Posts by RedhorseWoman

28

God's People

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

gods people.

this is in response to a question asked by martini on the thread reflections, page 4. for those who have not read it, the question is: is it true that the israelites were historically jehovah's chosen people...the israelites make the wts with all it's "warts" look like saints... or are we to deduce from this that jehovah is the kind of god that could accept and work with such wayward people today as he did in the past?

my response was, in a nutshell: yes, the israelites were gods chosen people.

RedhorseWoman

Once again, Frenchy, some very thought-provoking points. Although I can no longer lay claim to being astute as far as scriptures are concerned, my own personal experiences and feelings have led me along the same line of reasoning.

Religions today (any religion) seem to be more involved with "organization" and "laws" rather than faith. While individuals within any organized religion may, indeed, be part of this covenant with God, I honestly don't believe that any particular creed can lay claim to the honor of being "God's people".

This is just my opinion, but it appears to me that defining criteria of "God's people" involve faith, and a searching for truth, rather than an association with a corporate religious entity.

15

Seven ?

by Simon in

jw
friends

has anyone heard from seven?.

i've noticed she hasn't posted for a while.. let us know you're ok !

RedhorseWoman

****HUGS**** Thank God you're okay. I knew that you said you were very busy, and I didn't want to bother you, but I have been very, very, worried.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. We're here for you whenever you're ready to come back. ***HUGS*****

8

Few deep thoughts or feelings

by TR in

jw
friends

it seems that most on this forum are deep thinkers.

there is much agonizing over the experiences each one has had.

there was trauma, crisis' of conscience, terrible things seen and done.

RedhorseWoman

I sometimes wonder what it must feel like to go back to a life that had been established pre-JW. When you've been in it all your life, you honestly feel like some sort of alien creature when you leave the JW cocoon. Learning how to be "human" again can be exciting, but it can also be absolutely terrifying. Since you're an adult, everyone assumes that you know what you're doing out there....but you have absolutely no idea. Boards such as this are really very life-affirming. You realize that there are others who feel as you do and that they are also making progress towards wholeness. They also won't think you're insane if you speak about something that's troubling you.

15

Just want to get past it........

by notsureofmyself in

jw
friends

i appreciate so much of what is being said here, but frankly i just want it done with.

i don't even care if their doctrines are right or not, their conduct, their conditional love and their hypocrisy is definitely wrong.. i have given up looking for a church that has the answers, there is none.

there are no perfect churches, doctrines or people.

RedhorseWoman

Knowing Notsure for as long as I have, I know that she is a woman who feels things passionately and deeply. She was never a "surface" JW, but always had a deep love for God in her heart and honestly did what she felt was right.

She was the only person who stayed my friend when I went through my own "crisis of conscience", and I know that it broke her heart to believe that I would die at Armageddon because of my inability to put on the "happy-face" mask and pretend everything was okay.

Over the years, as the hypocrisy began to eat her alive, I have seen how troubled she has been. I know that talking about things can help to release the anger and the guilt...but it takes time...and Notsure has always tended to judge herself too harshly.

It will happen, my friend....it will. ****HUGS*****

92

Reflections

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

im starting a new thread because its time i left the bergman discussion.

i would like to address some comments made by ahhah, however, comments which have given me reason to look deep into myself.. even then, i wonder how objective a person could ever be after having had part of their life taken from them by a cult association.

on the other hand, who else (other than an ex-jw) would ever care enough to work as tirelessly as he seems to have in attempting to document the potential harm of this religion (biased as it may be).

RedhorseWoman

Circare, AhHah has some very good points, and I agree with him that having a purpose in life and accomplishing good things is not inextricably tied to a religion.

Have you thought about getting involved with some sort of humanitarian pursuit and urging your children to join you? There are things like Habitat for Humanity, or community food banks, or helping out at animal shelters by volunteering time at adoption centers or fostering homeless animals. There are even literacy programs where you can help adults learn to read and write.

The JW's who are going out preaching and returning home "happy" are doing no more than selling literature and garnering converts to a cult.

As JW's, we were always taught that the only valid actions were those that supported the "Kingdom preaching work". Anything else in the line of charitable works was of no value. We need to get past this type of thinking and realize that we CAN make a difference, even if it's only in a small way. By doing something that we feel passionately about, we can instill in our children the sort of joy and commitment to a cause that the JW's have....and we can actually do some good.

23

Witnet Admin Resigns

by Pathofthorns in

jw
friends

my hats off to the witnet administration team.

it is very sad to see them go, as the last few months have been quite interesting.

of course, those who follow the board know that in recent weeks there have been quite a few problems surfacing.. its obvious many of these individuals had concerns much like we have here.

RedhorseWoman

We're rebels...oh yeah! Bad to the Bone. Don't you wish you could have been there?

23

Witnet Admin Resigns

by Pathofthorns in

jw
friends

my hats off to the witnet administration team.

it is very sad to see them go, as the last few months have been quite interesting.

of course, those who follow the board know that in recent weeks there have been quite a few problems surfacing.. its obvious many of these individuals had concerns much like we have here.

RedhorseWoman

Yep, I was banned from his mining.co site, also. I wasn't particularly anti-WTBTS, but they had spies who would check on the ex-JW boards. One of them found me on one of the ex-JW boards and promptly had me booted from the realm of "true worshippers".

92

Reflections

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

im starting a new thread because its time i left the bergman discussion.

i would like to address some comments made by ahhah, however, comments which have given me reason to look deep into myself.. even then, i wonder how objective a person could ever be after having had part of their life taken from them by a cult association.

on the other hand, who else (other than an ex-jw) would ever care enough to work as tirelessly as he seems to have in attempting to document the potential harm of this religion (biased as it may be).

RedhorseWoman

I have been privileged to meet several ex-JW's I have met online, and there are others with whom I converse regularly on the phone. These are the people I wish had been in my congregation when I was active.

They are intelligent, witty, kind and compassionate. They do not judge and they are very supportive.

As strange as it may sound, I'm finding from my own experience that the true Christians are the ones who are leaving the organization. Granted, there are many who simply don't want to live by Bible standards, but they are not generally the ones who will post on support and discussion boards. Those who do post are the most genuine people I have ever met.

Also, those I have met who continue to believe in God and the Bible, have a deep sense of spirituality that is simply not present in 90 percent of the active JW's I have known.

I tend to doubt that there is any organized religion extant today that embodies spirituality and godliness. Things get totally twisted through money and power, and the love that Jesus exhorted us to show becomes secondary.

I hope that at some time in the future at least some of us will be able to meet. You are all part of the spiritual brotherhood I had hoped to find as a JW. Thank you.

92

Reflections

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

im starting a new thread because its time i left the bergman discussion.

i would like to address some comments made by ahhah, however, comments which have given me reason to look deep into myself.. even then, i wonder how objective a person could ever be after having had part of their life taken from them by a cult association.

on the other hand, who else (other than an ex-jw) would ever care enough to work as tirelessly as he seems to have in attempting to document the potential harm of this religion (biased as it may be).

RedhorseWoman

Puppylove, your comment about the "JW-speak" was something that totally floored me when I realized it. Anywhere you go, you can pick out a JW simply by the words and phrases they use. Additionally, you can slip right into a dialog with them and unless you tell them you are no longer actively attending, they will never know. Sometimes non-JW's think they can pose as JW's, but they simply don't know the "special language", and they're always found out. Can you say Shibboleth?

92

Reflections

by Frenchy in

jw
friends

im starting a new thread because its time i left the bergman discussion.

i would like to address some comments made by ahhah, however, comments which have given me reason to look deep into myself.. even then, i wonder how objective a person could ever be after having had part of their life taken from them by a cult association.

on the other hand, who else (other than an ex-jw) would ever care enough to work as tirelessly as he seems to have in attempting to document the potential harm of this religion (biased as it may be).

RedhorseWoman

While the term "cult" is not important in and of itself, I feel that understanding the dynamics behind such a group is definitely important.

So often when people leave the JW's, they (myself included) feel that there is some lack within themselves that caused them to fall away. They think (as I did) that the JW's are definitely a rigid, fundamentalist religion, but a legitimate religion nonetheless.

When you learn about cult tactics, however, it becomes easier to let go of the guilt. When you know that these techniques are known and documented, it helps you to see that you are not evil, or weak, or unworthy....but rather that you are human and you were victimized by an organization for its own ends. You didn't leave God....you were manipulated by an organization using God to suit its own purposes.