most of us often wonder with amazement how we ever got caught up in the jehovah's witnesses mind control after having been out for awhile.
and we still wonder how some of our relatives stay trapped inside it.
well, steve hassans book " releasing the bonds " explains briefly in chapter 4 how it can happen.
<--- Born in. I figure that one has got to be the hardest because it's all I ever knew. Until I left, of course and began to discover all the things I wanted to do all my life, but never got the chance. Anything I wanted to do (like art and dance) I was told by my parents that I had to wait until the "new order" and there was much work to do before then! It was awful putting off my life until ... until ... until ... the time that never NEVER arrived.
But, I'm doing it now!
satinka
am reading coc at the moment, about half way through.
just finished reading some of the details of what happened in malawi and mexico years ago.
which reminded me that in the early 80's a very well known elder in the country i was then living in went to new york as he had discovered all the discrepencies between what had happened in malawi and in mexico and wanted to know what the gb had to say about it.
Reading C of C removed a veil from my eyes. After reading Ray Franz' book I no longer saw the WT organization as "god's channel" and that was such an eye-opener for me! After reading C of C I saw the WT society as nothing but a book publishing company who exploited its distributors by making them go door-to-door selling books and publications without pay. All the $$$ went into the WT coffers and the top brass lived like kings at its members expense.
It was easier for me to move on with my life and never look back at my perceived losses. I was so much better off after leaving I just knew I would never go back!
satinka
hello everyone, i know you have heard this topic before and your probably thinking.
...not again lol.. but i was wondering if anyone has thought of going back for the same reasons as myself, i don't think its the truth but i searched and my conclusion is that other religions don't have the truth, they are all wrong in my opinion.
if there is no other religion to go too, why leave were i was born and raised.
creativespirit, just think about the reasons you left in the first place. Feel the feelings of discomfort that made you leave. You inner being/conscience could not tolerate going anymore and led you out of there.
Now, will you go against your own conscience --- which is truly spiritual, not religious --- to a belief system that your conscience is truly uncomfortable with? I figure you know too much to ever go back.
just sayin'
satinka
a few minutes ago.
it's a buddy of mine from my old hall.
i occassionally study with him when i can tell he's feeling guilty about hanging out with me, but it's been months since i've seen him.
Now that's what I call a good friend! Way to go, wearewatchingyouman!
What is good for the inner child is good for --- everyone!
satinka
whenever a newbie signs on...my heart skips a beat.
i wonder if it might be my son?
my daughter?
Wow, another thread that I didn’t see after being away from the site for way too long! Thanks to everyone for your lovely replies. Now that I have re-discovered this thread, it’s high time I responded, don’t you think?
First off, I haven’t found any missing relatives on this board, but I have none-the-less made some new friends here. I made friends with a couple of local folks, but they would have to speak up and identify themselves. I have gotten together with several people for coffee and even went to a meet-up in the distant past. Probably around the first or second year that I moved to B.C., when I was known as ESTEE. I moved here in 2003. It was a very good move where I could make a new life for myself after beingstalked, slandered and df'd.
The quote thingy doesn't work today, so I'll highlight your comments in yellow.
Heaven wrote:
I do often wonder if one day one of my cousins will join.
I have cousins who I lost touch with after leaving the jws and moving away from Manitoba. But, I have since found them on Facebook when my brother died. We are now re-acquainting ourselves. I appreciate those cousins very much! Thankfully when they grew up and left home they did not embrace the JW religion! Good on them!
Snowbird wrote:
I love to see "Hello, I'm New Here." Sweet words. Syl
For sure those are sweet words. Another escapee from the cult is always cause for joy!
AwareBeing wrote:
Any time a mislead victim becomes aware of the methods of manipulation, and is able to flee from abusers is a happy day for both them and us.
Happy day, for sure! Makes my heart rejoice, just like the scripture says!
Billy the Ex-Bethelite wrote:
Whenever a newbie signs on...an angel gets his/her wings!
Lovely words, Billy the Ex-Bethelite! Ones I agree with whole-heartedly!
Found Sheep wrote:
Mine skips a beat too. And I love to read there story and figure out if i know them. So far no one yet
Same here, but we just never know when something like that might happen!
Designs wrote:
Remember that feeling when you were a kid of running over grassy hills in a park, its kinda like that
LOL!!! Are you another one of those hopeless romantics? Or a hapless romantic? Never quite sure which one I am, hopeless or hapless!
Mad Sweeney wrote:
I always try to figure out if I know them, too.
I think it must be kind of natural to wonder if we might know them. The JW organization has become kind of like the big biblical Exodus from Egypt, NO???
Witness My Fury wrote:
Lots of ‘em lately and I’m happy about that
Yes, lots of happiness on this board lately. I hope clarity joins this thread. She keeps a running tab on the newbies arriving here! I’d love to hear her insights!
ABibleStudent wrote:
I am always sad to hear newbies’ stories, and hope that I write something that will make it easier for them to live a happy and productive life.
For sure, I believe that leaving the religion will naturally result in a happier and more productive life! How can it NOT once a person begins using their own self-directed abilities instead of turning over their free will to old men who barely know them!
Ding wrote:
We have been getting a lot of newbies recently. Any newbies want to tell us why you decided to come on NOW? Was it something the WTS recently did or said, or was it just a personal matter?
Yes, it is very interesting to find out what particularly was the tipping point that motivated the arrival of the new members. I love hearing their stories.
Vampire DCLXV wrote:
...I've only ever known complete strangers here and I have made completely new friends that I've never known before. Enjoy the new acquaintances and new friends that you can make here. Don't worry about anyone you have known before. There is that universal tie that binds us all and that's why we're here...
Yes, me too. All new friends since leaving. And I believe you are right about the universal tie that binds us all. What a large army!
Found Sheep wrote:
It’s crazy Vampire man but you are right. I’ve known probably 1,000 or more JW’s in my life. I was around the big Bethel family yet have not met one ex-jw here that I knew. yet thousands of people have looked at this site. ex-jw is bigger then we know it!
I wonder how many members this site really has. And the site is growing all the time. Kind of brings a new meaning to the term, “Many will rove about and the truth will become abundant!” ;) Wouldn’t you say?
Dillen89 wrote:
I am new here and just looking to make some new friends and help those who have just gotten out of the WTS religion. I am here to help those who have just gotten out of the religion so they can move on after they've suffered from spritual abuse. I am here to help if you need someone to talk to about things...email me any time. :)
Thanks for your invitation for newbies to contact you, dillen89. I believe many folks on this board are open to helping others. In fact, our generous nature is likely one of the reasons we became caught in the cult in the first place.
Below are several success stories in a row about reconnecting with people they knew from the past!
MrMonroe wrote:
Not a new member, but I discovered recently that I was once in the same congregation as relatives of Hopscotch, and that I've almost certainly met her as well many years ago. It provides a bit of a buzz. I also spent five years in the same congo as Sizemik some years ago, so catching up (online) after all that time was good. But I, too, hope that I'll bump into more people here who have woken up and got out of that crazy whacked religion.
and
Mickey mouse wrote:
I’ve come across a few people I know here.
and
Aussie Oz wrote:
Yes i have found past friends and associates here...
I still hope to find one in particular... female who left south aust for canberra, come in!
i hope one day my kids will be here...but i dread them finding threads of mine talking about their journey and my worries.
and
Quandry wrote:
It does happen. I read a "story" by a new poster, and something sounded familiar..I PM'd him, and turns out knew him and his family very well. He is the only one of his family that is out, but so happy for him.
And
Bigmac wrote:
i found my son through Facebook---we chat a bit on there--& he suggested a meet up next time hes in my area--i live on an island off the coast of GB. my son is doing OK in life--has a new partner--home & job: he also maintains regular contact with his 2 kids---obviously not wanting to go through the same as i did. i met his ex wife once. a rabid JW fanatic--he is SO much better off now. ironically his born-in jw mother (my first wife) shuns him totally---her own flesh and blood. dont you just love that religion.
MrMonroe, Mickey mouse, Aussie Oz, Quandry and bigmac had successful re-acquainting stories to share! Wow, people really do re-connect here! I suppose the internet helps our world to become a smaller place just because of the ease of communicating over long distances. I wish my mom could have had a support forum like this one when she left the jws. She might not have gone back like she did. I mean, we just know so much more now that we have this forum to spread our own personal truth --- what is relevant to us personally!
Jamiebowers wrote:
Yes, my heart skips a beat, because I'm happy that so many people are learning the truth about the "truth".Whenever a newbie signs on...
Warms the heart doesn’t it?
Quarterback wrote:
Satinka, Is that you? I’m your cousin,..Benny. let’s have a good family hug, now...How have you been?
LOL!!!
Thanks for all your responses! Clarity, I wondered if you had anything to add, since you have kind of been keeping a running tab of newbies to the forum. I'd love to hear from you.
satinka
the moment i mentioned jehovah's witnesses he headed over to his file cabinet and handed me this print out.. .
dear beloved one, .
i see your loneliness and fears.
Red flags are going up for me as well, like with rebel. It is indeed unethical to feed religious stuff to patients. In fact, whenever I shopped for a new therapist, I would ask, "Is this type of therapy religiously-based?" I interviewed them as they interviewed me.
"Heavens no!" was the reply I got from the most recent therapist. "That would not be ethical!"
My advise would be to distance yourself from any specific religion. If you feel you MUST have some religion, then do some church shopping. But, the way I see it, leaving the JWs and going right into another belief system would be like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. It is most important for you to start exercising your own conscience instead of jumping on another religious bandwagon.
"Religion is a snare and a racket" was not said in vain.
satinka
i asked my mother( still very much active).
she said books made from '86 and before would not be online.
so we both looked at her physical revelation book and it was made in 88 so it should be there.
Does that mean the trumpet noises called an indistinct call?
satinka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvdegzadefa.
this is completely ridiculous.
even as an uber dub i would bnever ever do this!!!
So sad.
satinka
"albert" was 55 years old, and the fifth-born of seven children.
i am the second oldest and babysat him often while he was growing up --- and while i was still at home.. yesterday, albert was out taking his usual morning stroll around his small town, when he collapsed on the sidewalk.
the doctors said it was a heart attack.
Thank you all for your kind words and good wishes. It means a lot to me, knowing so many of you care so much. I would love to thank and acknowledge each one of you, but the response on this forum has been overwhelming.
I took the week off work --- I am fortunate to have compassionate leave time.
I'll let you know more when I can to fill in more of the gaps.
Love you all
satinka
"albert" was 55 years old, and the fifth-born of seven children.
i am the second oldest and babysat him often while he was growing up --- and while i was still at home.. yesterday, albert was out taking his usual morning stroll around his small town, when he collapsed on the sidewalk.
the doctors said it was a heart attack.
"Albert" was 55 years old, and the fifth-born of seven children. I am the second oldest and babysat him often while he was growing up --- and while I was still at home.
Yesterday, Albert was out taking his usual morning stroll around his small town, when he collapsed on the sidewalk. The doctors said it was a heart attack. The weather in Manitoba was -20 degrees yesterday, perhaps even colder in the morning when it happened. He was also a smoker with parents who both died from lung conditions. Not to mention he was on heavy-duty medication, all factors which produce stress on a set of lungs, I figure.
I feel a deep sadness today as I grieve his loss. Even though, I don't believe that death is the end of everything. Instead, I believe death is more like a time of transition, not unlike winter. Still, I grieve, as I am human.
Thanks for letting me share my sadness.
satinka
