Posts by IronHill

14

My story...(part 1)

by IronHill in

my parents were already witnesses when i was born, therefore i was raised in their version of the truth.

i was baptized at the age of 11, and became a regular pioneer at the age of 13. i did that for about 5 years, and honestly they werent all bad times.

a lot of my friends then pioneered too, so we spent a lot of time goofing around out in service.

They decided to follow me, to keep tabs on me, to catch me doing something wrong. They finally saw me with my girlfriend and decided to call me and request a meeting. I put it off for as long as I could, but finally agreed to a time and place (at the time is was the only way to keep them from hounding me).

During this same time, me and this girl were having issues and we ended the relationship. When I met with the elders, I advised them of this, and they just counseled me and sent me on my way (I know, I was shocked too).

I have been on and off for some time now, considering that my family is very active and I don’t want to lose them. Like eight months ago I went to a JW party and met this very nice “sister” who exchanged numbers with me.

Well needless to say we fell in love, and we are getting married in Sept. She has been the best thing that has happened to me. We have learned a lot from each other, to the point where we both know that the witnesses do not have the truth and that we no longer want to be part of this org. But we continue to fake it for the sake of our families (honestly I’m not doing much of anything right now).

Perhaps one day she’ll log in and introduce herself, but for now she’s a lurker, lol…

Unfortunately we are still hounded by family and elders that want us to be “active” again, but we are just biding our time, to fade out completely. Perhaps then, we’ll be free…

14

My story...(part 1)

by IronHill in

my parents were already witnesses when i was born, therefore i was raised in their version of the truth.

i was baptized at the age of 11, and became a regular pioneer at the age of 13. i did that for about 5 years, and honestly they werent all bad times.

a lot of my friends then pioneered too, so we spent a lot of time goofing around out in service.

IronHill

Thanks for the replies...

sacolton: It definitely is not a good experience!

The Berean: Yes she was raised as a witness as well...she was disfellowshipped for what she did.

24

Is This a Silly Question? (The answer started my fade)

by journey-on in

jw
friends

me at 20: "wasn't the urim and thummim like a ouji board?

if it's wrong to use a ouji board, wouldn't it have been wrong for god's people to have used the urim and thummim?

isn't god the same today as yesterday and tomorrow?

IronHill

Those questions are not silly at all...

I too used to ask myself the second question all of the time, it just made no sense whatsoever.

14

My story...(part 1)

by IronHill in

my parents were already witnesses when i was born, therefore i was raised in their version of the truth.

i was baptized at the age of 11, and became a regular pioneer at the age of 13. i did that for about 5 years, and honestly they werent all bad times.

a lot of my friends then pioneered too, so we spent a lot of time goofing around out in service.

IronHill

My parents were already witnesses when I was born, therefore I was raised in their version of “the truth”. I was baptized at the age of 11, and became a regular pioneer at the age of 13. I did that for about 5 years, and honestly they weren’t all bad times. A lot of my friends then pioneered too, so we spent a lot of time goofing around out in service. I was named a MS at the age of 18 and did get to the point where I went out and gave public talks, brought a couple of people into the truth. I finally moved to a cong that needed more help. I married and we had two beautiful little girls.

During my marriage, I lost my privileges because the elders felt I wasn’t fulfilling my obligations to the maximum. (I was married and a father now, but that didn’t matter.) When I lost all privileges I became discouraged and stopped attending meetings. At first I felt guilty, but all those doubts in my mind that I had pondered on since I was a teenager began to come up again, and this time I began to investigate them instead of ignoring them. OMG! Was I in for an eye opener. I couldn't believe was I was hearing and reading.

My wife decided she wanted “greener pastures” and left me for a co-worker, and we divorced the next year. I had to get my bearings, start over a single life, and raise my two daughters now. I moved again, and that time made no efforts to find the nearest cong. The elders found me though and counseled me, but to no avail. I wasn’t going back. I found a “worldly girlfriend” and decided my life was better off.

But the elders had other plans…

(to be cont’d)

47

The desperation of JWs hoping the end comes "soon"

by sir82 in

jw
friends

i'm starting to sense a certain desperation among jws, that they feel that the great tribulation must start soon.

i think this is due, in many cases, to their own personal situation, financial or otherwise.. if the gt doesn't come soon, and these guys really start to suffer - what then?

the watchtower's promises that "jehovah would not forsake them if they put kingdom interests first" by skipping or dropping out of college, turning down promotions, "simplifying" their lives by selling their homes and moving to the hinterlands...will all prove to be meaningless.. if the gt doesn't come soon, and "jehovah" doesn't bail them out...then what?.

IronHill

I agree...

I can sense the desperation among my own family. Things cant possibly get any worse they say...

31

When Did You First Get Exposed To "Apostate" Info? How Did It Affect You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

as a kid, i used to read all the watchtowers of the 40s and 50s to see how the present day information developed from its original "thought".

i was exposed to many eye opening statements but i swept them under the carpet (although it stayed in the recesses of my brain) until the time was right.. so for me, it was a gradual thing.. how were you affected by your first encounters with "apostate" material?

?.

IronHill

Honestly for me it was Silentlambs...

I was reading some news articles on pedophile in religion and it mentioned the witnesses. I googled it! Wow!

I went into the Silentlambs website and read his story (looking over my shoulder of course, I knew i was sinning!), and was transfixed by everything that was said. I googled some more, i literally couldn't get enough of it. It got to the point where it didnt bother me as much and then i really started my research.

Finally read CoC, and that was the nail in the coffin for me...the rest is history!

47

WTS causing more anguish

by GapingMouth in

i don't really know where to start on my first post; i feel i have so much to say and yet i am so emotionally tired that it is hard to go through it all again in my head.

but, i do need support and advice and so i will make the effort.. i started having doubts about certain beliefs of the witnesses about 2 years ago and did research since that i now come to the belief there is no god, and witnesses definitely are a cult.. at first it bothered me more on the god issue, but now i am more bothered by the cult issue, mainly because it dictates my life even though i am aware of it.. when i was a child, my mother and father divorced and my mother told me i will live with my father because she was going to die at armageddon being a non witness.

i think, as well as many other pressures i cant list for fear of a very long post, this was the main pressure that made me get baptized even though i wasn't that happy being a witness.

IronHill

Gaping Mouth

Im sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time right now. I too have family that are witnesses, and it's hard thinking about what my seperation from this religion will bring, seperation from them.

Together we can figure this out, and with the help of some of the posters, as you've seen. keep us posted.

49

As a Child, Which Did You Think About More?

by BabaYaga in

petting baby animals in paradise, or the fiery rain of armegeddon?.

i can tell you which one i thought about every single day.

armegeddon absolutely terrified me.

IronHill

I used to be terrified of Armageddon...Anything made me fear for my life.

I remember borrowing a book from the library once and never returning it, and sometimes i would remember the book while laying in bed and would literally pray for hours terrified that I would be destroyed in Armageddon for stealing.

Thinking back, that was really sad...

59

The Last Warning

by cameo-d in

did i read somewhere that wt is putting out "the last warning"?.

was it assembly topic or something?.

does this mean they will shut up now?.

IronHill

i too feel its an effort to some fire under those that have slacked...(like me )

76

Insane Email From My JW Mother

by daniel-p in

jw
friends

she starts out with some banal stuff about where they want to move, etc, then, she launches into this:.

that brings up something i wanted to tell you in person but itseems that i am not going to be able to do that very soon.

i amhoping to throw some light on what has happened within our familyesp during the time we were over there.. it has become very apparent to us now that during that time period from early spring on, in 200[x], satan launched an all-out attack on our family, son.

IronHill

daniel-p

Im sorry you are going through this right now. Although it does seem like a genuine concern on her part, it almost feels like she's using emotion and past experience to manipulate you. It's so sad to hear her trust in an org that really doesnt care for her.

Your responses have seemed right on, honest and respectful. Honestly, i hope she leaves you alone soon...