Posts by tornapart

it's easy to think of exjws as being a single amorphous group but the more i think about it, the more i believe that there are two distinct sub-groups and wonder if you agree.. there are those who believe and those who don't.

i know that seems obvious but let's break it down a bit more.

there are those who don't and never believed and some who are looking for a religion to match their beliefs.. i used to think this split would be between born-ins and converts but of course it's possible for born-ins to be believers although i suspect that many, like with other faiths, do so simply because they have never experienced anything else or made a conscious choice.

tornapart

I'm not sure what 'path' I'm on really. I'm a born-in who woke up rather late in life and consider myself still a believer. Having said that I also am coming to believe in evolution too, except I'm not an atheist. I guess I have similar beliefs to Francis Collins. I have no desire for any other religion to take the place of the one I've left, I just want to be left in peace to get on with my life, enjoy it, take on board what others believe and weigh up whether it makes sense to me or not. If it doesn't I discard it, if it does I think about it some more. I've taken on board some buddhist (secular) ideas... I very much enjoyed the book 'without buddha I could not be a christian'. There is a certain amount of agnostism in me too, in that there are many questions that just can't be answered. However I take pleasure in the thought that 'it's better to have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned'. For me that about sums it up.

12

Aussie exJW Comedienne on BBC (Limited Time)

by berrygerry in

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05r3srd.

deborah frances-white - online.. .

spot on - and funny..

tornapart

That was hilarious! Thanks for posting berrygerry (and 88JM). Something like this with all that humour is far more effective in seeing through the ridiculousness of it all than anything I've read or heard before!

32

Are the anointed really "lovely people"?

by purrpurr in

i've personally never met any of those who claim to be anointed but the other jw's who have are always unanimous in their praise of how lovely and what wonderful people they are.

and i don't mean the gb i mean common or garden anointed.

i was told that when they speak about being in heaven that they almost "seem to glow".. is this right?

tornapart

I knew five when I was younger, one man and four women. Three of the women were scary dragons (from a child's perspective). The other woman and the man were real sweethearts, kind and gentle and everyone loved them. So I guess they were no different from anyone else. Some good and kind. Some to be avoided at all costs.

36

Gorby says goodbye

by Gorbatchov in

jw
friends

my eyes for ttatt opened in 1995 with the generation change and the wt magazine stated "some witness thought that the generation started in 1914".

since 1997, with internet at low speed, i followed h2o hourglass, www.xjw.com and later on www.jehovahs-witness.net.. did a bachelor and post bachelor since then.. now, nearly completed with fading, i feel it's time to go on with my life and do some other things, spending more time with my wife abd children instead of thinking about jw topics in my head.

goal is being a better person and less grumpy at 45.... everything what could be said is already said.

tornapart

Oh Gorby! I know what you're saying and I know it's good that you're moving on but I have to say you're one of my favourite posters so I'm going to miss you! Wishing you and your family happy times ahead and hope that you'll drop by now and then!

33

I'm still on my JWN holidays but had to pop back to share this experience.

by nicolaou in

i'm a postman with the royal mail and was assigned to train a new starter yesterday.

my line manager introduces me to 'dave', within seconds my jw radar was on maximum!

in his mid to late 30's, politely spoken and with that haircut - i just knew it.. the post he'd applied for was saturdays only, he said he did a lot of volunteer work.

tornapart

You're a nice guy Nic :) It'll be interesting to see how it goes between you...

27

Programme for UK branch visit

by Saltheart Foamfollower in

i've seen this weekend's uk branch visit mentioned a few times.

for those who are interested, here is the programme:-.

1:00 pm song 63 & prayer - p. gillies.

tornapart

Hubby's just gone... and I'm home relaxing...

19

Alone

by Deleteandrestart in

since 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.

tornapart

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!

36

Faith, where now?

by Theburstbubble in

so 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.

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.