i'm currently disfellowshipped and living at home with my parents, but because they are both still devout jws i have to keep going to the meetings and crap because i don't want to risk getting thrown out until i finish college or find a job that will let me support myself and go to college.. yesterday, my mother rode with me to the meeting and told me how much my best friend and my oldest sister are missing me, and it just tears me apart because during the meeting i was practically counting the minutes till it was over.
it didn't help matters that i had to sit with my family because the library was closed off, thus forcing me to follow along with the meeting on my tablet instead of reading something useful or interesting like i normally do.. when i got home i just cried out in frustration because it feels like no matter what i do, i am making the wrong choice.
either i have to keep pretending to support an organization that has caused so much pain to so many people, or i have to abandon my family and friends to it so i can save myself.
Saethydd
Some excellent advice has been offered and I'd encourage you to implement what you think will assist with your situation.
There is an old adage which I think sums up what everyone has already stated:
'Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes'
The only way out of this situation is to take action!
I wish you all the best with whatever decision you make.
so, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is absolutely pro-jw, 5 is neutral and 10 is youtubing nutjob apostate, where do you stand?.
i'm probably around a 6. i have the view that jws are a nothing marginal religion.
if i hadn't been brought up as one i doubt they would have ever entered my consciousness.. the reasons it's a 6 and not a 5 is that i have some concerns over their child baptism and safeguarding procedures, but i think it's down to them being a bit dim rather than any pro child abusing ethos.
I don't 'hate' the individual JW however, I detest the Organisation for some of its down right evil policies and practices which have caused untold misery for many, many people over the years.
So consider me a 10.
she could have bought an ice cream cone .
.
.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj6r3-sqr58.
Thanks for sharing CC.
Without the Arts and creativity, life would be so boring and meaningless.
i just thought about my old congregation where an elder met worldly married couple in field service some years ago.
the couple knew me for years but we do not know each other very well and they mentioned my name to him and he started to talk bad things about me!
wtf!
lamallcool
Take Flipper's advice and move on. They are not worth the time and effort fretting about.
I had jws talk about me behind my back to others when I was an active jw. Gossip dies if no one listens, so the listeners and tale carriers are just as bad ...
I had the same experience as you, Blondie. Added to this I had a speech impediment - I stammered / stuttered - so I was a target for ridicule as well. I eventually overcame this problem. Today, I couldn't care less what some people think of me. I live my life on my own terms and shoulder my responsibilities as best I can.
.
you do remember the four day assemblies... sitting outdoors being fried in the sweltering heat,getting heat stroke in the middle of july in an outdoor baseball stadium.sitting outdoors from 9:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. was so much fun while you wore a suit,long sleeve shirt and a tie while your brain fried.
mom's who had children to take care of,lug strollers,feed all the kids,take them for bathroom breaks and try to not faint from the heat.. the sound and audio was always breaking and barely audible from the wind,airplanes flying over and (if you attended the cicero,illinois circuit )you would smell horse manure from the horse stables next door.. you know that you are a jehovah's witness.... when the only excitement waiting for the drama... where brothers and sisters dress up in ancient cloths,fake beards,fake rocks and fake soldier uniforms and wave their hands incessantly to pretend that they are acting out a drama.the excitement was unbearable!.
I took part in two drama's; In a biblical, and a modern day, setting.
It was a good few years back - during the early to mid 90's. I can't remember the actual drama's however, in the biblical one I was the faithful soldier, and in the modern day one, a pioneer ... lol.
I must say that I actually enjoyed it.
background:.
my parents got the “truth” while i was in primary school.
i was baptised at 14. i loved school and was extremely studious.
Welcome to the forum, doubtfull1799
Congratulations on your first post. As others have said; hold back on the da'ing. If you can, it would be better to just fade away.
Although you have been very active and at the forefront ie. writing dept, elder etc; if you have not already done so, take a look at the JW FACTS website - http://jwfacts.com/ - which is also very useful.
Looking forward to your future posts.
day two (wednesday 8 february 2017).
see also posts and threads regarding: pre-trial / day one / day one update / day five (last day, settlement).
jefferson: not totally.. zeff: okay.
Found this on Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses Reddit.
It was posted by; JohnRJay. He has a valid point!
When you put together all of Jefferson's statement about who exactly is in charge, it boggles the mind:
Who is the president of the WT? I don't recall.
Who wrote the letters sent to the BOE? Anonymous persons.
Is the CCJW responsible for anything? I imagine they have to.
He denied the WT writes anything, just published and distributes.
Is the GB associated with the WT or CCJW? No.
And the rules that are followed by the elders relating to the JC came from whom? A group of men, spiritually mature men are appointed to prepare the material under the direction of the GB.
And are they anonymous? They are.
I'm beginning to think that those really in charge are either a bunch of giant bug-like aliens preparing our society for invasion, or a computer program that malfunctioned and became self-aware.
i have had it confirmed now, that since stopping attending over 18 months ago, the elders have set out to deliberately ruin my name and character .. they have been talking to every witness from the local area and saying things like "be careful of him, he has the ability to implant thoughts in your minds, and he only pretends to be kind and caring".
so, all i have to say to them is, "bravo!
if that is the method you want to employ, you have reached the very depths of bad behaviour!".
Stuck;
Keep your chin up and move forward.
As Redpilltwice stated;
... Try to stand above it, maybe someone who really knows you as you are will wake up from this BS ...
day two (wednesday 8 february 2017).
see also posts and threads regarding: pre-trial / day one / day one update / day five (last day, settlement).
jefferson: not totally.. zeff: okay.
... In one of the most insidious and outrageous statements of the trial, Thomas Jefferson admitted what so many victims of child abuse already know – that Jehovah’s Witnesses [the Organisation] have no regard for the community at large, and their failure to report suspected child abuse places the entire community at risk by failing to report a predator ... Note: I inserted 'the Organisation'; to be fair, there are many people 'still trapped' within that do care.
Yep; sums it all up for me.
has a profound influence on our life.
on the one hand we have the background of our childhood, our upbringing, but when we leave and become apart of society, our witness traits and their set of beliefs are not tailored to fit in.
however as i slowly learnt to know longer judge from the perspective of my witness life, i also learnt i am simply an ordinary person.
@ The Rebel
Great post. Ordinary people are not the Ogres we were led to believe.
As Phizzy mentioned; you will find idiots in all walks of life including among the JW's.
I find that I am so much more calmer and at peace with myself since I let go of the burden (JW Org) that was once bearing me down.
