Posts by Xanthippe

20

My Day's Long and Arduous Journey

by compound complex in

jw
friends

this, my day's long and arduous journey, is winding down as infinite night gracefully descends and takes me into her welcomed embrace.. i have no reason to fear the inevitable, my transition into a higher and more glorious estate than was allowed me upon this beautiful but angst-filled habitation.. what must be borne with calm, with dignity, with rejoicing, has been prepared for me from earliest times.

its accomplishment requires nothing of me .

.

Xanthippe

It's so lovely to hear from you CoCo and to see that you're writing again. Stay well dear CoCo, we need your calm voice of reason here

33

Losing Faith

by cappytan in

i've always been a "spiritual" person.

i've been an avid bible reader since as early as i can remember.

i read the bible cover to cover for the first time when i was about 17 years old and have read it at least twice more since then.

Xanthippe

What works for some people is to slow down in JW activities and if asked why say you are depressed and confused over all the changes in teachings. Then let your family try and explain overlapping generations etc. to you while you play dumb.

Wish you well at this difficult time. It's hard to keep your mouth shut and let others teach you when you know it's all nonsense but sometimes trying to explain it helps them see it for what it it. As others have said it's your decision how you tackle it because you know your family best and we've never met them. Good luck.

3

We are not the only ones who have lost our faith

by Xanthippe in

it is not unusual to lose faith in the religion that you're born into.

i actually think it's quite common to move away from you parents' belief system and find that you are a different kind of person to many members of your family.

i have read in national newspapers of famous people including politicians who have left the faith of their birth and found family relationships very difficult, some of them have even been shunned by family.. quite often in local newspapers i see books for sale from one individual about eastern religions, philosophy, evolution and so on.

Xanthippe

This is the original topic. I suppose I should be flattered that a newbie liked it so much he borrowed it and 'made it his own'.

3

We are not the only ones who have lost our faith

by Xanthippe in

it is not unusual to lose faith in the religion that you're born into.

i actually think it's quite common to move away from you parents' belief system and find that you are a different kind of person to many members of your family.

i have read in national newspapers of famous people including politicians who have left the faith of their birth and found family relationships very difficult, some of them have even been shunned by family.. quite often in local newspapers i see books for sale from one individual about eastern religions, philosophy, evolution and so on.

Xanthippe

It is not unusual to lose faith in the religion that you're born into. I actually think it's quite common to move away from you parents' belief system and find that you are a different kind of person to many members of your family.

I have read in national newspapers of famous people including politicians who have left the faith of their birth and found family relationships very difficult, some of them have even been shunned by family.

Quite often in local newspapers I see books for sale from one individual about eastern religions, philosophy, evolution and so on. It is not unusual for people to research what they believe and read many books on a variety of different subjects to try and find a new direction in life.

Believe me I am not minimising the suffering of those of us who have lost loved ones after leaving this cult. I know there is a huge difference between slowly and voluntarily looking at new ideas and suddenly and shockingly finding TTATT and being thrown out of something that was our whole life.

All I want to say here is that after feeling lost and separated from everyone it was a revelation to me to find that the journey of losing faith and looking for something to replace it is not so weird. In other words, I found I have a lot more in common with 'worldy' people than I first thought.

We are all just humans waking up on this planet after years of ignorance, superstition and darkness and trying to find a meaning. The more I read and the more I talk to people the more I realise many of us are so similar in our experiences of human life. It made me feel less alone.

76

What is the biggest regret or source of resentment because of being a Jehovahs Witness?

by stuckinarut2 in

i'm sure we could all write long paragraphs about this question, but in a few words, what is your biggest regret, or frustration in life due to being a witness?.

what missed opportunities did it cost you?

.

Xanthippe

Nicolaou what a lovely story. Congrats for you and your wife for your silver wedding coming up.

I also try to live without regret and resentment because it poisons life but it's impossible to get away from it entirely.

I regret that I didn't go to university. I'm sad that there isn't enough time to see more of this lovely planet because I pioneered too long and was penniless for my entire youth. I resent the strain it put on my marriage. We loved each other so very much but when you are both constantly stressed from the JW treadmill and battling the ensuing ill health it's hard.

It took eight years for both of us to get degrees and proper jobs and to start to get out of the WTS poverty trap. Anyway I am determined to see as much of the world as I can before I pop my clogs and to keep moving forward.

19

Interview With an Apostate by Village Idiot

by Village Idiot in

tell us a little about yourself and your family.

got myself in at age 13. one day i saw a leaflet on my door about babylon the great condemned by god and thats all it took.

i mailed a letter to the congregation listed on the flyer requesting a book study.

Xanthippe

Welcome and thanks for your story. So sorry you went through that experience. How terrible to disfellowship you in your absence just for expressing your concerns. Good to have you here.

21

Gave blood today for the first time!

by Viviane in

red cross had a blood drive near me, i decided to go give blood.

i hydrated well, ate some red meat for the iron last night and at lunch, we and gave a pint of blood.

i felt mildly embarrassed, i had no idea what my blood type was.

Xanthippe

Viviane what A Positive thing to do.

40

First Time Post - Long time reader

by Samaritan At the Well in

today is my first post on jwd, i was one of jehovahs witness for almost 50 years of my life, i was born into the religion.

i was baptized at a young age and once i got married i was a very spiritual woman as they would call me.

my husband and i served as full time pioneers, we traveled abroad and went to international conventions, did some special pioneer service in other states in the us.

Xanthippe

Wonderful story thank you. So much in it I recognise, being a faithful pioneer wife alongside elder husband for years. Many of us all owe a debt of gratitude to Ray for that book, it saved my life.

51

Is this a discussion forum or a debating forum , which is it ?

by smiddy in

jw
friends

do you get confused sometimes whether this site is a discussion forum or a debating forum ?.

just asking.

whats your thoughts.. smiddy.

Xanthippe

I thought this was interesting in Wiki

"Debating is also carried out for educational and recreational purposes, usually associated with educational establishments. The major goal of the study of debate as a method or art is to develop the ability to debate rationally from either position with equal ease"

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debate

Sometimes part way through a debate on here I do find myself seeing the other person's point of view so clearly it is hard to continue with objections to their arguments. This doesn't always mean that I agree with them but I perceive that with their life experience, educational level and personality type I can see where they are coming from.

When I speak of educational level I don't necessarily mean lack of formal education. Some highly intelligent and well-read people swallow the party line of academia whole and refuse to see any agenda beyond the fact that they are wonderful people looking for truth.

7

Happy birthday Hortensia and Elvis

by Hortensia in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093gjycdg-4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrdqggl2mbm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkmvscr5yoo.

Xanthippe

Happy Birthday Hortensia