I not only grew up as a born in JW, but I also grew up around a convalescent hospital (nursing home is a more fitting term) I grew up seeing death, and as a JW I had no problem dealing with death. But now, as an ex-JW atheist, death has taken on a whole new meaning. I can't deal with it quite as well as I used to. Although I never pictured myself living in the WT paradise utopia, I somehow managed to not let the reality of death sink in. As I feel myself aging quickly, that harsh reality is hard to not think about, but it doesn't consume my life. There is lots of good advice on this thread, everyone deals with it differently, hopefully you can come to grips with the situation.
startingover
JoinedPosts by startingover
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Dealing with the reality of death. How do you?
by confliction insince i've come to the realization and conclusion that i've been living a fictional lifestyle for the last 17 years, i've also come to identify with agnosticism.. .
but one issue that's been taking it's emotional toll on me lately is the realization of the fictitious paradisiac earth.. it was the ultimate goal as a witness- the answer to everything.
even if you had questions that couldn't be answered, you were to "wait until the paradise and ask" when you got there.. .
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Do you know of ones who were mentally ill, that were labled as being demon posessed?
by miseryloveselders inwe have a few mentally ill ones in our congregation, and i don't mean suffering from depression or anxiety.
i'm not even talking mild bipolar.
i'm talking really messed up in the head, schizophrenic types, and bipolar withpsychotic features.
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startingover
There was a "sister" in the congregation where I grew up that had mental problems. She was always causing problems accusing the "brothers" of various things. She was eventually df'd after my dad, the congregation servant, conferring with the society, and they told him that having a broken mind was no different than having a broken arm.
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Biggest Reason For My Leaving....
by Fester ini wanted to share with everyone, why i left religion all together, in favor of thinking for myself, and believing in myself.. in the bible, there are of course several accounts which i consider to be barbaric and gruesome.
i also consider the worst accounts to be inhumane.
if the bible god is consistent in one thing, it is the continuing theme of inflicting torture and torment on humanity.
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startingover
Great post! Thomas Paine was a turning point for me too.
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What is the point of praying?
by hoggieman inhi, i dont post here too often, but i was reading the other post about why bad things happen, and i am curious for everyones thoughts on this: i have recently left about 9 months ago.
at first i thought i was closer to god and was reading the bible more than ever.... praying asking for help, clarity, etc.....but after a while i started to ask myself why would god answer my messily little prayers when hundreds of thousands were dieing in haiti?
the witness mindset that i remember was not to pray for things to happen, but for strength for yourself to do something.
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startingover
Nothing wrong with prayer. I pray to Clint Eastwood and get the same results I got praying to Jehovah. It seems to be about 50-50 chance of having them answered.
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Thought Control (A simple test for JW's)
by TD inin george orwell's novel 'nineteen eighty-four' the capitulation of the principal protagonist is portrayed in his willingness to assent to the proposition that two and two make five.
once he had denied objective reality, his mental conquest was complete and he was no longer truly the master of his own mind.
nineteen eighty-four is in many ways, a very depressing read.. a charge commonly leveled at jehovah's witnesses is that the type of mind control envisioned by orwell has been and continues to be used on them.
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startingover
AIW It's really easy to gloss over your posts. You need to separate your comments from the quotes. They all blend together.
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Apps
by startingover inwhen i get an iphone i would like to have a couple of these.. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/technology/03atheist.html?_r=1&emc=eta1.
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startingover
When I get an IPhone I would like to have a couple of these.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/technology/03atheist.html?_r=1&emc=eta1
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Why has God allowed this to go on for so long
by watersprout inwhy has god allowed this system to go on for soo long?
he's god he doesn't need to prove anything to anyone!
why have the billions that have lived on this earth had to suffer for what two people did in eden?.
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startingover
Sspo nailed it. It's such a simple no nonsense answer.
Streets76- well put!!
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"My" atheism...
by changeling ina comment on dgp's thread about being kind to jw's promted me to post this thread.. as a life long (46 years) jw, i was conditioned to doing "the right thing" because it was required of me.
i was also conditioned to be on the lookout for others not doing the right thing and either distancing myself from them or reporting them to the elders.. today, i consider myself an atheist.
i have nobody telling me what the right thing is or fear of being punished for not doing it.
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startingover
Very well said changeling!! For some time I have tried to understand why some need a god and other like us do not. I have come to the conclusion that there is some chemical makup within us the decides that. For those who need a god, it seems they cannot understand your words that describe how I too feel, that being alone does not equate to being lonely.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
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The End of Civilization
by startingover inhttp://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/the_end.html.
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Why Answer the question: WHO then is the Faithful and Wise Servant?
by Terry inwe begin with a familiar scripture:.
matthew 24:45-51 (new international version) .
45"who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?
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startingover
Great post