Posts by outnfree

30

BEW's ..........Irrational Thoughts

by LadyBug in

jw
friends

i have been having some pretty irrational thoughts lately.. its only been 3 months since we decided it is not the "truth".

but sometimes i think we (my family) would have been better off if we had stayed inactive witnesses.

the strain affects the whole family.. sometimes it feels like my whole world has fallen apart.

outnfree

BEW,

I left in March.

I'm finding it to be an emotional roller coaster ride, also.

Leaving was liberating, the "right thing to do," certainly.

However, there definitely is a loss of that "comfort zone" of being secure in one's core beliefs, which included that the Bible was ALL God's inspired Word.

It is proving tough to reexamine everything. I was in about a 3 week depression last month. I have a feeling it is going to be a long and difficult road to figure out who I am apart from my JW identity (which was mostly a negative identity now that I think about it -- JW's don't do so many things!).

I'm sorry for you that you have family still in which makes all of this just so much more confusing and painful.

From what I've read of his posts, however, Dave is a wonderful man (and thinks you're pretty special, too) and I'm sure can help soothe you.

I have no one at home who quite understands, but I'm fortunate to know pearljan, who just began posting here and who is my sounding board much of the time.

I don't know how long you physically stuck around inside the organization after having left emotionally, but I remember that as being a very difficult thing to do...

((((((((BEW))))))))))

outnfree

63

Suggestions for baby names please

by hippikon in

jw
friends

we would like to ask you good folk ( the bad ones can play as well) for suggestions for baby names.

its getting close now and we need ideas.

we dont know the sex yet.

outnfree

Logical,

Clever pic with the "subliminal" image!

Hippikon,

I like Amy, Marietta, and Emma.

Also, Sean, Nate (Nathan or Nathaniel), and Jared.

Congratulations, btw!
and I'll miss your posts when you soon become sleep-deprived!

outnfree

2

What kind of people are JWs at all?

by paradix in

jw
friends

hi everybody.. i have read recently in several messages saying that the witness are immoral, or saying their morality is very relative.

in one of these messages somebody wrote that he didnt know a witness with real morality, just an outer skin or resemblance of that.i agree totally with this point of view.. i have suffered the worst things from people that is very active in the preaching, talking,.

and meeting comments.

outnfree

Paradix,

I have been enjoying your posts, but I think I loved this one the best so far!

The Witness organization does tend to take the humanity out of its members, slowly conditioning them to become unfeeling, unfriendly (to all but other Witnesses), unkind, and judgmental. Draining away natural affection and joy of living. That is why so many are either self-righteous (the thick-skinned) or depressed (the thin-skinned)!

All is NOT well in that "Spiritual Paradise"!

I am sorry for your hurts.

outnfree

42

Sci-Fi Fans Only: A.I.

by Maximus in

jw
friends

i hear tell there are some aficionados out there.. as a young man i secretly loved ray bradbury, isaac asimov, l. sprague decamp, poul anderson, arthur c. clarke and others.

loved brian aldiss' "super-toys last all summer.".

when the movie "2001: a space odyssey" premiered, i sneaked into a theater all by myself, and was blown away.

outnfree

Haven't seen the movie yet, but intend to.
My daughter did, and thought it excellent but sad.

Had to pop on here though and say ((((stephenw2)))) -- I was just wondering the other day where you've been?! Either you've been away or we haven't been posting to the same threads. Hope all is well with you.

outnfree

40

No More Harboring Private Ideas!

by RationalWitness in

jw
friends

just finished reading the august 1, 2001 watchtower.

the second study article is entitled how to make your advancement manifest.

well, after quoting ephesians 4:11-14, heres what paragraphs 8 and 9 advise:first, since oneness is to be observed, a mature christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned.

outnfree

mustang and metatron,

FYI, I read on another thread about the day before this one was posted that YK was going away on business.

Therefore, do not despair! We may yet hear from /You Know on this subject.

outnfree

7

Need your help for a little research!!!

by cecil in

jw
friends

i have found something interesting in the danish new world translation of the holy scriptures.

and i would like to know, how the other nw-translations render the same verse.. it's the "famous" words in jeremiah 29:10, which in the nwt's rendering usually (at least as far as i know) seem to depict and strengthen the seventy years as a period of captivity, instead of servitude under babylonian supremacy!.

english.

outnfree

Well, charles' response saves me the look around,
but will you please spell out "I love you" in Danish for me, cecil?

outnfree

7

Need your help for a little research!!!

by cecil in

jw
friends

i have found something interesting in the danish new world translation of the holy scriptures.

and i would like to know, how the other nw-translations render the same verse.. it's the "famous" words in jeremiah 29:10, which in the nwt's rendering usually (at least as far as i know) seem to depict and strengthen the seventy years as a period of captivity, instead of servitude under babylonian supremacy!.

english.

outnfree

Cecil,

Somewhere I have the NWT in French. I will have a look around for it.

Meanwhile, if you haven't already discovered this, the Jews were not in Babylon 70 years, because they went INTO captivity in 586/7 BCE, NOT 607 BCE.

If I send you the French will you spell out "I love you" in Danish for me? I know how to say it (my grandparents were Danish), but they're both dead, and I don't know how to spell it.

outnfree

11

Spiritual Food at the right time?

by aud8 in

i have another question.

i am a jw who is engaged to marry a catholic.

i have had all the talks etc from the elders and i am now 'marked' for the benefit of other young ones in the congregation i.e.

outnfree

aud8,

I am in a marriage with a Catholic spouse and just left the organization in March of this year. My oldest is 17 and I had been in the organization her entire life. I just want to add my voice here to second larc's expressed opinion that it is an awful thing to do to marry a man of another faith if you plan to raise a family together. There will be much heartache and resentment. Either you will resent him when he gets your children involved in "worldly" things, or he will resent you, when you deny him the joys and pleasures of sharing such occasions with his children and his extended family. It is very difficult. There is always tension. (Even were the two of you NOT to have children there would be SOME tension at holidays, birthdays, even others' weddings and funerals...)

Perhaps between now and next year you will realize the truth of what Kes has said as well. Your husband and yourself are both Christians, so you ARE "marrying in the Lord." However, if you believe that the Witnesses are right, and that your husband is outside the spiritual ark of salvation, what you are doing is gravely wrong.

Do you have family inside the congregation? If so, things are more complicated. But if not, why are you willing to be "marked" and put in the position of outcast?

It is, of course, entirely possible to have your religion and your husband-to-be as well. But do not fool yourself into thinking that it will lead to wedded bliss. It will be a life-long struggle that makes me sad to even contemplate. If you were my own child, I would recommend against it.

outnfree

4

Happy to be here...

by Billygoat in

i grew up in a jw home.

baptized at 16. i wasn't molested by anybody in the congregation, but i was approached by two different elders in two different congregations, wanting more than just to be my elder...ifyaknowwhatimean.... i led a double life for a few years and finally slept with a worldly boyfriend at 18. i was put on public reproof.

i was told this was to help me understand what was at risk in my life and to turn me around.

outnfree

You're "happy to be here..."

We're happy to have you!!!

I second Lisa's post -- I've been enjoying your viewpoints all over the place.

Welcome to the board, billygoat!

outnfree

5

A Quickie!

by cornish in

just to say hello to all who vsit this forum.. i would love to tell my life story sometime but there is so much to say that i dont know where to begin,but a few things about myself.. i left the borg mindset in 1995 as i would not surrender to the emotional blackmail shunning teqniques,and was told i had basically dissasociated myself,even though my last words were 'i wanted to follow god and christ not a religion' an announcement was made that i had dissassociated myself from the christian congregation,cheek,eh!.

i was born into a jw family in 1962,and most of my immediate family see me as a filthy apostate because they are indoctrinated, my hobbies are horses,ham radio and the net,.

when i have a chance i hope to post more,cheers for now

outnfree

Hi, cornish!

I've seen your posts elsewhere on the board and am delighted to see that you've jumped right in!

So nice to welcome another voice.

That slipnslidemaster sure makes some wonderfully empathetic posts, doesn't he? (<-- compliment )

outnfree