For the first time today, when my boss asked what I'm going to be doing for Thanksgiving, I didn't have to go into this awkward explaination of why I don't celebrate it. I simply said that I'm going over my aunt's. It may sound trivial but it feels great! This was always the one holiday that I hoped no one would ask me about. Other holidays are a little bit easier to explain. I never could find a good enough reason for why being thankful was bad. Of course we are suppose to be thankful everyday but that doesn't mean it's bad to make a special day for it.
doublelife
JoinedPosts by doublelife
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16
I'm already starting to feel normal
by doublelife infor the first time today, when my boss asked what i'm going to be doing for thanksgiving, i didn't have to go into this awkward explaination of why i don't celebrate it.
i simply said that i'm going over my aunt's.
it may sound trivial but it feels great!
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24
My husband is not going to divorce me after all!
by doublelife inso yesterday, my husband gets out of bed and eats breakfast.
then, he comes back over to me and at this point, he doesn't even tell me to get out of bed and get ready for the meeting anymore.
instead, he asked me if i wanted to go.
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doublelife
After reading everyone's responces, I'm starting to realize that it will get back to the elders eventually. But, as Robdar suggested, I think I want to be busted. I'm tired of not being me. After talking with my husband last night and expressing myself out loud, I feel more confident about feeling the way I do. My only concern now is my mom. I don't really care what anyone else thinks. And I don't think my husband will be comfortable talking to any of the elders or ex-elders on here. But thanks for the suggestion.
Oh, and HappyGuy, that post wasn't stupid. I've been doing that to keep him from going out in service. And for the most part, it works. lol
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SECOND ADVENTISTS NOT 7TH DAY ADVENTISTS INFLUENCED RUSSELL
by blondie in*** jv chap.
5 pp.
43-44 proclaiming the lords return (1870-1914) ***the twig, though, had been trained by god-fearing parents; it was inclined "in the direction of the lord.
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doublelife
Thanks for the correction. I was one of the ones who made the mistake. But the point I was making is still the same. The witnesses were not the first ones to come up with their basic doctrines such as soul sleep.
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My husband is not going to divorce me after all!
by doublelife inso yesterday, my husband gets out of bed and eats breakfast.
then, he comes back over to me and at this point, he doesn't even tell me to get out of bed and get ready for the meeting anymore.
instead, he asked me if i wanted to go.
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doublelife
So yesterday, my husband gets out of bed and eats breakfast. Then, he comes back over to me and at this point, he doesn't even tell me to get out of bed and get ready for the meeting anymore. Instead, he asked me if I wanted to go. I said no. He doesn't push it but goes by himself. Later in the afternoon, he asked me if I don't want to go to the meeting anymore and I tell him no again. So we get into a discussion and he just flat out asked him if I no longer believe in this religion. I told him no. Surprisingly, he doesn't get mad or yell or say any of the abusive, threatening things that he has in the past. We calmly talk about my reasons for feeling the way I do. He asked why I don't go to the elders about it and I told him that the elders will probably DF me. So by the end of the discussion, he agreed to not go to the elders and he will not divorce me and I'll just become inactive so as not to upset my family. It went much better than I expected. I told him that my family invited me to Thanksgiving dinner and that I would go and he didn't make a big deal about it. So today, we just got through having another discussion. He asked me if I feel that the jw religion doesn't have God's spirit and I told him no. He asked why. I told him that the 144,000 are a symbolic number when you read it in the context that they are all jewish male virgins. He was silent. I told him that the 1st century congregation didn't have a governing body and the faithful & discreet slave is a parable, not literal. Then I told him that the 7 times prophecy in Daniel had only one fulfillment, not two. He said, "Well, I don't know. I'll have to do more research about that." I told him to let me know what he finds. Then later he came back to me and says that the witnesses have a more accurate knowledge of the basic bible teachings even though they may have some things wrong. I told him that those basic bible teachings came from the 7th day Adventist. Then I asked him could that mean that the Adventists also have God's spirit. He said, as he was walking away, "Maybe. I'm sure there are other people besides the witnesses who have God's spirit." The he came back to me again and asked me, "So, the people that say they are anointed, are you saying that they're not." I simply told him that nobody has a right to say if God has put his spirit on someone or if he hasn't but that that number is not limited to 144,000. He was silent. He walked away and is now practicing his bible reading part for tomorrow's meeting. One thing that makes me nervous though is that he wants to talk to a spiritually mature brother for some advise now that his wife is an apostate. I understand that he needs someone to confide in and get advise from but I don't want it getting back to my elders. He asked if it would be okay to talk to someone who lives outside of state. I couldn't tell him no because I understand he needs a confidant just like I'm able to confide in you guys. But I made him promise that he won't tell what congregation he goes to. Do you think the news will end up getting back to my elders?
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Phone Territory!
by stillin9 inwell, couple days ago i got stuck with a brother doing phone territory!
man, i hated that!
i kept on wishing no one picks up the phone or it's a disconnected phone number or something.
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doublelife
I refused to even try it. I didn't want to be a telemarketer.
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Has the wts ever declared what they consider constitutes a cult?
by Holey_Cheeses*King_of_the juice. inblondie perhaps?
has the wts ever put in print what in their opinion is a cult?
a bold move on their part to be sure, but definitely within the scope of their brashness.. cheeses..
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doublelife
I'm at work so I can't post it but the reasoning book has a whole section on cults and has an outline of the qualities of a cult.
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A new religion?
by doublelife ini'm not sure how to post a link so i copy and pasted the article below.. .
http://www.examiner.com/x-4908-twilight-examiner~y2009m4d2-twilight-series-spawns-religion-edward-cullen-is-real-members-should-read-the-books-like-a-bible.
how far is too far in our twilight series fandom?
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doublelife
I'm not sure how to post a link so I copy and pasted the article below.
How far is too far in our Twilight series fandom? With newspapers gaggling over film stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson's choice of wardrobe and hairstyle on a near-daily basis (though I'll give some of them credit, lately - see here), a readership of Stephenie Meyer's hit series that has reached over 30 million, the film reaching the number one spot for the year (see here), and children running around biting other children in the name of Twilight (supposedly - see here), we have to step back and wonder, when is our fandom getting to be too much?
Pillow Biters, one my favorite Twilight blogs, is reporting that the so-called Cullenist religion might be going "overboard to a realm that would make Mormon mom Stephenie Meyer cringe."
Cullenism, as a term, stems from the name of the wildly popular characters Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson in the film adaptation) and his family (Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Emmett), fictional vampires from the series, who come into and change the life (pun) of one Bella Swan (portrayed by Kristen Stewart in the film), whose narration of the story takes us through a very suspenseful and winding few thousand pages at the edge of our seats. I love Twilight just as much as the next person, but is it possible for the devotion to have gotten out of hand on this one?
These Cullenists believe "[j]ust like any other religion," that there is some spirituality to be had in the Twilight series, forming rules and principles upon which to base their tenets. Their creed, say the Cullenists, includes a base set of beliefs that "Edward and the rest of the Twilight characters are real," that "[t]he Twilight series should be worshipped," and that "[i]f you are good in life, you will be bless[ed] with eternity with the Cullens." Other than that, say the Cullenists, there "is not a limit to what you can believe in when it comes to the Cullenism religion . . . we will accept any other Cullenism beliefs you may have." Cullenists are also expected to read some of the books on a daily basis, "like the Bible" and make a pilgrimage to Forks.
While religion and spirituality are a first-hand and very personal experience, and others who formulate their own principles and guidance to help them maneuver through and stay afloat in this challenging, frustrating, and sometimes depressing thing we call life are often praised for their individualism and bravery, the Cullenists might be stretching it a little.
It is one thing, in our fandom of the series, the film, its cast, etcetera, to spend inordinate amount of time, say the fans, on reading, re-reading, discussing, and watching things about the series, but it is a whole other to devote the core of one's faith to a set of fictional books and films, don't you think?
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Hello World...Mr. Monday Night here!!!
by Mr. Monday Night inhello world...mr. monday night here!!!.
i'm a newbie and i've been reading posts here for quite some time and i decided to join this network full of lovely people who understand where i come from.
i was never baptized as a jw nor do i see myself being baptized.
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doublelife
Hello!
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I feel a lot better now
by doublelife inmy dad's funeral was last saturday.
i won't go into details about it cause it's over with and i want to move on.
but, i'm feeling a lot better about things.
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doublelife
My dad's funeral was last Saturday. I won't go into details about it cause it's over with and I want to move on. But, I'm feeling a lot better about things. I did a lot of praying about it and even wrote a letter to my dad. I know a lot of people on here don't believe in God and I respect that but I do and I believe that my dad is in heaven. Last night, I had dinner with my family and a lot of questions where answered. It turns out that my dad was crazier than we all thought. Again, I don't feel like going into details but there were a lot of things in my dad's house that made me and my family draw the conclusion that when my dad killed himself, he probably thought he was going to another dimension or that aliens were going to take him somewhere. Knowing all of this has helped me to not feel so guilty. I realize that my dad had his own reasons for killing himself and it had nothing to do with me. Of coarse, I still miss him and the pain of losing him still hurts.
On a happier note...
I had lots of fun at the acting workshop which I went to two days before finding out about my dad. I participated in a couple of scenes and got some good feedback. I haven't been able to officially sign up for the class because of the situation with my dad but as soon as I'm able to I'm definitely going to sign up. And I know which part I'm playing in the indie movie. I'll be a college student visiting my mom one weekend with my college friend. I don't want to say too much yet but I do have a few lines and I can't wait to film it.
Oh, and this morning there were witnesses my my hall in my apartment complex. I saw them as I was leaving to get something to eat. I had no choice but to stay gone for at least an hour because I didn't want to face them. I couldn't have acted like I wasn't at home because they know what my car looks like. I felt a little sad because the ones who were there were the ones I used to consider my friends. I hated feeling like I had to avoid them. And what is weird is that seeing them made me feel a little guilty for not being out in service with them. I wonder how long it'll take for that to go away. It's amazing that I can think logically about it but the guilty feelings are still there. I thought about calling the apartment manager on them because we have a no trespassing sign on our complex. But I didn't think about it til I saw them leaving. Now I know what everyone else feels like when they try to pretend they are not at home or how return visits or bible studies feel when they leave because they know the witnesses are coming at a certain time and they have to wait for them to leave before they can go back home. What a waste of time.
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The "Truth" Is A Huge Waste Of Time!
by minimus inmy mother still has hope i'll come back to the "truth".
i think back at the utter boredom i suffered week after week for years sitting through the dull spiritually edifying meetings.
i never understood why people would want to sit there only to hear repetition and more repetition.
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doublelife
elder-schmelder said, "I find myself wasting the same amount of time reading this website and all of the other info that I can get about it."
I feel the same.