Posts by EyesOpenHeartBroken

9

Sins that can burn your buns.

by James Mixon in

if you are a believer what sins can send you to sheol, hades, gehenna, lake of fire or.

second death???

in the ot there were many but what about the nt.. one web page listed 40 sins that can send you to hell.lol.

EyesOpenHeartBroken

A list of sins is a futile exercise. Jesus made it clear what is important:

1.Love God

2. Love your neighbor

Actions are merely a manifestation of the heart's motivation.

When I was a JW, I thought the above might be too simplistic. Now that I've given myself the time to ponder this without the background "noise" of JW interpretation, I see that it is simple, not simplistic. Not that it is always easy to live by the law if love, but when practiced it is transcendent. "Whoever does not love has not come to know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:8

To the OP--I'd wager there won't be burned buns. "God is love."

60

I would rather be in the JW cult than the ex-jw cult

by questioningmyfaith in

jw
friends

i have posted one other time on this website.

just for the mere fact that i wasn't anger and bitter and ready to declare the gb the sociopathic criminals that so many here ascribe to, my initial question digressed to bickering over ad hominem attacks against the gb and not my beliefs that i'm questioning.

some did give me some help on my questions.

EyesOpenHeartBroken

ExJW is not a cult.

7

Little Free Library

by pbrow in

jw
friends

hey all,.

almost finished with a "little free library" to set up in front of the house and was wondering if anyone else has put one of these up?

got to thinking that it may get filled up with my tots fav periodicals, watchtower and awake.. anyone else had any experience with this?

EyesOpenHeartBroken

In my area the free little libraries are all over the residential neighborhoods. Stuffing JW literature in them, seems to be a popular new "witnessing" technique. Whenever I find some, I pop it in the ♻️ Bin. I was laughing to myself the other day because whoever is placing this literature probably thinks someone is taking it to read, not tossing it. 😂

74

What song explains what you have gone through in life?

by brandnew in

jw
friends

this is mine....watch "coolio ft. l.v - gangsta's paradise (official music video)" on youtubehttps://youtu.be/cpgbzylnz7c

EyesOpenHeartBroken

Hey Millie

Good taste! 👍🏻

74

What song explains what you have gone through in life?

by brandnew in

jw
friends

this is mine....watch "coolio ft. l.v - gangsta's paradise (official music video)" on youtubehttps://youtu.be/cpgbzylnz7c

EyesOpenHeartBroken

U2--Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

Pretty much any GothEmo and Grunge i.e. The Cure, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, Pearl Jam, Nirvana--the more tragic the better

Buddy Guy--Feels Like Rain (not usually a huge blues fan, but this song guts me)

11

Feeling A Bit Down Today

by jacobm in

jw
friends

hey y'all, .

i'm not sure about you, but i occasionally get those days where i feel a bit down, as if i have no friends.

i do have a number of great friends, though, and am very thankful for them.. i think it might have to do with the residual programming of having a "worldwide brotherhood".

EyesOpenHeartBroken

Hey Jacob, maybe it's in the air because I have been having a down day too. I'm sorry you're feeling this way. I was thinking about how even though I was surrounded by people all the time in JWland, I can only count on one hand the number of actual friendships I had in over 30 years.

Maybe tomorrow will be better. Sorry I have nothing of more substance to offer.

30

Has anyone noticed the JW movies are trying to normalise their lifestyle?

by truthseeker in

jw
friends

having watched the prodigal son returns movie produced by the organization and a recent mini-clip of a brother in london who is shown jogging and doing normal everyday things while wanting to "reach out" it occurred to me that the organization is trying to normalize their bizarre lifestyle and beliefs for the benefit of non-witnesses.. what do i mean by normalization?

they try to make the witnesses look like just another christian denomination who are reasonable while their members live and enjoy normal lives that appear to be within the mainstream.. they do this by not mentioning anything to do with higher education, armageddon or the urgency of the end of the world nor is their discussion or mention of the blood issue.

these are things mentioned often at kingdom halls and in study articles.. watching the prodigal son returns, the family appears to live a normal life, going to meetings and studying.

EyesOpenHeartBroken

I don't know about normal....the 2 sons in the Prodigal Son movie were pretty old to still live at home and looking to dad and mom for approval and answers, especially the older brother. My still in husband said "So the older son is like the 40 year old virgin or something, no wonder the younger one wanted to get outta there."

Totally agree with everyone here about the portrayal of the family's financial status being misleading. That's probably only an accurate portrayal of about 20% of the JWs I have known in the US, let alone worldwide.

Oh, and what about the 1950s housewife having a home cooked dinner on the table right at 5:00 when dad walks in from finishing a day in his unrealistically successful carpentry business. I don't think that has been "normal" for at least 3 or 4 decades.

The portrayal of working in an office in the city was also pretty funny, obviously scripted by someone who has never worked outside the walls of bethel.

My hubby and I actually laughed about how not normal everything in the video was.

It actually seemed more Stepford utopian to me, but I do agree the recent videos are an attempt to project an image of prosperity and balance among the JWs.

34

Fade Fail: Not as Easy as I'd Like

by Hadriel in

this has been tough.

very tough actually.

because i'm so integrated into things including certain tasks which i can't say as it would be a dead giveaway i find myself constantly bombarded by things.. i'm literally a lying every day.

EyesOpenHeartBroken

Hi Hadriel-

I get it. I have been working on my unsuccessful fade for almost 2 years now..ugh! I am a very upfront and genuine person, so this piece of my life currently feels very inauthentic. Mentally I know fading is just a game, but it feels like I am losing pieces of the core of who I am by putting on this charade. So though I haven't any advice for you, I commiserate.

It sucks!

83

what buzz word from the jw's do you hate & why?

by Sabin in

jw
friends

so my hubby has been on a bit of a roll about the jdubs, we were talking a lot about them & he said the buzz word he hate's the most is "worldly" why?

because he say's "with that one word they have condemned (according to their believes) a person as being worthy of nothing but death.

".

EyesOpenHeartBroken

"The Friends"--generic term for fellow JWs, who may or may not be your actual friends

"Turn in your time"--just sounds ridiculous, plus the record keeping aspects always grated on me

"publisher"--odd term for a member considering most have nothing to do with printing books or mags

"making public declaration"--why not just say preaching

"the truth" and "make the truth your own"

92

Only a few days ago I was entirely lost and without hope the rug was pulled out from under me

by elderess in

jw
friends

only a few days ago i was walking around the house in a mindless wander thinking if i needed to seek professional help.

then i got the courage to seek the comfort of complete strangers on the internet and found a world of support here on this website.

thank you simon and whoever else has made this website possible.

EyesOpenHeartBroken

Wow! Your story gives me hope to lay it all out there to my spouse. I've been a real chicken because things are so good in our marriage, I don't want to mess it up. But it is tearing me apart to keep it inside...

Maybe I can share a story like yours soon.