Posts by THE GLADIATOR

Yes AGuest, I do understand your desire to speak out. I too spoke out and told my family why I was no longer prepared to be a Jehovah's Witness. I expected to be shunned as having known of my doubts for many years as I spoke out on a number of occasions.

They knew I would leave before long and told me that they would shun me if I left. When I did leave they relented. So did my wife’s parents. To be fair, we were treated very well and would have continued to be, had it not been for the book.

As you say though, some things can not be left unsaid. I felt I had a duty to share my experience. I probably would have published anyway but I would like to have prepared them for the shock. I would have like to have informed them of the manuscript and invited them to read it to see whether they though I should publish. Because of the way it was announced and the timing, they never got to read it!

There are kinder ways of breaking things gently to those we love.

16

Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

by THE GLADIATOR in

jw
friends

i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

THE GLADIATOR

Found Sheep Thanks for sharing.

You asked about the book. A free download is available. If you are interested, go to Lulu.com and type or paste into the search box the number 5456415

You will be able to read the about the book before downloading it. The book was first published in 2002. This printed edition is still available from Amazom.co.uk but not shipped abroad. It was a success and has long since covered its costs. In 2006 it was updated and is still offered as a print to order book on Lulu.com.

The free download has been made available as part of an awareness campaign. You are allowed to send the download on to whomever you want or direct them to the Lulu site.

16

Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

by THE GLADIATOR in

jw
friends

i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

THE GLADIATOR

Well as you ask trailerfitter...

For some years after I left the org, my brothers family and my wife's family continued to see us. I even had my brother and his family along with the presiding Elder and his family all come and stay for the weekend, both all together and at separate times. Unheard with apostates as far as I know.

I wrote a book about the Jehovah's Witness. I had not decided whether I would publish and be damned, knowing the problems it would cause. I told my wife not to mention the book to them. On one visit my wife, thinking she knew best, told them about the book, naively believing that they would not mind.

It was like a bomb going off. After I was shunned I published the book. The rest is history, as they say.

16

Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

by THE GLADIATOR in

jw
friends

i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

THE GLADIATOR

Leavingwt – an interesting post. I remember you sharing this with us a few weeks ago. See I do read your posts.

Sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. Good moves are usually planned. Tact, even apparent complicity, buys time while we plan to make the right move at the right time.

Generals will allow sacrifice to gain an advantage in battle. Lawyers in court will hold back and play their cards close to their chest to gain maximum impact. Chess players do the same. Tactical patience is not surrender, whereas unconditional complicity is.

38

Have you ever successfully persuaded anyone?

by losthobbit in

i've had many conversations with religious people and am always surprised that i am never able to get anyone to put their programmed beliefs aside and process the logic that proves how unreasonable their doctrines are.. so, i'm wondering, have you ever successfully persuaded someone to change their mind about something that they had been brainwashed with, and if so, how did you do it?.

thanks in advance .

THE GLADIATOR

How many psychotherapists does it take to change a light bulb?

Only one. But the light bulb has got to really want to change!

16

Did you say nothin' when you should've asked why?

by THE GLADIATOR in

jw
friends

i laid low when i could've stood high.. i said nothin' when i should've asked why.. i saw somethin' that i might've done and i didn't, .

a chance to speak my truth and i hid it.. .

im a bit of a jeff bridges fan.

THE GLADIATOR

“I laid low when I could've stood high. I said nothin' when I should've asked why.
I saw somethin' that I might've done and I didn't,
A chance to speak my truth and I hid it. ”

I’m a bit of a Jeff Bridges fan. Just ordered his new CD. These are a few lines from ‘Maybe I Missed the Point’ – from the crazy heart film. They struck a chord in me and made me think about my years spent as a Jehovah's Witness.

Like many here I was compliant when I could have spoken up. I was afraid of being ostracized. It happened anyway. I finally spoke the truth and paid the price.

Should've asked why sooner and wasted less years.

Life is short. Be brave and be yourself.

29

How Did You Get Rid of Your Bound Volumes?

by Eiben Scrood in

jw
friends

my town will no longer collect old books like that as trash and they're pretty hard to burn.

my solution has been to include one in every bag of used cat litter when i clean the cat boxes.

i've gotten rid of around 30 that way and i'm about halfway there.

THE GLADIATOR

Mine were bound to be thrown away.

86

I wish I was dead ...

by talesin in

jw
friends

.

not much to follow that .... day-umn, life is hard sometimes .... .

feel free to encourage me ... i need it.. .

THE GLADIATOR

Talesin,

How the face that I see in the mirror More and more is a stranger to me
More and more I can see there's a danger
In becoming what I never thought I'll be.

Somedays are diamonds, somedays are stone Somedays the hard times won't leave me alone
Sometimes the cold wind brought chill to my bones
Somedays are diamonds, somedays are stone.

Life can be a real struggle at times. When we are feeling low, negative feelings can take a hold of us. Think of the good times you have had and promise yourself that you will enjoy some more before your story ends. It really is always darkest just before the dawn.

40

is it wrong to pray to die

by needhelp101 in

THE GLADIATOR

exwhyzee ''Death is a permenant solution to a problem that may only be temporary.''

This well said. Once we have accepted the inevitability of death, either now or through old age, we have nothing to lose. We can live without fear and seek out things that we want to do.

The option of ending it all will always be there but by living one day at a time we can often cope better than trying to make sence of our past and present life. We all live through dark times but they do pass if we are patient.