Call for Support. I've asked him to tell his story on ExJW sites. Will keep you posted.
discreetslave
JoinedPosts by discreetslave
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45
New Ex-JW Documentary To Be Released
by discreetslave inabout filmtruth be told is a feature length documentary that explores the lives of several individuals raised in the jehovahs witnesses religion.
the title of the film refers to the tendency by jehovahs witnesses to regard their beliefs exclusively as the truth.. the documentary is not an indictment of religion but rather a retrospective.
in a series of informal interviews, former jehovahs witnesses discuss life experiences within the organization including the impact the religion had on their childhood and family, schooling, adolescence, and approaches to dating and marriage.
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Feeling sad, dunno why ...
by Dudu intoday i received great news .. one more customer to my business, compliments from my boss at work, and some payments i was waiting for.
but i feel sad, guilty, mix of feelings.... i ve been thinking about my life in the jw org, after 2 months of fading im having these feelings :( :(.
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discreetslave
We are the victims of a abusive, heartless corporation. It is only natural. Mummatron is right I'm so raw right now with the 9/11 rememberances. You're not alone.
The five stages of grief:
Denial: “This can’t be happening to me.”
Anger: “Why is this happening? Who is to blame?”
Bargaining: “Make this not happen, and in return I will ____.”
Depression: “I’m too sad to do anything.”
- Acceptance: “I’m at peace with what happened.
Myths and Facts About Grief
MYTH: The pain will go away faster if you ignore it.
Fact: Trying to ignore your pain or keep it from surfacing will only make it worse in the long run. For real healing it is necessary to face your grief and actively deal with it.
MYTH: It’s important to be “be strong” in the face of loss.
Fact: Feeling sad, frightened, or lonely is a normal reaction to loss. Crying doesn’t mean you are weak. You don’t need to “protect” your family or friends by putting on a brave front. Showing your true feelings can help them and you.
MYTH: If you don’t cry, it means you aren’t sorry about the loss.
Fact: Crying is a normal response to sadness, but it’s not the only one. Those who don’t cry may feel the pain just as deeply as others. They may simply have other ways of showing it.
MYTH: Grief should last about a year.
Fact: There is no right or wrong time frame for grieving. How long it takes can differ from person to person.
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How are things going since my exit?
by discreetslave intoday i got accepted to a christian university and we had an earthquake!!!
the college is located here in va and is the largest christian university in the us.
my husband is worried about the money but the fact that it's liberty u upsets him more.. otherwise things are good between us things are tense on meeting days.
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discreetslave
Thanks guys. I'm trying to take it slow. After rushing out I was worried I had burned a bridge. I'm doing my best to take it slow now that I've been given a second chance.
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Who here has an ATD?
by discreetslave inapostasy transmitted disease .
defined by wt 7/15/2011 pg16 para.
6. well, apostates are mentally diseased, and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings.
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discreetslave
Apostasy Transmitted Disease
Defined by WT 7/15/2011 pg16 para. 6
Well, apostates are “mentally diseased,” and they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings. (1 Tim. 6:3, 4) Jehovah, the Great Physician, tells us to avoid contact with them.How is it transmitted? By searching the web, thinking, reading, asking questions, education, worst of all paying attention to substantiated truth.
Is it Curable? Thankfully,NO. It is a life long condition that ensures one freedom from mind control .
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New Ex-JW Documentary To Be Released
by discreetslave inabout filmtruth be told is a feature length documentary that explores the lives of several individuals raised in the jehovahs witnesses religion.
the title of the film refers to the tendency by jehovahs witnesses to regard their beliefs exclusively as the truth.. the documentary is not an indictment of religion but rather a retrospective.
in a series of informal interviews, former jehovahs witnesses discuss life experiences within the organization including the impact the religion had on their childhood and family, schooling, adolescence, and approaches to dating and marriage.
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discreetslave
@ Franklin Massey I understand your viewpoint and I'm waitng for a Michael Moore type film also. It's been said before the only people who care about JW's are JW's & exJW's. I want to support any efforts made in regards to our lives that don't put ex JW's in a bad light.
The trailer with the people holding the bag had me in tears. My exit is only recent so it struck a cord with me. So many of us still have emotional baggage from this cult. Even for many who have moved on they'll admit it took a while to shake it off. I think it will have an effect on younger ones. When I first heard about Knocking I expected it to be like this one instead it was a major let down and I was a loyal JW at the time.
There is another one in the works titled Losing My Religion maybe that one will include deeper stories.
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Will There Be Another Act Of Terrorism This Coming Week In Your Opinion?
by minimus ini kind of think so..
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discreetslave
I hope not,the JW's will be in full force with a special campaign.
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1-year anniversary on this forum
by Alfred inwow!!!
i've just noticed that i've been on this forum for a whole year... it's incredible how time flys after escaping the wt's control.... i don't really know what to say at a time like this... except that i have grown to appreciate all kinds of people and i have healed completely thanks to many of you on this forum (like dog patch, barbara, jw facts, terry, marvin shilmer, sizemik, mad sweeney, doug mason and many others that have escaped my memory).... and how can i forget to thank outlaw and punkofnice for adding their humor to it all.... anyway, thanks everyone... i'm a much better person today because of you and i appreciate it very much....
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discreetslave
Happy Anniversary!!!
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My reflections on this 9/11 anniversary
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discreetslave
I should have mentioned how frustrating it was not to get through to many until the evening or the next day since cell phone service was so poor.
I also think about how while the world will be remembering the tragic events of that day,showing love for each other, displaying unity & solidarity(as well as a small bit of fear that something could happen). Jehovah's Witnesses will be studying an article that preaches hate and instills fear. That religion practices psychological terrorism. It's disgusting & reprehensible. They are supposedly the most loving& happiest people on earth. I'm hoping for some to realize the irony in that and wake up.
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Why So Many Young People Are Leaving The Watchtower
by Jeremy C ini have been giving a lot of thought to the young people who are leaving the watchtower organization in recent years.
last night, i was reading the thread posted by jwfacts a while back in which he provided some statistics and graphs showing the rapidly declining growth in the watchtower.
one factor that was discussed at length was the high number of young people who do not stay in the organization.
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discreetslave
Wonderul Post Jeremy I am at a loss for words for you have said it all
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3
My reflections on this 9/11 anniversary
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discreetslave
I remember that beautiful Tuesday morning. I was on my way to my mother’s who I was caring for since she had recently returned home from a rehab facility she was at due to a stroke. As I walked towards her place I decided I deserved a break it was the ideal NYC day. The ones you see in the movies. Manhattan was calling me.
I got there and started cleaning up as fast as I could. I went into the kitchen turned on Good Morning America and was washing dishes. Then a special report, Tower 1 was on fire I thought terrorists right away, since I was blocks away when the WTC was bombed in 93. As I’m watching the TV the 2 nd plane flew across the screen I dropped what was in my hand and knew my fears were confirmed. I ran into the living room to turn the big TV on. I was crying so loud I woke up everyone in the apt.
As I watched the events unfold on TV the images seared my brain. When I was at Bethel, on my laundry duty day my favorite spot was the chair with the perfect view across the water facing the WTC. I sat in this chair every week for 3 years. In my mind I felt like I was back in that chair watching this unfold.
Later after the towers fell my husband called and asked if I could get home and get the congregation phone list so I could call and check on those whose numbers he didn’t have in his cell phone. I couldn’t take the subway home since it was on lock down. I hailed a cab and he wanted to charge me $25 for what was normally a $5 dollar ride. I only had $ 8 on me so I got out and started walking hoping I could get another cab.
As I walked I was praying to Jehovah asking him to keep my faith strong. “How could such a horrible thing happen? I know Armageddon is supposed to be worse but the thought was unbearable. Help me not to doubt for I’m finding it hard to understand the death of so many.” Just then a sister from my old congregation offered me a ride. I took that as a sign from Jehovah a way of him telling me not to fear.
I spent the rest of that day along with my husband calling and checking on everyone we knew from the 3 congregations we had served with. Part of me wanted to go down to Ground Zero and help. I always say NYC is my heart and now it was hurt. I wanted to be there with my fellow New Yorkers, hugging and crying with them.
9/11 had an impact on me. I couldn’t go near Ground Zero. I didn’t want to see the gaping hole in my heart which is NYC. I didn’t get the nerve to see it until 2007. I had a hard time looking at the NYC skyline. Watching old movies that feature the skyline gives me a twinge. I cannot imagine the pain of those who were actually there if it affected me this much and I only saw it on TV.
Looking back this was the beginning of cognitive dissonance for me. I had to ask Jehovah to strengthen my faith for I felt myself wanting to question the meaning of all this. I pushed the thoughts of doubt out and became determined to have a greater share in the ministry. I wanted to help bring as many as I could into the organization. I wanted to help spare them death at Armageddon. So I worked my way back to the pioneer list. There was much work to be done this system could not go on much longer with humans capable of doing this on it.
After 9/11 I found it harder to continue living in NY. I also began to cycle in & out of depression over the years. Which I now realize was in part due to the stress & pressures of JW life as well as the thought that Jehovah was letting this system go on. Ever since I was a kid before becoming a JW I was always affected by the tragedies of the world. My mother use to tell me don’t pay so much attention to it, life is hard enough with one’s own problems. The words to the song Imagine was my dream, I always longed for the day those words would come true. This is what drove me into the Watch Tower’s arms, they were preaching of a life I had always imagined.
The other night I watched a Frontline documentary “Faith & Doubt at Ground Zero”. I was in tears because it made me reflect on my recently leaving the organization. Learning that my life associated with the Watchtower was a lie was as if a plane had flown into my heart. 9/11 left a hole in my heart the deception of the Watchtower has left a whole in the core of my very being. I gave my all to the organization. I loved that religion and the people in it with everything I had to give. The heartbreak caused by realizing I was betrayed again by ones I trusted resulted in a mental breakdown for which I was hospitalized for 5 days.
Every year around this time I get a little blue, as I said I love NYC. I never admitted it to anyone as it wasn’t a very JW thing to do. If no one was around I would watch 9/11 memorials. This year I am not only blue over 9/11 but I am in mourning over the void caused in my marriage, the loss of my friends, and the pain caused to so many others by what feels like a terrorist attack to me; the deception & the betrayal of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
I will continue to heal as the world has had to by what happened on & after 9/11. I will not allow the terrorism of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society to have a hold on my life. Every day I work towards my recovery and try to lessen the pain. The beauty of this life & world despite the evils in it and the responsibility I have towards my children keeps me going.
