amazing wrote:.
"i was able to get my wife and children out, and this led to my son-in-law and a close friend leaving at the same time.
so, i am among the more fortunate in that my immediate family, and non-jw friends and relatives were all there with me as i exited.
I'm getting ready to leave the office and only had time to skim this thread, so forgive me if someone else already mentioned this.
As far dubs looking down on younger people who become "annointed," aren't one or two of the most recent GB members younger men who became "annointed" long after the 1930s-era cut off?
Julie
***g93 3/22 5. a fable from india tells of six blind men from indostan who went to see an elephant.
the first one touched its side and said: 'bless me!
but the elephant is very like a wall!
One wonders, Focus, why the JW-defenders have no reply.
Easy: Jehovah's Witnesses are a religion with form but no substance.
AlanF
just a few quick questions.... how did you who got out of "the truth" deal with having a spouse who is still involved?
what did you do about situations involving your children (such as holidays, birthdays, blood issue, religious upbringing, sports-ymca/karate)?.
since i am the "wife" i feel like i am in a doubly awkward position due to the "submission" issue.
I left my JW husband at the same time I quit the dubs. Both were bad situations. I hope your marriage isn't in the state mine was.
My current husband tried to leave when he had a zealous JW wife (his first wife). He tried to stick it out in the marriage for quite a few years, but she made it evident that she didn't want to be his wife if he didn't plan to be a JW. Why put all that effort into someone who's going to die soon? They ended up divorcing.
I know people who have been successful in leaving the religion and maintaining a good marriage with a believing spouse, but I think it's a difficult thing to do. Since he believes he has the headship, your husband is going to try to control things like holidays, the blood issue, etc. Even if you don't want to display submission, it's difficult to buck a man who's intent on getting his own way. I hope you'll be able to reason with him and that he loves you enough to listen. You'll probably have to make compromises when it comes to raising the children, though.
I wish you luck. What you're going through certainly isn't easy.
Julie
after much deliberation, i decided to go "out" at the end of a public talk.
it didn't go down too well, but at least i was able to give some of my reasons for leaving.. i've put some of the details on my homepage.
i'll update it more when i get the time and the strength.
Do any of you know Doctor Bob? He had a beard for quite a while when he was an elder. The elders in his congregation couldn't have cared less, but the circuit overseer finally made a fuss about it. It's interesting that the other elders went to bat for him against the CO.
i know that most of you do not believe that the annointed remnant among jehovah's witnesses is the faithful & discreet slave.. so who is?
jesus did say that this slave (individual or class?
) would be feeding his sheep, so who is doing the job?
Who cares?
harmageddon was supposed to occur in the fall of 1975, but nothing happened.
who should have taken the blame?
the gb?
I attended a special assembly held in Denver when Freddie graced us with his presence. He said from the platform that he expected the end in 1975. About 10,000 other people who were present also heard him say it.
my wife has been depressed each time we see our jw friends.
she doesn't want to see them anymore, because it reminds her of what she left behind, and it makes her feel bad.. i've offered to go back to meetings for a while to help her break away.
she never wants to go back, but her guilt and anger make her so uncomfortable around active jw's.....it's really bothering her.. any good books out there on breaking away from controlling organizations, especially concentrating on keeping the friendships but not the allegiance to the organization in question?
Ashi,
About nine years ago, I went to the UU church one Sunday morning because a friend wanted to try out. Although I haven't been heavily involved (only because I'm lazy), I found that the UUs offer a lot of what JWs miss about being a Witness. If you and your wife are open to giving it a try, I suggest you look up your local UU church and drop by sometime. The UUs have a great feeling of comradery and common goals; they're very involved in community service, which would be a good thing for your wife, I think. Even though UUs have remarkedly different belief systems, they have one thing in common: They are searching for some kind of spirituality in their lives--whether it be through christianity or some other means--and they try to express that spirituality in their dealings with their fellow man. I should warn you, though, that UUs are liberal in their politics. That's one of the things I love about them, but if you tend to be conservative in your views, it might not be the right match for you.
I think volunteer work is a great way to make up for some of the feelings we had as JWs. Doing something for people less fortunate has a very healing effect. My mom has taken up volunteer work, and it's really helped with her depression since she lost her faith. It gives her something else to focus on and lets her interact with people.
Julie
i have a quick question: what is jehovah's will today and who is doing it?
There is no Jehovah, so he has no will. No one can carry out what doesn't exist.
looks like it's just disappeared.
no more posts from danni.
no more posts from mymy.. just to add my own little tidbit here, has anyone heard of a park hills (or parkhill) congregation?
Sorry to say this, Dave, but I think you can see now why I've said from early on what kind of person teejay is -- not terribly bright, but very interested in stirring up trouble over issues that everyone else agrees should be dead. I have no idea why he likes to stir up trouble, but he does it regularly. In my book that's a lot worse than a mere twit.
AlanF
not long after a fifteen year old duncan had outraged his teachers and surprised his peers by leaving behind a promising academic career to regular pioneer and wash windows, a telegraph pole wearing green pants knocked at my door.
as i was expecting a visit from the local constabulary, for reasons noted below; the pole was a pleasant surprise.
the pole was a actually a jw, the plainest and longest man i had ever seen, with a mighty grin capable of felling empires and, i was to discover, also the possessor of a formidable intellect.
Great stuff, Hillary! Keep it coming.
AlanF
