Posts by Xanthippe

30

Life after the witnesses, friends, faith etc

by Theburstbubble in

jw
friends

hi everyone, this is my first post so go easy on me :) i have been a witness all of my life (i'm 37) and truly believed it until 3 years ago.

my husband and i had become spiritually weak and over time i began to question more and more until i came to the conclusion that the witnesses were not the true religion but just one of many religions and that if god is there then there are many paths to get to him.

anyway, i've battled with keeping going as my husband still believed and i didn't want to be in a divided household as we have a young daughter and thought it would be very confusing for her (and us).

Xanthippe

Hi and welcome. Well done being brave and patient until your husband joined you in disbelief regarding the JWs.

I made friends with mothers at school when my daughter was small. That may be a good place to start. Also I made a friend of a woman I worked with, which has lasted for about twelve years. I also made a friend doing voluntary work. They are genuine and they don't get upset if you don't agree all the time.

As for belief I was a Christian when I left for a while. After a while I started to look at other beliefs and philosophies and also read about science and evolution. I suggest you just follow your curiosity and read whatever you like, that's what I did.

It's good to have you here.

25

A word of advice clining to their persecutors ...

by SecretSlaveClass in

let me start off by saying i do not presume to have the answers, i am merely offering advice.. i will preface this posting with this, cutting a long story short:.

my sister was raped by a popular jw lad wh's dad happen to be a rock star elder.

in the attempt to fight him off his face was covered with scratches and it was reported to the police ( instead of rape he was sentenced on the lesser charges of sexual battery and assault) but he confessed to having violent, consentual sex.

Xanthippe

Have you completely cut ties with them? How is your life now?

I don't have anything to do with them but I wouldn't put the phone down on them if they contacted me because they may want to leave the cult one day. There is little chance of this but they know where I am.

My life is good. When I left I got my degree and eventually a job I like. My daughter is an intelligent, ethical, compassionate young woman of twenty now, free to enjoy her life without cult influences. She is enjoying university and we have a great time travelling to different countries together.

25

A word of advice clining to their persecutors ...

by SecretSlaveClass in

let me start off by saying i do not presume to have the answers, i am merely offering advice.. i will preface this posting with this, cutting a long story short:.

my sister was raped by a popular jw lad wh's dad happen to be a rock star elder.

in the attempt to fight him off his face was covered with scratches and it was reported to the police ( instead of rape he was sentenced on the lesser charges of sexual battery and assault) but he confessed to having violent, consentual sex.

Xanthippe

I agree with you SSC my JW family have been playing the, let's shun because it's fun game for over a quarter of a century. They would speak to me and even kiss me and my child, who they didn't even know, at funerals and then when it was over we would be back to the putting the phone down on me or else speaking to me coldly as if I didn't deserve to live.

I just won't play anymore. I say hello at funerals and then I move away. I don't write, email or phone. Let them play their manipulation games with each other, I'm not a little mouse to be mauled by their claws until I die.

14

Catholic Funeral - Rosary and Viewing

by Gram in

jw
friends

tonight i attended a rosary following the viewing.

it was held at the funeral home.

the rosary is a series of prayers led by a priest.

Xanthippe

I went to an Anglican high church funeral and nearly jumped out of my skin when the vicar entered the church behind us saying at the top of his voice ' I am the resurrection and the life'. I believe there was incense too and the vicar wore flowing green robes.

It was a strange turn of events because the deceased, our friend, was an atheist and scientist by training who had befriended the vicar in a local pub and they had become drinking buddies. So the vicar, quite grief stricken at his friend's sudden death had offered to do his funeral. Some of the stories our friend's old college buddy told when he got up to speak were x - rated and it was amusing to hear our friend's sense of humour in that 'holy' or holier than thou place.

84

The Kingdom Halls are empty

by punkofnice in

my jw spies tell me that the kingdom halls are empty compared to how they used to be, since i left 5 years ago.

not saying they're empty because of me though.. is that what you are hearing?.

Xanthippe

When I was in CO and assembly talks were always 'admonishing' those that said there's no love in this organisation. These people were seen as complainers and weak brothers. What the heck is wrong with wondering where the love is? Isn't that supposed to be the sign of true Christianity?

78

I believe that the greater percentage of JWs-You Will Not Be Able to Help, no Matter What Facts You Show Them.

by John Aquila in

so i ran into this brother whom ive known for a while and the conversation led into me being invited to come back to the kingdom hall.

we talked for about an hour during which time i explained to him 607 being the wrong date and a lot of other stuff including the child abuse cases in australia.

but what i wanted to relate was the last few minutes of our conversation.

Xanthippe

You and all apostates have nothing to offer. You have no answer as to why we were put on this earth and where we are headed. Most of you think this life is all there is. You debate among yourselves whether humans evolved or if they are in some type of computer simulation.
So when your parents or children die, all you have is these great memories for a short while. Then a few years will pass and those memories will die, because most of you believe this life is all there is. That is the saddest thing a human can believe.

Thanks John that is quite an insight into human feelings isn't it and an explanation for why religion itself exists. What most born-ins fail to understand is that many religions teach life after death and most of their members find comfort from that. To stay in a high control cult because you're afraid of death in unnecessary.

I know many of us don't feel the the need for this type of comfort or to have all the answers to life, death and so on but some people do. I just wish people like my loved ones would see that they can have hope and comfort elsewhere without ruining their health trying to keep the rules of this cult.

I know this post won't please everyone because some feel that religion should just not exist, but it does. My view, along with that of many scholars is that people invented it because they needed something to get them through. Yes there were power plays and politics and priestcraft involved but there were also ordinary people just trying to survive the struggle of life, and the death of loved ones. What we don't need is cults that rob people of free will and destroy families.

Will humans one day be able to cope without religion and just enjoy their lives? Will we be able to face reality and cope without it because of all the efforts humankind has made through science, medicine, philosophy and so on to make our lives easier? I hope so. Meanwhile people like your friend should have the freedom to look around and find whatever works for them, but within the mindset of this cult this is forbidden.

45

New Inactive One Saying Hello to all

by Lostwun in

jw
friends

lostwun here, i joined 2 months ago but am now just finding the courage after doing more research to formally introduce myself to the board and embrace my new beginnings as an ex-jw.

i am a second-generation jw.

i grew up with parents who are well known and very respected in many circuits.

Xanthippe

Welcome Lostwun. Don't be in too much of a hurry to get your husband to see the real truth. He's said he loves you deeply and won't leave you simply because you don't believe. If you have been reading the stories on here you will know that's unusual, so take your time, you've got a good man there.

20

I had requested them to put shepherding concerns in writing.

by quincemyles in

last week, i had requested the elders to put their shepherding concerns in writing and that only one elder visits me because i am uncomfortable with two.

well, today they approached me and said we are not able to write to you and we are going to see you the two of us.

i felt how inconsiderate and disrespectful of individuals the watchtower machinery is.

Xanthippe

They gave me a caution on not independently studying the bible for that leads to apostasy.

This just amazes me. In their own belief system big J gave them his written word but His FDS tell you to be afraid to sit and study it because that will lead you away from the truth. That's just bizarre!

61

Today's WT glancing at the opposite sex is flirting and therefore immortality

by purrpurr in

in today's wt study it makes the point that just glancing at the opposite sex is flirting and can lead to sex!.

so are jw's now to wear blinkers?.

also jw's are told to go and confess to the elders if they have any immoral thoughts?!!.

Xanthippe

Angus Stewart commented on Jehovah's Witnesses having "the perfect storm" of conditions for child sexual abuse to be prevalent.
One of the conditions that has been found to be present when child sexual abuse is occurring is repressive norms on masturbation and pre-marital sex. - Heaven

Heaven nailed it. This religion is creating the conditions for child sexual abuse with every new rule they make.

I've told this story before but we went to see a psychologist after leaving the Borg and when we described all the rules about sex in this religion he said this is where child abuse occurs in this sort of climate. We thought it was nonsense at the time being ignorant of all that was happening.

They need to get out of people's marriages and out of their heads.

49

GEOFFREY JACKSON THE PERSONABLE FACE OF JW.ORG...BUT IT AIN'T OVER YET BUDDY

by steve2 in

since geoffrey jackson's appearance before the australian royal commission on friday there has for some been an expressed feeling of anticlimax.

it is as though he was given too much latitude to preach, to claim ignorance and to skirt questions.

more to the point, as much as i myself thought i would never have expected to say this, gj actually came across as likeable and - don't throttle me please!

Xanthippe

Dear Xanthippe, I am wrong McClennan said within two and a half years

Yes that's how I remembered it, thanks.