An adult has every right to practice their own religion. The problem with JWs is that they demand their children believe as they believe. When the child makes it clear that they don't believe, the parents and congregation force the child to attend meetings, listen to doctrine, etc. The elders meet with the child and say hurtful and demeaning things designed to guilt trip the child into retracting statements of non-belief. They try scare tactics, they say that you aren't tough enough, that you just want to be a member of the world because it's easier - among other degrading comments too numerous to mention. And if all that doesn't work, they shun you self rightously. (I know, it happened to me.)
If this was the Catholic religion doing the above-mentioned things, the witnesses would applaud the child for standing firm in their beliefs.
Doesn't the freedom of religion extend to everyone regardless of age or circumstance?
This is just one example of a double standard that exists in the organization.
I am not intolerant of adults chosing to practice their own religion. I am bothered by and tend to "hate" an ORGANIZATION that approves of gestapo tacts to scare children into becoming "believers".
rebelledat12
JoinedPosts by rebelledat12
-
18
Are we religiously intolerant?
by Sirona inwe are always pointing out the flaws of the jw religion.
does this make us intolerant of the religious beliefs of others?
where do you draw the line?.
-
-
rebelledat12
-
21
How Do You Deal With Telemarketers?
by Outaservice injw's at your door are a nuisance, but so are telemarketers on the phone.
how do you deal with them?.
i sometimes say, "i'm very interested in what you have to say, but excuse me for just a minute, i have to go to the bathroom.".
-
-
rebelledat12
"Any telemarketer pulling this shit nowadays would be in big trouble"
You would be surprised at what you can get away with, there is no way to trace a call to a particular representative, and to be honest, no one cares about the people who are going to say no anyway. There's always the chance that quality assurance may be looking, but there's a ratio of about 1 QA to 115 Reps where I worked. Plus, most of them were just recently promoted reps anyway. People do this ALL the time, my friend works at a "telephone factory" right now. It's a huge party atmosphere.
The best thing to do is consistantly and kindly ask to be taken off the calling list and get the address for the place in NY and send a letter. It might take some time, but it's the only way to really get rid of telemarketers.
It's also good to know the privacy policy of companies that you do business with, for example, your phone company or credit card company may sell lists of their customers. -
21
How Do You Deal With Telemarketers?
by Outaservice injw's at your door are a nuisance, but so are telemarketers on the phone.
how do you deal with them?.
i sometimes say, "i'm very interested in what you have to say, but excuse me for just a minute, i have to go to the bathroom.".
-
-
rebelledat12
Tell them to put you on their "do-not-call" list and/or ask for the address in NY to write to be taken off ALL lists.
whatever you do, if you seriously don't want to be called again, don't piss the telemarketer off.
I used to do it for a couple of years and if someone did any of the above stuff, i'd reschedule them for daily callbacks.
It might make you feel better, but you'll end up paying for it... trust me.
:) -
32
What did/do you most look fwd to?
by SPAZnik inafter 29 years of bondage.... i'm loving living it up.. and wondering.... when you first left,.
what things did you most look forward to doing.
or, for that matter, what things do u still look forward to?.
-
-
rebelledat12
No pantyhose or frumpy dress clothes.
No meetings.
Being able to smoke weed in my own house whenever I wanted to!
No "holier-than-thou" stuck up witnesses
LOUD RAUNCHY MUSIC
my five tattoos - even my JW dad is jealous of that,
dating (and eventually marrying) a BAD BOY with a motorcycle, of course we lived together (SEX) for a year first.
Cursing like a sailor without looking over my shoulder first.
and much more...
THANK GOD FOR FREEDOM -
60
Losing my Religion......
by flower inwell at 29 years old, after a lifelong relationship/belief in/association with a higher power i called god, here i am very close to taking an athiestic or agnostic approach to the rest of my life.
it really hit me the other day although my doubts have been there but i just have been forcing myself to ignore them because i was afraid to give up that religious part of me because its all that i have ever been and i was afraid of the unknown.
but i realized after getting through another one of those weeks from hell that it makes no difference how much i pray or how much i believe.
-
-
rebelledat12
Hi, I just wanted to let you know that you are not alone in your thinking. I remember asking god for a sign, any sign that he cared about me and to prove that he was real. I waited and waited and still, no sign. I was disgusted and wondered if the JWs sapped all my spirituality. (Which, of course they did, but not completely). Then I realized that I was trying too hard and forcing the issue. JWs have to present God as a neatly tied package that can be picked apart and explained. It's not that easy. I've never gotten the sign that I prayed for, but at times I feel an incredible sense of peace. It's a kind of knowing, that I am not alone. I don't understand it all the time, but I do believe in a higher power, and the spirit that is in all of us.
You have to find your own way, and your own answers. Try to stop obsessing over it for a little while, and maybe your answer will come to you.
I wish you joy and peace in these confusing times.
Jessi -
171
WHAT Kingdom Hall did Ya'll go to?
by thewiz ini was looking at another thread.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=24809&site=3.
and was wondering,if i'm not being too forward, what kh did everyone here go to.. i used to go to the cranston kh in ri, usa .
-
-
rebelledat12
Praire DuChien, WI
Burlington, IA
and visited many in between...
they were all some degree of horrible.
Jessi -
39
Heartbraek
by VeniceIT injust when you think your immune to the pain from family members shunning you get a surprise.
my sister hasn't talked or communicated with us for nearly 2 years.
in november my mom bought her granddaughter ashley a beautiful doll.
-
-
rebelledat12
Hi,
I'm sorry to hear about your problems. I know what you're going through. My mother is df and my brother refuses to allow her to see his kids. We've solved this by any gifts that my mother wants to give them coming through me, and my mom keeps a journal that she will give to my niece and nephew some day.
I grew up never knowing my grandfather, the only memory I have of him is when he came to my house when my parents weren't home and told me that he loved me. I never told my parents.
So take heart, just because your sister wants no contact, doesn't mean that her daughter will want it the same way.
Jessi -
23
Life at School - as a Witness
by trevor inlife at school.
as a schoolboy i lived a double life.
in the evening i would go from door to door with my father or attend a meeting.
-
-
rebelledat12
Trevor, I too was denied all activities and fellowship with classmates. Eventually I rebelled and my friends were other "bad" kids. We all had some sad story, my JW background made me one of them. We had more fun than any other group and made long lasting supportive friendships that exist today. It's really nice to talk to people that have been there...
Take care,
Jessi -
20
Hi, I am new to this board
by rebelledat12 inmy name is jessi, i am 24 and new to this site.
i spent the last hour or so reading some of the posts and wow!
i think i am in the right place.. a brief bio, i was raised as a "full" second generation witness (my grandmother converted) but always knew that i didn't want to be a witness.
-
-
rebelledat12
Thank you everyone, for the welcome and support. It feels, strangely enough, like coming home. Oh, and just a little independent note about 1975 - the elders in my mother's congregation preached that it was the end of the world. They made almost every young witness in high school and middle school quit so they could pioneer until the "end" of the old system.
-
20
Hi, I am new to this board
by rebelledat12 inmy name is jessi, i am 24 and new to this site.
i spent the last hour or so reading some of the posts and wow!
i think i am in the right place.. a brief bio, i was raised as a "full" second generation witness (my grandmother converted) but always knew that i didn't want to be a witness.
-
-
rebelledat12
Hi everyone:
My name is Jessi, I am 24 and new to this site. I spent the last hour or so reading some of the posts and WOW! I think I am in the right place.
A brief bio, I was raised as a "Full" second generation witness (my grandmother converted) but always knew that I didn't want to be a witness. At 12, I told my parents. To say the least, my teen years were a nightmare. My parents kicked me out at 16. My mother tried to control me and force me to be a witness. She was really evil - but as it turns out, she didn't believe "the truth" either. She was disfellowshipped when I was 19 for divorcing my father.
My whole world was turned upside down. But I recovered and moved on.
I guess I must not have dealt with my upbring and subsequent shunning by my grandmother, aunts and uncles and the rest of my extended family. I had a panic attack and my doctor said that I was repressing something.
That something turned out to be my entire upbringing. The doc suggested that I find a support group, or at least talk to some others who went through what I did.
Of course, I have a great husband and friends. But they really don't understand how warped the witnesses make your mind. Once in awhile I have a brief moment of absolute terror that I made the wrong decision and Jehovah is going to swoop down and bellow at me. I do say that a little sarcastically, but after being brainwashed, it does tend to come back a little.
I'm very lucky that I was never baptized, so my brother will still associate with me and let me see my niece and nephew. My father, although still a witness is VERY enlightened. He accepts me, moreover and loves me. He actually moved to a different state, in part, because the witnesses were giving him such a hard time about spending so much time with me. We've never explored whether or not he'd be as accepting if I was df, but it does concern me.
My little sister is 19. She is baptized, but doesn't want to be a witness. She really wants to be honest with my father and brother, but if she is, my brother won't let her see my niece and nephew.
Anyone have any good advice?