Posts by nugget

25

a sense of responsibility

by Ruby456 in

do parents here feel a strong sense of responsiblity for raising their children as witnessess?

an xwitness friend was saying she and her husband feel very bad for having brought up their children as witnesses and they feel they want to make amends but are unable to do so.

what advice would you give them.

There was no reassurance that my son would not be judged adversely for not attending the meetings. Nor any idea that I could work for the salvation of my son. Other witnesses have suggested I attended a different hall or get someone to look after him whilst I went to meetings. This does not address the underlying issue. Why should this religion be exclusively for the fit and healthy? What is the problem with inclusion and tolerance? It is a selfish faith with everyone for themselves rather than a faith that cherishes everyone and seeks to make their faith accessible. It seems to me the message of damn the sick is at odds with the general view of the gospel message.

The bottom line is there is nothing wrong with my son, but plenty wrong with the religion. I thank my son for helping me to see the actual harm the doctrines cause to those who are most vulnerable. It helped me to take the decision to examine my faith more deeply and see that it not only harmed my children but offered nothing of spiritual value to anyone. My time is better spent with my son and daughter than being indoctrinated into publishing company.

36

latest pictures

by nugget in

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nugget

Emotions not really sure what they are. I enjoy bringing the picture out of the paper and building the detail. I love that people enjoy my work and get pleasure from it. When you put artwork you have created out there you are being judged on your skill and ability and the competitive side of me likes it when other people admire the pictures. It makes me happy to be good at something and to be accomplished. This is what I do when I am not wife and mother and is for me.

As a witness you are taught that anything you do that brings attention to yourself is wrong and is boasting. At art college I was discouraged from illustration since it is highly competitive and few make it. It is my act of rebellion to do what I enjoy and see if I can make it as an artist to be appreciated for what I can do rather than overlooked. I appreciate that it is a little rambling but like many things it's complicated.

36

latest pictures

by nugget in

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nugget

Takes about 1 month for the balck and whites as opposed to 4 hours for colour work

I have enough black and whites now so will be working on colour pieces now as I need to produce a range of greeting cards so the higher levels of detail are not needed.

36

latest pictures

by nugget in

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nugget

now off to printers and framers ready for exhibition.

36

latest pictures

by nugget in

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nugget

36

latest pictures

by nugget in

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nugget

25

a sense of responsibility

by Ruby456 in

do parents here feel a strong sense of responsiblity for raising their children as witnessess?

an xwitness friend was saying she and her husband feel very bad for having brought up their children as witnesses and they feel they want to make amends but are unable to do so.

what advice would you give them.

nugget

My son has aspergers and as h grew older found the meeting a source of distress. He could not sit still and quiet for 2 hours let alone a full assembly day and was constantly being taken out the back to be disciplined. He was profoundly affected by the illustrations in the literature since they fed his anxieties about unusual events. He was self harming in school and hid under the library table screaming about bad books and meteors falling from the sky.

The problem with autistic conditions is that elders and congregations generally have no training or understanding of it. Since autistic children find field service more difficult and cannot be persuaded to keep quuiet if they are hungry, hot, or cold then they are not contributers and therefore are not valued. I can recall only one article about aspergers in the awake magazine which was such a generalisation as to be worthless to mothers trying to cope. Certainly there were no articles about how to include them in meetings, understand their limitations or approach them in service. The society does not want people who will not work. The attitude of the other children who ignored him or bullied him showed an underlying contempt for those who do not fit the picture book witness image.

When I told elders that the meetings werre harmful to my son and if they could reassure me that there would be no talk of Gods judgement, armageddon, crime, violence, wars, earthquakes, murder, disease, pestilence, starvation angels slaying mankind, the devil or meteors falling from the sky we could attend they told me that they would be unable to guarantee that. I said "I can see no place for my son in this organisation" and they agreed. It was the cruelest thing an elder could say that their organisation which they considered to be the only hope for mankind was not open to a child with aspergers that put the final nail in the coffin for me.

What I will say is that leaving was the best thing we could have done for both our children but there is still a measure of guilt that it took us a while to see the issues and extract them.

57

I have no Real Friends!

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

i have come to a startling and sad realisation!.

i have no real friends!.

i have always been extremely active in every aspect of the org, since childhood.

nugget

JW friends can only ever be friends for now. When we left we lost all our JW friends not a single person called or spoke to us. there were women who had had babies at the same time as me who had shared their highs and lows with me who were now strangers. Even family members dissolved and extracted themselves from our lives which hurt the most.

That being said I have found new friends who appreciate the importance of being there unconditionally. I am truly grateful to all those who took a chance on me in my new life and who I now count as special people in my life.

So 7 million witnesses may no longer want to be your friend but their are billions of new people out there who may take a chance on you and turn out to be true friends. It is better to have a small circle of loyal friends than a large circle of conditional friends.

91

one reason for the dumbing down of the org

by Magnum in

a lot of us have said that theres been a dumbing down in jw land.

its just not like it used to be especially a few decades ago.

it seems to me that if jw are right and the end of the world is near, the spiritual food should get tastier and more nourishing as time goes on, but it's getting more and more bland and less nourishing.

nugget

The last book of "substance" was the Revelation book. The amount of times they have revised it is beyond ridiculous since their interpretation was proved to be inaccurate. A brochure that says nothing and is mainly pretty pictures does not need revising and avoids embarrasment. It contains nothing but palatable nonsense that is suitable for the masses.

25

a sense of responsibility

by Ruby456 in

do parents here feel a strong sense of responsiblity for raising their children as witnessess?

an xwitness friend was saying she and her husband feel very bad for having brought up their children as witnesses and they feel they want to make amends but are unable to do so.

what advice would you give them.

nugget

As a parent we do the best we can. Sometimes we make mistakes. We were lucky in that it was easy for us to see the harm our faith was doing to our children. It caused us to examine our choices and be open to other possibilities and make changes before lasting damage was caused. If my son hadn't been the way he was we may well have continued as witnesses.

The organisation has spent decades refining their techniques and conditioning and controlling minds, they are very good at it. Trying to extract children who have already been through this process is very difficult especially as everything we do often plays into their hands or is rendered ineffective because of the loyalty to the organisation which is placed above love for family. The organisation is crafty and cunning they know what they are doing. they rely on our better qualities to do their work for them. We are not being beset by amateurs but by professional charlatons. Most of us are new to this but we a gradually catching up.

However the same genetic material that made us also lives in our children. The same issues with the doctrines and policies still exist and will continue to exist. The overlapping generation can't fool everyone forever and the clock is ticking for doomsday. When our children become adults they also take responsibility for their actions and choices. Having parents who have exited and still love them even when they are pompous, cult controlled idiots is the best gift we can give them. We must live life well be available and be ready for who knows what the future may bring for all family still in.