Posts by ambersun

19

As a JW, did you love your job "too much"?

by compound complex in

greetings, friends:.

i recall not too long ago that an article in one of the publications [km, awake!, wt ...

] mentioned a young sister who had a flourishing day-care service that she loved.

ambersun

As a JW, did you love your job "too much"?

A big fat YES!

Along with thousands of other teenagers in the 1960s I was given little choice but to pioneer because Armageddon was sooooooo close - yes, it was even closer in those days than it is right now!! However, I suffered from chronic bronchitis and asthma which meant that I spent many weeks too sick to go out knocking doors in the freezing cold of an English winter. I was finally allowed to get myself a regular full time job. I settled down very quickly in my job and absolutely loved it. I was soon being given responsibility within the company and within a couple of years or so was being groomed for the position of secretary to the Managing Director. I never felt so happy, I was really achieving something with my life and was earning good money!!!! Any 'worldly' parents would have been really proud of my achievements but my mother saw it as Satan trying to lure me away from the 'Truth'. Articles kept appearing in the Watchtower about encouraging your children to pioneer as there was no other worthwhile 'career' which meant Mom kept on and on and on at me until finally I gave in for a quiet life. I was absolutely gutted when I handed in my notice, and my colleagues at work pleaded with me not to do it, as I would never get another chance in life like the one I was throwing away. They were right, I never did

71

I didn't even know i WAS an apostate!

by GrandmaJones in

i am currently just sick with grief.

i can't believe this is happening to me.

all the jokes i've made about me never "falling out of the truth" and self confidence about my spirituality.

ambersun

Grandma Jones, {{{{{{{welcome}}}}}}}}.

I can't really add anything to the great advice already given by other posters, except to say I hope that just knowing there are others here (myself included) who understand exactly how you feel will help you through this difficult time.

There was a time that I used to have panic attacks about losing practically everyone I loved when they found out how I felt about 'The Truth', but fortunately that has never happened and my JW family have come to accept me for the person I am now. Hopefully the same will happen to you. Take care of yourself.

6

How to tell that a JW has read a book.....

by maninthemiddle in

jw
friends

i was at a used book store recently, and ran across something that had me in stitches.. this book was on the shelf... carefully "studied", yellow highlighter graced many of the pages, their yellow marks straight as an arrow by the edge of a ruler.. i m not sure how this person was able to "study" it since it didn't have any questions at the bottom of the page.. must have been one of those "independent thinkers" .

i didn't read the book, i think i know what i need to know by now.. .

ambersun

or the sister with the napkin on her head

That brings back some memories! Trying to keep my face straight whilst the sister saying the prayer was also balancing a bit of material on top of her head at the same time. Hilarious!

I can remember sitting in a meetings once looking at a brother's study book or Watchtower (can't remember exactly what it was) that was ALL highlighter! Yes, every single line on the pages being studied glowing in bright flourescent yellow. Fascinating!

14

no guilt after celebrating a friends birthday

by dawntodaylight in

so last nite i went out with a few friends to celebrate a bday.. and i had a great time!!

i did not feel like i was sinning, or turning my back on jehovah.

i sang happy birthday really loud!!!

ambersun

Hey, just wait until Halloween then. You'll have a blast...

Hee hee. I remember the first Halloween after we were completely free of the Borg our 7 year old son dressed up as a really cute mini dracula and knocked on the door of our neighbour who gave him a pound for being so scary. He was thrilled!

It seemed really wiered when we first started celebrating Birthdays. If we had been aliens pretending to be humans I don't think we could have felt more out of place to start with, but we don't even stop to think about it now.

14

Letter Regarding Academic Researchers

by Bangalore in

letter regarding academic researchers.. .

.

bangalore.

ambersun

we certainly want to avoid having publishers expressing personal viewpoints

Yes teel, I was quite taken aback by this blatant comment. It speaks volumes!!

29

Can You Now Clearly See That You Were In A Cult?

by minimus in

jw
friends

the longer away from "the truth", the easier it is to see that i was in a "cult"..

ambersun

Before I had the internet I just knew there was something fundamentally wrong with the religion I was no longer part of it, but would never have called it a cult. I even felt guilty for leaving!

Since I've had access to all the information on the internet the answer is deffinately yes, it is as clear as day to me that it is a cult.

My head is still reeling from all the things I have learned and the mind control techniques I now know for certain were used on me and my family, and along with many people here I feel angry that I spent the best years of my life working free of charge for a dodgy publishing company instead of getting a career and following my dreams.

30

Faders: What do you say?

by Mad Sweeney in

jw
friends

ok, i need some advice.

i'm technically inactive, as many of you know, with obvious apostate leanings that via gossip in the congregation has me shunned by most.. recently at work somebody asked me what religion i am.

i was taken aback and instinctively answered, "jehovah's witness," then quickly added "but i'm inactive.

ambersun

I thought I was moving on well but this is shaking me. I literally feel nausea over it. Damn the Borg for having this sort of power over me!

Mad Sweeney please don't be too hard on yourself. I know exactly how you feel! The number of times I, and many many others I'm sure, have had to dodge difficult questions as a result of JWs finding out about our former connections with the WTS. Believe me, if you don't tell them yourself they often seem to find out somehow.

The important thing is, don't let them fluster you. Calmly and politely say you hope they will understand if you don't talk about it right now, then change the subject. They should eventually get the message and leave you alone. It usually works for me, anyway.

Blondie's advice is good about rehearsing some responses ready for the next time it happens.

When they are really persistant to the point of rudeness I tell them calmly and with a smile that I have close JW family members to discuss it all with should I ever feel the need, which is very unlikely, so can we please change the subject now! I then start talking about something mundane like the weather.

You will find it gets much easier as time passes

13

The Witness Who Cried Wolf

by sabastious in

witnesses, for some reason, feel they deserve massive credibility in bible predictions and interpretations.

enough that they feel they have to right o be considered an universal authority.. their claim to fame comes from, mainly, their stance on blood, the trinity, immortality of the soul and hellfire.

maybe this is actually what the bible teaches... but to me, it is a moot stance in regards to the position they claim to have a right to.. the witnesses have been heralding the coming of christ for well over a century.

ambersun

You hold the hearts of many of my family members in your grasp, your downfall is their downfall and I do not wish ill upon them.

This says it all for me. Thanks Sab.

32

Do you think your baptism is still valid?

by karter in

jw
friends

i got baptised about 25 years ago and was told the new system would be here by now.. along with a lot of other false promises.. so the answer for me would be no!!

!.

ambersun

I was baptised as at the age of 15 along with my parents and at the time I thought I was doing it for all the right reasons but a few years later when I was more mature I realised I just loved the wonderful feeling of approval by my parents and the love and acceptance of my congregation that had been 'love bombing' me and my family since we became involved with them. My parents were both adults when they were baptised but at 15 I was still an immature, dependent child. Feeling safe and secure is extremely important to a child, and how was I to distinguish between these feelings and a true devotion to the religion we had joined?

I think the WTBTS are fully aware of the way they trap children in this manner otherwise they wouldn't keep on telling them not to get married before they are mature enough to know exactly what they are doing!!

So the answer is no, I don't think my baptism is still valid because as a minor I should never have been baptised in the first place.

13

Video- Jehovah's Witnesses and God's Divine Name, July 2010 Watchtower Article

by OnTheWayOut in

the whole video is good, but notice the point started at about 6:55- wts says other translations fail as victims of traditionalism then later admits that wts uses traditional "familiarity" in their decision to use the name "jehovah.".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r5rkvzfwha.

ambersun

Excellent video. Thanks for that.