i'm new to this site, found it whilst looking at panarama web site.
are there many here from uk, even lancashire?
if so, please let me know as it would be nice to speak to some ex-witnesses in uk.
Hi
Englishman, I can't believe you are from Farnworth! Its 10 mins away from where I am.
Everyone, lets make an arrangement to meet....lets not just "talk" about it!
I can easily get to Manchester, Bolton, or Wigan....so maybe a pub somewhere there? What about everyone else?
We have a great pub locally in Leigh (nr Wigan), called the Waterside Inn. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays they often have live music.
Anyway, I don't mind where we meet...
Sirona
i'm new to this site, found it whilst looking at panarama web site.
are there many here from uk, even lancashire?
if so, please let me know as it would be nice to speak to some ex-witnesses in uk.
a thread started by realist which mentioned the flood and the disappearance of the dinosaurs got me thinking.
since i do not own a bible i had to download one from the internet to check a few things out (my computer is really pissed at me now).
it's been many years since i read the bible but i needed to be accurate in my research to ask my question.
I'm glad this thread was resurrected, its great.
As a pagan, I personally believe that myths can be useful to us. The common themes in myth may reveal the nature of the human psyche and the nature of the divine (Jungian theory I believe).
In the end it doesn't matter if Jesus existed, but it matters that we 'get' the message of why that story is still so important to humankind. What does it reveal about us? How can we correct our wrongs, and build upon our good points (individually)?
The existence of myth does not prove that there is no God.
I personally believe in a universal force that we call God, and the faces that we give to God are a mirror reflecting back to us what WE are.
Sirona
.
every time i see a picture of ct russell i think man he looks just like a leprechaun.. .
edited by - d wiltshire on 19 july 2002 1:54:20.
what's the most outrageous thing that you were personally told ,while in the organization??
?
god?
i, ruddy nora, can i type this without getting struck down by lightning, well, what i mean to say is, i have wondered sometimes, as you do, whether god knows in the back of his own mind, the fact that it feels, from a human perspective, as if some big mistake is going on.
like i'm in god's petrie dish, and all this is only a part of something else much bigger beyond present human comprehension of the concept at play in his mind.. anyone?.
first i just want to say how much this forum has helped me.
i get on here every day and read what's new.
i am 27 years old and have been married since i was 18 (since there isn't anything else for a good sister to do besides get married or pioneer and i wasn't about to pioneer.
HI EMTmom,
Welcome!
I'm sorry to hear of your recent troubles. I was in a similar position to yourself a couple of years ago. I was married at 20 - no kids. When I started questioning the organisation I had trouble in my marriage, elders visits etc. My husband left the JWs too, and left me.
I'd advise that you don't talk too much about your doubts at the moment. You may wish to discuss them with your husband, but honestly I'd be very careful what you say. It's better to bite your tongue for a while until you know what you want to do. If you decide to stop attending meetings or leave entirely, you can face things then. I think keep a peaceful home is the best idea right now. Of course, its totally your choice but by experience I found that I just pushed my hubby away.
Having elders visiting will not help things. They don't have the answers (I found out) and you will be put down and told that you are having bad association online. One elder even said I was using the devil's reasoning.
Anyway, keep on posting,
Sirona
i recall vividly my teenage years when i was the eldest son of a colourful po.
until you have spent several days residing at the home of the po of a large congregation, you can have no idea what sagas and dramas are played out day after day by the publishers in many congregations.. publishers, ms's, elders, they all want the ear of the po.
in effect, many publishers become totally unable to make even the smallest decision without first of all contacting the po.
Excellent point!
When I was a dub, I used to wonder about what they really meant by "stumbling" others. Sort of "so I can't do something thats OK for my conscience, because it would stumble someone else?"
As you said, this is just a control tactic. All of the conscience matters are twisted to also be a potential stumbling block. E.g. if my conscience allowed me to have a couple of pints in the pub every night, I'd better watch that no JW sees me and I stumble him....or any interested person sees me.... oh well better not go.
Sirona
do you feel that right now, in your quest for understanding of where we all are in our lives, that your relationship with god is better, worse or the same as before?
please do not equate the organization as being the same as god.
we all know that's not true....thank you.
Much better. Now I spend more time thanking God than making petitions for help all the time. As a JW, living up to the "rules" required so much struggling and heartache that I was always asking for strength. Now, I appreciate my life and I can investigate who God really is.
My God is not the God of the bible, neither is God Male or Female to me. I see God as both Male God and Female Goddess aspects - which is just a way for us humans to get to know God. I find that this allows me to really delve into the percieved nature of God. Looking at the universe reveals more about God than any book.
I pray much, much more now. More in a conversation style, and more for others. I feel the Goddess in my life, she corrects me, and is always near.
Sirona
i have noticed for some time now, that when anyone mentions having hope in something said by the bible, some come forth and start asking pointed questions designed to denigrate that hope.
if one says they hope there is a god, someone else will come on ask how could that be because of all the ills in the world.
if it is said that one hopes the earth will be restored by god, another will come on and start asking what about lions being vegetarians, and eating birds and mosquitoes and such.