15 one brother who was raised in a christian household wrote that for as long as he could remember, he struggled with homosexual tendencies.
he said: i always felt awkward.
it seemed that i didnt fit in anywhere.
I am happy for anyone who finds love, no matter who with, who cares?
There is something really wrong with being overly concerned with other people's sex lives.
Really, like psychopath wrong, it's just not normal to even care what others do.
I spent so many years telling my kids it's OK if you are gay, my son said "Mum, are you disappointed I'm not gay?" Well...?
long time lurker, first time poster.
i'm really glad i can join your community because i've been in the wts for the last 14 years and now i'm on my way out and it's great to meet like-minded people!.
about me: i started learning jw ways when i was in my teens.
Welcome Julia, I'm Aussie too, from Sydney.
yes, i said "still"..
Yes I'm dysfunctional, but it's pretty well hidden - most people would never tell from my outside appearance how deeply messed up I am. I always felt like a naturally worldly person stuck in the religion. Now I'm out, I know I'm different from most non JWs.
Its Hard to trust people, make friends, or keep friends. I let people go, don't know how to handle any kind of conflict. Worry about things a lot.
I'm in the middle of making a huge mess of my own life at the moment, but, I know I'm a good parent, so that's something.
im sorry Tik, message me if you want a friend to chat or whine to!
i jus got dissfellowshiped at th last week..i feel like dying..i attended th meetings yesterday and ita ws jus horrible..came back home in tears....... people i used to cal my friends nw cant look me in the eye..so heartbroken confused and giving up on life !.
Chichi, it may not seem it, it you have a chance to create a new, better life. One where you are free to make real friends, find love, have a career, a family. This is just a "bump" in your road, though it is very tough at the time, everyone on this site is cheering for you.
Im sorry this has happened to you.
Smile, and get out there, look around ..... Who knows what you'll find.....
is it getting any better?
or is it still happening at the same rate?
was listening to o'reilly tonight as i was eating dinner and heard him say that virtual child porn is actually legal, that sort of blew my mind a bit..
Thanks for answering Lady Lee & Big Mama. Im trying to get my head around this way of thinking, it's just so against what is natural as a parent.......I guess it's a classic example of high control/cult think.
All I can say is.....start feeling sorry for the next JW who knocks on my door.....
service as a way of relieving our pain.... .
no, not field service.
i cant believe all the empty hours i spent knocking on doors, going where i was not welcome, not wanting to be there either, foisting magazines on people, occasionally studying with people in an effort to indoctrinate them.
Londo, this sounds amazing, I volunteered for years at local schools, but now my kids are in high school I'm effectively banned from ever entering the suburbs where their schools are (embarrassment!!!)
ive been thinking about finding a volunteer opportunity because I miss it, you've inspired me! Good for you!!
a plus about volunteering is you see all the good that many people do on a daily basis, it opens your eyes to how basically "good"most people are, as xJW we need to see this over & over, so it sinks in......the world is not such a bad place! People are not bad!
i`m just speaking from my own experience here ,and it has occured to me that over the 33 years i was a witness and in the six congrgations i was a part of , except for a few exceptions, the majority of sisters in the congregations did not have a grasp of the so called deeper things of god,according to wt theology, sure they could run off " bible topics for discussion" sermons but very few could take a discussion any further than that.whereas i was aware that males seemed more likely to delve deeper into, not only the scriptures,but also the wt interpretations as a whole.
don`t get me wrong a few women left me for dead in their comprehension of topics ,but i`m just saying overall i found this to be the case ... my experience... smiddy.
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I think there is emotion at the heart of both males & females as JW. Men get the rush of being head over 1/2 the congregation, they have the superiority of being elders or MS. They must feel they are doing gods work, at least some of them do.
Later maybe this could work against them as they have the fear of not being able to make it in the real world, how many men stay in TT because their minimal livelihoods are tied to the religion. Particularly if they had no education, pioneered, to go from respect in one arena, to "loser" in the world must be awful.
To make it clear, I don't think of anyone from our backgrounds as a "loser" I'm just saying, how a JW may appear to men in the world. To summarize, men's acceptance of TT may be influenced by emotion, their fear of making in the secular world.....they lose a lot
we'll see how long this lasts.... i'll write a chapter each day.
every day.. when there is nothing left to say.....it is over.. it could end up being a book nobody will every read.
or, it might be read by a few and it might mean something to somebody.
You have an amazing story to tell Terry, thanks for sharing it.
I didn't know about the draft debacle, f**king up your life, for what? Jerks!
The group amnesia is amazing, I went to meetings in the 80s, and NO ONE ever mentioned 1975, even though I found out that a family we knew had sold their house & were in debt, all covered over & forgotten!
is it getting any better?
or is it still happening at the same rate?
was listening to o'reilly tonight as i was eating dinner and heard him say that virtual child porn is actually legal, that sort of blew my mind a bit..
Something puzzles me about this topic.
In the majority of the cases I read about, abuse is discovered, and parents go to the elders, who then avoid having to do anything by using the 2 witnesses rule or something like that.
BUT if child abuse is a CRIME isn't it compulsory to report it to the police? Don't parents HAVE to report it? Don't elders HAVE to report a crime if they learn of it?
Why do JWs go to the elders when a CRIME has been committed? It's got nothing to do with the elders?
I was raised in TT, but left before all this stuff came out so perhaps I'm missing an adult understanding of how the JW mindset works, BUT, we were taught to "give Caesars things to Ceasar" = be honest with taxes, obey all secular laws, Isn't this the same?
we still live in this system, never do I recall hearing that we are not subject to the laws of the land (unless they go against Jehovah's law)
also, if you know about a crime and cover it up, can you be charged with an offense?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/nov/12/the-white-ribbon-review.
this german movie with english substitles is unsettling as the pastor's thinking is similar .
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Hey Sobeit, I've seen this film here in Australia, and I found it really disturbing. The black and white film added to the creepiness, I didn't pick up on the pastor, I'm going to have to watch it again.......
