so i started a reply on the topic of "what's your status?
" and it made me think about my df hearing (sorry i can't remember the exact term for what happened).. so i was fading, living in a different country, working & making rare appearances at my kingdom hall.
i was flat sharing with a sister though.
I wasn't DF'd, but I did divulge embarrassing details to an elder. Once I was involved in "inappropriate touching" and the elder asked if I touched the guy's Johnson. Then he asked how long was the touching, if it was over or under the pants, and if the guy's pants were still on or completely off. :S It was so mortifying.
Another young sister in my Hall had a wordly boyfriend, and the elders asked her how many times she had sex, and if she had an orgasm! WTF?
mine is 25 miles each way.
it can take anywhere from a half hour to an hour and a half each way depending on traffic.
there is no way way to get here by public transportation.. sigh~ .
0 mins. I'm a stay at home Momma and currently work 24/7. ;)
It used to be 15 mins to work prior to having babies because I live in a small city.
since leaving the wt, i have spoted so many false teachers from osteen to creflo dollar, but there is some great men of god who speak truth,who arnt afraid to proclaim the gospel, and who dont cater to tickling mens ears my three favorite are paul washer, steve lawson and john piper.
who are yours?.
I enjoy listening to Rev Ed Bacon when needing a spiritual boost. He did a nice sermon after the CT shooting that was comforting.
OP - you probably won't like him because he's liberal. But for those who still want a bit of spirituality without Biblical literalism, he's great!
i believe i posted on this before.
but,i was recently thinking back when i was still regularly going to meetings.
and how sometimes,just the thought of having to start to get ready to go,sent me in a panic.
Before field service I would feel physically ill and usually try to get out of going. I would sometimes get physically ill before conventions and assemblies, especially if I didn't know many people there. Turns out I suffered from social anxiety! Too bad I didn't know that then.
To avoid people at the meetings, I would hide out in the Mother's Room once I had a baby. Turning down the volume in the Mothers Room to block out the speaker gave my mind the space to free myself mentally from the religion. And once I learned TTATT, my heart would race at the meetings and wouldn't stop until I left. That made fading super easy and quick!
I bet lots of people suffer from anxiety at Hall. It is an anxiety inducing environment.
i was going through some old drawings and came across one my dad drew of a place we used to go in vermont many years ago.
it was owned by jw friends of the family, and we went there every summer and every fall.
i miss that old place... a 200 year old farmhouse sitting atop 1000 acres in andover, vt. spring water that you collected...kerocene lamps, wood stoves.... clean fresh air...good memories of a simpler times.
Beautiful! Reminds me of Little House on the Prairie. Simpler times...
the following is an extract from something i wrote 16 years ago soon after leaving the watchtower.
i am posting it because it may help honest jws consider how far their beliefs are at odds with new testament christians.
if they have "the truth" then their attitude to jesus ought to reflect that of the apostles.
Well done Cofty! Once I read the Bible without Watchtower goggles on, I realized that Christianity was the regular Christianity we were warned against.
while in the organization we learned one bit of truth regarding christmas; that it was originally a pagan observance, the summer solstice, adopted by christians much later in church history, and has nothing to do with jesus christ whatsoever.
no biggy for most true believers who left the organization who have slipped into (or fell back into) the grind of commercialized christmas with all the trappings and traditions of ritual binge spending that takes them even farther away from jesus than christmas' pagan roots ever could.
these true believers might say something like, "i know xmas has its roots in paganism, but we celebrate anyway because of x y z", perhaps echoing or paroting the frustrating responses we use to hear from "worldly" goats/folks when we would explain to them how christmas is not a christian observance whatsoever.
I love Christmas, I always have, and it was something I wanted my children to participate in. The last time I celebrated Christmas I was 3 or 4. I remember the lights, the famly, the presents, dinner, and fun.
Now that we are no longer JW, we have slowly started celebrating the season so our children know the joy and magic of the holidays. There is a tree with lights, a simple nativity scene, and this year I plan on taking my boys to church. My husband is atheist, I am agnostic with Christian leanings, but even if I were Athiest I would still celebrate Christmas as a festival of lights.
Do what feels comfortable for you! Make the holidays special, something to look forward to in the darkness of Winter.
here's a few i've missed and hope to see:.
leonard cohen.
radiohead.
Black Keys and Radiohead.
Muse was on my list, but I get to see them in Feb!!!
i needed a prescription renewed and found out my old doc retired...met my new doc and took this opportunity to update my medical record...removed the no blood transfusion clause from my file.
i told the doctor that inconsistencies within my church's doctrines made it impossible for me to put my life at risk for no valid reason.
after throwing out my medical directive card, amending my medical record is another step toward totally breaking free from the cult.
Good for you! It's a bit nerve racking with a JW on the office, I'm sure.
If you've ever registered at the hospital, you might want to update your records there as well to change your religious information. I did that last year and it felt great! The nurse was so helpful and relieved that I would now accept blood. :)
my family and i will be heading to california next week to go to disneyland.
we have two children under 4, so i was thinking about bringing at least one stroller.. what is the weather like in november?
would a sweatshirt be warm enough, or a light winter coat?
Prologos - thanks for the tips, but I still love magic...even if it's pretend, I'm still a child at heart. We will definitely check out the gorgeous beaches and nature in California. <3
I will PM you wha happened. :)
Thanks AudeSapere. That's a good idea to bring one stroller and rent one because we'll be hauling 2 gigantic carseats as well (at the airport). I'll bring a few snacks to tide the little ones over while we go through the parks.
Saturday we don't have anything planned so far, except a beach visit and our plane flies out of LAX at 9 pm! Wish we would have stayed longer to visit San Fransisco.
