Posts by panhandlegirl

10

what would be their first thought???

by Strawberryfieldsforever in

jw
friends

i often wonder about the older "old school" jehovah's witnesses that are up in their 70's and they are losing all their friends they have known most of their lives.

they waited together all those years for the big "a" and it still isn't here.

they are still sitting at the meetings, raising their hands to answer on the same old material and waiting for any tidbit of new information about how close they are to that paradise earth.. i wonder what would be their first thought when the doubt begins to seep in and they have nobody to tell it too....... .

panhandlegirl

I guess I qualify as one of those older "old school" Jehovah's Witnesses. I left the borg in about 81-82. I lost all the friends I had know all my life plus all of my family, except two brothers and one cousin. I never doubted that I was in the "truth" or that we (jws) were God's special people. I did become discourged about the WTS having so much control over our lives but it was not until I read an article about Jesus being the Mediator for only the 144,000 that I began to have doubts about the borg. It is scary when you find out the ttatt. We have been taught that Jehovah hates all false religion so at first you don't know what to do. At first, if you are alone in your disbelief, you just drift. CoC was a real help to see that I was not alone in my disbelief. My older brother had left the borg and told me about his disbelief, so I did have him and one younger brother to share information with. As you might expect, it is very difficult to realize that everything you have believed all your life is a lie. It is a life-changing experience and you second guess yourself often. After a while,you accept the ttatt and get on with your life. You learn to live with your losses and realize that there is life after being a jw. Of course, this site helps me to see that there are thousands like me and it helps to see that I am not crazy or just being rebellious. I am grateful to those who were in the know for the information that they have provided to the rest of us who left on our own without knowing what was taking place at HQ. We just stepped out into the darkness not knowing what we would encounter or where we were going. We just knew we had to leave this place.

PHG.

16

What do you think of drawings like these?

by DeWandelaar in

a long time ago the jw's published a book called "humans in search of god" (translation of the dutch version so i am sorry if the title is not totally correct).

i always remembered one sick drawing in it and it always made me wonder how this drawing could be used in one of their books.. .

warning: can be shocking to people who never saw it before!.

panhandlegirl

Do people really turn that grey when their heart is cut out?

Yes, James, they do turn gray. My mother was a very white woman and when I was called to the hospital because she was bleeding and had a card saying she would not take blood, she was confused and her color was gray. It was a terrible sight to see.Her kidneys failed soon after she turned gray.

PHG

30

How would you feel about this and would you steps to change the situation

by troubled mind in

jw
friends

next week i am having surgery at the local hospital .

one of my old jw 'friends ', that no longer considers me worthy of even a hello ,is a surgical tech there .. would you take steps to ask she not be on the operating team ?

it was brought to my attention today that i do have the right to ask for that person not to be present because of personal issues .. what would you do ?

panhandlegirl

As a nurse, I agree with everyone else. Dont let this person anywhere near you or allow them to have any information about you. If he/she is a true professional, he/she will understand. You have rights. Use them.

PHG

38

How Are You Treated When JWs See You?

by minimus in

jw
friends

do they talk to you, ignore you, love bomb you??

?.

panhandlegirl

One sister ignores me, will not even look in my direction, the other used to get in my face and scream at me, things such as "How dare you impose your presence on us. You have left Jehovah," when she saw me at our mother's home. Now, she too ignores me. My cousins ignore me and tell others that I am no longer family and am nothing. If I dare speak, they scream the most ugly things at me. I have met the enemy and it's my family. It used to hurt, but you get used to it. When I graduated from University, I sent my sisters an announcement. They ignored it, but at least they are aware that I have progressed in life. I have moved away from my hometown, so I do not know any jws where I live. That's a blessing.

PHG

51

Voltaire

by Chariklo in

jw
friends

although he has been misquoted, voltaire famously said.

"i do not agree with what you have to say, but i'll defend to the death your right to say it.".

how good it would be if this maxim could be held on this board.

panhandlegirl

I was introduced to SA red tea by a Nigerian nurse. When I saw it recommended here, I found the box of red tea in my cabinet. It's probably too old to drink now. I must not have liked it. I drink Starbuck coffee and wine. I will try it again as it seems to be a good thing.

I do think we should all respect other's comment.opinions and where they are in the process of leaving the borg. It is such a difficult thing to do. Everyone has to leave at their own pace and in their own way. Discussion is good, condemnation is not. That's what we had in the borg.

PHG

18

My Introduction

by Left in the Cold in

i have posted on here a little, and i thought i should probably introduce myself the best i can right now.

i stumbled upon this site and told my sister about it.

then, sometime later she started discussing things with me that's she has seen or read (she's in therapy, as well, which probably has made her kind of rethink things).

panhandlegirl

Welcome, Left In The Cold. The WTS can sure make life Hell for those who don't believe anymore. Being shunned is tough but there is life outside of the borg. You are certainly dealing with a lot of loss. You have come to the right place for support. Many here have suffered the same losses. I wish you well and look foreward to your future posts. I'm glad you have your sister to talk things over with.

PHG

41

My introduction/experience

by happy@last in

i have only just recently found this site, in fact only recently gone online to do research of my own about jws.

before i left i had only gone on my gut instinct, not even realising i was not alone with my feelings.

the week i was appointed an elder some 11 years ago, i had had to write to a congregation many miles away from me about how unloving they were (more details below).. not long after i started to have concerns about jws, expecially as the message of 'following the bibles message' subtly changed to 'follow the fds', this did not sit well with me.

panhandlegirl

Welcome to JWN. So sorry for all you and your sister have endured. Like you and others here, I also thought I was alone in rejecting what the borg taught and did.That's what the WTS wants us to think. As you can see, there are many of us and we are here for mutual support. The orgaization is so heartless and has truly caused much pain. Glad you are out.

PHG

5

Dying to find out if you made it to Paradise

by Juan Viejo2 in

i remember as a jw kid listening to a special talk about life after death by lester dugan, a circuit overseer whose mother attended our kingdom hall.

i don't think he was our circuit servant (in fact i'm pretty sure he was not), but he would visit our hall about twice a year when he took time to see his elderly mom.. his talk was about life after death and achieving paradise through good works and staying active in the preaching work.

after nearly 60 years, i remember very little of the bulk of his talk, but i do remember a couple of questions that he answered afterwards:.

panhandlegirl

When one of the anointed (bro Diedz) died in our cong, another anointed bro (Numan, from Australia) gave the talk. He said the bro who had died was in a state much like purgatory. When I questioned him about it, he said he had misspoken, he said he meant to say that the bro had to be oriented into heaven, he could not just go directly into Heaven. I didn't think that was strange because he would be new to the place and might need to know a few things before he was allowed in. I agree with both Dawkins and you. I feel that when I die, I will just not be, much like before I was born. I don't look forward to that but what can I do about it? If I was fortunate enough to be brought back to life, I feel that the time I was not alive would be much like being asleep during surgery. I would awaken without realizing anytime had elapsed. Because I can not do anything about dying, I really don't worry about it. I do know I would not be happy in a Paradise controlled by the GB and the elders.I had not really thought about how life in Paradiase would be until someone described it on a post here. I could not abide that type of life.

PHG

11

Are you a person who TRIES NEW THINGS?

by Terry in

so-called type a personalities are risk-takers...or so we are told.. i don't know about that.. i know that people aren't easily categorized into neat little folders of behavior.. .

i know that some of us are very very reluctant to try new things while others have a sense of adventure.. .

are you a person who tries new things?.

panhandlegirl

I went to a Leadership meeting in Pittsburg, PA all by myself. That may not seem like much, but I never travel alone. I am a wimp. When I saw my room, I was so glad I was alone, it was so nice. In fact, by the time I got off the plane, I had made four new acquaintances who were also going to the same meeting. I had a great time.When I left, I had made 12 new friends. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had a lot of fun. Now I want to try NYC.

PHG

9

Serial Killer Rose West Becomes A Jehovahs Witness

by Bangalore in

jw
friends

serial killer rose west becomes a jehovah's witness.. http://www.jehovahswitnessblog.com/jehovahs-witness-beliefs/rose-west-serial-killer-becomes-a-jehovahs-witness/.

bangalore.

.

panhandlegirl

I missed the fun also. This forum goes so fast.

PHG