this person is df but still believe it to be the truth.
problem excepting money from a df person, but in a case of incidental witnesses by.
the df person.
The further I move away from being an active participant in all things JW, the stranger some things seem.
I know that a DFd person cannot be stopped from witnessing. In our Hall their was a DFd older woman who was going door to door and the C.O. said just leave it alone - she is still baptized and technically can go door to door.
That whole "still baptized but no longer a JW unless you get reinstated" thing is bewildering to me.
we have the convention this weekend and many jw families are arriving.
one family that ive known for many years from new mexico stopped by to visit my mom.
hes been an elder since the 80s.
Love your end of the conversation John Aquila.
I especially liked the "dont call me about it" approach.
hi everyone, this is my first post so go easy on me :) i have been a witness all of my life (i'm 37) and truly believed it until 3 years ago.
my husband and i had become spiritually weak and over time i began to question more and more until i came to the conclusion that the witnesses were not the true religion but just one of many religions and that if god is there then there are many paths to get to him.
anyway, i've battled with keeping going as my husband still believed and i didn't want to be in a divided household as we have a young daughter and thought it would be very confusing for her (and us).
Hello theburstbubble, great to have you here!
I admire that you think so clearly at your age. Its taken me a lot longer to begin my exit and to help my now grown kids exit also.
Try not to feel you have to rush in to a new set of beliefs. Other people have put it beautifully above so I wont beat the drum again but I hope you will know that we live in a world where there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of grey areas and you owe it to no one to rush yourself.
Take your time and you will sense what is right as you go along.
One nice thing is your daughter starting school next year will open a great doorway to meeting other young moms like yourself.
Even as a JW, I volunteered a lot at my kids school and made wonderful friends (wordly people -gasp - lol) that are still friends today many years later.
the past week has been hell for me.
my mother started feeling ill and we went to seek medical assistance.
we live in the mountains and the nearest large hospital is about 150 kms away.
cookiemaster,
You have done a truly awesome thing in saving your mothers life.
Heros are people who make a difference in other peoples lives.
You my friend are a hero.
the past week has been hell for me.
my mother started feeling ill and we went to seek medical assistance.
we live in the mountains and the nearest large hospital is about 150 kms away.
Pete Zahut,
thank you! That was an amazing read. I have heard bits and pieces of that reasoning before but the way you have it all logically laid out is really helpful.
I have copied that to a file and I really appreciate you sharing it.
a couple friends pointed me to some info on the sabbath and i just plain like it, being the workaholic i am it's a lifesaver for me and gives me the motivation to be more balanced about my business and work schedule.
so from there i looked into the adventists and found a hall near my place and went last week.
i honestly enjoyed myself and the meeting time is not disruptive and the people were great and pretty laid back.
This is such an interesting thread.
Not many religions hold up to intense scrutiny do they?
At least that is my take away.
Introvert 2
Hi all,
A couple friends pointed me to some info on the Sabbath and I just plain like it, being the workaholic I am it's a lifesaver for me and gives me the motivation to be more balanced about my business and work schedule.
This gets to the heart of the matter Introvert2.
I think one of the gifts life hands us upon leaving the JWs is the freedom to try what makes us feel good.
Its similar to trying on new clothes. Not much to be gained in trying on cheap worn fabrics (drugs, alcohol etc...
but it can be loads of fun to try on the silks and wools and fine spun cottons in beautifully dyed colors. Who knows what one may find works for them?
On the Sabbath, at its core there are some interesting things going on anthropologically speaking. The entire concept of preparing food and abode ahead of time so that you can take a day to relax, visit with others, drink fine wine and know all the while that there is no societal expectation for you to be "working" or doing "something" is a beautiful one. It encourages all the things that feed the soul.
So try on this hat, see if it works for you!
not sure if anything will come of this.
but i signed it.. https://www.change.org/p/united-states-attorney-general-investigate-the-watchtower-society-of-jehovah-s-witnesses-re-child-sexual-abuse?recruiter=363165656&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink.
Hi eyeuse2b,
Go to the link in the original post and fill out the info and click on the button after you fill out the info boxes.
You will receive an email after you vote in case you have any doubt about whether your vote went through.
let me start off by saying i do not presume to have the answers, i am merely offering advice.. i will preface this posting with this, cutting a long story short:.
my sister was raped by a popular jw lad wh's dad happen to be a rock star elder.
in the attempt to fight him off his face was covered with scratches and it was reported to the police ( instead of rape he was sentenced on the lesser charges of sexual battery and assault) but he confessed to having violent, consentual sex.
You have lived a life that is unique in many ways SSC.
I enjoy hearing about it and seeing things from your perspective.
I think of us ex JWs as being a rare group. Touchy, sensitive, beautiful, wise and all at different stages.
If the rest of the world is like a piano or maybe an organ, than we are like the carillion bells of humanity.
maybe this is a bit obtuse, but see if you can follow me here and maybe throw in your own views.
as i see it, the organization as a whole is a family, and like most, it is dysfunctional.
you have the parents in those taking the lead (gb, elders, overseers, etc.
Well Dub, you were probably not wrong - just sharing your current perspective at that time.
Isnt it interesting to read back and see how our thoughts change as our knowledge about the inner workings of the Org grows?
I felt exactly like you did in your OP at one point. Then I got a big shock when the compilation of devious actions by the Org was revealed to me through research here.
So now I am working on keeping my balance. Trying not to be too outspoken with my JW friends that remain, trying to see where the real blame lies (its a trickle down) and trying to forge ahead in a positive frame of mind.
It can be exhausting and a little lonely I am finding.
so lately i've felt so frustrated and overwhelmed that i had to tell someone how i felt.
my parents were gone so i decided to talk to my sister.
we've always been close so i thought i could trust her because we have talked about it before.
BlackWolf
Thank you all for the advice. I realize now that my sister is probably not mature enough to handle this yet ( she just turned 14) but id hate more than anything to see her waste her entire life for something so stupid
Well that is certainly an understandable and loving viewpoint that you have.
There is a really good old saying that talks about "what you are doing speaks louder than what you are saying."
If your sister sees you slowly but surely build a nice life independent of the JWs she will be much more likely to explore her own doubts in the future.
An added benefit is that you will then be in a position to help her in whatever practical ways she needs.
All the best to you BlackWolf!
