for all of those either out or on their way to the freedom exit door, do you still see traces of your old jw self that rears its ugly head?
I still have problems with guilt. I have been studying up on the origin of man, and stuff like that. When I first went to the library and checked out some books about early man, I felt so guilty. I don't trust people, I wonder what they really want from me, and it is hard to make friends. That whole being afraid to feel thing is big too.
On a good side, I love being able to question everything and learn whatever I want to.
the wtbts was able to get a foothold years ago because they offered a radical departure from traditional christianity.
they offered up an alternative view of god and the afterlife, some prophetic math, and a good kick in the pants to mainline churches.
the catholic (universal) church deserved that kick, caught asleep on the job.
So, now I read the whole thread and see other people sort of brought up what I said. When I was a child we were not allowed to call the jw a religion. It was a big no no, and a kh was never called a church. Now they do it all the time. As far as good things in the jw, I have very few good memories. My mom made two bad decisions that affected my life directly, one was becoming a jw and two was marrying the person she married. The only good thing that came out of it is the person I am today. I like me now, and I had to live through those things to get them. But I see little good in the so called way of life, religion, canned life of a jw.
the wtbts was able to get a foothold years ago because they offered a radical departure from traditional christianity.
they offered up an alternative view of god and the afterlife, some prophetic math, and a good kick in the pants to mainline churches.
the catholic (universal) church deserved that kick, caught asleep on the job.
Funny that you call it a religion. I was always told not to call it a religion. Religion was bad, jw was good. It was a way of life not a religion. Never could figure out the difference myself. It's as big a snare and a racket as they accused others of being in the past.
i was at the hospital the other day in the waiting room for about 2 hours with a friend, and i noticed only one awake magazine from 2000 in the pile of reading material.. i always thought that the watchtower was trying to "preach the good news to all the inhabited earth before the end comes".
well , they don't like the internet, which is the # 1 way to inform people, you cannot get a subscription anymore unless someone at the hall does it for you or you are still attending, probaly why i didn't see any at the hospital, or lawyers office, or doctor's office etc etc etc.. it seems to me that they are trying to limit what info gets out to the outside world, is this not contradicting all they have preached the last 50 years.. no subscriptions for anyone who might want one ?????????.
no new books, for anyone who is not a jw.. what do you think ????????.
While my washing machine was on the outs, I had to go to the local laundrymat.Lots of publishers around here start or end their time putting old mags in the laundrymat. I used to go in and take them home with me so no one else would see them. I do not see as many English mags around here. But I always see the Spanish mags at the doctors office. The locals are making a big push to get the Spanish speaking people interested. I take those home too. I rip them up and slowly throw them in the can.
.
http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2002/10/22/article_01.htm
they are now paranoid about mobile phones.
The footnote is what got me. Talking on the phone could be seen as dating. It seems they are a little paranoid that boys and girls might speak to each other. Oh Sorry! I forgot, young people don't talk, they just do everything else.
are right fess up people.
how many of us went in field service and placed literature without even opening the covers ?, let alone reading the articles.. how about following up on a return visit for a magazine you never read ?.
i have to admit, i did it many many times.. maybe we should of went into the used car business.
I did it all the time. I just said whatever they told us to in the service meeting. Read the Awake some, but the Watchtower always put me to sleep.
Pam
this is an excerpt from the article "abstaining from blood" from the following cite, provided for your comments/amusement.
he tries to answer the question why, even though jws were wrong on the organ transplant issue is not a reason to throw out the baby with the bath water.
http://www.geocities.com/rogueactivex/blood-kidd.htm.
Okay that was about as clear as mud.
We should expect change for the better among those who truly are God's people. If the Devil were behind such changes, then we should conclude that he is divided against himself. But if God's holy spirit is behind the doctrinal improvements among Jehovah's Witnesses, then for one to invoke the changes as signal of poor authority structure in our organization means that he is fighting against God.
So if God makes a change its okay, and to point out the mistake is to go against God. Why wouldn't God be divided against himself also? Please what was this guy smoking when dreamed up this?
Consider first this as respects those Jewish Christians who might have been with the apostle Peter in Antioch, and might have been emboldened by Peter's spiritually and morally bad example to draw away from socializing with uncircumcised Gentile Christians.
I guess he missed the point that no one died when Peter didn't speak to them. There is no comparison.
This was the dumbest thing I have read in a while.
Pam
last meeting i ever went to was a memorial, 6 years ago.
i remember it well, and it wasn't even my own hall.
it was so boring.
The last meeting I went to was an assembly in Lincoln, Nebraska. Don't remember much except my sister and BIL fought the whole time. That was in 1995. I have only been back to the hall for a funeral and a wedding.
Pam
i'm inactive since many years.
the last time i went in the field service was in 1996 or 1997. i'm inactive on and off since 1991. didn't go in the field service since 1997. attended maybe 40 meetings in the last 6 years.
what would happen if i decided to go back to the hall for good, and i would tell the elders i don't want you to visit me, or question me on the last 10 years or so.
They might not disfellowship you now becuase you have been away for so long. The elders told my sister that they would not do anything to me for that very reason. She turned me in for going to church. After all they do not want to bring attention to you and have people start wondering what you are up too. That might lead others to wanting to see what you got.
But I was told if I ever started going back to the hall, they would deal with me then. So no, they would not just let you come back without questions. You would have to pay the jw pentalty for living a live of your own choosing.
Pam
an observation...... recently someone asked "are we the most prolific exjw site on the net?
" from looking about and trawling around, i don't dispute that this site is the biggest, if not the most prolific.
(type in jw on a search and this site will appear) from an inactive point of view, i reckon despite the fact that there are some genuine people "hurting" here from past experiences, the majority of posts seem like some crusade against the wt and jws at whatever expense.
This is one of the few places where you can go and vent. Someone else usually has had an experience close to your own. My own sister does not see the wts the way I do. She has never experienced the shunning and anger of our mother like I have. Why? She was never baptized. Will she go back, no. But she does not have the anger that I have toward it. Yes, I have anger, and I can relate to people who have the same anger. This is where I come to feel better.
Pam
