Posts by Mum

25

Happiness/unhappiness

by lostinthought in

jw
friends

i was told by a family member the other day "if you want to leave jehovah, go ahead.

but don't think you'll ever be happy.

all the people i know who have left got burned by the world and they come back to the truth".

I take responsibility for my own happiness. I know that no one else can "make" me happy. Being able to make my own decisions, look at situations and determine what's wrong, if anything, working toward goals that I set for myself - all of these things make me happy.

As someone else said, I didn't know how unhappy I was as a dub. I was like the fly that lived in the vinegar jar, thinking it was the sweetest place in the world. Now I've tasted the honey, so to speak, and life is much sweeter.

Is everything perfect? No. Have I done everything I want to do in life? No. We have to accept the fact that there are some things we have no control over.

I am lucky that I have a non-JW family, so I actually got my family back instead of losing them!

4

Spiritually divided and the pain of it all...

by marriedtoajw in

jw
friends

for those of you who still have faith in god and feel a need to worship him, i sincerely hope you have more peace than i feel.

peace with my spiritual division with my wife continues to escape me.

i really need someone to talk to to help me figure this out but my work schedule allows for so little time so i come here.

Mum

It's sad to see families messed up by this high control cult.

If you don't have money for counseling, I recommend that you try Al-Anon. Al-Anon is for families and friends of alcoholics, but it can help restore serenity to anyone in a situation which they have little or no control over. Members of Al-Anon follow a 12-step program and learn what they do and do not have the ability to change. I hope you will give it a try.

One advantage that you have is that you are the man of the house, therefore "the head" of the household. If your wife is neglecting you, complain to the elders of her congregation, and see whose side they take. Make plans for meeting nights, and tell her you'll talk to the elders about "allowing" her to spend some time with you instead of going to a useless meeting.

I hope things improve for you.

36

WTS in trouble in Denmark

by zed is dead in

jw
friends

http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/andre_sprog/english/2013/07/25/132435.htm.

zed.

Mum

They lambast us, but we are "persecuting" them? That argument is so weak it can't stand up. Is that any way to talk about the "mentally diseased" anyway. Don't the mentally ill have some protection under the law?

59

In 12 Lines or Less: GIVE US YOUR AUTOBIOGRAPHY POETICALLY

by Terry in

jw
friends

autobiography.

forever began at the day of my birth, but, it turns out that it was a lie,.

i am who i am when nobody's watching, then nothing is there to deny.. .

Mum

Mom was 16, Dad was narcissistic

Grandma and grandpa took me in,

I was handicapped, they altruistic,

Went to Holiness church to fight sin.

Was withdrawn, had a charming sister,

Who was lively, and baby brother so cute,

But I was the lucky one, I'm tellin' ya, mister,

"Cause I did'nt live with a brute.

Dad's boss was a dub and persuaded me,

Kept at it for 17 years, 'til I was 32,

Got mentally ill, knew I must be free,

Left my elder husband, got a degree! Wouldn't you?

44

WT destroying old literature

by startingover in

i was approached by an elder about a year ago asking what i am going to do with my large collection of wt literature.

he told me the society had put word out that they were collecting old literature.

i asked him why but he couldn't give me a definite answer.

Mum

In the '80's I saw Joan Cetnar on The John Ankerberg Show. She and her late husband, Bill, were apostates before it was cool. She stated that she and Bill kinew of old literature being burned. As someone else pointed out, they can burn all they want, but somebody somewhere has every piece of it.

9

JWs Just Don't Want To Think....

by minimus in

jw
friends

they don't want to think about their past, present or future.. they ignore any obvious weakness in "the truth".. they won't question their leader's viewpoints.. they will follow what the governing body (the faithful & discreet slave) says even if they flipflop a hundred times.. it's embarrassing to see millions of people refuse to think.. the only silver lining is that many of us were just like the witnesses of today.

there is hope!.

Mum

What is saddest of all is that they have a false consciousness (a term I borrowed from Karl Marx ) about life and everything in it. Their whole life is a lie, and they are afraid to consider the reality of that fact.

I think of them every day and feel sad that people who could be free choose to live in slavery and poverty.

11

How About Some Old Time aRockan' Roll

by slipnslidemaster in

i admit it.

usually when i'm drunk and/or bored.. but.... this one thread just caught my eye and i would love for all of you jw wonks/historians to post more information regarding it.. it's called "everything you always wanted to know about shunning, excommunication and disfellowship practice".

surely a wonderful thread all on it's own but there is a gem inside of the thread that got me to a'wondering:.

Mum

slipnslidemaster, were you one of the posters on H2O? I think I remember you from that old forum. Glad to see you here.

33

First post

by EastCoastMindFree in

jw
friends

i have been on this site lurking for over 2 years and this is my first post, i feel so bottled with emotion that i have to let it out somehow so i do not have an emotional breakdown!

i was raised in the organization and am married with 2 children ages 4 and 2. my wife and i have been inactive for about 2 years and i have always had hard questions that were never answered growing up, such as blood policy and how david and his men were allowed to eat from the bread reserved for the high priests without death penalty since it was life or death.

carbon dating on human remains/tools that date back 30-40k years, far surpassing the 6k year man creation date, the double standards and very real "human" aspect on the organization and its decisions and history.

Mum

Welcome! You're fading successfully, or so it seems. You need to let go of those negative emotions. Many will recommend that you read Steve Hassan's book Combatting Cult Mind Control, and I endorse this book also, although I have never read it.

A book that helped me wake up and deal with my emotions was Dr. Wayne Dyer's first book, Your Erroneous Zones. His strategies for dealing with anger, stress, manipulation, etc. are simple and effective. Your thought patterns will change, and you will be a much healthier person.

Can you move to another state or another town? This strategy helped me make my exit much more easily as well.

If you need someone to talk to, call a priest, rabbi or minister. These individuals have the ability to answer questions about Biblical subjects, as they have studied at a high level.

If you just need to vent, we're here for you.

I have spoken with a young man in my area who has recently quit. He is registered on this forum but rarely posts. PM me, and I will tell you how to contact him.

55

Being pressured and getting increasingly stressed.

by NBird in

hello, i'm a 17 year old born in and i'm done with this religion.

one hundred percent.

i came to the conclusion a year ago that i wanted to leave.

Mum

Don't get baptized.

Dont get baptized.

I can't say it enough: Don't get baptized.

Remember that whatever decisions you make now have consequences you will have to live with the rest of your life. Getting baptized is the equivalent of giving a lot of people sticks to beat you with if you choose to live your life your way.

Don't let words like "selfish," or "spiritually weak" make you feel bad. Those are words used to manipulate you, not improve or uplift you.

You are very young, but very wise so far. Take everything slowly. Do what your parents tell you in good conscience and remind yourself, "This, too, shall pass." It will pass, you will have your own income, be able to live on your own, and be responsible for yourself and your feelings, not anyone else's.

Best wishes.

61

Every so often I receive a very uncomplimentary email thru my website from a JW. Want to read it?

by AndersonsInfo in

jw
friends

their email address is: xxxxx.

and their message is:.

you probably would say, 'i didn't abandon him, i can still serve him on my own.

Mum

I must say that this person, for all of the fallacies in his/her arguments, is an above average dub. I see only one spelling error in the entire text, and the sentence structure is grammatically correct.

Do you answer these e-mails, Barbara?

You probably don't remember me, Barbara, but you and your husband sat at the same table as my daughter and I for dinner at the Silentlambs march in 2002. It was my daughter's 30th birthday. I'm from Tennessee, and we talked about people we might both know.