I have been out mentally for 4 years and out physically for 3. I am, by far, a better, happier person overall with so much less stress. I live in a new town and can even ask the witnesses that come by my house the questions I could never ask since no one knows me. Anonymity has been a great gift. I transitioned from thinking I was a "lover of Jehovah/God", to confused about everything, so I visited some churches to find answers....read lots and lots. Compared bibles and then realized I never believed any of it. I don't want to be a non believer. I still search diligently on a daily basis to believe and find a reason to believe but I just can't. I want there to be some afterlife and maybe there is...no one will know until they die. Having no belief is actually less stressful than believing because now I know I am a good person because I AM a good person, not because I am being blackmailed and guilted into being such. The only drawback is that my parents are getting older and the thought of losing them is utterly terrifying.
joyfulfader
JoinedPosts by joyfulfader
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18
How have you changed since finding TTATT ?
by Phizzy inon coftys thread about his former pastor trying to re-convert him, which is very long but a tremendous discussion of the problem of evil, a poster, sunny23, wrote :.
" having been 7 months since i first posted on the first page of this topic i have just read those posts and acknowledged a huge transfromation in myself for the better."..
i was only thinking the other day how, as i discovered this site and ttatt, i really changed as a person in so many ways, and i think mainly for the better.. i have been "born again" !!.
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34
It's All About Tablets
by metatron inwell, that seems to be the latest hot thing amoung witnesses.
everybody buys a tablet.
even the poor families that eat carb heavy meals are gettin' em.. maybe they can't afford the latest apple product like the maxi/mini pad or whatever they're calling it these days so a trip to ebay or overstock.com fills the bill.. use it instead of a songbook.
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joyfulfader
I used my iPad before I left 3 yrs ago. I was the only one using one at the KH at the time and it was looked at as being ostentatious. 2 elders even counseled me for using it. I said that if the society made the downloads available, all bets were off. It was just another reason on my long list of reasons to leave. Personally I think they were tired of dealing with my headstrong nature. Funny that I was actually ahead of my time lol. Bet those 2 elders have their own tablets now!!
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At what age did you notice time went by so fast?
by adjusted knowledge ini like so many americans left my parent's house as soon as i could (age 19).
i would see them maybe one or two times a year for the next ten years.
when i hit thirty and got married it was even less frequent.
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joyfulfader
I started noticing when I hit 30 that years seemed to go by more quickly. When I woke up to TTATT at 38 it was a slap in the face. Almost half my life was gone and I was just beginning to have dreams and aspirations that we're once forbidden. As a single mom I will never have my PhD in genetic research like I want...I have a college bound daughter. My parents are aging unbelievably...as I watch. Painful. Now that I am 42 and fully cognizant of how time is passing oh so rapidly, I AM back in school to continue my education (I did go to college at 30) and I LOVE my life. 42="the answer to life, the universe and everything"-Hitchhiker''s Guide to the Galaxy
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If you don't like being a Jehovah's Witness then leave....
by Quirky1 inif you don't like being a jehovah's witness or going to the kingdom hall or the society then leave.... it's as simple as that... .
i left several years ago and have not been hounded, bothered or sought out by anyone.
i still see them from time to time, and yes, they do pour out the love bomb when you run into them, but eh, you know what?
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joyfulfader
I was fortunate enough to have been able to just walk away, BUT that is not the norm. My friend is mentally out and has not been to a meeting in close to a year. This person's SPOUSE is weak but still IN mentally. There are children and a loving marriage at stake. It's just NOT that easy to make a blanket statement. The Org wants people to be trapped and feel like they can't go anywhere. While I think some do stay unnecessarily for purely social reasons (not family), it's not fair to think everyone is like you. We are the lucky ones.
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JW Lady Witnesses to me in My Truck While Trying to get a Nap !
by flipper inincredible.
absolutely incredible.
so i asked, " isn't it 100 years since 1914 ?
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joyfulfader
Good job Flipper. If I had someone comes up to me I would bring up the fractions thing as well as the fact that they only use OTHER people's fractions and don't donate to the supply themselves. Take...take...take...
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Jehovah's Witnesses and Amway
by paul from cleveland inmaybe you're all familiar with this subject already but i just came across it tonight.
it's an article about whether or not amway is a cult.
the similarities between jehovah's witnesses and amway are incredible.. http://www.cocs.com/jhoagland/amcult.html.
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joyfulfader
I was a distributor back in the 90's. My upline was a witness and so were all of my fellow distributors. The person we got all our tapes from made all their money from the tapes and business building materials. They were relying on the witness leg to go "Ruby" but the entire line collapsed within a year. My ex and I even attended the big big meeting in DC. Lots of similarities to JW's. I still like Tri-zyme though. The rest was sooooo overpriced.
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Survey---who is inactive, disfellowshipped/disassociated or active?
by minimus ini am inactive for about 10 years now..
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joyfulfader
Inactive and left alone for 3 years now :) Not one meeting attended. Cold turkey stop.
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Hotel list for the Landover International Convention - how do you find it?
by insearchoftruth injust wondering what hotels are "approved" and what the rates are?.
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joyfulfader
The Cap Center was the best venue. I went there all during my pre teen and teen years. The 4 sided big screen tv over the stage had all of the scriptures and highlighted points. I have very fond memories of that arena and met so many people. Every once in a while the society couldn't get it and we would end up at RFK stadium which was outdoor and awful. When I was about 19 they lost it and we started to go to Vet Stadium in Philly...talk about a yearly nightmare of actual deadly heat. I am a nurse and worked first aid and we ran a mini hospital with beds and medications. We had falls, heat stroke, women in labor,dialysis patients, heart attacks. One year the heat index reached 129 and they put up an air conditioned tent on the field. I will never forget that.
The Cap Center was one of the few things I remember fondly. Several marriages came about as a result of the laps around the concourse level.
One year we were going home from the Cap Center and there was a guy walking down the center of 95 in nothing but socks and shoes. I must have been about 10 or 11. Police couldn't get to him because of the traffic. I thought my mom was going to die lol.
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Hello- new here
by Kikura inbeen lurking for a while on here and thought i'd jump in.
a great deal of many thoughtful posts on here but have to say am a bit turned off with the 'rabid apostate' ones!.
my history- was raised in a divided household, mum converted to jw when pregnant with me back in 1970, dad was never jw but was supportive of taking us to meetings, assemblies etc.
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joyfulfader
Hi Scott. Welcome :) As we are close in age I wish I could say I have been out for 24 years instead of ~3. And yes there are a few people that do get a bit carried away with their arguments but the fabulous thing about the Internet is you can stop reading. I do wish some would be a bit less antagonistic but we are all different. I don't post very often but feel free to share. I look forward to your story!
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TTATT in a Can... finally finished!!
by ILoveTTATT inok so... how to condense all the flip-flops and doctrinal changes, and show graphically how the different doctrines changed, and when?.
ttatt in a can!!.
enjoy ;).
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joyfulfader
Thank you for all the time and effort to make such an easy to read chart. I shall be referring to it!!