Reopened Mind

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Posts by Reopened Mind

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  3

  Remembering, Learning, Growing

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  remembering, learning, growing.

  today i uploaded a new article to my blog.

  please share a moment with me and remember 911 together.

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  Reopened Mind

  Interesting Marvin. Loved the perspective.

  Reopened Mind
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  13

  1-year anniversary on this forum

  by Alfred in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  wow!!!

  i've just noticed that i've been on this forum for a whole year... it's incredible how time flys after escaping the wt's control.... i don't really know what to say at a time like this... except that i have grown to appreciate all kinds of people and i have healed completely thanks to many of you on this forum (like dog patch, barbara, jw facts, terry, marvin shilmer, sizemik, mad sweeney, doug mason and many others that have escaped my memory).... and how can i forget to thank outlaw and punkofnice for adding their humor to it all.... anyway, thanks everyone... i'm a much better person today because of you and i appreciate it very much....

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  Reopened Mind

  HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

  JWN has broadened my horizons as well.

  Reopened Mind
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  11

  Please. One At A Time. But I Have Found The Answer... ;)

  by headisspinning in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  life is short and i regret the years i have wasted.

  i feel like crying over the damage i have caused my kids by raising them in a cult.

  but i really honestly believed all of it.

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  Reopened Mind

  headisspinning and life is short you cannot change the past, only look ahead to the future. TotallyADD and I raised our boys in the WT cult. They grew up and married JW women as well. The oldest one is totally out and the youngest is biding his time until he can escape with his family. You will find that children are very resilient. So give them a chance and help them find their own way.

  Make your own family traditions by introducing your unique celebrations as you are comfortable with them. Keep in mind you and your family have come out of a destructive mind controlling cult that has filled your heads with so much fear and guilt that it will take time to minimize. I don't think it ever goes away. Gradually replace the negative thoughts with positive ones. Nancy drew's suggestion of celebrating your child's birthday because he is special is a good one.

  The WT continually harps on birthdays as being bad because a murder ocurred during two pagan celebrations. Yet they forget that the Christian Greek Scriptures opens with the angels celebrating the birth of Jesus. (This is not surprising since the governing body has replaced Jesus with themselves, the faithful and discreet slave.)

  Reopened Mind
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  22

  Who's Your Favorite Celebrity?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  if you could ever meet a celebrity, who would you love to see?.

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  Reopened Mind

  Years ago TotallyADD and I attended a Star Trek convention in West Palm Beach,FL. This was before any Star Trek movies had been made. It had to be combined with a comic book convention because there was so little interest in all things Star Trek. We had the great pleasure of spending the entire afternoon with George Takei who played Sulu on the Original Series. It was George who told us of the upcoming movies featuring the original cast. You can bet we watched eagerly. My favorite ST movie is Star Trek IV the Voyage Home.

  Many years later we met Armin Shimmerman who played Quark on Star Trek Deep Space Nine. This was at the Star Trek Hilton in Las Vegas. We waited in a very long line to meet him. I remember his wife walking through the crowd to apologize for the long wait. Armin took time to talk to each one in turn. So by the time we got to him we had an audience of about five minutes. Another wonderful afternoon.

  These two rank very high on my list of favorite celebrities.

  Reopened Mind
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  20

  Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 09-04-2011 WT Study (GUIDANCE)

  by blondie in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  wt material from today's wt will be in black.

  the warning?

  he gives us careful directions.

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  Reopened Mind

  Blondie,

  TotallyADD and I are sorry to hear of the death of your close family member and your personal medical emergency. Our deep sympathies to you and your family. We also hope that whatever your medical emergency was that you are on the mend now. Please accept a heartfelt GET WELL SOON .

  We both eagerly await you comments each week as they reinforce our decision to have left this mind controlling cult. I know we don't comment very much, but that is because you have covered the points so thoroughly. You really do make a difference in the lives of people lurking on this board.

  ziddina, love the gorgeous pictures you posted.

  Let me reemphasize what JW GoneBad and ziddina said, "Blondie, you are a gem."

  Thank you, thank you, thank you,

  Reopened Mind
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  7

  This should make you smile!

  by coffee_black in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  granddaughter zoey who will be a year on sept. 17th... .

  .

  couldn't resist.... coffee .

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  Reopened Mind

  You sure did make me smile.

  Thanks coffee-black.

  Reopened Mind
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  46

  I am out (finally) - done with the Witnesses

  by Anony Mous in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  hi, long time no see.

  i am finally out of the borg.

  had a talk with an elder-friend-family member today who said i should just do it if that's what i want to do, and my wife says if that's what i want to do that she's fine with it.

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  Reopened Mind

  Anony Mous,

  Brilliant! You have used the Bible and their own Insight book to prove your points. Having good manners demands treating everyone civily. As sizemik said, "they have no morally or scripturally sound argument to refute you with".

  I don't have reason to be mad at individual witnesses.

  This is a good point to keep in mind. Everyone still in the WT is under the mind control of the governing body. This is why your friend cannot process what you have just said but must take the fall back position of "us verses them". Maybe in time.

  Reopened Mind
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  13

  It doesn't seem like 5 years....

  by Open mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ...but 5 years ago today, i made my first post here on jwn.. .

  i was an elder, had a true-believing jw wife and our unbaptized publisher children were beginning to feel pressure from other jws to take the plunge.. .

  amazing how much can happen in 5 trips around the sun.. .

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  Reopened Mind

  Open Mind,

  Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate!

  How does it feel to have released the bonds of slavery to the WT? Even better you got out with your family.

  I know for me coming out with TotallyADD was the best thing. No contention, no divided household, no worries about being judged by my husband. Now we have the freedom to live our lives by our own choices and to love unconditionally. We have one son totally out and one son with one foot still in. We hope some day he will join us.

  Congratulations for a life well lived.

  Reopened Mind
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  22

  Feel like I'm living a lie....

  by mochamint22 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it's been a while since i've posted on the forum but im needing to get how i'm feeling out of my head and out in the open.

  i don't know what's going on with me but sometimes i feel overwhelmingly sad and my eyes well up like i'm going to start crying.

  i'm not thinking about any one particular thing when this happens.

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  Reopened Mind

  What country is he going to? If it is a Muslim or third world country you may not have any recourse should the situation suddenly worsen. Don't discount this as a real possibly.

  If there is any any way for you not to go to his country I urge you to not go. If you think he is disrespecting you and your children now it will only increase tenfold when he gets to his home country.

  Please you deserve better. You are a good and loving mother. You can't help your children if you don't help yourself. Consider very seriously what effect this situation is having on your children.

  Do you want your daughter grow up thinking it is normal to be controlled by a man? Or do you want her to develop her own thinking ability and be able to stand up for herself? Mom show her the way.

  Reopened Mind
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  22

  Feel like I'm living a lie....

  by mochamint22 in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  it's been a while since i've posted on the forum but im needing to get how i'm feeling out of my head and out in the open.

  i don't know what's going on with me but sometimes i feel overwhelmingly sad and my eyes well up like i'm going to start crying.

  i'm not thinking about any one particular thing when this happens.

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  Reopened Mind

  This man is telling you just like the WT did that there is no one to go away to. Don't you believe him. Once you get out from under his thumb you will begin to think more clearly. You will find there are many good and decent men who would cherish you and your children. Don't jump quickly into another relationship without first getting help for yourself. Don't be afraid to be single. You are not alone. You have your children and you have many friends here on JWN. Keep posting. We are here for you.

  Reoened Mind