dear friends:.
forty-five years ago i was out in service with an elder, and we came upon a house where the owners kindly received us.
this was not so unusual as the family was jehovah's witnesses.
Mike, if i could buy you an aged bourbon and sit outside with you and CoCo and listen to the evening I would. To talk about the turmoil, the frustration, the good times, the pain, the fear, the missed opportunities, the wonderful moments, the people you've made laugh, the people you've made cry, the things you can't do, the things you want to do, the things you will do. You're not alone.
mmxiv
for those of you who are following our annual jw global survey, you will be pleased to know that the results have been published, and are available on the link below.... http://jwsurvey.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/2012-jw-survey-results.pdf.
i would urge as many as possible to take part in our new survey, which has been enhanced to implement some of the suggestions we received from those taking part in last year's poll.. anyway, i hope you find the 2012 results helpful and enjoy taking part in our new survey.. by all means share your thoughts on the results on this thread, not to mention any suggestions that will help make the 2014 survey better still!
cedars.
cedars, great work!
Whilst we can all make guesses about who is likely or unlikely to complete such a survey the results do offer some interesting insights into which issues loom large for the doubting or ex-JW community.
The high % of ex-JW's who are being shunned by at least one relative suggests a strong reason why so many of us are still interested in having a voice about JW's and happy to complete your survey.
I also strongly believe that this simple process to make some confidential comment were available in the JW world it would provide no less shocking results (assuming those partaking embraced the spirit of honesty with themselves).
Like the number of annointed I'm sure the partakers of your survey will increase each year.
mmxiv
i was in 42 years and thought that was a long time.
do you know anyone else who woke up after being in 60 or 70 years?
it gives me hope that maybe my mum will wake up..................................
Mouthy was in for a very long time and so was Wobble. Only about 3 decades for me.
Anyone who was in it for more than a few years I'm sure it all felt like a lifetime - endless reminders to heed the reminders of the reminders...
mmxiv
http://apocalisha.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/losing.html.
my friends blogpost.
she could use some support.
I left a comment anonymously
hours after the pope said he was leaving lighting strikes.. see picture on link below.. .
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-21427713.
.
Lightening came down when i was baptised. Just saying.
transfusions and thievery.
.. some say blood transfusions.
are harmless.
Who's more crminal? 1) Robert for using this line of defence in his trial? or 2) the WBTS for attempting to encourage fear of blood transfusions in it's followers?
mmxiv
"because it refines us" - whenever this comes up it would drive me nuts.
here we 1/10 of 1% of the human population trying to do what we think is right .
and suposedly we need to be refined further?
Perhaps Governments could refuse to make compensation payments to those they have tortured because "persecution is good for you". Maybe the WBTS is telling it's abuse victims they should be grateful for being persecuted as they're "being refined"? Great example of cult logic mmxiv
there is an article here which posits that the collapse of the soviet union can be directly traced back to the chernobyl explosion.
it's a pretty compelling piece:.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/nuclear_power/2013/01/chernobyl_and_the_fall_of_the_soviet_union_gorbachev_s_glasnost_allowed.html.
The all-powerful USSR wasn't so powerful, wasn't so strong. that's what shocked me. People woke up to the fact their lives were equally shit. Well not quite as equal as those in power.
All it would take is a candace conti type scandal that was even more mainstream that all JW's knew about (lot's have no idea despite the great work of cadace & silentlambs) and that they were disgusted with. The WBTS never says sorry and has the PR subtlety of a toxic turd floating in the soup of a royal.
When genuine JW's are genuinely embarrassed to say they are JW's - then the curtains will fall on the facade and hypocracy that is the WBTS.
perestroika
mmxiv
the phone rang in the art gallery and i answered.. the voice was a young woman's.. one of her two parrots had died rather suddenly.. she wanted a colorful frame for the memorial portrait.
could we accomodate her?.
the remaining bird was sulking.. i suggested parrots without partners.. i don't where my tasteless jokes come from.
may I kiss you I asked. i remember what she was wearing, what she felt like in my arms, the weight of her head, her hair, her soft lips. May 1997
hello, i am new and i feel soooo wrong about being here.
anyway i am an m.s and have been disillusioned ever since the new understanding that came out in october.
i have read many things on this board that i have and also have not thought about.
msconcerned - welcome!
Firstly I'm not an apostate either - I am a person who has a fluctuating opinion based on considerable experience.
I used to go to a book study taken by one of the annointed. They were the most humble, respectful positive person one could ever meet. They saw the events of 1914 too. You would have faith in WBTS interpretation by just going to that group. That person has now been surpassed in terms of hierarchy by an arrogant group of men. Arrogant because they slander with impunity, they never apologise for the mountain of old light they got completely wrong. They still damn other religions for things they themselves are guilty of.
The truth will set you free - you don't need to protect yourself from everyone and everything that may not believe exactly what it does. Live away from it for a while - and if it's true you'll go back to it.
I had a hobby - I enjoyed it. If anyone disliked it, saw failures in it or criticised it - it didn't make me feel anything different about it. I haven't had time for a while - I can go back to it and enjoy it and believe in it. It doesn't change but doesn't demand exclusive devotion that I shun anyone who might say a negative word against it.
Talk about the JW religion (some say cult) in an abstract way and you'll be amazed at how crazy and controlling it is - if it's true it wouldn't need to use such outrageous controlling techniques.
As one most learned JWN member used to say - think about it ;-)
mmxiv
