.
i don't miss being spoken to like i was someones best friend when i know they wouldn't pee on me if i was on fire.. i don't miss always standing on my own and having no one come and talk to me.. i don't miss having people talk around me about the great time they had at the latest sport/barbecue/dinner get-together which i wasn't invited to because i'm not spiritual enough.. i don't miss not having friends in the truth or out of the truth because i shouldn't mix with wordly people.. i don't miss being so bored for all those hours a week.. i don't miss all the false smiles people give me when i look at them at the hall and the way they look away when i walk past them at the shopping center.. .................. anyone got anymore?
...worrying, feeling guilty, feeling insufficient, feeling insecure, feeling unworthy....sad, unhappy..unfulfilled...And wondering who I was.....really....And there must be much more to this life....And why wasn't I happy and full of joy if "this was really the truth". And wondering how I could possibly just walk away, because the cost was so very high. STRESS!!!!
Ditto. What a sad commentary on the "only true religion".
for everyone who's watched.... or is in the process of watching the show..... .
please feel free to post your comments.... reactions.... quotes that stood out in your mind here!.
love, scully
It was a wonderful piece of reporting, though disturbing and painful to watch. J.R. Brown came across as a sneaky, slithering weasel - he has his memorized piece to say and that's what he'll say no matter what is at stake.
I am awed by the bravery of the victims in stepping forward with their stories. Kudos to them and to Bill Bowen - and to Bob McKeown and the Fifth Estate.
What I found particularly damning was the mention that a WTS lawyer defended one of the pedophiles while the victim received no support at all. I hope to hear lots of door slamming this weekend.
Congratulations to all involved!
the fifth estate program last night was a great example of investigative journalism.
believe me, there's a lot of talk going on in these parts about the show last night.
some trying to gloss it over, but even at that there are some die-hard jws who are feeling pretty uncomfortable.
The Fifth Estate program last night was a great example of investigative journalism. Believe me, there's a lot of talk going on in these parts about the show last night. Some trying to gloss it over, but even at that there are some die-hard JWs who are feeling pretty uncomfortable. One at work said to me, "well, I still believe in Jehovah, but there are a lot who are going to have to answer for what they did." That might not seem like much but the attitude awhile ago was "if the Society says jump, we ask how high".
Another one said "why didn't the Society just apologize? Why couldn't they at least say we're sorry!"
Another JW said to me, "what did I get myself into all those years ago? I just wanted to learn about the Bible. If other religions had been teaching the Bible I never would have become a JW."
Cracks are appearing!
CONGRATULATIONS HAWKAW, SKULLY AND EVERYONE ELSE!
Be careful!! P.E.T.A. (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) or the I.F.A.W. (International Fund for Animal Welfare) will come after you for abusing poor little monkeys.
tonight is the night , i have direc tv and going to watch to fifth estate.my hubby will be here also.
i am realy realy nervous how he is going to react.
he could blow up and say it's all lie's, they are apostates and god warned he's people they would constantly be persecuted and lied about.or he won't even look at it saying they are apostates and i won't look at them they are the devil's voice.he always say's , you can't believe every thing you see on tv or reading the new's paper.i need you'r advice on how i should react with these situations.
The average JW will not believe a word of what is shown. That was the case over here for Dateline. It might cause some to doubt a little though and that's important. Don't expect any sudden quick changes. Most won't have that.
For those of us who already had doubts, Dateline was the straw that broke the camel's back, so it is very important for JW's to watch. It's basically what finally got me to see the light - I went on the SilentLamb's website, then others, then here.
One thing that the WTS says on the show (a preview was aired last night) is that the Watchtower Society went through a "learning curve" in how to deal with this issue. The problem with this statement is that according to the WTS, they are God's channel of communication to humans, so they should be way ahead of the game, not on a learning curve because of litigation and so-called apostate t.v. programs. In Psalms (I believe it is the 97th Psalm) it states that God's word makes the "inexperienced one wise". So why isn't the WTS wiser than worldly people in dealing with such shocking abuse?
Also, several months ago a letter was read out to the congregations (I was there and heard it myself) which stated that blah, blah, blah, the WTS condemns child abuse, but they still insisted on having "two witnesses" to the crime. That doesn't come from apostates, that letter was from the WTS. The two witness rule is ludicrous and cruel, yet JWs are still expected to comply with that rule.
As another point, many JWs (and some have already spoken to me about this and are worried about tonight's program) already know of cases of abuse, so this program is just putting out for public consumption what the rank and file already know (many of them, at least).
Yes, your husband should watch it in case people in the territory come up with arguments such as the above. You can ask yourself how he would explain the above.
Maybe the above is not the way to reach him, I don't know, but that's my reaction when I hear JW-speak. And yes, there's a chance it will put a crack in some those automatic defenses.
i use to get the biggest chuckle when the elders insisted that when going out on a date that someone older and mature had to go with you to make sure you don't fornicate.
how imposing!!
i have a friend (did the fade) that was stuck with her brother being the chaperone a couple of times when she was dating her then boyfriend.
My brother who is 41 went out on a date with a girl from another Hall and had my Mother chaperone. Is that wierd or what?
Weirder still is someone I know who is 45, going out with an elder who is 48, and they need a chaperone! The sister was discussing who they should bring along - and they were going on a date in a public place - a restaurant! I almost fell off my seat!
as a canadian, beer is near and very dear to my heart??
so hence the question:.
who makes the best beer?.
Personally I can't stand beer so naturally I have an opinion on the matter . Everyone who has been to the Czech Republic told me to try the beer there, that I would change my mind about not liking beer. Well, beer is still beer. Don't like even Czech beer, but all the people who made the trip told they loved the stuff.
Now as for wine ...........
i just thought i would post a little about myself here, even though some of you might know me from the "beyond jehovah's witnesses" forum.
my name is bradley and i live in a suburb of chicago illinois.
i'm currently twenty six years old and left the jws about nine months ago after a year and a half of intense doubts, many hundreds of hours of research, cognitive dissonance and bouts of vomitting (stressful, eh?).
Amazingly, I never received any elders visits. I was able to just "walk away." (This was quite a shock to many people as my exit was sudden. I even conducted the bookstudy the week I left) Fortunately, my mother is a "liberal" JW and my best friend is a non-believing JW (he's only in it for the girls, hehe); they still talk to me. The rest do not.
I was wondering about that same thing! Many here have done or are doing a gradual fade. I no longer attend meetings regularly, but do go to about 1 a week. I was curious to see if any had just suddenly "disappeared". Glad to hear that you now have a life! Welcome!
i was just driving back from the store on a street where a young man was killed a few years back, as he was murdered right on the street i often think of this every time i drive back from the store.
his house was about 100 feet from where his body lie in the street and blocks from my house.. i actually feel safe where i live and do know where to go and not to in toronto but crime happens everywhere no matter where you are, you can live in the quietest neighbourhood and right next door the worst can and has happened.
do you know where to walk at night and where not too in your town?
I live in a little town about 40 miles south of Knoxville and I do not feel safe. I am a yankee. I am an XJW. I am a Catholic(by day). I am a witch(by night). TN is the meth capitol of the USA according to latest stats. It is also now more polluted than CA. The fundys are so thick down here you can't go to Walmart without some bornagainer getting in your face at the door. Every Summer they set up a Revival Tent in their parking lot. Restaurants down here give you discounts if you bring in a slip from your churches 'altar call'. Two local politicians were murdered by the ones they were running against because they went to the wrong church. A local cop just shot and killed a family dog in a traffic stop of some out-of-towners on vacation(which he had no good reason to stop but an out of state license plate). The Catholic Church I go to can't even have its patron out front because these fundys have destroyed the 'abomination' 4 times. and don't even talk about being a different skin color. I have not seen a black person in 2 yrs. In the deep south...no blacks? The Knoxville news station goes around telling little kids the should be preachers when they grow up. We are trying to move. It looks like it will happen now in the next few weeks. I will not miss anything in eastern TN.
Ravyn: Good grief!!! I thought stuff like that was only in movies! But then, I live in the "far north" - Canada. I've been complaining about the cold weather but I think I prefer the cold to those fundies in your area! Hope you're moving to more peaceful surroundings!
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http://www3.cbc.ca/sections/whatson_redux.asp?action=list&inetworkid=0&start=1/29/03%206:00:00%20pm&end=1/29/03%2011:00:00%20pm#243837
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Hawkaw:
I just sent Skully an e-mail! Do not respond to my e-mail address by my username - my computer's down at home and I can't access Canada.com from work. I sent Skully my work e-mail (which contains my real name therefore, obviously, I'm not going to use it here).
I only just now read her e-mail from a couple of weeks ago - SH&T!!! (Acsot slapping herself on the side of the head)! Will do whatever pitiful, small amount that I can in the next couple of days or so.
Anything to translate send it to my work e-mail address, I'll get on it as soon as I can!
