I never had to do that, but when I was little, the 4 day assemblies were still around. I know it's nothing compared to the 7 day ones that used to be around. But as a 5yr old, the 4 day ones killed me..lol
wantstoleave
JoinedPosts by wantstoleave
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20
Camping for conventions
by EmptyInside inoutlaw's post about convention food reminded me of my family's experiences camping for the conventions.
fortunately, they did this before i came along.
but, it seems the whole congregation stayed at one campground.
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Do Jehovahs Witnesses shoot their own wounded?
by paul from cleveland ini was disfellowshipped when i was going through my first bipolar episode.
several months before being disfellowshipped, i started to develop the symptoms of bipolar disorder: rapid thoughts, sleepless nights, etc., until i finally started having delusions.
i began to think i was jesus (literally) so i was disfellowshipped for apostasy.
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wantstoleave
How sad ((hugs))....
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121
Am i correct?
by angel eyes inthis is just an obsevation from me...ok i dont mean to annoy anyone but is it true or just me?.
i feel that ones raised in the truth are so much better of than us who came in from the world.
i say that because they have family who are witnesses too.
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wantstoleave
Nelly, I agree with you on the 'face fitting' thing..so true!
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121
Am i correct?
by angel eyes inthis is just an obsevation from me...ok i dont mean to annoy anyone but is it true or just me?.
i feel that ones raised in the truth are so much better of than us who came in from the world.
i say that because they have family who are witnesses too.
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wantstoleave
For me, no...it hasn't been easier being raised a witness. Simply because I was never able to explore anything. I wasn't allowed to think for myself, I had to comply and abide by the rules of the organisation. I knew nothing else and for that, it's been very difficult. I was expected to be a witness, perhaps go to Bethel, maybe Pioneer and get baptised. So, I reached for those goals, though never attaining anything besides baptism.
Oh, and noone ever studied with me. My parents tried, but I never was one for pre-study, let alone going through a whole book! So I bucked against it and won. Yet, I was still able to get dunked at 16. I regret that to this day. I say to myself 'if only I hadn't gotten baptised....' because then I would still be able to associate with my family. I only got baptised because it was the right thing to do, and also pleasing my father.
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...Good Food at Assemblys.....What Happened?..
by OUTLAW inin a time before many of you were born... assemblys had a great food... i left before the food started getting bad... .
i am totally amazed at reading... how food at assemblys got worse and worse... until finally food was`nt served at all... .
back in the day... food at assemblys was pretty dam good... there was quality cooking back then... jehovah`s witness`s actually looked forward to meals at assemblys... .
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wantstoleave
I'm almost 30 and remember fondly having food at the assemblies. Buying those tickets/coupons and then swapping them for food was so much fun. Preparing the food was great too, as it meant time away from sitting in the assembly hall. No wonder they took food service away, too many were ditching the assembly to go prepare food...lol. I also use to volunteer taking tickets off people and getting their food/tea/coffee. I was only a kid, but it was lots of fun. To me, taking away the food service at assemblies was a big mistake. People enjoyed that part, the socialising it brought too. And for some, buying food at assemblies was part of the 'magic' of it (if you can call it that). My parents were quite poor, yet at assemblies they'd make sure us kids got to buy something on at least one of the days. It meant alot to us :)
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Did You Start "Losing It" As A Witness?
by minimus inwere you emotionally or mentally unbalanced at any time while you were a jehovah's witness?.
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wantstoleave
I've been through periods of being over zealous to doing nothing at all, and still feeling unworthy the entire time. The different pressures within the organisation, not just door knocking and meeting attendance, but also things like worrying about not finding a partner before you're classed as 'over the hill' added to it. The constant self scrutiny, which becomes self loathing because you think you're not good enough to be a witness...it's just endless.
For the 'good witness girl' that I was, I still hated myself. I am still struggling to gain self esteem and I'm almost 30. I realise this is not something someone else can hand to me, but I do believe being in the organisation hindered my emotional growth and self value as a person.
Being 'in the truth' felt suffocating and the thought of ever going back to a meeting scares me. In fact, today my mom text me to ask if she could take my oldest to the meeting. I replied saying no, he was watching a dvd and would stay with me. She gave me no grief. That small milestone made me feel better within myself :)
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28
Do Jehovahs Witnesses shoot their own wounded?
by paul from cleveland ini was disfellowshipped when i was going through my first bipolar episode.
several months before being disfellowshipped, i started to develop the symptoms of bipolar disorder: rapid thoughts, sleepless nights, etc., until i finally started having delusions.
i began to think i was jesus (literally) so i was disfellowshipped for apostasy.
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wantstoleave
Paul, thanks for sharing :) And I too am sorry you had to put up with the rotten treatment from the elders.
There was a case here many years ago, very similar in fact. The man in question was Df, and has never been back. I'm sure it goes on much more than we realise. The fact is, not many in the organisation recognise mental problems as anything other than a 'state of mind' and 'something you can control', when clearly it is beyond the control of the sufferer. The elders simply say 'wait on Jehovah to fix it in the new system'. It's a cop out so they don't have to face the issue and help the person in the right way.
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Planned Giving Department
by xelder inits amazing how i was too blind to see through things for so long.
a friend of mine worked high up in accounting at bethel and said that the donation arrangement had really hurt cash flow.
in 1996, just a few years after the donation arrangement for literature started, and the generation change, the co discreetly asked a few of us to a meeting with the planned giving department brothers who were visiting in our area.
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wantstoleave
Wow very interesting! Would love to hear more of your experiences as an elder! Its nice to have ones here who can give us insight into the goings on 'behind the scenes'. Thanks for sharing :)
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Are you searching?
by wantstoleave inwhen i expressed my doubts about my beliefs to my parents the other day, my mom said that 'no matter what people do, they are always searching for something.
if it's not this religion, which one will you go to?'.
she gave the example that practically since time began, people have been clinging to hope in some form or another, namely religion.
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wantstoleave
Thanks for letting us know a bit about you Aguest :) And thanks everyone for your replies, I really appreciate it...
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So I did it - almost!
by wantstoleave intoday, i'm not quite sure how it started, but i voiced my concerns about the religion i've been brought up in since i was 3. my dad went straight on the offensive, though kept nice and polite.
i told them that someone can not be df for accepting a transfusion.
not sure why i started with that example, but nevertheless... dad said 'since when' and started pumping me for information, when, where, what...you get the picture and biggest one of all 'how do you know this'.
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wantstoleave
Paul ...beautifully put! A sincere thanks ((hugs))