This one gets under my skin. It's easy to use the term even long after being out. We don't stop to think about what we're actually saying! I also don't like the term "the friends" - it sounds too culty.
the real life
JoinedPosts by the real life
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35
The phrase "The Truth"
by lepermessiah inso, i am curious..... how many of you have a hard time getting that phrase out of your vocabulary?.
i have been conscienciously trying not to use it at all, so now when i am in a conversation with a jw, its amazing how often they use that phrase.
i look back and wonder "god, did i say that that often?
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63
The Elder Bag. Going the way of the Dodo?
by Open mind inanother time & place.
20-25 years ago in a conservative "god's country" us state.
a look around the kingdom hall could easily identify the theocratic pecking order.. .
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the real life
ZARCO - you had number 3!! Except in baby poop brown. Hahahaha
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34
would there be any reason for you to attend another church?
by highdose ini don't mean go back to a kingdom hall, i mean other religons any of them.
can anybody think of a reason that they might do this?.
i', begining to feel curious about the church up my road, just curious, thought about popping in there one sunday, i will probably run out screaming 5 mins later but there you are....
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the real life
Zarco - Yosemite, forests, and ocean are the best churches :)
I'm thinking about going to mass in the Notre Dame just because I think it's really beautiful to hear the monks and nuns sing.
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32
Are you an 'Ex Witness' or just you?
by creativhoney ini just wondered how people feel about this?
- do some only mix with other ex witnesses a couple of my friends, and it seems that by definition, they are 'ex witnesses' almost like a religion in itself.
- i would never define myself as an 'ex employee of xxx' as you leave it behind it doesnt define you.
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the real life
I hadn't really thought of myself as being an ex-JW until I started reading these boards. It's only been a couple of years since I've been out of the organization, but only recently have I given more thought to how it affected me. I don't have any friends in my immediate circle who are ex-JWs. I have a couple of family members on their way out and a couple of good friends that are ex witnesses, but I don't see them very often since we live in different countries now.
I think it's important, like you said, to focus on what you are now and not what you were. Sometimes I feel like reading the boards can be a little depressing, because I start focusing on a lot of the negatives of my past. On the other hand, it can be good to analyze some of those things and to share experiences. I think talking about being a former witness is both helpful and harmful. It all depends on the stage you're going through on your way out. Some people who are still really struggling with carving out their new identity definitely need the support. I guess sometimes I still fall into that category :)
Best,
The Real Life
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32
18-Year Relationship Ended Today...
by jamiebowers in...when i had my dear old cat, puss puss put down this morning.
i had her for 18 years.
last night i bathed her and used the blow dryer and brush on her matted fur, and she didn't even try to fight me.
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the real life
:(
Hugs to you.
I miss my kitty cat too
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Witness girl in the metro
by the real life inthis morning on my way to work, i saw a girl reading a new world translation in the metro.
i live in paris and i don't see witnesses very often, except occasionally holding out magazines in the street looking grumpy.. i had the urge to talk to her.
my reaction is different every time i see witnesses.
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the real life
This morning on my way to work, I saw a girl reading a New World Translation in the metro. I live in Paris and I don't see witnesses very often, except occasionally holding out magazines in the street looking grumpy.
I had the urge to talk to her. My reaction is different every time I see witnesses. Usually I'm just curious, sometimes I feel angry and want to yell at them, sometimes I feel sad. Today I kind of wanted to tell this random girl that I used to be a witness, simply because it's interesting to have something in common with a stranger. I imagined all the possible scenarios. She insists on getting my contact information and people start hunting me down trying to see if I'm still interested...or she thinks I'm creepy and wonders what horrible life I must be living now. It made me a little sad to see her today. I kind of saw her as safe, protected, and naive. And I didn't feel like breaking that bubble.
I know I could never go back to being a witness. I simply don't believe in the doctrines or way of life (some of which are not just incorrect, but harmful), and I refuse to be insincere. But sometimes I miss living in a bubble with lots of easy answers and clear plans.
Decisions get a lot more complicated when you are actually making them :)
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JW mother makes sick video.....comments please.
by koolaid-man inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyakn5ediju&feature=email.
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the real life
Ahhhh!!! So disturbing.
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41
Another Elder Suicide?
by still_in74 inwell it looks like a southern ontario elder just took his own life.
i cant go into details as we live in a very small world in "the truth" and even the smallest amount of detail on this one could quickly connect this to me, so for now its on the d-low.. it is a relative of a very close friend and he is godsmacked by it.
he said to me, " we sure seem to be seeing more of this lately arent we?
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the real life
Thanks for your post, Flipper :)
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6
A little happy news about my Mom
by finding my way inmy mom who has shunned me off and on for 4 years had decided about a month and a half ago to fully shun me.
no responses to e-mails or anything.
it's rough, but i've been dealing with it.. i know she loves me and thinks she's doing the right thing.
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the real life
Good news! :) I say keep keeping her up to date on your life and maybe eventually your conversations will open up so that you can have a positive influence on her as well.
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Do you regret confessing your sins to the elders?
by asilentone inyes, i do!
i did it 20 years ago, but the elders still remember what i did, sometimes i wish they never knew about it.
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the real life
Absolutely. I think it was one of the worst experiences of my life. I thought I was doing the right thing, as we all did, but it was a huge mistake. I was reproved, and really probably should have been disfellowshipped because I wasn't sincere in being "repentant". It took me years to fully understand why I had made the choices I made, so being put in a situation where you are expected to demonstrate some kind of clear understanding of your reasoning and a course of immediate action isn't very natural. Talking about it with people who cared about my well-being was helpful to me in other settings, but the "back room" setting is nothing but noxious.
I was confessing adultery, and they asked that my husband be present since he was the spiritual "head". I think divulging the details of adultery in front of the victim is horrendous and I'll never understand why they thought that would be beneficial for anyone. I think this confession business hurt my ex-husband far more permanently than it hurt me. And I also think that certain elders have a prurient interest in the details, which is disgusting.
It's another case where uneducated men with little life experience are serving where trained professionals (or at least someone who actually cares for you) ought to be.