Posts by Butterflyleia85

37

Those of us who left the WT for less than noble reasons

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

sometimes i feel like a second class apostate...not that anyone has ever said anything to make me feel that way, i just do, you know what i mean?.

i left the jws because i just couldn't fight my flesh anymore.

the battle inside was going to kill me literally.

Butterflyleia85

Now I know why I come back here to see these encouraging posts of reassurance. :)

19

Jehovah's Witnesses- The Organisation Behind The Name

by african GB Member in

jw
friends

lets admitt it guys, this org is the closest that anyone will ever get to the truth, i am not saying they are perfect, but maybe they just need a few modifications to some of their doctrines.. after all they are not that bad.. they don't execute people.

they promote unity and peace among people.

they encourage people to live good purposeful lives.

Butterflyleia85

Well said sizmik and farkel!

40

JWs just not important in this world no matter what they/we want to believe

by restrangled in

jw
friends

for most of us raised in the "truth" and i hate to use that term, we were brought up/and or taught to believe we were very important in this world.

the message being preached, god's chosen people, yadda yadda.. so as we leave this religion, the things we can point to as being news worthy, those breaking the law in the ranks, coverups etc....its really small potatoes in the world at large, although to this group it is huge.. i believe that part of the letting go of the witness mentality is recognizing that in the end its all just a small cult that captured your soul, or you were born in and had no choice.

it sucks bigtime, its larger than life for most of us, but in the bigger picture of life its a very small blip.. there is no question this religion has ruined/destroyed many lives, but to the world at large it isn't big enough to make a differnece to those not involved.. in reality, to use a horrible analolgy.....the jw's are just a pimple on the butt of the world.. .

Butterflyleia85

Well Said! and nice comments on here.

48

WHY IT IS WRONG FOR ELDERS, MINISTERIAL SERVANTS AND PIONEERS TO SOCIALIZE WITH THE WEAK ONES!

by AvocadoJake in

there is a sister in our hall who has made it clear why her "jehovah" does not like weak ones.

her husband the po, will refuse to work with those who are not getting ten hours or more a month.

the weak ones "are spiritually dangerous and will bring you down.

Butterflyleia85

THIS MAKES ME WANT TO CRY!!!!!!! MY SISTER IS A REGULAR PIONEER... SHE'S SO DISTANT IT HURTS. I mean yeah we talk but only about my son and if say... well... my mother hands her the phone to talk to me about something.

37

Those of us who left the WT for less than noble reasons

by Aussie Oz in

jw
friends

sometimes i feel like a second class apostate...not that anyone has ever said anything to make me feel that way, i just do, you know what i mean?.

i left the jws because i just couldn't fight my flesh anymore.

the battle inside was going to kill me literally.

Butterflyleia85

I know... I know... I totally agree with you. You make me feel at peace when I read your story as well. Like you JWN has given me peace of mind... I'm not alone.

I love how you describe it as finding the authentic self. :)

I'd say I never even kissed a guy never really did anything and longed to find that perfect JW guy for me... So many single women... so many just marrying the JW guy in their hall. I didn't want to run after guys... I wanted it to be love and have the right feeling, not because oh yeah his spiritually mature enough. It was totally different from what we were taught. And I was afraid I would be single like all those other women in the hall!! We had so many!!!

Anyways, when I was 21... I had my first kiss with a disfellowshipped guy... long story short... I was feeling held down trapped. The lil freedom I was given I exploded. I all to well relate to what you said here... even though it wasn't mid life crises it was a sure crazy wild stage (I could actually pass your story on to my mother... she is seriously going through this right now lol)

In all my confusion as to my identity, what i wanted, believed, was doing etc in my 'mid life crises' i left her and the religion to sort myself out.

I never meet anyone in my entire life with such freedom and carelessness, I was mesmerized... The disfellowshipped guy had something about him I wanted. Joy for being me!

I battled with being ok with that... until I found JWN. Now I feel truely balanced... I have a family of my own now, a wonderful husband and a beautiful boy. I get to enjoy painting, hanging out with family, get involved in small sports teams and community service... it all fun and it's me!

66

That C word CULT

by Lady Lee in

dear lee week 64 friday.

this is my blog today for freeminds.

thaoulgt i would post it here for you too.. .

Butterflyleia85

I haven't read the other comments made to this post. But well said Lee. It is very encouraging.

I wish sometimes people didn't have to witness this cruel side but it's real and it happens. Dealing with abuse is hard and it's hard to recognize what right or what's wrong when you had been manipulated and that trust has been broken.

The battle is still strong even today... being comfortable in your own skin, hoping you children will be raise in a good safe environment, and basically every decision in life is affected by how you been raised...(speaking of me as a JW).

I honestly am really happy as far as my life right now but sometimes I feel alone on my thoughts... I feel confident in my beleifs as far as JW being a cult or manipulative but it's hard seeing some of my family (who are not nessarly JWs but they beleive that their words are trustworthy) and say here you can have the Watchtower and Awake to read.

20

Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 11-06-2011 WT Study (YOUR SHARE)

by blondie in

jw
friends

.a revelation by jesus christ,...to his slave john, .

comments.

Butterflyleia85

Wow Blondie! Ahhh I almost feel tempted to come back on this site just to read this articles you comment on... well said!

I enjoyed your reasoning and well spoken, clarification from their lack of... well, honesty. They are so manipulative into getting you to think they are the chosen one.

... (I just have so much to say, I can't speak) I will end with this I guess. I wish my JW family could hear more comments... something that would wake them up!!

41

Inactive, yet shunned!

by TimothyT in

my dad (49) (who was an elder for 10 year and hasnt been to the meetings now since april when i stopped going) sent a message to a younger unbaptised brother (19) in my congregation to see if they would like to get together and jam on their guitars.

the younger brother responded that he would like to but since my dad hasnt been to the meetings in a long time he feels its innapropriate.. needless to say my dad was a little pi**ed but at the same time he cant understand how he is also now being shunned despite the fact that he isnt even disfellowshipped.

why do these people show such conditional love when jesus taught the absolute opposite?.

Butterflyleia85

Yelp that's pretty typical around here too. My mom is inactive and also given the cold shoulder. Actually it's been that way all of our lives for the most part... even when we were regularly attending hte meetings my mom was single and all the other moms or married couple just seemed to busy or made excuses. Come to find out it was because she didn't go out in service... she didn't seem spiritual enought, because she didn't answer at the hall to often either. It took me along time to figure that out but that's exactly what it was!! I use to be big time into going out in service when I got baptised and made lots of friends, and asked their parents why they don't hang out. They said will we would love to go out in service with her and a few times I got her to come they were friendly to her. Anyways....

Now that I'm disfellowshipped my mom slipped down the not attending path, and well, ha, we are use to it and have made our own friends.

I still don't understand why she feels the need to go back.... but then deep down this is our culture.... or generations... ( I just went through pictures of my mom's parents friends... they had childern and they were friends with my mom!! And my mom's friends are my old friends from the halls so basicly our families are like one huge family!!)

Fear of Change... moving on. If anything I guess disfellowship was a good thing. It forced the change and pushed me to find a new life and new friends. It took two years but it was way way worth it!! I have a beautiful family and my JW side of the family have learned exceptance.

As for my inactive mom, she just is taking longer to move on because of my sister, she took the JW path and is a regular pioneer with her husband.

28

But, isn't it a "Wicked System of Things?"

by PenelopePaige in

i am not a jw but one thing that they really get me on is when they call the outside world a "wicked system of things" and say it is run by the devil.

i know the world can be great and people can be wonderful but on the flip side, the bad seems to be getting worse and morals seem to be flying out the window.

i don't know, what do you guys think?

Butterflyleia85

Like I said many, many times before... Jehovah's Witnesses are like a depriving diet lacking certain nutritious you need but yet it does cut out all the unhealthy stuff.

There are many diets out there, choice the one more nutritious and healthy. There are many religions out there choice one that is honest, open hearted and good for the spirit.

Some that have the will power and self-control feel they don’t need a religion. Props to them.

Some feel they have freedom to do whatever they want. In this case you see the bad that is caused with this thinking.

“Wicked System of Things” Jehovah’s Witness term to scar you in sticking with their diet! Because there are many many morally sound humans out there when you open your eyes!!

The system is a mixture of things with good and bad in it. Put on your thinking cap and use critical thinking to sift through the good and the bad. Putting good on one side and bad on the other. Using good judgment on who will give you help in deciding that and reason what fits best for you (God gave you the power of reasoning and some men are like the devil with sheep clothing even hard to believe JWs). Remember the scripture: Happy are those searching for God. (Psalm 119:2)

21

Another Question, if I May...

by AGuest in

jw
friends

i truly hope you don't get trite, cliche, anecdotal, or sarcastic, but share with us what you really believe/feel/think.

i will start: for me, i define "success" as peace of mind.

mine.

Butterflyleia85

Wow well I guess my answer won't be as good as everyone above... I agree with "Peace of Mind", Love given and received, etc.

What is Success for me? Very good question. I remember two years ago when I was laid off from my job, quit college because of that job might I add, disfellowshipped and feeling lost and hopeless, I had an interview and they asked me what were my acheivements and goals... in the lines of success. I was really stumped to reply and answer... I just said well I findly found a really good guy who wants to marry me and my goal is to be a good wife, find a job to support our lives together. Ha Lame and I know that wasn't quite the right answer they were looking for. Ever since then I pondered that same question... Why am I good enough for anything? What has my life come too? Where do I go from here? I felt to low to succeed at anything! My goals were shot to the ground. And I needed to find new ones... but I had to tackle a "Peace of mind" as you called it. I felt like a falure and a sinner. At the time living with a boyfriend. Sin. No job. Loser. No fulfilled education to back me up. Dumb.

I started from scratch.

Come to me again with that question. :) I found success when I pulled myself out of that gutter. Saw hope and reached for it. Never gave up on me and found "Peace of Mind" that it was ok to help me and forgive me. I found the strength to put effort in reaching goals I made for myself and found a job, Went back to school, and Had supportive and loving people in my life to tell me how proud they were of me. In the end I felt successful.

I couldn't have found success though if it wasn't for help of kind hearted people that at the time didn't really know me to long, I couldn't have found success if I didn't make an effort, and I couldn't have found success if I didn't look back and gave appressiation and reconition to myself and others.

And what makes it more exciting is my success continues... I'm a mother of a beautiful baby son... so far I feel the success coming when he is able to tell me he loves me. If so... He gives me the biggest smile every morning when I see him. And my husband kisses me and says goodbye before living for work. And comes home to ask me how my day was and what a wonderful mother and wife, I am.

Just like many of you I find that my daily work gives me daily success. Small and simple as it may be it make me happy.