Posts by MarkofCane

53

Finally posting and I'm FRUSTRATED!!!

by stephanie61092 in

okay, i'm about to engage in a major word vomit.

just giving you fair warning as your time may be better spent somewhere else.. so, i'm sitting on my lunch break, bawling my eyes out, and writing on this forum to people i don't know yet probably have a great deal in common with but at the same time, used to scare the daylights out of me.

for years, i would come across this forum and 'lurk' awhile if you will, or see things on youtube.

MarkofCane

Hi stephanie61092

There are so many new ones coming to this site, You need to ask yourself why? Your story resonates in so many of us here. The best advice I can give you is to take a break from it all, give your self time to heal. It was very difficult for me to wrap my mind around everything all at once and I should of seen a therapist. I think of all this stuff when I go to bed and when I wake up. I come here because I have no one else that I can relate too and talk honestly with. Funny thing is their are a lot of people around me but I'm really all alone. Welcome to this forum take your time and think things through. There is no need to rush into another belief system just breath.

MC

20

My Story

by Freeandclear in

just thought i'd introduce myself and share my story.

up front, i'm not bitter.

okay now that that's out the way..... i first heard "the truth" when i was about 14 years old from a friends mom who was studying.

MarkofCane

Good story thanks for your candor, I always felt the same way and even said the exact same words "I mean, if he's almighty and he really wanted us to know how to worship him WE WOULD FREAKING KNOW. It's really that simple to me."

"Period". Right......He created everything from nothing. Yet, can't communicate with his creation except through a ancient manuscript that was dictated to uneducated sheep herders? Now thousands of years later we have to believe that some select few have deciphered the code and can lead us to eternal happiness?

So, first we have to be born in the right part of the world to be Christians, then find the right sect that hold the correct understanding of this ancient manuscript out of at least 40 thousand different christian denominations. Yet, if the stars didn't line up in this order for you GOD would find you unworthy. Sorry about the rant, give yourself time to heal and think. It really becomes quite clear when you look at it from the outside looking in.

MC

38

Who can you trust to admit you have doubts?

by MrMonroe in

(that is, doubts).

in margaret atwood's "the handmaid's tale", a futuristic story of life inside a repressive, abusive big brother-style society tightly controlled by religious fundamentalists, there's a passage in which the protagonist is alone with another woman at a state-controlled centre where prayers are generated -- then printed out and read out -- by a machine.

the other woman asks, in barely more than a whisper, "do you think god listens to these machines?

MarkofCane

Nice post, I agree with careful. " Their minds just were not strong enough to fully face the facts".

I would never try and shake older friends from there sleep. I tried talking to my in laws about some doubts I had early on and found it impossible; first their fanatics and second they have nothing else to live for. They devoted there whole lives to this faith, they breath it, live it and declare it to anyone that will listen. If you take this from them you just kill them. My mom falls in this same category I would rather let her believe what she need to believe and let her have peace in what time she has left. Trying to wake her up would be devastating.

MC

29

I was ashamed

by Happeanna in

jw
friends

i was once a person who believed in god destroying 7 billion people so a few people could live in paradise.. when the penny finally dropped and i realised what as a jehovah's witnesses i was really praying for , it made me feel sick.

what is attractive about a person that prays for this world to end .

i was ashamed to have been a witness deeply ashamed .

MarkofCane

When I was first waking up I told my wife Its a "death cult", we pray everyday for the destruction of 7 billion people, she didn't take it well would not recommend that tactic. Yesterday she drove with me to look at a job out of town we had time to talk by ourselves, we talked for hrs about the organization and all my doubts, I said you know we pray for the destruction of this old system, what do you think that means for all the people on earth? Women, innocent children, babies? She looked at me and said " sounds awful doesn't it ". Need to keep chipping away.

MC

27

You Are Unsuitable!

by Divergent in

jw
friends

today's text -.

sunday, january 24. they collected the fine ones into containers, but the unsuitable they threw away.—matt.

13:48.. understanding the lesson of this illustration helps us to avoid being overly distraught or disappointed if a bible student or one of our children does not make the truth his own.

MarkofCane

So if your not consuming the kool aid your considered walking dead.

42

A sincere message to those from the organisation monitoring my posts....

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

so, i know there are some from my congregation or from bethel who monitor my posts..... maybe you're looking for something to catch me out?.

just a question: rather than trying to find fault with me, have you stopped and looked into the issues or facts about the organisation that caused me to come to a place like this forum??.

facts are there for anyone to find nowadays....one just has to be willing to pull their head out of the sand.....

MarkofCane

Don't want to make light of this and I hope Stuck get's through this with little effect as possible. I would like to say to any of the Elders from my congregation who I will see at my Sunday meeting (because of family). If your wondering if I'm on this site and your looking for me, here's a clue. I will be wearing a very sweet scent called…… "freedom".

When you look into my eyes don’t confuse it with anger its disappointment, sadness that I hold for you because of the lost friendship we had and the words we can't candidly share. When I speak to you what you hear is not resentment but cautiousness because you subjugated your mind to a concept that you cannot question. I so wish it didn't have to be this way and I never thought I would be on this side of the table. I plead to you to look honestly at your loyalty. Is it really to God or is it to an Organization. It’s not the same no matter what the organization tells you. As was mentioned on this tread misguided men brought misery to ancient Israel, a nation suffered due to its leaders. Why than is it impossible for history to repeat itself again? Was it not you who taught us the Bible was written for our benefit so we would not repeat the same mistakes again?

Listen for the sound of the genuine in yourself or spend your days on the ends of strings that somebody else pulls.

MC

28

There are some real beauties posted here!

by stillin in

jw
friends

this one is worth repeating.

it was buried in a thread and u've been thinking about it all day.. a quote from mark twain, one of my all-time heroes.. "it's easier to fool a man than it is to convince him that he has been fooled.".

isn't that the truth....

MarkofCane

"If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd have taken better care of myself "

Mickey Mantle

I can relate to this one especially, I remember always saying "Oh, don't worry about it were going to be made new again." Now I use sunscreen everyday. Haha

MC

28

There are some real beauties posted here!

by stillin in

jw
friends

this one is worth repeating.

it was buried in a thread and u've been thinking about it all day.. a quote from mark twain, one of my all-time heroes.. "it's easier to fool a man than it is to convince him that he has been fooled.".

isn't that the truth....

MarkofCane

Life was a funny thing that happened to me on the way to the grave.

39

How do you feel about the expression "The Truth"?

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

it's amazing how the expression "the truth" has become such an ingrained term used by witnesses.. "we have 'the truth'".

"is he 'in the truth'?".

most here have found out so many facts about the organisation, and felt the effects of being "gut-punched" as we realised these facts.. so how do you feel about the expression "the truth" now?.

MarkofCane

My last post should of read: "Theocratic warfare", Darn spell check.

13

Just realized this recently - as a JW, I never "owned" any of my accomplishments or talents & abilities....

by Muddy Waters in

just realized this recently - as a jw, i never "owned" any of my accomplishments or talents & abilities....we were always told how we are nothing, just specks of dust, grasshoppers, worms.... lowly, despicable sinners in need of redemption, born into sin & misery, constantly facing temptations that we could never handle on our own but only with "jehovah's help"... so we were continually marginalized, all our abilities and talents... they would even quote scriptures that said things like "why should we boast as if we didn't receive these abilities..?

"it was a weird mentally psychotic dichotomy -- being told we were worthless sinners, undeserving of god's kindness -- and on the other hand being the only ones who would survive the great day of jehovah the almighty god at armageddon.

(well, probably, maybe, if we did enough and *kept* doing enough...)so we didn't "own" any of our abilities and accomplishments.

MarkofCane

Great post Muddy waters, we lived our life as a rehearsal for the real life, everything postponed nothing mattered. It felt like we were in a theatrical performance played out for the angels to behold, everything in our life was scrutinized and guilt was our companion. All that dissolved when I realized it was all just propaganda to subjugate are minds.

It’s funny I really don’t have time to be here but I can’t resist a good post, now back to work.

MC