That image packs a painful punch. It's definitely effective at making a point. I'm not sure I'd want to wear it on a t-shirt and have to explain it to people in very many settings. Sobering.
looking4peace
JoinedPosts by looking4peace
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14
DID I GET IT RIGHT?
by Quentin indoes the image convey the experience?
i want to put it on a t-shrit.
only if it works... .
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34
did you feel guilty ,when ignoring disfellowshipped ones ?
by looloo ini was having an affair with a pioneer at the time and a girl who was disfellowshipped was in the loo at the hall (she actually had not done aything scriptually wrong (but the elders thought she had ) i tried to smile at her as i felt i was not in a position to judge anyone as guilt was destroying me but she just looked down at the floor , 14 years later we are good friends and both "free".
when you were "in" and ignored disfellowshipped did you ever think "im not in a position to judge anyone " ?.
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looking4peace
My mom was not a witness and would always try to arrange gatherings where I would be with my disfellowshipped brother. I was a new witness myself and wanted so much to do the right thing, but I could never reconcile my feelings. On the one hand, I felt so guilty being judgmental of my brother and on the other hand, I felt so guilty being disloyal to the borg. I ended up being disloyal to both. I couldn't fully show love to my brother the way my mom wanted me to and I never felt like I lived up to what the borg wanted of me. Now that I have no desire to please the borg, I have many regrets over the way I treated my brother all those years. I feel guilt and shame and sadness over it. I lost all the way around. My mom died before I saw the light, so I could never thank her for what she tried to do or apologize for being an ass. I do, however, love my brother and have worked to restore my relationship with him. There is no doubt, though, that what was lost is lost. I hate that very much.
In many ways, I am still L4P.
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looking4peace
Besides all that was already mentioned, I could not believe he denied toward the end that there is an organization manual!!! Besides the custody materials that we all know the society has made all congregation members aware of by way of letters read to the congregation from Brooklyn, all baptized members receive the OM book. So many things in this video were blatantly inaccurate, from an application perspective and every witness knows it. Disfellowshipping is not only a congregation matter. It very much impacts the family unit. GRRRRRR.....
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41
Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 1-17-10 WT Study (PLACE IN CONGREGATION)
by blondie in(romans 12:4-8; 1 corinthians 12:12-28; ephesians 4:15, 16; colossians 2:19).
8:34,35.. comments.
4:15.. comments.
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looking4peace
Thanks, Blondie! I look forward to my study (expose') of the Watchtower like never before, through your eyes. :o)
L4P
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22
Sign In If Not Bitter... Pretty Please!
by Doubtfully Yours ini have a few discomforts with the wbts, but it's mostly my own attitude, not that i'm bitter towards the religion.. if you're anouther 'not bitter' soul, please give me a shout out.. dy .
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looking4peace
I am with BabaYaga, anger is definitely a stage of the grieving process that all of us have to go through, but it is not a good place to stay. Life is too short and there is too much to enjoy about life to stay there. If we stay there, then we give the WT power to negatively dominate the rest of our lives. I had some positive and happy years as a witness but as that started to change and I began to see things differently, it just wasn't a healthy place for me to stay. I understand fully why some are there. It was a place of structure and security that I needed, when I needed it. Even though it was a false sense of security, it felt good when I had nothing else. Now, I know there are other places that are more healthy that could have helped me to have the same sense of self that the witnesses gave me, and I wouldn't have all the things to try to undo that I have, but at the same time, who knows how different my life decisions would have been and what other baggage I might have as a result. So I am not looking backward. I am thankful for the good in my life and thankful that I can look forward in a new direction now. I leave the bitterness in my coffee cup at the bottom every morning. :o)
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looking4peace
Little old me.
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25
Have You Ever Bought Something From An Infomercial?
by minimus ini was reading an article from a magazine quoting consumer reports saying that most infomercials say that their products are so much better than another but the reality is often it's not true.. i'm curious; did you ever buy something because of an infomercial?
if so, what?.
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looking4peace
Denial, how can you possibly hate the Magic Bullet! I LOVE mine! Of course, I do not use it to create entire meals like the infomercial shows. It's terrible for soups, etc. but for blending homemade salad dressings, we use it every week and to chop herbs, etc., it is so much better than a stick blender because everything is enclosed, so the ingredients don't come flying out of the container. Sorry you think it's a piece of crap. To me, it is the greatest invention since sliced bread.
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37
confused, scared and worst of all, teenager.
by torn in two son inmy dad woke up about 3 years ago and said nothing.
my sister woke up about a year ago.
my mom about a month ago, myself shortly after.
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looking4peace
You're pretty fantastic people too, TITS. :o) Look forward to getting to know your family better in the days and years to come. Know we are here for you. Together, we can all make it through this crazy transition in our lives. Ciao!
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27
Some Conclusions I Have Reached
by AllTimeJeff ini wonder if everyone here who has kept up with me since i left jw's realize why i have been coming on here.
it certainly has been cool to know that some of my experiences and opinions have helped some.
i hope they know that i have been equally helped by others.. i come here primarily for me.
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looking4peace
Thank you for your thoughtful expressions, ATJ. I am new to this forum, but always enjoy your ideas as expressed. I applaud your future goals and the details you have shared about the process you went through to get where you are today. Ditto to your expressions of appreciation to the posters here that have helped you flesh things out. It is so wonderful that we are all free to go through the process, each at our own pace and in our own way, as members of this board. The freedom of expression here is energizing and empowering. All the best to you!
L4P
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37
confused, scared and worst of all, teenager.
by torn in two son inmy dad woke up about 3 years ago and said nothing.
my sister woke up about a year ago.
my mom about a month ago, myself shortly after.
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looking4peace
Torn-in-two-son,
Welcome! I can just imagine that your life feels like it is spinning right now. All the advice here to give yourself plenty of time to let things settle down is very sage. Your immediate family is indeed a blessing of support to get you through the toughest part of sorting out all of your other relationships. As long as you think through every step carefully, rather than acting on emotions as they hit, you will end up with the best case scenario possible in this circumstance. That may not mean that every relationship you value is intact, but at least you won't have shrapnel flying everywhere as if a bomb went off. So far for me, the less you say to anyone J-dub, the better. A line that helps me if people ask why I'm not active anymore is "Thank you for asking. I know it means you really care, but I have the right to keeping some things personal." End of story. Repeat often.
Welcome to the boards.
L4P