I got up, put the last of my stuff in the car and told him I was going to my grandmother's. I was still thinking the private reproof was my second chance. At least that's what they kept telling me. My grama took me in, happily. She is probably the only one who knows absolutely everything and she could see there was no way I could live with that man any more. The congregation there was nice and I thought I could settle down ther, and my daughter would come and live with me when I got a job.

Unfortuneatly, my parents also lived there. My mother bad-mouthed me to the sisters, my father harrassed me about everything. I found out they wer reporting everything I did or said back to my husband. One weekend I was invited to go away with friends. They told my ex and all hell broke loose. He told the elders there and they called the elders where I was, and I was told I couldn't go. i thought, "WTF???? I'm 40 years old and I can't go away for the weekend without okaying it with my parents and the elders?" Noooooooo, because I was an adulterous harlot who was now sleeping with EVERYBODY!! My parents helped my husband steal my truck, so I had nothing left. They drove it half-way to him and turned over the keys to him. He had illegally re-registerd it in his name, and re-plated it.

Shortly after I got to my grama's, an old friend contacted me. He had moved away from the city years before but we had kept in touch. I had let alot of my friendships slide in the year before I left, I just couldn't talk to anyone about it all. But he had heard that I had leeft and was getting a divorce. He heard that my ex was harrassing me everywhere I went. He told me that he had been in love with me for 10 years and he had moved away so as not to cause trouble for me. At first I told him that I couldn't even think of being with anyone until I was divorced. Also, he is 8 years younger than me and i worried he might want kids one day and I would be depriving him of that. He had to convince me he never wanted kids anyways. The year on the run and moving around had drained what little money I was able to save up before my exit. He sent me a credit card in my name, drawn on his account. When things got really bad with my parents, (huge screaming matches in which they called me all kinds of names, accused me of lying about my ex, because he denied everything.....) I was a basket case and knew I would have no peace there.

Finally, he called me one night and said, "I can't stand you being treated like this by everyone. I've watched it for years and I can't watch it any more. Please just come to me and I will look after you."

Within an hour, he had a plane ticket for me, leaving the next morning. I knew we would both be df'ed now. And we were. My ex tracked me down again, my dad called the elders here and they met with us. We had left them no choice.

So, now, the really strange part is this: Although my life is in total chaos right now, I feel happier and safer than I ever have before. "M" is very good to me, good to my kids, good for me.

One thing my ex used to do was, when I made supper, he dished up first and often didn't leave enough for everyone else. "M" remembers visiting us and thinking that wasn't right (among other observations). So, after I cook, "M" will try to get me to dish up my plate. You know, I can't do it. He will encourage me to do it, but I have actually started crying, because I can't do it. So, he dishes up my plate and hands it to me. And I don't always jump up and try to finish the job when he unloads the diswasher or starts doing laundry. I've never had a man do those things before!! And "M" is the first man who ever cooked FOR ME!! He makes the best eggs on Saturday mornings.

So, for the record, there is life after the JW's. And it's a good life. I wish my daughter was living with me, but she wants to finish school with all her friends. We talk every day and I send her money and when she comes here, we get her hair done and buy clothes and stay up til 2 am talking.

I got a great job here and am making good friends. I'm throwing a party this Saturday for "M" to celebrate him passing a big exam and getting letters behind his name!! There 30 people coming! So I better go now and continue the party-planning!!

Everyone here has been a big help in me getting to this point!! I am eternally grateful!!

30

Hi everyone

by missellie in

jw
friends

hi, i'm new here and would just like to introduce myself to everyone.. i'm ellie, 29 years of age, from the uk.

was never actually baptised, but brought up in the truth, my mum and older brother are still in but my dad was disfellowshipped shortly beofre he died.. not quite sure where i stand on my beliefs, partly still a witness at heart, but loveing being able to celebrate life without restrictions.. will be good to hang out here and hopfully learn a lot and get to know some like minded people!.

palmtree67

Miss Ellie was the classy mom who kept the Ewing family in line on "Dallas".

Hi, there!

275

IF it is NOT wise for a man to be ALONE with a woman he's NOT married to

by Spike Tassel in

sola scriptura answered andersonsinfo:.

the wt leadership has hammered into all of it's elders and rank & file's heads, that it is not wise for a man to be alone with a woman he is not married too (adult or young woman... ie 14).

even in congregation sanctioned duties.. so, why, then, do so many service pairings involve just that: a brother alone in the territory (even if it's to make a call) with a sister he's not married to?.

palmtree67

If you're not interested in her sexually, then there is no reason why you can't ask her if she'd like to study with you and bounce ideas off each other. Just make sure you are up front with her right away, that you are not interested ina sexual relationship.

I also agree with Mrs. J - a man could provide all those same things for you. Unless you like having a woman for that, we do offer a completely different perspective than a man would on many issues!!!

Happy hunting, Spike!!

135

Ouija Board Hysteria

by Megachusen in

jw
friends

i always wondered why jw's were always so afraid of ouija(pronounced as "wee-yaw" not "wee-gee") boards.

does anyone have any speculation about who started these jw myths?.

anyone who has actually tried the board and would like to give their opinions are welcome.

palmtree67

I played with once at a friends house when I was about 11 years old. My parents were inactive at the time and I didn't know anything about it, it was just presented to me as a game.

Nothing happened, except when I told my dad about it when I got home. He freaked out and I got a lickin'.

I never played with one again, but only so I wouldn't get a lickin'.

37

All About Palmtree

by palmtree67 in

here's my story:.

i am the oldest of 5 children.

my parents and grandparents ( on my dad's side ) are all jw's.

palmtree67

Hi Skeeter,

Ya, I tried different ways of stopping the "cutting off" thing, too. I thought the pact would work, and it did for awhile. My problem now, is that I find it too emotionally draining to have much to do with my family anymore. I'm afraid to get close to the neices and nephews, because they can be torn away from me at any time. And the damage that's been done to my children....They get close to their aunties and uncles and then suddenly Aunty or Uncle won't even speak to them. I don't encourage my kids to get close to my family, and noe=w that they're older, they see the nonsense, too and don't even want to get to know my family.

My son is completely out of the JW's and my daughter doesn't want to have much to do with the Witnesses either. I haven't spoken to either of them about my feeling about the religion. But one day, I will. When it's time.

Thanks everybody for your thoughts! I wasn't sure how my story would be recieved. I know parts of it are hard to believe. The stupidest thing I did was drop the charges against that "sister", but the smartest thing I did was KEEP 12 years worth of nasty letters and vandalism police reports. The city police have the originals of all the letters, but I still have the copies.

Whenever I hear the saying, "You can tell we have the true religion, because we have love among ourselves" I swear.....it makes me want to barf.

What I have experienced in that religion goes beyond human imperfection. They are just a mean, nasty bunch of hypocrites, IMO.