Posts by Xanthippe

17

Supernatural Tony......the 3rd

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i realised something today.... we all happily accepted something really ridiculous.....something that if worded how i will word it now, we would have rejected as ridiculous, but after a moments thought, would have to concede.. we once followed the governing body because we believed they had supernatural powers.

how ridiculous you may say, no we didn't!

of or relating to things that cannot be explained according to natural laws.

Xanthippe

Mad Irishman if you look on JW.ORG under the heading 'How does the Governing Body function today?' It says the following:-

'It is responsive to the direction of God’s spirit. The Governing Body looks to the Universal Sovereign, Jehovah, and to the Head of the congregation, Jesus, for guidance.'

I actually found this by putting the phrase spirit directed into the search box on that site. Why? Because that's what the JWs have always said. That the Watchtower is not inspired but it is spirit directed. Meaning what? Directed by a supernatural force as Snare said.

9

My worst nightmare, a speaking assignment last night. I've been OUT for 38 years!

by FatFreek 2005 in

every five years or so i have this vivid and recurring dream, tho you'll probably surmise it's more of a nightmare.

i learn somehow that i am scheduled for this theocratic ministry school speaking assignment, the instruction talk (do they still have those 15 minute drone-athons?).

i become racked with tension knowing that i haven't even prepared for an assignment that is only 30 minutes away.

Xanthippe

Yeah I still occasionally dream about the cult - been out 27 years. But your dream is a variation of a common recurring dream that many people have of standing on a stage about to sing, speak or act in a play and not having the first clue of the necessary words.

This dream is always accompanied by the feeling that everyone else knows what they are supposed to be doing except for you.

From what I gather from talking to people this is a human condition dream. Sometimes we feel lost, don't know what the hell we are supposed to be doing with our lives. Everyone else seems to have goals and know what they want but today, this week, perhaps this year, we feel lost.

17

Supernatural Tony......the 3rd

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

i realised something today.... we all happily accepted something really ridiculous.....something that if worded how i will word it now, we would have rejected as ridiculous, but after a moments thought, would have to concede.. we once followed the governing body because we believed they had supernatural powers.

how ridiculous you may say, no we didn't!

of or relating to things that cannot be explained according to natural laws.

Xanthippe

Yes Snare, goog point, well made. Years ago I did desperately want to ask someone of the anointed how they received the information that was put in the Watchtower. This was when the FDS included all the anointed before the nulite.

But it was not the done thing to question someone of the anointed. I wish I'd asked anyway, might have left sooner.

15

New to all of this

by Ghiagirl in

i was raised in the truth my whole life, my immediate family are jws and my moms mom is a witness as well as my fathers mom.

other than that the rest of my family are non jws.

i was raised very balanced, my parents never forced the truth on me or my siblings like most of my friends parents did getting baptized at ridiculous ages!

Xanthippe

Welcome Ghiagirl. I'm glad you are free of that cult and wake up happy every morning, feeling no guilt. Congratulations on the baby! So sorry your family are shunning you, mine did the same so I know it's hard. Just think your child will grow up mentally healthy and happy and be able to go to university like my daughter.

My daughter had Christmas and birthdays and it was such fun for me too to learn how to celebrate plus she had lots of friends. You can give all this to your child, just remember that when you feel lonely.

8

Thoughts on My Exit

by losingit in

jw
friends

it has been some time since i last posted or even visited the site, and i wondered why that was.

life continued to be difficult without a network of friends to look forward to seeing.

the novelty of being disfellowshipped wore off, and the mundane advanced as it did every day.

Xanthippe

Losingit, congratulations on getting your teaching degree. Wow with two children and pregnant and facing a divorce too! You have done so well. Women are amazing! Best of luck with your divorce. It's so unfair you have to cope with the JW issues on top of everything else but we are supporting you 100% here.

11

Shunning Styles 101. Any I missed? Care to elaborate?

by Open mind in

my oldest brother got baptized at 12 and realized he was 100% gay at 12 1/2.

sucky timing huh?

he fought the fine fight of the abstinent until his mid-twenties and then decided he couldn't live like that anymore.

Xanthippe

5. JW man walked up to me in the street, stood in front of me and stared at me for two minutes without speaking, then walked away.

5. JW woman walks up to my JW brother at my mother's funeral when we are discussing my dad's care and talks to my brother for five minutes, completely ignoring me. I've known her for forty years.

17

So you are a ex-JW because . . . ?

by Slave4_38y in

.

Xanthippe

Just wanted to wear blue jeans all day and drink merlot

11

"Big Fish in small goldfish bowls"

by stuckinarut2 in

you know, the more we think about it, jehovah's witnesses are just like "big fish in small goldfish bowls".. yes, they may appear important, or "big" but this is only within a very small sphere of influence - yes only within a small and limited world.. to those outside of that small insular world, they are "no-bodies", unimportant, or at least insignificant in the real scheme of life.. so, the next time something from the witness world seems to be a big issue in our lives, step back and look at things from "outside of the goldfish bowl" .

Xanthippe

a big fish in a small pond

one of the most important people in a small group or organization, who would have much less power and importance if they were part of a larger group or organization As the manager of a local company, he enjoys being a big fish in a small pond.

The Free Dictionary

Yes stuck very true, it's a well-known phenomena, big fish in a small pond. Where else could uneducated manual workers put on suits and preach from platforms and expect total obedience from the congregation. Not difficult to see why it appeals is it? Power corrupts and absolute power .......

145

Why attack?

by newqatarjob in

as someone brought up as a jw and been an elder and been disfellowshipped (twice!!!

) i find it difficult to understand why ex jws have to attack the religion, yes religion, not cult or sect.

i am no longer disfellowshipped just do not want to practice anymore.

Xanthippe

Welcome newqatarjob. Thanks for your post. Why are some people bitter about the religion? Well it's hard when people lose parents, children, siblings and friends who won't even speak to them. I've just become a great aunt and I shall never see this child. I wasn't invited to its parents' wedding. I am going to a family funeral next week and the JWs there will treat me like a leper as usual. It's hard to take.

So tell us a little more about yourself. What has made you decide not to practice this religion anymore? Have a wonderful day yourself.

23

JW Son dead in German plane crash, no big deal!

by noolite in

jw
friends

seems to be a jw connection with the crash after all, but it wasn't the co-pilot as some had surmised.

the father of the only american male killed in the crash weighs in with a very mild assessment of the mass murderer, and doesn't seem overly concerned about his son, now deceased.. ---------------------------------------------------------------- .

"the parents of an american victim of the french alps plane crash said on 27 march they feel sadness for the parents of the co-pilot rather than feeling anger for the loss of their son.. robert tansill oliver, a jehovah's witness, lost his 37-year-old son robert oliver calvo in the germanwings plane crash.. "i don t feel anger.

Xanthippe

Grief can have a very numbing effect on the brain. It's a safety valve that's evolved to help us get through the most difficult times in life. Not everyone can cry straight away when someone very close dies, sometimes not for weeks afterward and very strong empathy for those also suffering is quite normal although I don't know why. Perhaps it's a feeling of kinship, we are all feeling this terrible pain together and those outside the circle can't possibly understand.