hi everyone...i have a confession to make, i actually joined 5mths ago, but never came back to the site.
ive had doubt for a few years now.. my parents came into the truth when i was a toddler.
no other family members are witnesses.
Oh thankyou so much everyone! You've lifted my spirits!
Asphereisnotacircle, if I told the elders that, they'd immediately contact his elders overseas to confirm it. To which I know he'd say 'not true'. Then it would be my word against his. As it stands, the elders have continually said to me that statement, its his word against mine.
Is inactivity just not going witnessing? Or does it include meeting attendance? If its witnessing, Ive not put a report in for close to a year.
Yes, I guess I did. Told my parents Id heard a witness girl talking about how she'd been smoking. My dad rang her dad. Dont suppose anything was done, she wasnt baptised. She left the organisation as soon as she left home.
When I was unbaptised, I tried a cigarette, felt SO guilty, told my dad and he had the elders come over immediately. Ive never been so embarrassed in my life. They read me a whole heap of scriptures, got me to read some, cracked some joke saying that I wouldnt have even been able to 'inhale'. I said, 'actually I did and I didnt cough'. He sat there blank.
Kids do silly things. Kids experiment. My dad was just overly zealous and feared 'for my life' *shrugs*
Id love to say I waited, I fully intended to....but I had a fiance who was very pushy and pressured me into it :( JUST before the wedding day. We were each others 'firsts' however, so it worked out ok. The elders didn't find out about it until many years later, for which we were both put on private reproof.
following on from a thread by dissed the other day about how the jw's are offering a "come back to us" pack.
i wondered if we should have a thread decicated to welcoming newbies and telling them all the things they might need to know.. eg.
we all know about the un, 1975, j rutherford etc etc etc etc etc etc but they don't.
Yes please :)
just throwing some thoughts out there.
wondering if anyone feels the same as i do.
you know, being brought up not being allowed to date until you were 'of marrying age'.
Praying4justice...Yes, same rules still apply. Chaperone ALL the time. Even when driving in a car from the KH to field service, or if say your fiance was to pick you up from your home to take you to the KH, then a chaperone would have to tag along too. Age is no barrier.
I too was once asked if I was gay. I was only 17! I was considered 'odd' because I hadnt had a boyfriend.
hi, a little background.
i've been out for 20 years or so.
my partner and i got together about 3 years ago.
Wow....hard situation to be in. Can you maybe ring helpline or something and ask what their advice is? Im sure there are some free numbers you can ring, or even health services....just to ask for advice. Im not sure that acknowledging the cutting would do her any good. Maybe they will suggest ignoring it? I dont know. Wish I could be of more help ((hugs))
i want to know what criminal extent they have gone to to "get" you.
i know of them spying, shadowing, etc.
to get their way.
Ive definitely heard of 'stake outs'. One lot of elders did so to an upbaptised publisher, who was living at home. They never got any 'dirt' (even though he indeed was having sleep overs with his girlfriend)....but instead, they DF the mother! She appealed to the society on grounds of being 'no proof' and it was overturned.
this is huge (to me).
my wife won't clink glasses.
she won't watch anything r-rated or any shows/movies with a mystical or religious theme or undertone.
Oh, and for something a little bit funny, at the wake, I was serving cups of coffee/tea to guests and went up to the priest, and without thinking said 'excuse me Father, would you like tea?'. I thought nothing of addressing him as that, because that was his title to all my worldly relatives. Oops did I get told off by my mother later. I shouldnt say 'told off', she quietly told me I should only address Jehovah as Father.
this is huge (to me).
my wife won't clink glasses.
she won't watch anything r-rated or any shows/movies with a mystical or religious theme or undertone.
Wow about the pall bearer thing! My relatives (baptised) were both pall bearers at a relatives funeral, in a catholic church. They never got in trouble, though I don't think they advertised it. But still, I did not know it was a DF offence. How unchristian!
minimus had a great thread recently asking if any who were witnesses felt guilt as a jehovah's witness.
thought i would build on that a little dealing with how you have moved on after being a jehovah's witness ?.
one definition of guilt in the american heritage dictionary is : " self-reproach for supposed inadequacy or wrongdoing ".
((hugs)) Flipper :)
