Posts by LaurenM

46

The Elders are Coming Help!

by LaurenM in

so the elders keep bugging me and pestering me about having a meeting with them to "introduce me to my new congregation" for some reason (do any ex elders know what that even means??).

i keep postponing and making excuses and they are getting more and more aggressive.

i finally agreed for them to come over today, but really don't want to..should i hide from them again?

So the elders keep bugging me and pestering me about having a meeting with them to "introduce me to my new congregation" for some reason (Do any ex elders know what that even means??). I keep postponing and making excuses and they are getting more and more aggressive. I finally agreed for them to come over today, but really don't want to..should I hide from them again? How can I make them just go away? I haven't been to the meetings in like two months so that's probably what it's about but idk.

58

I gave the elders some ammo to use

by atacrossroads in

jw
friends

i was having dinner at olive garden with my cousin who was disfellowshipped for apostacy.

a holier than thou pioneer couple saw us.

if that was not enough i saw her take a picture of me with my cousin.

LaurenM

The love that use to be in their eyes is no longer there.

It's so sad that JW family members only love you on the condition that you stay a JW. Love should be unconditional or its not really love. They may say they still love you, yet they still pray for Armageddon to come when you'll be (in their minds) destroyed. It's a sad religion. But at least you have your husband to support you :)

17

Annulment of baptism for a minor?

by Tornintwo in

jw
friends

i've seen references to baptism annulment on a few websites, does anyone know if there has ever been a successful annulment of a baptism?.

eg.

a minor claims they didn't understand a key wtbts teaching prior to baptism, is there any realistic chance of annulment?

LaurenM

I wish I could annul mine. I was only 12 and only got baptized because my sister did. I definitely regret it now.

447

Does Anyone Still Believe in God?

by LaurenM in

do any of you ex-jw's still believe in god?

even with the new rebranding/softening of this religion, i still don't see how people can believe in him.

the god of the old testimate is an angry murderer who approved rapes and slavery and killed thousands of men, women and children.

LaurenM

Do any of you ex-JW's still believe in God? Even with the new rebranding/softening of this religion, I still don't see how people can believe in him. The God of the old testimate is an angry murderer who approved rapes and slavery and killed thousands of men, women and children. The Noah's flood story and the story of creation makes absolutely no scientific sense. There is so much evidence supporting evolution. Jesus is a wonderful character, but the Revelation account is horrible..Now that my eyes have been opened, I don't understand how anyone can believe. Yet, so many do!

Perhaps if JWs received a BUT LOAD of "new light"..like, did away with disfellowshipping, got rid of the idea that everyone but JWs would survive Armageddon, approved sex before marriage and homosexuality and looked at the bible as being just a story book of lessons, I could get back in to it..but the looming fact remains that the idea of "God" who, like Santa, is constantly staring at us to determine if we're good or evil is a bit ludicrous.

What do you think?

28

What Convinced you to Leave?

by LaurenM in

i've been posting here a lot, but these last few weeks have been very difficult for me.

anyways, lately, i've been thinking about confessing everything i've done to the elders and going back, but deep down, i don't really think it's the truth...so my question is, what convinced you it wasn't the truth and that leaving wasn't a horrible decision that everyone in the truth makes it out to be?

LaurenM

I've been posting here a lot, but these last few weeks have been very difficult for me. Anyways, lately, I've been thinking about confessing everything I've done to the elders and going back, but deep down, I don't really think it's the truth...so my question is, what convinced you it wasn't the truth and that leaving wasn't a horrible decision that everyone in the truth makes it out to be?

26

Buddhism Anyone?

by LaurenM in

so, i have recently been delving in buddhism and i must say it all makes sense!

like, the philosophies and ideas are what i've always believed but could never put a name to.

for example, they don't believe in god, they teach acceptance of all faiths, that peace can be achieved - not by changing other people - but by changing yourself, that everyone has goodness in themselves, that happiness can be gained internally (not externally as a gift from god), and that life is temporary so we should enjoy it!

LaurenM

Thanks everyone for your comments. Perhaps when one leaves a religion that dictates each step you are to take, it's easy to seek another one to not feel so lost. But, it takes courage to find ones own way without the crutch of someone else's instruction.

26

Buddhism Anyone?

by LaurenM in

so, i have recently been delving in buddhism and i must say it all makes sense!

like, the philosophies and ideas are what i've always believed but could never put a name to.

for example, they don't believe in god, they teach acceptance of all faiths, that peace can be achieved - not by changing other people - but by changing yourself, that everyone has goodness in themselves, that happiness can be gained internally (not externally as a gift from god), and that life is temporary so we should enjoy it!

LaurenM

Yes, I'm not sure if the reincarnation aspect of it is entirely logical..but I do enjoy the philosophical aspects of the teaching so far :)

26

Buddhism Anyone?

by LaurenM in

so, i have recently been delving in buddhism and i must say it all makes sense!

like, the philosophies and ideas are what i've always believed but could never put a name to.

for example, they don't believe in god, they teach acceptance of all faiths, that peace can be achieved - not by changing other people - but by changing yourself, that everyone has goodness in themselves, that happiness can be gained internally (not externally as a gift from god), and that life is temporary so we should enjoy it!

LaurenM

So, I have recently been delving in Buddhism and I must say it all makes sense! Like, the philosophies and ideas are what I've always believed but could never put a name to. For example, they don't believe in God, they teach acceptance of all faiths, that peace can be achieved - not by changing other people - but by changing yourself, that everyone has goodness in themselves, that happiness can be gained internally (not externally as a gift from god), and that life is temporary so we should enjoy it! Has anyone else researched Buddhism? Does it make sense to you in comparison to the JW teachings?

39

Are There Good People Out There?

by LaurenM in

even though i'm no longer mentally a jw (i still technically am) i do recognize that there are some benefits to being raised one.

for example, the first (and only so far) wordly guy i was involved with had to smoke weed every day and got drunk all the time and that was his idea of fun.

i couldn't help but feel bad for him.

LaurenM

Thanks everyone for your comments eo far! I do know that not all non-JWs are "bad". I guess it's just hard to get that mentality out of your head when you've been taught it for so long..and of course "bad" and "good" is a very relative thing..

39

Are There Good People Out There?

by LaurenM in

even though i'm no longer mentally a jw (i still technically am) i do recognize that there are some benefits to being raised one.

for example, the first (and only so far) wordly guy i was involved with had to smoke weed every day and got drunk all the time and that was his idea of fun.

i couldn't help but feel bad for him.

LaurenM

Even though I'm no longer mentally a JW (I still technically am) I do recognize that there are some benefits to being raised one. For example, the first (and only so far) wordly guy I was involved with had to smoke weed every day and got drunk all the time and that was his idea of fun. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. Just because I'm not a witness, I still think using drugs and alcohol as the only means to enjoy yourself is unnecessary and sad. Isn't it better to have a good time without mind altering substances? Also, he was super obsessed with his job. I can't help but still believe that money and career aren't the key to happiness..friends, family and adventures are! Also, he could be a bit negative and mean. I still think love, joy, peace, long-suffering, etc. are all beautiful qualities we should try to have. So, my thoughts are: are most wordly people like this guy? Is it possible to find JW-like people in this world (minus the crazy, death to all sinners, god is judging you mentality)?