Posts by breathing

25

Is It Important To You To Have A Religion or A Certain Belief System?

by minimus in

jw
friends

i've mentioned before---i'm all "religioned" out!.

i don't have a certain set of beliefs yet i still hope there is a god and contrary to what some have assumed, i'm not an agnostic or athiest (yet)..

breathing

i believe its what the truth is for me personally, i can relate to the "lost at sea without a compass" feeling, and that feels so lost ,

but then i heard a quote that really spoke to me

"sometimes you have to be lost to find a place that cant be find"

and that really helped, it made me feel safer with "not knowing". i think inthe jws we were taught that it was only safe if we "knew" what was what,

What if its safe NOT to know, what if its safe to get up and face the day "not knowing" just "Being"

im trying to relax into this way of living and its really helping me at the moment and giving me more peace of mind,

B

58

Why Do People Abandon the Christian Faith?

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

i enjoyed reading these points.

in the second list of "real reasons", it was points #2 and #3 that first struck me, after leaving the jws.. .

why do people abandon the christian faith?.

i dont think anyone will have the perfect truth, but to me, now, its the extremity thats so off putting, i can cope with mainstream religion (probably cos i wasnt brought up in them) cos they just dont seem to demand so much of ones life in their way of doing things, they TOLERATE so much more in the way of difference and are willing to compromise,

they seem too depend so much less on interpretation of the "book" but more on providing a sense of a haven and sense of a community in a difficult life, willing to live with difficult questions, to accept criticism,

yes they have their faults but you can take it or leave it without losing everything!

no ANSWER really just a mis fit but a much less hurtful fit than that of the jw,

extreme fundamentalism seems to me to be the equal of drugs, alcohol or substance used to blot out reality, instead of learning to live WITH the broad range of reality,

think ive gone off the thread point here but hope you can forgiveme,

B

58

Why Do People Abandon the Christian Faith?

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

i enjoyed reading these points.

in the second list of "real reasons", it was points #2 and #3 that first struck me, after leaving the jws.. .

why do people abandon the christian faith?.

breathing

LEaving wT - yes i totally agree with you, i have some friends that are relgious and are truly lovely human beings,

i think what i mean is that - i believe it has little to do with the fact that they belong to some religion or other but the the fact that they are spiritual, which in my belife are two diff things,

cheers B

10

SAD

by Cthulhu in

jw
friends

i'm sure we are all aware of the condition known as sad (seasonal affected depression).

generally, for those who aren't familiar with it, this means that due, largely in part, to the lack of sunlight during the winter months, people experience feelings of depression.

however, i am curious as to whether you may have observed something similar, but rather opposite, and i would appreciate your input.

breathing

i really relate to your post! how i describe it is when its sunny it feels like its right in your face, very opressive, invasive, like i cant find a safe place to hide,and i just want to shut the curtains and tell it to F off,

when its rainiing and cloudy it feels like the universe is in sycnch with my soul and is saying "i understand and im here for you" it doesnt feel in your face it feels like its comforting me, and just With me,

even in the dark i like it cos it feels like its wrapping me in its comforting blanket, and letting my senses not have to face all the things my depression doesnt want to face,

i think it is a sympton of depression, and sometimes i believe we have to let it have its way with us and give in to it, and it will ahve its day and will eventually pass if you can find some place of support during it,

the book Sunbathing in the rain, is a really good book about depression by Gwyneth lewis i think, its about a womans experience of it and i found it immenselly helpful in my own journey

xx

58

Why Do People Abandon the Christian Faith?

by leavingwt in

jw
friends

i enjoyed reading these points.

in the second list of "real reasons", it was points #2 and #3 that first struck me, after leaving the jws.. .

why do people abandon the christian faith?.

breathing

i abandoned the christian faith because along with my study of the bible in trying to rid myself of the doubts about the jw religion, i started to questionstuff in the bible,

the god in the bible just seemed to me, especially in the old testament, to be acting like a jealous insecure possessive partner in a relationshipl, rather like the jealousness selfishness one sees in an abuusive partner actually, it just didnt ring true that a loving god with all this power would be that wound up if people ignored him, if he was that big of a person he would just feel for those people and not be affected if they ignored him or not, he wouldd be more concerned that they were happy, and content in life,

why would he create them with desires for loving others of the same sex and then stone them for it,

that and loads of other stuff, like the fact that what we call the bible today was bascially a load of pieces of writing that some old blokes in nicea (rather like a governing body we all may be familiar with ) just picked and chose which THEY decided were gods word. How can anyone possibly prove they had gods spirit over any other person on the planet, just cos they were in a high position in a church???

i just dont buy it frankly, its too polluted with politics, open to fraud and messing with.

I see more spirituality in people that never read a bible but to me just have goodness in them, i feel like a much more honest and better person and i havent looked at the bible in years,

thats why i left christianity - yes there are some good things in the bible, but so there are in many other traditions and writings, i think we can find "god" in many places, no denomination can contain him, and explain him, and be his mouthpiece in my opinion,

all my opinion,

Breathing.

29

new member

by bokf in

jw
friends

breathing

ha ha, love the big poster!!

yeah what ever your name is, you are so happy to be a jw that you go choosing to spend your time associating with us lot when you coould be with your cuddly bros and sis!!! we are obviously iiiiiiiiiiirrestiable!!!!

hey and why not put your real name and let us know you as a "witness for Jehovah" Oh but if you do that then you will get disciplined by your lovely org for coming on here, whoops!

310

Mill Hill Disfellowshippings

by BorgHater in

jw
friends

a few months ago there was a thread about a couple of elders at the mill hill bethel being disfellowshipped because they disagreed with some wt doctrine (i can't recall exactly what it was) and that several other betheliteswere under 'investigation'.

i haven't heard anything since, does anyone know anything more about this?.

borghater xx.

breathing

its seems they are vigilant about any men in authority that give a whiff of any "independant thinking" and just want to get rid,

what shocks me even now is that i thought i was brought up in a loving religion and yet when something doesnt go word for word as they want it too, then even the most "loving" jw will turn into a smiling assassin, like a psychopathic killer, smiling as they stick the knife in, in that cold blank eyed kind of way.

its interesting to me that they didnt diss the wives, when i was having doubts and studying to try to get rid of them (and just increased them more and more) i was never threatended with dissing overtly,(though i realised if id actually told them my conclusions i would hav been) god they really do see woman as utterly power less and non entities eh!!

i dont really have a lot to say on the doctrine stuff as im all "doctrined out" i spent so much of my life worrying about meanings and interpretations, that now theres nothing i like to do more than just look to nature and beauty in wildlife, no words to worry about just a great awe feeling of gratitude to be alive, ive never felt more spiritual than i do these days, and with no study book in site!

54

What Cong you from???

by fluke in

hey guys.... .

just wondering what kh you guys attended and or congregation you are from?.

me, i'm from hayes cong london and golden ash northants... spent time in others too but mostly those... oh, also a short spat in kempston cong bedford... all in england... :).

breathing

i wouldnt say publicly, wish i could but its just how it is at the moment, but am interested in where people are from in case we close enough for a meetup,

im from the east midlands in the uk, thats as close as i can go really,

have elderly family in that were in it from birth, and just are under its spell, i see them as victims of it and dont want to rock their boat too much when they dont have many years left, I wont get dissed for that reason. i play it safe but live my own life, when they be gone it will be a diff story,

B

41

Have you Been Shunned Even Though Just Considered " Inactive " ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

many of us here on the board are " inactive" , myself included.

have not attended meetings or gone out in service for years.

i haven't now for 6 years + .

breathing

faded over 10 years ago, get the pitying, "we love you and we will only show that love to you again if you come back home" looks when i see the jws i grew up calling auntie and uncle, and the frightened strange looks from old friends, like ive got some strange disease,

but yes, no longer get invited to anything, no weddings, anniversaries etc etc,

yet i get accused of being the one who has changed, who has left,

sickening and just stinks but helps me see just why i left,

310

Mill Hill Disfellowshippings

by BorgHater in

jw
friends

a few months ago there was a thread about a couple of elders at the mill hill bethel being disfellowshipped because they disagreed with some wt doctrine (i can't recall exactly what it was) and that several other betheliteswere under 'investigation'.

i haven't heard anything since, does anyone know anything more about this?.

borghater xx.

breathing

hi all, ive just skimmed through the 15 pages of this thread as my introduction to this site,a nd its been so moving, fascinating and inspiring,

god what a journey so many have been on,

and its fascinating to get more of an insight into the REAL bethal life! god and i used to sooo look up to that place,

i think somewhere inside the child in me still has those romantic illusions of the HQ, but thankfully, threads like this are helping to shatter them and help me face the facts more and more so i can get on with living a life in this the real world,

im looking forward to reading more posts and gaining more courage and strenght from them,

good to be on here

breathing (another fader, anonymous one!! still have elderly family in that were brought up in it from babes, so am prepared to keep anonymous till they pass over)