Poor Benny! I wonder what he makes of the parable of the talents. He has convinced himself that he is still an artist.
Most of us would do anything to have that artistic talent, but he's just flushing it down the toilet for an illusion.
We're here for you, Benny, when you wake up and smell the coffee! Prince and Michael Jackson had successful, lucrative careers while being JW's.
brothers and sisters in the congregation may have an "out".. if they get disfellowshipped for asking too many questions or demanding answers seemingly disloyal there may be a medical/psychological reason.. this is a wedge to being re-instated because it is discrimination to shun people for simply being "different" when it is not their own choosing.. .
welcom to asperger's syndrome.. i have it.
my son has it.. i never knew it existed until my son started having difficulty with his teachers at school.. he wouldn't take their word or their authority for granted and he was seen as insubordinate.. .
Once again, Terry, you nailed it.
I am an "Aspie" as well, although I have, through many years of lacking a support system and having to make it on my own in the world, learned to appear almost normal socially.
In my childhood pictures, I am rarely smiling, but just standing there looking blankly into the camera, whereas my outgoing sister has a big smile and a charming pose. I was very withdrawn as a child but tended to do very well in school and have high test scores. Teachers loved me because I was abnormally quiet and made few demands.
Just a few years ago, my mom told me that my sister was "funny, outgoing, and charismatic" but that I was "standoffish." Nevertheless, I wouldn't trade places with my sister for anything.
I learned that I was an "Aspie" on JWN when Mulan posted about her son who had Asperger's. I googled it and got a description that fit me to a "T."
Thanks for sticking up for us.
lurking elders abound on jw.net.
curiousity killed the cat...but, not them!.
they come to sniff out the forbidden zone and indulge themselves as covert peeping toms.. they survey the damage by peeking in on us--their victims!.
Wow, Terry! You are so full of truth. I'm glad you're sharing it with us and with "them." Bless you for this post.
My two grandfathers were both country preachers in east Tennessee. Well, it beats coal mining. I must say, though, both of them were sincere, good, honest men who walked the walk and were pretty open-minded given their level of education and isolation from the rest of society.
If the Dalai Lama is a preacher, he is probably my current favorite.
maybe born-ins are, because we converts made the choice whereas the born-ins did not.
or are the converts more likely to because of thought patterns developed outside the cult?
i'd like to know what you think..
As a convert from a non-JW family, I know it was easier for me than for many born-ins whose whole family are JW's.
At about the age of 27, I realized I was very unhappy. I started going back in time to figure out what had led me to the situation I had gotten myself into. It went back to my trying always to escape my family. Being away from my family was one of the rewards of becoming a JW when I was 15. At the beginning, being a JW actually opened my world and gave me broader experience, but, as time went on, I realized it was holding me back.
I don't know if one group (born-ins vs. converts is more likely to get out, but I am certain that it's easier for converts.
sorry i have been m.i.a lately...life got very busy for me.. this morning i woke up at 5:30 and couldn't get back to sleep because i was having many thoughts running through my head.
my grandma shunning me, what it was like for me as a jw and i remembered something that i thought i would share.
guess i'm needing some group therapy today :).
You're probably not the only one to have experienced this kind of emotional confusion. It is normal to feel that way, I am sure, when you are brainwashed but your authentic, real self knows better. In the Russian novel A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, Ivan at one point starts to question whether his whole life has been a lie. Lucky for you, you were like Ivan.
http://en.ria.ru/russia/20130408/180515407.htm.
rostov-on-don, april 8 (ria novosti) prosecutors in the southern russian city of taganrog have charged 16 jehovah's witnesses with taking part in the activities of an extremist organization after they allegedly resurrected the banned local branch of the international religious organization.. according to investigators, the religious groups followers continued to hold regular meetings after their local branch was banned in the city in 2009. at the meetings, they allegedly incited hatred against other religions, circulated extremist literature and called for military draft dodging.. the suspects also attempted to involve children in their activities and collected money for the organization, the prosecutors said in a statement.. the case materials will be sent to the taganrog city court after the suspects are informed of the charges, the statement said.. the jehovah's witnesses organization, which has more than seven million followers worldwide, including over 130,000 in russia, has been banned in a number of russian regions and in some former soviet republics over its religious beliefs.. the jehovah's witnesses branch in the russian capital was dissolved by a district court ruling in 2004, but the european court of human rights declared the decision illegal in 2010.. .
Sadly, the reasons/allegations given for banning the JW's are all true. But, according to human rights advocates, the JW's have a "right" to their religious form of oppression and falsehood.
i am mostly a lurker here..i check this website everyday.
my husband and i left the religion 3 years ago.
all my family were active jws when we left, but that is all changing now.
Congratulations! It is wonderful to have your family with you as you exit. Best wishes to all of you in your new life of freedom.
how do you deal with them?
from experiencing falsely based family accusations.
commitee meetings (old term).
Once I told a co-worker that every time I go back home to visit, I have nightmares about my sperm donor. He was brutal.
She offered a wonderful and funny suggestion. She told me that when he appears in my dreams, dress him in a little pink tutu, pink ballet slippers, and have him dance around holding a little ruffled umbrella.
I haven't, for some reason, quite got to the point of placing him in that ridiculous costume, but the last couple of times I have dreamed about him, I have taken charge. In one dream, I got out my cell 'phone and called 911. In another, I found the car keys and got my daughter and granddaughter out of the house.
There is a tribe somewhere (Phillippines?) we learned about in Psychology class that makes an effort to bring back the bad things in their dreams and overcome them. I think it's a great idea!
I have had dreams that I was back with my JW ex as well, probably out of pity. But I haven't dreamed of him for a very, very long time.
Hang in there!
i'm curious, as where i reside there's about to be a major brouhaha over the tax exempt status of a major player in this area.
reading and hearing the arguments from both sides conjured thoughts about the tax exempt status of religions and the arguments associated with that issue.
a significant portion of the arguments related to that issue center around how a tax exempt organization benefits it's community.
I think some suicides have been prevented by the Watchtower.
Many suicides have been caused by the WT society's policies and cruel representatives.
