the reason that i am a little afraid is that four out of my five grown children are still jws and if they knew that i was on here.....well nothing would change, would it, they don't speak to me now.
ok, i talked myself out of being afraid.
lol .
Welcome, YdidI. I, too, like the name you've chosen!
I'm so sorry about your family. I suffered about 10 years of being separated from my daughter when she was a child because her JW dad was using her to punish me. She's not a JW anymore, recently graduated from college, and calls me when she is happy, sad, or needs to discuss anything. She loves her dad and keeps in touch, but wants no part of his religion, so things can change.
Looking forward to more of your story,
SandraC
ok i'm waiting for the p.o.
for our study .. at exactly noon the phone rings,, it's the p.o.
he said he got the wrong address i said no problem you are 2 doors down i,ll come out and get you.... oh no i don't want to talk to you only your brother... ok i'll leave the house for an hour.
Hey, johnny! The next time you prepare a feast for some ungrateful overindulged religious bureaucrat, invite the rest of us over. I have a food consumption ministry for such occasions!
Enjoy all of those leftovers. Maybe you can donate them to the local homeless shelter...
Regards,
SandraC
what signs did you give, when you started drifting away?
were you able to tell who was slowly drifting away in you congregation just by their attitude?edited by - jh on 19 january 2003 19:18:56.
It was tough for me. I was married to an elder. I had severe depression, could not concentrate. I decided to take some college classes (This was in the 1970's, but after 1975; so I thought we could do what we liked since we were in the New Order). My husband badgered me constantly. I was a target of sarcastic comments because of deciding to pursue education. I asked for a small piece of my life to live for myself -- a HUGE no-no!
I plotted my escape like a convict. A fading-JW friend and a recently faded-JW friend helped me. I moved far away so they couldn't come looking for me and get me back in the dark doldrums again. I got a nasty letter from a "sister" I thought I was close to, who I thought was my friend, telling me what an awful thing I'd done. I had not committed adultery, sodomy, pedophilia, theft, or any other sin except "selfishness." I was accused of being "selfish." My "worldly" friends told me "Well, it's about time!" But I digress.
The deeply depressed sister who is dragged to the meetings by her husband and goes through the motions like a robot (even to a greater extent than most other JW's anyway) is a good candidate to fade.
Happy now, more selfish than ever, and loving it,
SandraC
hi brothers and sisters.
i'm a circuit overseer.. i have opened a page for all to see.. http://www.dbhome.dk/carlo/co.html.
tell me what you think.. carlo.
Greetings, Bro Carlo. I'm confused. I thought JW's were supposed to refer people to the official WT site. Why are you spending all of this time on the web when you should be going door to door, preparing for meetings, calling on inactive ones, and a host of other Society Man busy work?
You need not answer. After all, I will never understand the "deeper things" of God, and am capable of only limited "progress" in "The Trooth" because I am only a female.
In any case, welcome to the forum. Should you continue to post here, it certainly will provide us a rare opportunity to see things from the perspective of one consider spiritually mature by Watchtower criteria.
Regards,
SandraC
i believe as witnesses we lie to our children and have our children lie to themselves.
the biggest example is that "i don't miss celebrating xmas because i get gifts all year long.
" or "i don't have birthday parties because i can have a party whenever i want for no reason at all.
That's wonderful news! I like to see kids enjoy normal activities. Everyone needs to be the center of attention once in a while.
Have a great time!
SandraC
wanted to do this to remember why i want to be here......i'd also like to know some of your likes....if you care to share..... 1. rainstorms.
2. black kittens with yellow eyes.
3. wind chimes.
Hi, April. I'm so glad for this post. Thanks for the smiles in looking at those lists. I have been thinking about you because you seemed to be struggling with some problems the last time you posted. I hope things are getting better.
Keep in touch from time to time. If you need an encouraging word, please let us know.
i would suspect there are very few posters on this forum who would not agree the wbts has been less than honest about numerous issues and have used manipulation and distortion of facts for it's own aggrandizement.
but do you ever think some of the posters on this board employ the some of the same tactics to characterize the 'borg' in a less than completely honest light?
what do you think?
Thanks, MY and Al for your appreciation. Yes, MY, there is lots of room in this boat, but the waters get rough and fellow rowers get testy, but it's all worth it when we discover new vistas beyond what we could have imagined. Grab an oar and hop in!
My daughter recently graduated from university (YAY!) On her graduation announcements was the quotation that goes something like "To discover new lands, one must risk losing sight of the shore." Another quotation I saw on a poster once was, "A ship is safe sitting in the harbor, but that is not what ships were built for."
Regards,
SandraC
a couple of months ago, i wrote asking this forum for information about the episcopalians.
many of you answered and i was intrigued by your replies.
i was finally able to attend a service today and enjoyed it very much.
Thanks for the report, robdar. Yes, you can be a member of the Episcopal Church (and many other churches) and still have doubts, gaps in understanding, and unanswerable questions -- making for lively discussions and honest debate.
Every Episcopal Church I have been associated with has a food program. The one I now attend (though only occasionally) has an outreach to babies, providing a handmade blanket or quilt and a layette for newborns of low-income parents.
On another note, I would not be a member of any church that still regards women as second-class citizens, unworthy of being clergy or holding office.
Regards,
SandraC
i'll try to keep this simple.
how do you tell your nine year old daughter who is your reason for living and who thinks the sun rises and sets with her daddy.
that you know longer want to go to the meetings anymore.
xjw's "semi-witness" idea is a good one. belbab offered some sound strategy, too. In your situation, I think I would reassure my child often that I love her no matter what. I would tell her that grown-ups have a lot of things to keep them busy -- earning a living, learning new skills to stay employed, helping elderly relatives, home and car maintenance, and, most importantly, caring for their children and immediate family, making it difficult to do everything asked of an average JW.
It might be useful to say you feel too tired and overworked to do more than you do right now. Leave the door open. Tell her you have to take care of yourself so you can take care of her and meet your other responsibilities and commitments. She will remember what you do and the happiness or other emotion associated with it much more than what you say. If she feels acceptance and love and happy times with you, this will live on. A long philosophical explanation won't be needed.
Thank you for putting your child's interests first.
Best regards,
SandraC
i would suspect there are very few posters on this forum who would not agree the wbts has been less than honest about numerous issues and have used manipulation and distortion of facts for it's own aggrandizement.
but do you ever think some of the posters on this board employ the some of the same tactics to characterize the 'borg' in a less than completely honest light?
what do you think?
AlanF is right on target, to no one's surprise.
There was a time when I believed there were pat, cut-and-dried answers "out there." So I found people who claimed to have those answers. At the time I became an active JW, being a part of this tightly knit group actually gave me the illusion of acceptance and even opened up the world to me a bit. There will always be such people, ripe for the picking of whatever spiritual charlatan or counterfeit Messiah who comes along at the right time.
As AlanF said, don't be so hard on yourself, MYOHNSEPH. This individual you are trying to help is seeking his own level at this phase in his life. He will grow and move on in his own good time or he will be indoctrinated with snippets of truth mixed with lots of weirdness and intimidated by fear of loss of his/her feeling of security and acceptance and stay put -- his/her choice.
Now happy to rock in the pleasant boat of uncertainty and infinite possibility,
SandraC
