Posts by LadyBug

28

(FAQ WT site) Do you shun former members?

by D wiltshire in

jw
friends

here's some thing right from the official jw site under fequently asked questions.. do you shun former members?.

those who simply cease to be involved in the faith are not shunned.

in compliance with the scriptures, however, members can be expelled for serious unchristian conduct, such as stealing, drunkenness, or adultery, if they do not repent and cease such actions.

POLL - Elders vs Molesters

by Amazing in

i wish to conduct a legitimate poll, or at least as legitimate as it can get on this forum.

unless you are or were a jw, please do not respond or make comments.

please simply give an answer, without extended comments.

Now That I've Joined, I wish That I Hadn't

by TR in

jw
friends

any one here get that sinking feeling when you were an active jw?

i'm not talking about the point where we developed doubts about the borg, but just the shear weight of responsibility on your shoulders to uphold "god's kingdom" ala wts.. the topic of doing all you can was brought up frequently.

some would try to sooth by saying "as long as you're doing your best, jehovah will accept you.

LadyBug

TR

That is exactly how I felt. Meetings 3 nights a week, field service on the weekends, study the other nights of the week. Prepare for talks. Prepare for field service. Read your literature. Then don't do this, don't do that, don't do the other. Can't associate with worldly people, but witnesses don't want to associate. No large gatherings. Watch our speach, only talk about upbuilding things, don't tell anyone if you don't agree with the society on certain things. Then you get cretnoids who do their best to stamp you into the ground and tell you your not spiritual enough.

It didn't matter what you did, you never felt like you were acceptable to God. I always remembered that scripture "probably" you may be concealed in the day of his anger. So with all this martyrdom we still weren't guaranteed life.

Being a sister I didn't have the same the responsibilities of an MS. But yes ...I'd have to say I had that sinking feeling a lot.

I used to think what was the point. And finally realised there was none.

BEW

13

Bible only for anointed

by mpatrick in

jw
friends

when i would question my mother about certain scriptures, she would always make the comment that the bible is only written for the 144,000. is there any truth to that?

(i know there isn't, but is that what the jw's teach?

) when she said that, i was just blown away because of all the years i was a witness, i had never heard that.

LadyBug

mpatrick

Welcome to the board. And answer your question simply, yes that is what the witnesses teach. The bible was written for the anointed. And as justamom said the guidelines are for the other class.

This is particularly true of the new testament.

BEW

17

Hi all!

by Billygoat in

jw
friends

i have been out for almost 10 years now.

i've been on the net almost non-stop for the last several days.

surprising myself on an hourly basis by the testimonies of other xjw that are out here.

LadyBug

Hi Billygoat...welcome to the board. Cute name. Glad you found us.

113

Please Respond To Survey! 25 more needed please.

by Big Jim in

jw
friends

it seems like to me the majority of people who are in the truth, are were in the truth was a result of either a family member are a friend witnessing to them and not many seem to have been found in the door to door work.. from my years of associating with the borg i cannot recall many coming in the truth from the door to door work.. how were you sucked in?

for me it was my aunt who has now even though i am not disfellowshipped decided to write me out of her will to the tune of about $150,000.00 (maybe i should hang around a couple more years)dont think i will.. please respond .

thanks.

LadyBug

My parents studied through contact at the door when I was 5. They said they wanted to prove the witnesses wrong, but couldn't. Both my father and motherinlaw said they looked at many other religions before hand. The witnesses had the answers.

Yea...they sure did! [8>]

BEW

3

Actions I regret

by Free2Bme in

jw
friends

i don't know about you but there are a lot of things i regret doing as a witness that i really would like to apologise to the people concerned.. to my brother flabbycabby who is a newbie to this forum i'd like to say sorry for following the elders advice and telling you you were not welcome over my doorstep.

you were in a terrible state having just being disfellowshipped ,finished with your wife, estranged yourself from your baby son and a few days earlier had taken an overdose in my flat where you were staying as you were homeless.

i had received a visit from the elders.

LadyBug

Free

I understand totally where your coming from. You are not the first, nor will you be the last to abide by the society's rules and shun so harshly those we were close to as well as others.

Personally I look back and remember many of the things I did as a witness and wonder how I could ever have done them. But I know the answer, most do. As you said

I shunned the DF'd out of duty to God

and because

the brainwashing had worked so well

but also because if we hadn't we too would have been shunned and that was unacceptable as we believed that we had the prospect of living forever in a wonderful world. To be shunned ourselves would have jeopardised that and in our eyes ruined our relationship with the "one true God".

Fortunately many wake up one day and realise our "spiritual paradise" isn't so perfect after all. We can't change the past but we can sure work on the future.

Don't beat yourself up about it, the indoctrination is very strong. Your friend knew the "rules" of the organisation and yes he may have been very hurt by your actions, but if he was involved long enough to be viewed as bad association then he understood. May not have liked it, but understood.

Thats how I have viewed it. Whether I am right or wrong. Thats what I told myself about those I shunned. And if I every get shunned, well I'll understand why they are doing it. Won't like it by hey I'll be getting a taste of my own medicine Not that it would worry me other than members of my family. Although I have already told one important member of my family and I'm happy to say he accepted the information and said he agreed with most of what I said, and here I was stewing about how to say it, when and if I should. How easy was that one. But I deviate. Sorry.

and I certainly have had a taste of my own medicine

haven't most of us.

BEW
Feeling for you.

36

Embarrasing Moments

by Free2Bme in

jw
friends

just so certain ladies do not feel alone in cringedom i will confess my red-cheekers !.

i was a well-developed 15 yr old getting too volupteous for my school uniform ( ok too fat then) and the zip had bust on my only school skirt.

my mum replaced it using an old zip from another garment which happened to be quite a bit longer than a normal skirt zip.an unmarried brother came to visit one morning and was sat in our living room having a cuppa while i was frantically getting ready for school.