I've been there too with the false friends. They disappear lightning quick.
magnum I just want to say that that pizza/blood illustration is just extremely good.
i read here regularly and although i haven't joined in, i really appreciate all the wonderful contributions from those who are willing to share their experiences.... .
i was a convert.
i won't go into the whole history ( perhaps another day) - my story could easily be recognised in the small town where i live, with my husband.. so, we stopped going to the meetings around a period of time when we were going through severe emotional difficulties - at that point, we needed unconditional family love - the hectic, forced jw dinner parties and social occasions gave no real comfort.
I've been there too with the false friends. They disappear lightning quick.
magnum I just want to say that that pizza/blood illustration is just extremely good.
i'm going to be honest and from the heart when i say that for 40 years in the jw religion i was very happy in my ignorance!
man, what a trip it was.
i loved every minute of it but then i was absent the bad in my religion.
Thank you for your comments! You are an interesting newcomer, because you say you are still a believer. In the jw org or God? I'm a believer too, just not in the GB or many of their tenets anymore. If you want to move on with your life, I would suggest researching doctrine from other viewpoints. This brought me to a place of contentment. If you are happy being a JW for now, stay. Try to spread some good by being kind to those who are suffering from the judgmentalism and pressure.
i read here regularly and although i haven't joined in, i really appreciate all the wonderful contributions from those who are willing to share their experiences.... .
i was a convert.
i won't go into the whole history ( perhaps another day) - my story could easily be recognised in the small town where i live, with my husband.. so, we stopped going to the meetings around a period of time when we were going through severe emotional difficulties - at that point, we needed unconditional family love - the hectic, forced jw dinner parties and social occasions gave no real comfort.
Alive! You ARE alive! And it's time to start living! Start digging into things you are passionate about, pursue hobbies more rigorously, plan a big fun trip you can look forward to. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Whatever you have especially loved your whole life, go after it now! You will meet new friends on the way.
You are a valuable lovable woman. Find a new community who sees that and doesn't just like you for what you do for THEM.
if you become one of jehovah's witnesses, here are five points which will not be driven home to you until after you have been baptized as "one of jw's":.
1) you will be required to commit as much of your time and financial resources as you are able - to further the aims & acquisitions of the billion dollar corporation known as the wtbts/ccojw - namely, to recruit new members and to increase their worldwide real estate empire.. 2) you will be required to terminate "worldly" association with former friends.. 3) you will be "expected" to attend each and every meeting, assembly, convention, and kh televised broadcasts which are arranged by the self-proclaimed "governing body" (g.b.
) in brooklyn, n.y.. 4) you will be required to blindly accept any decisions/directions issuing forth from the g.b., even if you disagree with it.
Watcher, I like your attitude! You don't sound like a witness at all, but someone from my church.
Witnesses do not say you can avoid what you don't like to practice...they pressure you to do every aspect of what they define as worship, and council you if you don't. And if you don't listen, You, watcher, are going to be the one that is watched.
so my mom who sadly is still in the "truth" asked me if i was going to the circuit assembly this sunday.
she knows i don't go to meetings anymore but usually when she would mention the assemblies i would say yes and go pretty much just for her sake.
however, this time i couldn't bring my self to saying yes, i've been reading "crisis of conscience" and i just can't bring my self to go anymore, even if it's for my mother.
i've been lurking for about 3 months now and thought i'd better finally sign up.
you have all been an immense help to me as i have come to realize that this isn't the truth so i want to say a great big thank you!
what a crazy, emotional ride it is to finally face the truth about the doubts that i have carried for many years.
Very, very well said LisaRose.
Ttte, I DID grow up, I started to finally live my own life and worship God the way I believed, not the way my parents told me to believe, because I saw how flawed and deceptive their religion was. Unfortunately this religion doesn't let you still have a relationship with your parents if you decide you must change. I'm sorry if that makes me self centered and negative about it. Every day I hope this religion changes their policies. I miss them and love them. But I had to be true to myself too and finally grow up and stop trying to be their good girl when it conflicted with my own integrity.
in a previous posting i made the statement that the governing body were the world's ultimate predators.
i will now give some reasons why this may be so.. for the purpose of this post i will provide the following definitions: .
- predator - a human who lives by predation.
i'm going to be honest and from the heart when i say that for 40 years in the jw religion i was very happy in my ignorance!
man, what a trip it was.
i loved every minute of it but then i was absent the bad in my religion.
Those who leave for doctrinal reasons know the religion is a farce and a scam just as much as others who leave.
thanks Apostrate. I'm glad you are over your bitterness. I do not feel any bitterness to individual people, in fact I love most of the witnesses I have known very much. But I am very bitter toward the organization itself and those at the top who make and perpetuate their policies and deceptions.
i'm going to be honest and from the heart when i say that for 40 years in the jw religion i was very happy in my ignorance!
man, what a trip it was.
i loved every minute of it but then i was absent the bad in my religion.
i've been lurking for about 3 months now and thought i'd better finally sign up.
you have all been an immense help to me as i have come to realize that this isn't the truth so i want to say a great big thank you!
what a crazy, emotional ride it is to finally face the truth about the doubts that i have carried for many years.
Giordano I love that! The whole story. Your moment of epiphany by the school....
And you being the publishers' card servant, that's classic!