do you think that the jw religion is a cult?
i believe that it is, but i wanted to get other people's opinion.
yup and here is why
http://members.shaw.ca/leemarsh/mnd-ctrl.html
Mind control and Jehovah's Witnesses
JMHO
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
most people are under the impression that the watchtower.
don't break up families, well people lets give them a. few examples.
since i left the jehovah witnesses my mother .
Hmm who doesn't????
Those who do
My mother - have only talked to her about 3 times in the last 5 years. She refused to go to my daughter's wedding 2 years ago because I was there
My ex -- well what can I say?
and all his family of course
My grandmother and an aunt whom she lived with (and all that family)
another uncle and his family - wasn't invited to his kids' weddings
another uncle and his family (although they have very recently left and no longer shun me)
all of my old friends - every single one of them and as an ex-elder's wife and sign language interpreter I knew a lot of people
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
i noticed in a couple of threads people discussing the impact this board would have on jw's with doubts coming here and reading the messages.
it got me to wondering where most people that post here were at...what stage in their jw/ex jw process...when they started reading and/or posting here.
also curious, when you did come here what was your main focus?
I have been out since 1985. Done a lot of recovery work but had a situaton at work that triggered memories and feeling of the judicial meeting when I was DFed. Needed some reconnection with other ex-JWs and dropped in. Been here before to check things out but was too busy then to become a regular poster
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
coming from central pa - i get to see lots of quilts - and i have started to quilt myself - although i recieved lots of council about spending the long hours alone on a quilt ( the brother apparently never heard the words "quilting bee" ) i finally quit doing them for a while because of the pressure i was getting..... finnally when i realized that i needed to do some form of craft as a stress reducer ( from all the pressure from the borg) i told the elders where to go - and also said " i'd be happy to quit quilting - are you going to pay for the pyschiatri help and the meds they may prescribe??
this is therapy for me!!".
it shut him up for a bit.. .
I never was counciled for the hobbies I did -- and I tried most of them - but I was counciled for organizing picnics after the Sunday meeting - with anyone in the cong that wanted to join us. Seems taking your family for an outing to the park was an unacceptable activity - should be going out in service or reviewing the ?"wonderful spiritual meam"?? we just had. BTW our meetings were in the afternoon and we had already done the door-to-door thing in the morning - whoops sorry I thought I could have a life - guess the parks were only for AFTER Armagedon
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
as most of you know i usually write about sexual matters, but i would like to take this time to write about something serious.
after two months of writing posts and reading others people's posts and have concluded that the jehovah's witness organization purposely prevents people from contact with other people, because that way it is hard for someone to leave the organization.
if everyone you know is in the organization then how can you leave?
This is an issue for all those who leave but especially for those who are DFed. It was certainly an issue for me and the only reason I EVER considered going back.
Not only does one lose their belief system (the religion) but the family and community. I believe this results in a term I discuss in a paper I wrote called Social Death: The practice of disfellowshipping among Jehovah's Witnesses. You can find this at:
http://members.shaw.ca/leemarsh/soc-death.html
It is a bit lengthy but you may find it interesting and speaks to the issue you raised.
I think believe the sanctions about not speaking to DFed continues even after a person has left. I know I was scared for years to be caught talking to a DFed person. How wonderful to be free from that fear and for those still living with it there is the anonymity of the net. A blessing for those who still suffer from this type of "social death"
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
okay fess up: whats your handle mean?.
my handle: mindchild comes from computer scientist and futurist dr. hans moravec: who wrote the book, the future of robot and human intelligence which is a book about when we will be able to construct machines capable of human intelligence and raises the possibility of uploading ourselves (every thought we ever had) into an android body much superior to the human ones we have now.
i entertain the hope that not only will i live long enough to see this happen, i will transfer myself (the complete essence of what is me) into a body of my own choosing and become immortal if i so choose.
The name Lady Lee was given to me by the posters on another board. I now use it on all boards I go to. I had been posting using the Lee part (which is a name I adopted and legally took after I left the org)
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
were they liars for the watchtower?
some forum members have made much of the letter from the portuguese branch of the jehovahs witnesses, explaining why the watchtower affiliated with the united nations department of public information; they believe it contradicts a similar letter from britain.
in this post i rebut that argument.
Ummm excuse me... I have a question... Since when does the org give "humanitarian aid"?
I thought their main purpose was the preaching work and that was their sole purpose.
What kind of "humanitarian aid" do they provide and to whom? And why would they need access to the library to be able to determine who should get that aid?
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
i didnt mean to but it just came out and before i knew it i was crying and arguing with her.
well not really arguing but getting excited.
she got mad and said 'so what are you saying that you dont think this is the truth?
Flower - THINK - look over your first post here and ask yourself the same questions you said to your mother - about the changes.Those are YOUR questions. What are YOUR answers. Never mind what anyone here says. Do the answers to your questions make sense when the WT gives them? Does a loving god destroy families who want to serve him? Does a just god change his mind or give a different interpretation to things that in the end make honest hearted people suffer.
Truth is something we find within ourselves. Read study - not only what you see here but go to the library - check the net - Does the org make quotes that are out of context? Do they change the rules - one set for this group and another set for a different group? How can it be right for some and not others. And how can some be punished for things that others are allowed to do?
There is a truth out there - search for it with all your heart and don't let fear or lies or even the half-truths stop you from finding it.
I still do not have the answers - well not all of them but I do have a few
Keep the mind working Flower
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
i know that people have been in the same boat as i am and have felt the same but i still feel very alone tonight.
and very depressed.
i dont think some people understand even here.
Flower Cyber hugs might not be like real but the sentiment behind them is as real as anything.
Believe me you are not alone. When I left my family did desert me. My mother still does not talk to me and it has been 16 years now. At first I missed her but then I found other "mothers" - both on the net and in real.
When I left there was no internet and was truly alone. The pain of losing everything - my family, my friends, my community, my work and even my home (got divorced) was unbelievable. TI too thought I could not do this. I had one person in the world - not a JW ever - and he was supportive but had not been there so could not truly understand. Believe me I felt alone.
I sat back and watched while my mother and aunts and uncles shunned me and then went to my ex-s wedding. No one wanted to know what happened. No one cared.
But you know what - I recovered from that immense sense of being alone. I found other things to do - weird at first not going to meetings but eventually very free-ing. I found hobbies and interests I never had time for before. I made new friends - wonderful friends.
It took time. After 10 years of being out I started learning the real truth about the org. It sort of took me those 10 years to get where you are now - at the realization of being lied to. Take heart and hang on. It really does get better. There are stages to this kind of recovery. And don't be surprised if you want to "rescue" some of your family. Don't do it yet. First be strong yourself. Deal with the depression (something I too suffered for many years with while a JW). (BTW - my depression is finally gone after being freed from the Borg.)
Life will get better. Give yourself time. If you are afraid of hurting yourself - open your telephone book to the front page. Most books have a list for emergency telephone numbers. Most crisis centers can help you a bit. Find out if there is an ex-JW group in your area. And keep talking to people you trust in here.
Hang on and (((HUGS))) - it does get better
Rejoice in the healing and not in the pain.
Rejoice in the challenge overcome and not in the past hurts.
Rejoice in the present - full of love and joy.
Rejoice in the future for it is filled with new horizons yet to be explored. - Lee Marsh 2002
2. you are an inactive publisher and a member of a congregation.. 3. you are an inactive publisher for over 7 years and the congregation.
any congregation.
(this is a pretty good place to be).. 4. you are an inactive publisher for over 7 years and the congregation.
move house - I guess that might work if no family knows where you are going - I moved across the country and think my mother told them where I was - 2 1/2 years and still waiting for them to show up at the door
