About a year ago they had given a marking talk, when I was starting to stray away. I was so hurt because the info that they were giving sounded like what had been MY situation. I was so disheartened because I had been dealt with privately. It felt like they were airing my dirty laundry from the stage. I ran to the Mother's room and cried. Later someone came back and told me that it was not me that they were referring to, but someone else. I didn't feel any better, because I realized how unloving marking someone is.
vikesgirl101
JoinedPosts by vikesgirl101
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31
does anybody remember "marking?"
by stillin infor a while there was this arrangement, based on 2thess:3:14, wherby a talk was given on the service meeting describing a dangerous influence in the congregation, and reference was made to that scripture, thereby indicating to the congregation that this threat exists here, and that you should distance yourselves from anybody fitting that description.
frankly, it bothered me because even if somebody didn't know who was really being referred to, they felt like they might, so the congregation formed little fractures of suspicion.
i wrote to the society because of this divisive effect (that i'm sure wasn't the intended effect; creating a phantom "marked man," breaking up the unity in the cong...etc.).
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What UNUSUAL MARRIAGES have you seen among JW's?
by BonaFide inthese are couples that i know personally.. a brother i know married a sister 36 years older than him.
he was 35, she was 71. they are still married 5 years later.
they do not get along, and they make that known to the entire hall.. a brother that has been married twice and is 50 years old recently married a 19-year old.
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vikesgirl101
My cousin was 23 and married a 47 year old widow whose husband and two sons died in a freak accident. That was about 20 years ago. She died a few years ago of cancer, and he remarried a woman about 20 years younger than him. These people reek of bad luck!
BTW, JW's are some of the only people I know that do not feel uncomfortable hitting on a relative. I think it beats the alternative of marrying a *gasp* "worldly person".
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Sending Out a Letter to My JW Daughter - Give Me Your Thoughts Please
by flipper insome of you probably read my jw daughter's letter to mrs. flipper and me a few weeks ago where she tried explaining to mrs. flipper why she doesn't have anything to do with me ( says i talk negative towards the organization ) .
in that letter though she showed some flashes of her authentic, kind personality and told us she loves us.
but much of the letter was proselytizing to us about how bad the system is and how jeovah will bring a paradise, etc.
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vikesgirl101
First of all, I think the letter was wonderful. It helps to show that you are more than another "householder" to be preached at, and the example to be used for their fantastic "demonstrations" at future conventions. It shows parental love, unconditional and untarnished. It is wonderful.
I go through this with my parents frequently. They believe if they preach at me long enough, or keep me updated, that I will feel that I have a huge void in my life that can ony be replaced by their religious doctrines. But the void is not religious. I am a Christian. I do not need to be recruited. What I need are parents. Loving and unconditional parents, such as yourselves.
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What Has Hurt You Most About Being A Witness?
by minimus infor me, it's not having a "normal" childhood.
being raised a jw will make you miss out on ordainary kid things.
you can't have any friends except witnesses---and only jws that measure up.
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vikesgirl101
I concur. I would call it 33 years of lost time. I didn't have a normal childhood. The same people that I had to ditch on the playground at school because they were "Bad associates", I had to preach to on Saturday mornings. I married young because dating=marriage. I was not ready. It was someone my parents chose, and he hurt me and my kids.
In a nutshell, lost time, and ability to make own decisions.
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17
You know what I really miss?
by journey-on inthis sounds silly.
but what i miss about being a part of a close knit congregation is the showers.
i loved going to the bridal showers, baby showers, wedding showers.
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vikesgirl101
Okay, I am going to tell you what I did. I had a very horrible situation, and walked away from the cong. I am a forth generation JW..or was. My dad has been an elder since the elder arrangement was adopted in the 60's or 70's. It hurt my family to see me take my two children and walk away. My Mom said "If you leave, you will NEVER be happy." I thought about that a moment. Then I thought about a woman that I knew that disassociated herself. My dad even served on her commitee. She epitomized happiness. Within 5 minutes of my mom saying that, I went over to this woman that I barely knew (I moved to this cong. a year after she was df'd) and said "My name is... are you happy?". We talked for over an hour, although she was at work. She invited me over to her place, took me to church with her, and introduced me to a new network of friends. I am never lonely. Many of them were former JW's. None of us are bitter. But we have a connection. Last year I served at the church for a Thanksgiving meal for the needy. I volunteer to bake for funerals and other events. The closeness of women is replaced with another closeness. Not only that, but I feel needed and wanted. It's the best feeling that I have ever known.
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The View talks about JWs and Armageddon
by Lady Lee inwhoopie specifically asked sherry about jws and their prediction of the end of the world.
she said that the jws were having public meetings to tell people how to survive the end.. sherry answered that the predictions came from the bible and that the jws predicted the end in 1975 and they were still waiting.. the others chimed in with a lot of jokes so not much more was said but i was glad sherry got to say something and that the end was predicted in 1975..
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vikesgirl101
I, for one, am happy that Sherry is educating the public about what really happens within that organization. She does it with such grace that it does not appear too much like a "Jerry Springer" episode.
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I think I understand... I am being shunned...
by Almost_Did_It ini think i finally realize whats been happening... as i said earlier, i almost took the plunge knee-deep into becoming a jw... i had many confrontations with my wife and others in my family, but i still continued to push forward.... .
itd been almost 2 years since i first was indoctrinated and 1.5 years since i have been studying... i studied with a friend who was also a co-worker.
we studied before or after work because it was convenient for us both.. .
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vikesgirl101
Why yes, they have a study format, in which a student will be ready for baptism in roughly six months. Six months??? What is with a time frame? I have bitter feelings, but I try not to let it show. I had been raped by my husband, and emotionally abused. When I left him, guess what they said?" You have 72 hours to repair your marriage, or we will disfellowship you." Seventy two hours?? If you do not meet their timeframe, goodbye. You are a waste of their time. As far as friendships, forget it. People you were close to, will not make eye contact, because you do not meet criteria as a friend. Nothing annoyed me more than when someone found themselves a new "project", such as you were. You were ana amazing person in their eyes. They had you over to eat, invited you to congregation functions, and then suddenly out of the blue...nothing. You took too long. It must be great for the ego. Count your blessings, please. Meanwhile, look for real friends that will be there for you, no matter what. I thank God every day that I did.
DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP!! It's not about you. It is about them!
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The League of Apostate Pioneers
by Megachusen inrecently it's come to my attention that the other teens in my congragation are being pressured by their parents to pioneer.
the main problem is that, like me, they're all "apostates".
because of this amusing turn of events, i'm thinking about starting my own apostate pioneering group with them.
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vikesgirl101
That is so funny. I want to be in on that. lol
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Keeping the congregation clean- from the wickedness of the retarded
by JimmyPage inwell i saw my parents again.
and i just had to bring up this subject.
a certain person i grew up with named "megan" is disfellowshipped.. "mom," i asked, "isn't megan mentally challenged?
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vikesgirl101
This actually happened to my Aunt, that had severe Downs Syndrome. She had a baby out of wedlock. They asked her plainly "Do you regret your sins?" She replied that she didn't because she loved her baby very much. They DF'd her saying she was nonrepentant. Who was the dipstick that didn't realize that someone seduced a mentally challenged person? That is a Vulnerable Adult crime. She did not have the faculties to understand. Yet, we had to shun her and her baby. By the way, she couldn't even take care of herself. Nice, huh?
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We Were Just Shunned By A Old Friend Who Was Just D'FD Herself For..
by Lady Liberty inhi friends.... just went to the grocery with my husband and about ran right into a old friend of ours that i have known since we lived in a little one horse town in minnesota when i was in 2nd grade, (32 years ago!!).
i looked at her and she immediately turned her head but kept trying to peak at my husband and i two lanes away through the magazines.
i waited for her to look at me and when she finally did and had eye contact , i started to smile a friendly smile at her and she looked away quickly.
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vikesgirl101
In my situation where I have been shunned and rejected, you just feel so guilty that is hard to make eye contact with people. It is like a defense mechanism. You are so used to the hurt, that you put up a wall.