Posts by razorMind

19

"What If The WT Told You to...

by Francois in

jw
friends

... get your gun out and go to any church of christendom on a certain sunday a few weeks after the publication date of the watchtower that was making the demand, and open up on the congregation?".

that question was asked of active jws in good standing by richard hickman, whom many of you know, when he was doing research for a book he was writing.

strangely enough, the most common answer went something like this:.

razorMind

I couldn't help but highlight her unchristian closed-minded thinking:
"Don't you mean you hope everyone is ok? Oh I forgot, Jehovah is going to kill all them anyway so what do they matter ... right?"

I got into an argument on a hair forum right after Sept. 11, on this very point quoted above. This extremely religious member posts page-long commentaries on Scriptures. Anyway she was on a roll right after 9/11; telling everyone that the victims were hellbound if they hadn't accepted Jesus at the time of death.

Many members (very diverse; diff religions) had loved ones missing/dead and weren't at all happy with her jumping on every thread with her comments. The administrators had to step in, trying to explain to her to tone down the comments out of respect for the circumstances. I mentioned my religious background to the offending poster; asking how would other members feel if I trivialized the horror of the attacks with a comment similiar to the quote above. I and the other members' view was, NOT the time NOR the place for such proclamations of eternal damnation.

ANYWAY...the whole thing dissolved into a huge mess; a JW poster jumped in immediately with "NO we don't believe 'worldly' people will all die at Arma!!! JW's were the very first on the scene!!" Immediate defense and ready to argue, I noted. I just left the shit alone.

I fully expected smugness on my father's part after 9/ll happened; but I didn't. He usually gets smug when things like that happen.

Sorry I rambled.....

19

"What If The WT Told You to...

by Francois in

jw
friends

... get your gun out and go to any church of christendom on a certain sunday a few weeks after the publication date of the watchtower that was making the demand, and open up on the congregation?".

that question was asked of active jws in good standing by richard hickman, whom many of you know, when he was doing research for a book he was writing.

strangely enough, the most common answer went something like this:.

razorMind

My DF'd sister swears that if the Society commanded (ahem, I MEANT, in theocratic-speak..."exhorted") the congregations to line up and shoot their DF'd family members execution-style, my dad would do it. Said dad is also a diehard, dyed-in-the-wool longtime elder.

It's a funny coincidence...we discussed this shortly before this topic was posted!

Bjork's cd "Vespertine"

by razorMind in

is there anyone else here who can't get enough of it?

what are your favorite songs on the cd?.

mine are.... hidden place.

razorMind

Is there anyone else here who can't get enough of it? What are your favorite songs on the CD?

Mine are...

Hidden Place
It's Not Up to You
Pagan Poetry
Heirloom
Unison
Frosti
Aurora

Hmmm, that's over half the CD right there...I also LOOOVE "All is Full of Love", even though it's not on this CD.

5

Favourite Christmas Song

by Latte in

just wondering what your favourite xmas song is??.

i just love paul mccartneys 'wonderful christmas song' .

(sorry if this is a similar thread to any others).

razorMind

Mine are...

"O Holy Night"

"Silver Bells", the Supremes' version and A Few Good Men version.

"Little Drummer Boy", aaah rum-pum-pum-pum!!!

The "Feliz Navidad--I Wanna Wish You a Merry Christmas", not sure who sings it.

And many more.....

10

Home Is Where The Heart....... Isn't!

by ISP in

jw
friends

.......thats how a typical jw home is.

the jw home can be a curious place.

in my earlier years i pioneered with a brother who would eat his dinner, typical diet of beans on toast, out of the pan...you would get a plate!

razorMind

My 2 best friends, who grew up with us as JW's, lived with their 4 siblings and parents in what must have been the SMALLEST mobile home ever manfactured. I was only about 11 and recognized it as a very old model. It only had 2 tiny bedrooms. Their dad (a total dictator)had the nerve to have the congregatio over for "gatherings" at his house, like where were we supposed to sit?

Sometimes my friends and I drive past it and try to visualize how they ever fitted into that tiny mobile home.

ISP, I am tripping on what that pioneer sister said about the tree.

23

hello all--new to board; my story

by razorMind in

jw
friends

hello everyone...hope all are having a great holiday season.. ***warning--kind of long***.

i am 31 and have been "out" for an undetermined # of years...probably starting as soon as i moved out of the house at age 23. i just "drifted away".. i was born into the jw faith.

my parents remain devout and "zealous" to this day.

razorMind

Celtic,

I went to all 3 of the websites you listed. The earthships reminded me of this feature I saw on TV; someone had designed a house, using an old grain silo. They must have added windows because the whole place was filled with sunlight. Is that the only earthship? Are there more?

I wouldn't mind living at the garden at www.trebahgarden.com. I'd live in a tree (somehow).

I would like to discuss art stuff.....I don't know much, but I know what I like.

23

hello all--new to board; my story

by razorMind in

jw
friends

hello everyone...hope all are having a great holiday season.. ***warning--kind of long***.

i am 31 and have been "out" for an undetermined # of years...probably starting as soon as i moved out of the house at age 23. i just "drifted away".. i was born into the jw faith.

my parents remain devout and "zealous" to this day.

razorMind

Thank you everyone for your positive vibes and personal stories, from the bottom of my heart.

I'll be spending quite a bit of time here, I see!!!

Congratulations and good luck to all those who are either in college or completing. What an inspiration to me!!! I know a lady who's been in and out of the JW's, but above all, she made SURE all of her kids got a college education. One of them is about to launch her own clothing line; she's all into fashion design. I am SO glad for her.

Because I work for a medical college, I can take a certain # of credit hours for free, even if it's not job-related. And coincidentally, AlanF, yep! I do indeed have the application for Commercial Art & Design. The application has languished in my bedroom while I wrestle with fear and apprehension. But now, just hearing about all you wonderful ppl doing 4-yr degrees in your 40's has encouraged me considerably.

I only wish my youngest sister (mentioned in my 1st post) could break free of the trap. Because of me and my other sister, my parents have drilled in her that she is their last hope. I worry more about her than I do for myself. She is the most artistically talented out of all of us.

9

Not Saluting The Flag Singing The Nat' Anthem, H

by Celtic in

jw
friends

not saluting the national flag or standing up to sing the national anthem of your particular country, how did this make you feel at school and what were the reactions of your class mates?.

in your jw upbringings, any other funny, weird or mad school time experiences to share, where there seemed great conflicts of interest, and again, how did these make you feel?

with these experiences in mind, how did it shape you into an individual, and finally which specific emotions did you notice within yourselves as you were growing up?.

razorMind

flower,

QUOTE:
"like you said your parents gave yall a 'christmas'. our folks never did anything to make us feel special. we didnt get presents unless we were graduating from high school. we never went on vacation to make up for the 'family time' that others had a xmas. we didnt spend summers at the beach or do anything that would bring us closer as a family..."

See, THAT'S THE KIND OF BULLSHIT I'M TALKING ABOUT. I talked to a co-worker who remembered a Witness family living on her block, and how they used to stand forlornly watching her and the neighborhood kids go trick-or-treating. Also, my husband was watching some TV program and the kids were having a class X-mas party and the lone Witness kid had to sit at her desk apart from the others. And she was crying, having to sit and watch her classmates gorge themselves on candy and cakes and gave a great time.

IF YA GOTS TA BE "NO PART OF THE WORLD", WHY NOT AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO LET YOUR KID MISS THAT DAY OF SCHOOL? OR TAKE THEM OUT TO ICE CREAM OR SOMETHING TO MAKE UP FOR THAT SHIT!!! As staid and staunch as my parents were, if nothing else, they'd at least come get us from school. They'd at least let the teacher make us up a bag of goodies to take home. Why let the kid(s) just sit there and feel more miserable?

But I know all Witness parents don't do that. I think its abominable.

And as far as the "congregational picnics", I always found it interesting how some congregations have social activities going on every 5 seconds, but some (like ours) would only have something once a year, if even that. My sister tells me that our cong. was known for its "straightlacedness". I find it riduculous that they can't socialize with evil "worldly ones", but never get together with EACH OTHER.

My sister was the true rebel; whereas I'd hide my Valentine flowers under my bed, she'd display hers proudly on her dresser. She'd boldly go to "worldly" boys' houses, with a Witness living right next door.

xjw, I feel you on that "running scared" feeling. I had 3 eyes always looking out for someone I knew at the Hall. We had the extreme misfortune to have an aspiring elder heading the janitorial dept at our high school. My sister and I called him "Officer JW Watchdog"; he's always the one running to tell JW parents their kid's business. To this day he continues his "runnin'-and-tellin'". (He prowls the schoolyards and parking lots in his familiar battered blue van, watching) And I totally agree with your last 2 statements. JW children truly are "thrown to the wolves" upon reaching adulthood.

9

Not Saluting The Flag Singing The Nat' Anthem, H

by Celtic in

jw
friends

not saluting the national flag or standing up to sing the national anthem of your particular country, how did this make you feel at school and what were the reactions of your class mates?.

in your jw upbringings, any other funny, weird or mad school time experiences to share, where there seemed great conflicts of interest, and again, how did these make you feel?

with these experiences in mind, how did it shape you into an individual, and finally which specific emotions did you notice within yourselves as you were growing up?.

razorMind

Once we got out of elementary school, the flag salute wasn't really that big an issue for us. My folks would give us a "Christmas" and really go crazy with toys each year on a day known only to them. And I was an introverted, book-crazy nerd anyway, so spending the day alone in the library during holiday parties was heaven for me. Usually my mom came to get us whenever we had a holiday party.

I found field service to be the most horrifying ordeal for me. I remember being in the car, fervently praying to Jehovah not to have to go to the rich neighborhoods, or the ones most thickly populated with my schoolmates. By the end of my JW career, I always made a point to be partnered with those so "fanatically zealous" that they'd take every single door, no questions asked.

Weirdly, my parents seemed to think that we would never, in our lifetimes, have contact with the opposite sex.(It's funny in sitcoms, but it was strangely REAL with us) When I, after much negotiation, finagled a ministerial servant date for the prom, my parents treated me like I was doing something bad, to the point where it was referred to in hushed tones. No word was ever breathed pertaining to us getting married one day. You know how moms and dads will tease their kid about having a crush? If that type of thing was spoken in our house at all, it was with averted eyes and hushed tones, definitely NOT in a joking manner. Sneaking around with boys was perfected to a art by me and my sis. Especially lying about hickeys, bouquets of flowers, Valentine candy, and X-mas gifts from love-struck beaus.

Specific emotions, I remember feeling normal as a youngster, then something happened once adolescence hit. I remember extreme sadness, desperation, and sleeping days at a time. I remember CRYING for days at a time. I remember lying in bed for days, in the dark, shades drawn. And MIND-NUMBING, ALL-ENCOMPASSING, B-O-R-E-D-O-M.

Never having real dates, and the whole field service thing, was the most traumatizing to me. I tell co-workers all the time, "I can live without celebrating holidays, but going out in field service? I could NEVER go back to that."

razorMind

23

hello all--new to board; my story

by razorMind in

jw
friends

hello everyone...hope all are having a great holiday season.. ***warning--kind of long***.

i am 31 and have been "out" for an undetermined # of years...probably starting as soon as i moved out of the house at age 23. i just "drifted away".. i was born into the jw faith.

my parents remain devout and "zealous" to this day.

razorMind

Hello everyone...hope all are having a great holiday season.

***WARNING--KIND OF LONG***

I am brand-new here. I am 31 and have been "out" for an undetermined # of years...probably starting as soon as I moved out of the house at age 23. I just "drifted away".

I was born into the JW faith. My parents remain devout and "zealous" to this day.(dad is a longtime elder.) I have 2 sisters. One was DF'd at age 19 (9 yrs ago) when she got pregnant out of wedlock. The other has been throughly brainwashed and not doing too well.

I cannot begin to list the many ways this organization has torn my family apart. My DF'd sister cannot believe how our folks have just turned her away completely. I was the only one who dared touch her "evil spawn" (in my parent's eyes) when he was born. I was the only one (of the immediate family) who attended her wedding. She had a very bad time for a while after my parents put her out of the house, hooking up with awful men and being treated very badly. But she is doing great now.

We were completely isolated from almost everyone; we lived in an extremely rural area. To make matters worse there weren't even any other "Witness" girls our age to makes things a little easier. (As one knows, these are the only "safe" peers a JW young girl can have.) I remember being a total recluse at school; entire school days would go by where I wouldn't use my voice AT ALL. I LIVED in books; I was tested as "gifted" and was invited to attend a small college at age 11(denied, of COURSE, because the program was sponsored by a church-HORRORS!) Nevertheless, in keeping with "theocratic admonition that the world could end at any time" (whatEVER), I was allowed to drift through my school years with no motive, no ambition, no drive, making only mediocre grades. Also, (while this may sound trivial) I looked different from other kids at school (not "Black" but not "White" either; school was not racially diverse), very small and skinny and a huge uncontrollable mane of long frizzy hair. My self-esteem could've been boosted a tiny bit if we'd been allowed to dress at least halfway up-to-date and I'd been allowed to style my hair just a LITTLE. I was and still am very shy and field service was an ordeal. I cannot remember our parents ever mentioning a word pertaining to sex; I had to learn from my voracious reading.

My poor youngest sister was diagnosed by my parents (and the help of Awake!) as having A.D.D. For this reason she was successfully dissuaded from attending college of any type. She was also was allowed to drift through school. Upon graduation last year, she got married to a "young zealous brother" in spite of my pleas to further her education and live on her own a while.

They now toil at menial jobs and have moved to a large city.(You absolutely would not BELIEVE the astounding artwork this girl can turn out) They rent an apartment at a rate far above their means, have no furniture, and she walks a 90-minute round trip trek through awful areas to get to and from work. (She HAD a brand-new car when they first moved there). She has put on an alarming amt of weight & literally has no clothing to wear. Her appearance deteriorates every time I see her. BUT, they are still in the "truth", and that's all that matters, right?!? She is clearly depressed and is doing the worst out of all us kids, but my parents think WE'RE the ones who are bad off.

My biggest issue, the one that keeps me awake at night with fury, is the whole JW view on higher education. I basically feel that my whole life has been wasted. There are so many things I could've done & been. I'll probably never realize my dream of going to art school(so sad; many members of my extended family have strong artistic talents) go to another country, etc. etc. I foresee needing counseling sometime soon to help sort out a lot of issues I have.

Anyway,if you have read this far, thanks for reading my story/vent. I hope it was easy to follow. I'm glad to meet all the other ex-Jw's here. Hope everyone is having a joyous holiday season.....