Welcome lil princess . . . you've arrived at a good place . . . hang around and all will come good.
Luvonyall - MS
Murray Smith
JoinedPosts by Murray Smith
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30
new to your hellbound apostate site
by lil princess ini recently came to my senses and disassociated myself.
i am in a wierd place mentally.
i am a bit dissillusioned with what i have been taught and common sense.
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State your "epiphany moment " for leaving the WT
by caliber ini have found some powerful reinforcements when people have stated their " epiphany moment "... please share some.. my turning pointing began when i was badly hurt by a person i had always viewed as a literal brother.
i realized that if his.
love was conditional.... if it was the case with him , then how about those i had less affection for and trust in ?.
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Murray Smith
I was conducting a study with a truly wonderful young man called Tim. Tim was the son of a baptised witness and had left home. I'll tell you a bit about him. My own eldest son was by now about 14. Most of the other youths in the congregation were a few years older and he found it a real struggle to be included. He was also struggling with bullying at school for his status as a witness and felt very lonely at times. Tim would have none of that. Even though he was a couple of years older, he made a point of making sure my son was always included. They spent a good amount of time together, skateboarding, surfing, listening to and playing music together.
This kid was a wonderful guitar player . . . in fact he was extremely talented at many things, but had an incredible modesty to go with it. In his last year at school he was asked at short notice to stand in for the lead role in a musical the school was producing. The original boy had broken his leg. Although Tim was not even taking drama or music at school, he cheerfully agreed and went to work. He absolutely stole the show! His incredible talent shone through (he had a lovely voice) and many local media reviews richly praised his performance. Tim's reaction was genuine embarrassment. I recall him saying . . . "everyone else worked so much harder than me . . . they deserve the praise".
Well anyway, he along with a number of others his age, had applied for baptism. They had all been approved (including his two flatmates) although Tim was contacted the night before the assembly and told his approval had been withdrawn!! I couldn't believe it! . . . none of the other Elders had so much as said a word to me (his study conductor) about the matter. tim was totally devastated. He had taken a shine to another teenage girl in the congregation who was already baptised . . . in fact he was head over heels in love. I had spoken about this with him and given him the appropriate cautions. Most in the congregation got wind however (suprise suprise) and he was given a hard time by some. I knew he was struggling but never suspected how hurt he had become. One Monday morning he went out to his garage and hung himself. He had carefully measured the rope to just above the floor and had curled himself into a ball and slid off the roof of his "project car" that he so loved, thus dying instantly.
The loss we felt (especially my son) was profound. I have to be honest, my tears are flowing freely now. He was such a fine young man . . . with a heart of pure gold . . . such a waste. I was notified soon after he was discovered by his flatmate later that afternoon and immediately went round. The police were there as were a couple of Elders. As I walked up the path, the PO approached me and immediately said . . . "This has nothing to do with the Elders you know" . . . I was speechless for a moment while I tried to absorb what he had just said . . . after a few uncomfortable seconds had passed I felt an irrepressible flare of anger and replied simply . . . "What are you doing here then? . . . he's not a witness". He left the scene soon after, but the comment I made was to have future consequences for me. Incidentally, I later learned that our PO (a spiteful individual along with his wife), and our then CO, had a long time grudge against Tim's father (a solicitor) over some doctrinal argument.
My exit wasn't immediate (believe it or not) but the nightmare had begun.
Luvonyall - MS
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New Believers, Studying.
by cupcakekourtney88 inhey y'all!
my name is kourtney and i am new to this form and jehovah witnesses.
right now i am studying the book "what does the bible really teach".
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Murray Smith
She has an 88 on the end of her user name mrsj . . . maybe 22-23? . . . maybe not . . . young is what she is though.
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Two elders are coming to visit at my invitation.
by Wasanelder Once inthe elders have been spreading lies about me to jw friends and they are panicked.
they don't know what to make of it.
i've never given them reason to doubt my faithfulness or to make them think i talk against the organization.
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Murray Smith
Was . . . this sounds a little ominous . . . they must be on to you somehow . . . be ready for anything, as they will be prepared somehow. I can't help the feeling things aren't gonna be quite the same anymore whatever happens . . . good luck and do keep us posted.
Luvonyall - MS
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We Give/Gave Up So Much Over This Thing
by OnTheWayOut ini think of a reporter that breaks a huge story about some corruption in the government who won't reveal his source of information.
the government uses anti-terrorist laws against that reporter to try to force him to speak.
the laws are designed to protect the people and are used in a warped way to protect the government and allow it to hide it's corruption.
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Murray Smith
Nice post OTWO . . . and I agree with the sentiments. Meeting the posters I have come to know and love here, would be a great day . . . of that I'm sure. Seeing people in person could only add to the sentimental attachment that comes from a shared experience of such intensity.
Perhaps I could add this thought . . . before we became JW's we were all very different people. For those born in that difference was stifled to a huge degree as it was with the converts. What we now experience is that individuality with all it's variety has been returned to us! And we should all rejoice in that! We were once prisoners together and we're now free together! To lack good manners and respect . . . and to become impatient with one another, is a mis-use of our new freedom.
Luvonyall - MS
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People can be so wonderful !
by exwhyzee infrom me, to you all....... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn8ckwdosje.
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Murray Smith
Hey everybody do you feel there is something but you know in a moment it is gone
I live for the day when I can hear people saying that they know and they care for everyone
- Little River Band
Luvonyall (and hugs) - MS
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Well it's time for me to say goodbye!
by sabastious inmy priorities in my life have recently changed fundamentally.
i have always, deep down, felt a yearning for the circus.
my teachers growing up would always catch me doodling picutres of the circus with me in them being a jolly circus laborer.
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New Believers, Studying.
by cupcakekourtney88 inhey y'all!
my name is kourtney and i am new to this form and jehovah witnesses.
right now i am studying the book "what does the bible really teach".
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Murray Smith
Nice to see you back Kourtney.
With the advent of the internet age, many have access to information other than that provided by the WT society . . . this has created problems for the Society as it places them under a greater level of scrutiny. Many are feeling disillusioned by what they learn now and are less "committed" than in the past . . . nevertheless, they "hang in there" because WT belief is all they know and they don't want to "miss out". Leaving is also a huge challenge.
Notable also, is the Society's response to this threat. At first, internet usage was discouraged generally. Now things have progressed to the Society utilising the internet, but endeavouring to restrict the B's and S's to using their site(s) only. This is patently obvious through recent articles frowning on "researching" using the internet, and witnesses having facebook pages.
It could be on account of the above points that your Mum and Sister are responding as they are.
My experience (25 yrs in), is that the decision to withdraw from this religion is often a "last resort" action . . . the final act as it were. This is on account of the fact that to do so comes at a very high price. Many of us "held on" for long periods of time in spite of knowing it was wrong.
You're doing the right thing . . . looking at all sides of the issues . . . just keep doing that . . . "make sure of all things"
Luvonyall - MS
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New Believers, Studying.
by cupcakekourtney88 inhey y'all!
my name is kourtney and i am new to this form and jehovah witnesses.
right now i am studying the book "what does the bible really teach".
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Murray Smith
Kourtney . . . I'm interested in your expression . . .
However far God wants me to go I'll go.
How will you know this?
How will you know when he wants you to go no further?
How do you know he wants you to go there at all?
How do you know the people here, as an ever increasing group, aren't actually giving you God's warning to go no further?
I'm not challenging you . . . I really am interested as to how this will become known to you.
Luvonyall - MS
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Have You Ever Experienced Depression?
by minimus inmy mom does and has every ailment under the sun.. i know more people that are under meds for depression than not.. fortunately, i do not suffer from depression but i wonder how many do or have, especially if you were a witness..
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Murray Smith
This is a great discussion . . . I too have sought the relief a certain herbacious product provides (it aint legal here), but try to keep it sparing.
Thanks for the kind words loz . . . the time I spent in hospital I could write a book about, but it was by and large a very healthy experience. I was in a psychiatric ward and was able to meet a whole host of people suffering in different ways. The positive thing was, that in spite of the seeming hopelessness of their situation . . . most had a suprising degree of optimism.
I remember one young girl (about 17) who had been born to a mother with a heroin habit and had been severely abused. She came across as a very gentle soul, but she had this streak of "steel" running up her spine that I came to admire immensly. In spite of her past and her current woes, she still held on to her dreams . . . a man, a family, children. I thought at first they were just 'faraway dreams' but ran into her a couple of years later . . . and she was doing great! The human spirit is a powerful thing . . . and she proved to me something very valuable . . . basically what FS and Sab said.
Luvonyall - MS
