Posts by praying

I have a ghecko on my shoulder. It felt like rugburn when I was getting it done. My only regret is the location. I wished I had went with my lower back.

1

'tis been a while

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

i think it has been two years since i posted.

my mom, however, has been dropping hints that i need to get "right with jehovah".

this of course terrifies me, considering world events, and of course i always end up here when i need a little reassurance.. anyways, i have a question: i live in texas...1500 miles from home.

I think it has been two years since I posted. My mom, however, has been dropping hints that I need to get "right with Jehovah". This of course terrifies me, considering world events, and of course I always end up here when I need a little reassurance.

Anyways, I have a question: I live in Texas...1500 miles from home. Some sisters showed up at my door once and I told them I was DA'd. One of them said there was a program for "people like you" where they could study for 6 months and be reinstated...or something like that. Has anyone ever heard of something like that????? Also, my husband said that he read something about blood transfusions on the net....and he said that the society has now stated that blood transfusions are alright to accept, as long as one is repentant afterwards. What is this crap???? Is this true????

Sorry for the questions....I just feel so confused about things right now. Nice to see everyone again.

Nic

23

Want to help my JW friend

by wannahelp in

jw
friends

i'm new here, and i want to make it clear upfront that i am not, nor have i ever been a jw.

in fact, until recently i didn't know much about jw's.

but i do have a question that i hope both jw's and ex-jw's will try and answer for me... about 10 months ago, i hired a 20 year old to work for me.. i hired him because he seemed very loyal, ethical, sincere, hardworking and honest.

praying_mantis

I dont know what to tell you. I was baptized at 16...12 years ago. My mother, and 2 aunts are witnesses. I married, then divorced the son of an elder. Doubts flooded into my mind, starting with the blood issue about 5 years ago. I tried to voice them and get some answers, but I was basically branded as a spiritually weak sister that people should avoid contact with. I disassociated myself about a week ago. Since then, I have been looking at all the stuff that I have been told NOT to read. I am seeing things that make me so angry, so sad, and so upset that I can only take it in small doses.

You are a true friend to the man you described. The only advice I can give is to tread lightly. This is major stuff, especially if he is the son of an elder. There are times when I feel like doing something drastic to myself, because it seems like my entire universe has been tilted off of its axis. You are doing the right thing by coming here for advice. And I am impressed that you read the accounts of ex-JW's before committing yourself to anything. If I had done that at the age of 16, I wouldnt be the emotional mess I am today.

I know that there will be plenty of people out there who have much better advice regarding this than me. How I wish that I had a friend like you! Stay true to yourself, and I hope you are able to find an answer.

6

Logic and Reasoning

by dutyfree in

jw
friends

i have several questions, the first of which concerns the blood issue.. i am a bit puzzled as to why jws insist on refusing to accept blood, even if it means the difference between life and death.. in the bible it says,'... you should abstain from blood...'.

how are we to interpret that?

well, bearing in mind that it was written several thousand years ago, it would seem logical to assume that the writer's intended meaning was to persuade the people living in that time not to drink blood.

praying_mantis

We do it because they tell us to. Because they imply that those that die have a place in the New Order. Logic doesnt
enter the decision. Then they print a bunch of articles about people who have survived without blood, excerpts from
doctors that say that bloodless surgery is so wonderful, and reap heaps of praise on people who stand firm.

So yeah, basically, we refuse blood because we are told to.

19

Question from a newly DF'd chick...

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

hello again...now that i am officially a horrible, unrepentant sinner (in the eyes of a polyester slack wearing, mini van driving, anal retentive man whore), i have a question (actually several, but i will start with one!

) brace yourselves: it is about 1975!.

where in the wt was the "prophecy" made?

praying_mantis

Hello again...now that I am officially a horrible, unrepentant sinner (in the eyes of a polyester slack wearing, mini van driving, anal retentive man whore), I have a question (actually several, but I will start with one!) Brace yourselves: it is about 1975!

Where in the WT was the "prophecy" made? Did the WT own up to its mistake? I am curious about this, because my mom was baptized in 78, and studied for 5 years before becoming a witness, so it was in the midst of the 1975 issue.

Thanks in advance!

29

Did the elders keep secret files on us?

by XJWBill in

jw
friends

howdy all,.

i've recently discovered all the great ex-jw sites on the internet, and i've enjoyed reading other people's stories.

but a few passing comments in some stories have made me wonder: do or did the elders keep files on individuals in each congregation?

praying_mantis

They DF'd me, and I didnt meet with them. However, I told an elder over the phone that I would never set foot in a KH again. Perhaps that was all they needed to know.

Interestingly, he told me my "records" were sent to the congregation in the town I am currently in. I said, "Oh really. And whose property are they?" He said, "The congregations." I laughed and said, "Publisher records for someone who hasnt been in service for 4 years?"

22

Newly DF'd/DA'd

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

over a year ago i divorced my husband.

he is the son of an elder, was addicted to pornography, and started doing drugs before i called it quits.

since then, i have met someone else.

praying_mantis

Thanks for the reply. :) I just finished reading "kingdom smellodies" and laughed my ass off. Quietly of course...my mom might hear me and wonder what Im reading...

My boyfriend thinks JW's are a cult...he said that he "forbids" me from talking to the elders, because "they always get you to do something you dont want to do."

Prior to this whole mess, I stopped going to meetings about....3 or 4 years ago. I guess I knew they would catch up with me eventually. My initial discouragement started when my husband (at the time) asked for a KM. The elder, the PO at the time, said, "Why? You never come to meetings anyways." I went home and bawled...

I see that my story is not unique though. No wonder we are discouraged from using the internet. Its like they are terrified that we will learn the real truth.

As much as I know that what I did was not "wrong", I still have the "guilt". An overwhelming sadness. Like I am lost. Scared. Thanks for listening...

22

Newly DF'd/DA'd

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

over a year ago i divorced my husband.

he is the son of an elder, was addicted to pornography, and started doing drugs before i called it quits.

since then, i have met someone else.

praying_mantis

Thanks for the reply...I agree with what you are saying. Its a hard habit to break though you know? Those old thoughts and beliefs are always at the back of my mind. And I feel so GUILTY.

22

Newly DF'd/DA'd

by praying_mantis in

jw
friends

over a year ago i divorced my husband.

he is the son of an elder, was addicted to pornography, and started doing drugs before i called it quits.

since then, i have met someone else.

praying_mantis

Over a year ago I divorced my husband. He is the son of an elder, was addicted to pornography, and started doing drugs before I called it quits.

Since then, I have met someone else. We plan to marry. He is not a witness. I lived with him for several months, then moved back to my hometown. We are engaged.

Since my return, I have been told that in order for my exhusband to remarry, I need to be dealth with. I already told the elders that I was living with my fiancee (it was either me, or my family telling them, so I chose to do it) and the CO himself told me that that was all they needed and that my ex was free to remarry. A few months later, I am told that a letter from the society (I guess the elders wrote them because they didnt know what to do) told them to deal with me before my ex can proceed to get on with his life. I phoned the so called chairman of the judicial comittee, crying and begging them to leave me alone. I was given ultimatums, threatened ("If you dont meet with us, we will proceed without you!") He asked me if I was in a relationship now. I told him it was none of his business. He tried to tell me that they wanted to help me. I laughed through my tears. I hung up on him and wrote my DA letter after that.

That night, he phoned my house. I refused to speak to him. He told my dad that they decided to DF me and that I could appeal within 7 days. My dad said there was nothing to appeal, I made the decision. The elder raced to my house to pick up the DA letter. I told my dad to tell him that they better announce it that I DA'd myself, not the other way around. The elder said he would "dicuss it with the brothers."

I am distraught. I am 28 and have been baptized for 12 years. My mother, and brother in law are baptized and live in this house. My sister is studying. I feel sick inside, even though I know it is what I had to do. I feel like I have been sentenced to death.

praying_mantis

Posts by praying_mantis