have we ever noticed how witnesses are constantly being told that life is something that needs to be "endured", rather that "enjoyed"?.
life is always so tough, so hard, so difficult in "these last days".
"persecution and trials abound".
As a JW, my life was on hold - no university education, no real career, enduring an unhappy marriage, putting up with unpleasant situations - all in the belief that the present life is temporary.
Dubstepped's comments are so true. Now I have left the restrictive mindset of the religion, I see joy in every day. I take responsibility for my own life and realise that I no longer have to endure because I have the power to change what I don't like.
been reading this site for awhile now.
i have had a long and often tragic life as a jw.
my story is so long because i'm pretty old :) i feel sad i've been locked in fear and guilt for my entire life.
Welcome, Phoebe
You will find friends who love and respect you for who you are , not for who they think you should be. Unconditional, non-judgmental friendship, embracing your views not forcing you to conform to their own.
I admire your courage xx
CM
i do remember reading an article that it is not ok for jw to sell cigarettes at gas stations, etc... i was wondering what about lottery tickets?
they do sell lottery tickets at few restaurants around my home.
if jw works there and rats me out to the elders, i would not give a damn about it but i still prefer not to hear from the elders about it..
I seem to remember working for the UN is also prohibited among JWs.
Evidently becoming a NGO member of the UN is OK though!!
in conversation with an old jw friend today, it struck me that most jws have replaced their personal conscience with a collective one.. instead of training their own mental powers to distinguish right from wrong, as the bible encourages, they are content to shift personal accountability away from themselves and onto the impersonal org.
whatever behaviour may prompt an ordinary person to have serious misgivings ( such as ignoring glaring misapplication of scripture or rejecting basic human decency in favour of unchristian shunning ) they prefer to have those decisions made for them.. history teaches us, however, that there is no absolution for people who behave unethically or cruelly by allowing the excuse of 'obeying orders' to override what their inner voice should scream is inherently wrong..
In conversation with an old JW friend today, it struck me that most JWs have replaced their personal conscience with a collective one.
Instead of training their own mental powers to distinguish right from wrong, as the Bible encourages, they are content to shift personal accountability away from themselves and onto the impersonal Org. Whatever behaviour may prompt an ordinary person to have serious misgivings ( such as ignoring glaring misapplication of scripture or rejecting basic human decency in favour of unchristian shunning ) they prefer to have those decisions made for them.
History teaches us, however, that there is no absolution for people who behave unethically or cruelly by allowing the excuse of 'obeying orders' to override what their inner voice should scream is inherently wrong.
i just saw this posted on a facebook group.
anyone know if there is any truth to this?.
http://www.exjehovahswitness.com/gb-discontinues-new-world-translation-as-old-light.html.
look at this graph:.
it has the % difference between the peak number of publishers and the average number of publishers for that year.
this number can only be positive.. what the graph tells us is that there is a clear trend towards hunting down inactive and/or irregular publishers.
When I became an irregular publisher, as a prelude to my fade, the congregation secretary phoned for my report religiously every month . As soon as the six month deadline was up and I became officially inactive, he gave up.
That was over a year ago - I've not moved address or changed my phone numbers ( he used to try both my mobile and landline ) however I've not heard from him since.
i am incredibly disturbed.
many of the jws i'm still friends with on facebook are incredibly excited that trump won the american presidential race, posting, "yay!
i'm so happy!
An older JW friend recently told me her reasoning as to why Armageddon is imminent:
"If Hillary Clinton becomes US president, along with a female British Prime Minister and a lady German Chancellor - this is in blatant opposition to the Bible standard of female submission. With women holding such positions of power on the global stage, how can the world possibly survive?
The clearest sign yet how mad the world has become ; how far we have strayed from God's purposes for men's and women's natural roles.
Yes, Armageddon has never been closer."
A hastily contrived coughing fit disguised my involuntary snort of laughter 😁
september 27, 2016 to all bodies of elders re: recommending convention speakers and interpreters.
september 28, 2016 to all bodies of elders having bethel brothers in their congregation re: convention speaker ratings for bethel brothers.
s-315-e 9/16 speaker and interpreter ratings.
"Does he have a reputation for being opinionated and dogmatic? Is he known as one who is harsh in judgment? Does he view his own opinion on matters as the final word?"
Surely, the main question should not be whether brothers displaying that sort of attitude are recommended as convention speakers, but rather whether they should be shepherds in the congregation at all.
after a very quiet couple of hours detecting this afternoon i was chuffed to find this silver coin.. it is a groat of edward iii of england.
for a long time the only coin available was the silver penny.
if you wanted to spend half a penny or a quarter you literally cut it up.
That is simply amazing !
i turned in my letter of disassociation on september 18, 2001 but it was 9/11 that showed me what the witnesses really feel about human lives and the future wished for.. i was in limbo after my wife of 27 years left me on july 30, 2001. she knew i wasn't buying the jw program anymore.
she told me she come back to me when "i got my head straighten out about god and the church".. so for 40 days i was in limbo.
i stopped going to meetings.
Even as a child it never made sense to me that anyone dying before Armageddon would get a resurrection, whereas if God's judgement came just one day later there would be no hope for those that died.
To my innocent , childish mind that meant survival was purely a matter of chance. It hardly seemed fair.
