Posts by wisdomfrombelow

4

Friends of All Sorts....

by wisdomfrombelow in

when i hear people say that you can't keep your jw friends when you leave i can understand why they say that.

however, i can also see how that is a generalization.

i remember my life growing up as a jw and having good friends who were jewish and catholic and protestant and buddhist and hindu and muslim and atheists.

wisdomfrombelow

I am glad that I had a diversity of friends growing up because of school and that had helped me be tolerant of different points of view.

20

i dont think ill be able to leave the organization,you see i have no close friends in or outside the jws and my entire family is part of the cult,if i leave my mom and the rest of my family will be heartbroken and i dont want to be the reason they are hurt.

im not particularly close to any of my family members but i still care for them.

i could really use some advice because i have no one else to turn too..

wisdomfrombelow

You already know the answer. If you want stay in, stay. If you want to leave, prepare yourself for a less painful exit. Lots of people don't like their job but only a few quit when they haven't prepared to find a new job or have a lot of bills and need the money. Use common sense (which might not be so common) and "count the cost", to borrow a witness phrase, and prepare for your next step, whatever that may be.

4

Friends of All Sorts....

by wisdomfrombelow in

when i hear people say that you can't keep your jw friends when you leave i can understand why they say that.

however, i can also see how that is a generalization.

i remember my life growing up as a jw and having good friends who were jewish and catholic and protestant and buddhist and hindu and muslim and atheists.

wisdomfrombelow

When I hear people say that you can't keep your JW friends when you leave I can understand why they say that. However, I can also see how that is a generalization. I remember my life growing up as a JW and having good friends who were Jewish and Catholic and Protestant and Buddhist and Hindu and Muslim and Atheists. I didn't try to force my religion down their throat and I respected them and they respected me. School and work expanded my exposure to different viewpoints. I also had some JW friends (and a lot more JW acquaintances.) As some of JW friends faded or were kicked out I still kept in touch because they were first and foremost, friends. Later, when I became a ex-JW some of my JW friends still kept in touch and visit and call. I guess because they are real friends and that is rare because they risk expulsion if discovered.

People who are "in" probably don't ask of their friends "if one of us were to leave the JWs would be still keep our friendship?" I guess that is something they might want to consider before determining who their friends are. If you can't be honest and truthful with your friends then you need to find new friends. Is there anyone else out there who has managed to keep friendship with JWs after they exit or kept friendship with exJWs when they were still in?

7

JW do alot of bad... and we are all collectively responsible for this!

by StephaneLaliberte in

i know someone who was working for an elder.

when she got disfellowshipped, he gave her two weeks noticed and paid for one... she didn't bring that sob to court as it was her own father.

that happened about a months ago.. another example is that me and my family have become inactive.

wisdomfrombelow

if we were ALL doing it, then, they would realize that these things happen everywhere, all the time. These are not the exceptions but the very life of JW

How to get someone to think outside the box? How to get them to ask the right questions that lead to the right conclusions? Many witnesses haven't learned to think critically or reason deeply. They wouldn't know what to do if everything wasn't spelled out in minute detail for them.

Shunning is horrible and there are many other bad decisions that get made because of institutionalized complete dependency on the "mother organization". The more they invest in it the more painful it is to leave.

28

True believers never save their money

by stillin in

it's an article of faith.

either god is going to save them or he is not.

since one local elder proudly told me that he never saved a nickel until just before his retirement, i've given this subject some thought.. savers are worldly..

wisdomfrombelow

It's an article of faith. Either God is going to save them or He is not.

That makes no sense at all. If they were really faithful they would be saving because they would not want to put God to the test as Jesus said. There is a difference in making the accumulation of wealth the main purpose in life and being wise and shrewd. People just try to justify their own action (or inaction) but that doesn't mean saving for retirement is a lack of faith.

39

The Paranormal

by Peony in

jw
friends

i'm interested to know if anyone has been to see a medium/clairvoyant since leaving jw's.

i must admit now i can make my own choices i seem to have a fascination with it although haven't acted on it as a) am i just jumping into believing another load of rubbish?

and b) what if it really is the demons pretending to be loved ones!!

wisdomfrombelow

Definitely A...another load of rubbish

6

When is a commandment ever worded with "IF"?

by Israel Ricky Gonzales in

acts 15:28 for the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to you except these necessary things: 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.

if you carefully keep yourselves from these things, you will prosper.

good health to you!.

wisdomfrombelow

I thought the Society admitted that the "good health to you" was nothing more than a common greeting of the day. Not to be interpreted as following the command would result in good health.

39

Let’s Speculate!!!

by John Aquila in

you know the organization is slowly going down.

not as fast as we would wish, but nevertheless it is crumbling.

five (5) year old child baptisms, smaller magazines, child sexual abuse exposed, smaller annual growth, no one wants to reach out, young ones leaving.

wisdomfrombelow

What will the Watchtower look like in 30 years?

It will look very much like it looks today. Slowly changing and trying to always be 20 or 30 years behind the progressive times so they look conservative and elusive.

Will there still be a Governing Body? - yes, someone needs to be a scapegoat

Will they finally drop 1914? - nope, it was the start of WWI so they will point to it but not really explain it with chronology anymore.

Will the blood doctrine finally be dropped? - nope, they need something to make them seem different. It might weaken but the truly faithful will be as resolute as ever.

Will disfellowshipping be dropped? - NEVER. As long as there is freedom of association in the USA they will keep their ace-in-the hole.

Will there still be Circuit Overseers, Elders, Pioneers? - Nope, they will find a new name for all of them. Overseer seems like a dead word, maybe coordinate of the circuit or something goofy like that. The positions will remain

Will there still be Judicial Committees? - Yep

Will they still have conventions 3 times a year? - 2 times a year, one circuit (or whatever they will call it then) and one regional (or whatever they will call it then)

How many meetings will they have a week? - 2 meetings a week so they can get maximum usage of the kingdom hall and put as many congregations in them as possible.

Will they still go door to door preaching? - yes, people need a busy work that keeps them isolated. If they were to spend time reading the bible or thinking or helping the poor it would help them break free of the cult

Will they drop the name; “Watchtower Bible and Tract Society?” - They won't but that is just a legal name. It owns all the publishing. I think "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society" owns all the real estate.

How many members will they have worldwide? 10 million

23

Getting the Urge!

by Theburstbubble in

jw
friends

evening folks, so as some of you may know we have recently decided to leave the witnesses and can see it for the man made organisation it is.

so, why do i get the urge to go back and feel guilty for not being there!

it's like my mind is telling me to be logical about it all but then something keeps pulling me back.. don't get me wrong i really want to break free from it all and i'm resisting the urge to go back as i have been miserable in the truth for a long time as i've known it's not right and want to do the best by my daughter.

wisdomfrombelow

Everyone has the fear of the unknown. If you were a born-in then that is all you know and the outside world can be scary. I don't know how old your daughter is but giving her better more positive world view will be important in the choices she makes. Just find something to do on the midweek meeting night and the Sunday morning meeting time and soon it gets easier the more meetings you miss until you don't miss them anymore.

43

Advice Needed - JW Grandparents

by What Now? in

my family has been out (inactive no meeting attendance or field service) for just over two years..

weve made many changes in our lives, including with our personal appearances (tattoos, piercings etc) that are a pretty obvious sign that we arent going back any time soon.

our families went through a period of time about a year ago when they made a lot of threats that if we left the truth, they wouldnt even be able to share a meal with us, they would stay loyal to jehovah etc.

wisdomfrombelow

Only you can decide if they would make good babysitters. Perhaps you might consider your kids only being with the relatives while you are with them. That way you can prevent any indoctrination. It does make a difference how old your children are when it comes to exposure to things you deem negative. Also, remember your kids will get exposed to a lot of different viewpoints in school and in life and you will have to navigate those as well. How you teach them to deal with diversity and differences in opinions and beliefs will shape how they will do the same in the future.

If they enjoy Christmas then you could explain how some people (like Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists) don't celebrate it but that is no reason for them not to enjoy it. They are under your care until they are adults but they are their own individuals and will make their own choices when they get older. All you can do is give the best guidance and all the love and hope for the best.