I know exactly what you mean.. you want to scream and shout and tell them how deluded they are but know if you did that, that would be the end of it. Maybe that's why it's so hard to sit there and stomach it all (on the days you decide to go). You sit there and wonder if you're the only one who feels this way. Even if family and friends have an inkling of how you feel they have difficulty understanding it and even if they are well on the way to waking up themselves they still either feel guilty or still believe it's the 'truth' despite all the bad stuff they see in the congregation. You feel so desperate to get them out but know it's a go slow process, two steps forward, one step back. And then they shut down and don't want to hear anymore as the CD kicks in. It's a terribly lonely place to be!
tornapart
JoinedPosts by tornapart
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19
Alone
by Deleteandrestart insince i woke up one year ago , i've been doing a somewhat controlled fade , the experience i've had has been a very solitary one , i don't mean by not seeing anyone i know because i know hundreds in several congregations and i was an elder .
but just coming to terms with the fact that this was no longer the solution to life's problems, that i'd wasted so much time, that as i sat in the kh and heard everyone comment, my heart was no longer in it , i no longer fitted in ..... i felt that they were in the congregation all under the spell or some form of hypnosis from the wtbts,.
it was like for the first time in my experience at the kh , that i was the only one to see what was actually going on , the indoctrination, the guilt tripping, i could see it all as clear as day , and yet i had as it where a metal gag over my mouth, i couldn't speak to anyone about it for fear of them turning me into the spiritual police.
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Faith, where now?
by Theburstbubble inso for the first time ever i went to a church service at my local church (coe) and i have to say it was awful!
it was just like a ritual.
the vicar would say something and then the congregation would all say a phrase in unison back to him.
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tornapart
I don't find God in a building.. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that there didn't have to be a 'place' to worship God, people would worship in spirit and truth. He railed against the organised religion of his day and told the people that there were only 2 commandments to keep, to love God and love their neighbour (and the good Samaritan parable showed it was everyone). Go outside and enjoy the nature there, take your bible, read some of Jesus words and pray. You will soon find that he isn't in a church or a KH... he's right there with you. -
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Since leaving WTTS have you joined a new church or just continue with the new beliefs you have discovered under no religion?
by AmIright inshare your thoughts ?
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tornapart
Don't want to have anything to do with any religion ever again. Who knows if it would be out of the frying pan and into the fire. I still have a faith in God but not sure what to believe anymore beyond that. I try and enjoy life and be a good person and kind to others. I love nature and I feel closer to God out there than I ever would in a KH or a church. -
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I need food for thought..
by raven inhi friends,it has been 20 years that i've slaved for the wt and through out the past couple of years i could feel myself fighting an urge to accept that something was not right.
i fought it off for so long only for it to resurface frequently throughout my years of pioneering, assembly/convention parts, & speaking with people about the "truth", slaving and giving to try to be a "spiritual person" but in reality i was not spiritual because spirituality (according to the org) is doing all of the things they want you to do.
which then will label you as spiritual... no !!!
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tornapart
Hi raven... I would endorse what oppostate said about reading Ray Franz book 'In Search of Christian Freedom'. I've also read books by Philip Yancy, a christian writer who became atheist for a time after coming from a fundamentalist church. He found his own spiritual freedom. I've also read a book about buddhism and how it's values can be drawn on by a christian (the writer is christian himself but married to a buddhist). Also, read the New Testament in other translations like the NIV, without referring to any other publications. It's amazing the difference it makes.
Also, just going out and enjoying the nature is a very spiritual experience whether one is a believer in God or not.
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23
Drifting what i've feared has started already...
by pale.emperor inim in the process of drifting out.
my entire family are jw's.
my wife and her family are too.
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tornapart
Same here Pale emperor. I've been fading for a few years now and only just recently became inactive. Hubby's an elder. However, I don't feel I owe anybody an explanation as to why I don't do certain things. If I'm asked for my report I just say I haven't got one. If I'm asked why I don't go to the meetings I just say I don't want to. It's a free country, I'm a free human being with free choices that God gave me. No one can make do anything I no longer want to do. I haven't lost my family, possibly because I've taken it slowly and they can see where I'm coming from, even if they don't agree with me. All it takes is to be quietly assertive.
Also, whatever you do, don't accept a shepherding visit. Say you'd rather not talk to anyone. No explanations, just say no thanks.
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NEW BLOOD CARD w/ FORCED COMPLIANCE also LEGALISM
by apocalypse ini have looked around and i don't see this covered, so i am starting a thread.. 1) the new "blood card" goes beyond being just a "blood card".. 2) a new edict concerning compliance.. pay attention to the changes.. first, the new card is termed "advance decision to refuse specified medical treatment".
the big change with the card itself is that it includes an 'override' of your "power of attorney".
this is huge.
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tornapart
Just don't sign it... END OF!
I don't see what the issue is. I'm inactive now, don't go to many meetings. There's no way I will sign this document. If they ask me I'm just going to tell them I don't want to sign it. I'm a grown woman.. nobody can make me.
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Very Weird Experience During Recent Special Talk After Memorial
by Tenacious inhesitantly i attended this talk with my family and sat through it without batting an eye.. mentally i take myself out during the entire meeting some would describe this as daydreaming or zoning out.
whatever the case may be, for some reason this particular speaker, whom i know of but not personally, got my attention the way he would say certain phrases.
he cited some texts that directly advised the audience that faith in christ was the only way to salvation.
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tornapart
Love that tenacious... it reminds me of a poster on here several years (name of little toe) ago who gave a talk and made the whole thing point to Jesus. At the end he handed in his resignation (from the platform). It has been recorded for posterity. It's well worth finding and listening to if you can! -
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Last night's talk re sisters wearing head covering, puke making!
by purrpurr indear sisters,.
when you are fortunate enough to be in the presence of a jw penis you must take care to show the proper respect for it!
doesn't matter if said penis is prepubescent!
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tornapart
Where's Outlaw with his images? :D -
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Are You Raising An Introvert?
by darth frosty inits not easy being an introvert in an extrovert worldespecially when youre a kid.
it is even more difficult if none of the adults in the kids life recognize that the child is an introvert.
this doesnt happen only when the childs parents are extroverts, but also with introverted parents who have never understood their own introverted nature.. .
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tornapart
darth frosty, I love this thread, thanks for starting it! I find my introversion is getting worse the older I get. It's very hard being an introvert, especially in Jdub land when everyone wants you to do extrovert stuff (like knock on strangers doors and going to assemblies). It's so refreshing not to have to do all those things now, that go against my natural personality. Everything you've posted on here I can relate to. Wonder how many on this board are introverts? I reckon the percentage could be quite high.
Anyway.. great thread!!
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New K.Hall Design, Mansfield
by BluesBrother innot mansfield u k , but mansfield in u s a - it doesn't look much, does it?
in fact even the uber dubs on j w talk are not impressed (that must be a first!
this thread of theirs is publicly readable:.
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tornapart
Seems to me like they all want to say what they REALLY think... it's horrid, it's ugly, can't believe anybody designed this, it looks like a factory, it looks like a warehouse'.... but they're all afraid to say it. Anyone who dares say it, covers it with a 'oh but I'm sure it'll look lovely when it's finished, jehovah's behind it all so let's support the organisation'. At least one had enough guts to stick the Walmart sign on... lol