i keep hearing this chatter regarding a new rule regarding the holding of your spouse's hand during a congregation prayer, which, i agree, would be ridiculous.
but where did this rumor start, or was it just some free-lancing elder expressing his own opinion, which escalated to this ripple effect that i see here?.
i haven't seen any less holding of hands at the kh i go to....
troubled mind, who makes out while praying? lol thats awesome.
and shouldnt the elders be concentrating on the prayer at hand rather than monitoring people while its going on?
Holding hands, putting your arm around your loved ones (in a repsectful way of course) should never be frowned upon.
Not completely closing your eyes when you pray is a slight against god
watching Harry Potter is inviting demons into your home because its about wizards...booohahahahahaa...
Gambling is evil...even if its a friendly poker game at your home..it will lead you to temptation
All parties, dances, sporting events, after school activities, being part of a play, extra curricular activities of any kind other than Field Service, will result in premarital sex, fornication, drugs, and or death.
Words will invite demons into the home especially in music, even if they are not used in an evil context. EX: Motley Crue's, "She's got the looks that KILL" Cannot listen to this song that has the word "KILL" in it.
Stating that you "died" while losing a man while playing a video game is saying that death is ok or something like that
Eating birthday cake is Evil...F that if im at work and someone made some cake im going to get some cake.
Disney movies...wait those really are evil hee hee
Voting of anykind
Moty python and the holy grail is Apostate (actually was at a meeting where they discussed this)
Dating before the age of like 25, especially if they are worldly will lead to parties, sporting events, dances, extra curricular activites, which in turn will lead to premarital sex, drugs, stumbling, death.
i am new to this forum and i just stumbled upon it and have been intrigued with the comments and experiences.
i have not been envolved for a long time now but my entire family is still is.
grandparents, mother, my step dad, and my entire family on my grandmothers side.. but most everyone here, from what i have noticed, has strengthened my belief that if you were a jw at one point, you now are a stronger and better person for it.
Wow its like kicking an ant pile in this forum.
OK, so..... I was not one Nazi JW's that some of you have ecountered. Im not trying to boast, or cling to some weird Witness pride moshe. Im not making excuses for some of the f'd up things that they may have done to you or your loved ones.
It seemed to me that most people here are EXJWs. Many of the posts ive read talk about how they have gone out and began to educate themselves on cults, beliefs, religion. They have finally found themselves after breaking free. I know that I will not raise my kids the way my Lifer JW mother attempted to raise us. She was a horrible parent..still is.
The better name for this should have been, Does being an EX JW make you a stronger person.
Apparently some EX JW's are bitter, angry, forum posters that like to attack at the first scent of blood....wow.
But already my eyes have been opening to things I had never heard or knew thanks to this forum and i would like to thank the people here for that. I would like to talk to my family about some of the things ive learned but according to Moshe, that would make me no better than them by "failing to give up my manipulative conduct" i guess.
am just remembering the awful headache that came with having to put say " how do we know that mary was a virgin?
" subject matter , into a "first call" setting with a " work on gestures" ... all together into a script that would kinda make sense!!
all in 5 mins with at least 2 scriptures used, both of which normaly seemed to have nothing to do with the subject matter!.
lol...omg i spit my coffee
"the way of the truth is the best way of living.. no better way can there be found.".
remember that?
it's the opening line to 'make the truth your own'.
man the more I think about the words to that song the more it sounds like a rythmical mind numbing propoganda that was slowly isolating us from humanity.."shun the world leave it alone"
wasnt that a verse?
am just remembering the awful headache that came with having to put say " how do we know that mary was a virgin?
" subject matter , into a "first call" setting with a " work on gestures" ... all together into a script that would kinda make sense!!
all in 5 mins with at least 2 scriptures used, both of which normaly seemed to have nothing to do with the subject matter!.
ugh i hated doing talks...I reemmber the sister talks and though that i was luck y that i didnt have to correlate it with another person.
My grandfather use to write mine for me, then I just started using his outlines and just plugged info into his format. As if I didnt have enough to do already with school and homework. You know the things that were going to make it possible for me to get a ral job and provide for my own family one day.
I will tell you what I did like...doing the microphones during the meetings...gave me soemthing to do and kept me from sleeping the whole time and my mother pinching me all damn night under my arm.
i forgot that we got graded for how often we used gestures and stuff...wow.
when i expressed my doubts about my beliefs to my parents the other day, my mom said that 'no matter what people do, they are always searching for something.
if it's not this religion, which one will you go to?'.
she gave the example that practically since time began, people have been clinging to hope in some form or another, namely religion.
AGuest..
You made my day with that last post.
When you begin to grasp things better than the ones instructing, they claim "apostate". When you try to adjust information for the sake of clarity or just to try to make sure that its accurate, they claim "apostate" . its amazing. It snot like the beleifs were being changed or that the principal was being altered, just some of the detail which would help others understand or make better sense of it all.
From reading three ofyour posts I can honestly say that the organization lost a mind that could have only enhanced and bettered the org.
Id love to pick your brain for some understanding of things.
"From what I see, God wants everything anyone does to be what He tells us to do. Make the species with the capacity to think, and then ban them from using this capacity... "
this is my best pet peeve as well.
i am new to this forum and i just stumbled upon it and have been intrigued with the comments and experiences.
i have not been envolved for a long time now but my entire family is still is.
grandparents, mother, my step dad, and my entire family on my grandmothers side.. but most everyone here, from what i have noticed, has strengthened my belief that if you were a jw at one point, you now are a stronger and better person for it.
Why do the JWs discourage upper level education?
Where in the Bible does it say women cannot wear pants out in Field Service?
Why must JW adult women put a napkin on their heads to show deference to a male child when praying?
Why did the GB, as late as the 1960's, compare women to Cows?
There are so many examples of sheer stupidity on the part of the totally uneducated GB I could go on and on.
I don't think the JWs make someone better in anyway, shape or form. They encourage brain dead following. Like all Cults. They are a C-U-L-T.
And, no, I don't think learning how to sell magazines door to door is a good skill. Unpaid labor for a book publishing corporation. It's called Slavery. Cult Style.
yeah...thats why i said EX JW's People that have been freed from that ridiculousness. And VIII, if you used to be a JW, then my thread is actually complimenting you. i bet you will never let a person or an organization control any aspect of your life ever again. I bet you now scrutinize and dig deeper than you did before when presented with information...
I know that after my experience, i look at things differently. i know i listed a few physical things that i feel were bettered, but now that i can look back on that whole ordeal, I know that spiritualy and emotionally i am a better person...im stronger and i will never let anyone, let alone outsiders from my core of people, dictate my life ever again. And i thank them for that, for opening my eyes.
And leavingwt, I would never want anyone to experience what I went thru either especially at a young age. but you are right anything that we experince makes us stronger.
man oh man i should have taken the red pill :)
i am new to this forum and i just stumbled upon it and have been intrigued with the comments and experiences.
i have not been envolved for a long time now but my entire family is still is.
grandparents, mother, my step dad, and my entire family on my grandmothers side.. but most everyone here, from what i have noticed, has strengthened my belief that if you were a jw at one point, you now are a stronger and better person for it.
I am new to this forum and I just stumbled upon it and have been intrigued with the comments and experiences. I have not been envolved for a long time now but my entire family is still is. grandparents, mother, my step dad, and my entire family on my grandmothers side.
But most everyone here, from what I have noticed, has strengthened my belief that if you were a JW at one point, you now are a stronger and better person for it. I have taken some of the teachings and held them to heart for all of these years, and my problems were more with the inner workings of the men that were attempting to lead and instruct me. They teach us all these things that make us question why other other religions teach a certain belief and then train us to counter their responses. but that eventually leads to free thinking in my opinion.
Being a JW my entire life i feel has helped me with many things.
1) strong bible knowledge base. I feel comfotable having a conversation with anyone of any religion about any bible belief
2) people skills...wow how cn you not have people skills? We went door to door and spoke to perfect freaking strangers at their homes..on a sat...in the morning...about god..and how thier beleifs were wrong. i attribute my excellent sales skills to this.
3) A solid core of beliefs that is true with any religion. JW's for the most part are very caring people and will do most anything to help. They just tend to get a little mis guided with their approach on how they should handle things.
4) my ability to question and reason. I had this trait any way, but i feel growing up and being taught to read deeper into Bible teachings has helped me to uncover my own truths and to rely on my self when it comes to my faith in anything.
5) Ex JW's tend to have a good grasp on life. They seem to enjoy it more and appreciate the little things. I like to enjoy a nice cigar from time to time. Sittign with my friends around a poker table having a drink enjoying a 40.00 cigar. if you ask my mother doing this is a slight against jehovah and if the borthers were to see me ...OMG! im sorry i seriously doubt that Jehovah, that God, cares if I that I enjoy a nice smooth Don Pepin with a glass of johnny walker. im not talking abotu drugs or hookers...just enjoying life. its nice to be able to do this without looking over my shoulder.
what do you guys think? theres more im just gettig presed for time. But beleive that once we have broken free, we used what we were taught and our experiences to better ourselves..
so i officially realized today that i am paranoid!!
everytime i hear a car door slam outside i peek out the window.
my blinds are closed and the telivision is on low.
I have to agree wholeheartedly with Black Sheep's #1 rule. Kill them with kindness and just keep asking them to "clarify" and "verify" your question. Use their own literature so they can't use that against you and make excuses.
Praying4justice is right...i forgot to add something...
Fear is the product of the unprepared mind. if you arm yourself with the information before hand you will handle them and their attempts to vaguely dodge the questions
