Pickler

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Posts by Pickler

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  46

  My husband MISSED the meeting today! Unheard of!

  by Julia Orwell in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he decided to take me somewhere nice in the country for a day instead, and when he suggested it last night i was amazed that he would have even thought of missing the meeting!

  he was one of those guys who only missed a meeting, literally, if he had a spinal injury and couldn't move!.

  but, i've been sharing a little of the ttatt with him, teensy tiny bits that i can substantiate from the bible or other reputable sources.

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  Pickler

  Good luck with the job situation Julia, enjoy your Meeting free Sunday!
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  29

  2 jws just called on my door

  by l p in

  1. watchtower
  2. bible

  i saw them coming down the street...the excitment grew.....then 2 people walked up to my door.... .

  one could hardly speak english...struggling to invite me to the memorial....i said "why should i go".

  they told me ...bec jesus died for everyone just one day a year is very important.... .

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  Pickler

  Ooh, what fun I p!

  They never call on me, my husband took great delight I telling them that he was married to a disfellowshipped witness & they couldn't get away quick enough!
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  27

  Why does my family still interact with me?

  by stillstuckcruz in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  here was my story posted originally about 2 years ago.

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/205854/1/as-a-witness-what-view-of-the-world-did-you-have-heres-my-story.

  and my extended story on jwrecovery:.

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  Pickler

  I think there really is a double standard amongst JW, kind of like the military & "don't ask, don't tell"

  I was DFd for immorality, yet I have family members who slowly faded & then had children out of wedlock :) pretty convincing evidence of immorality there. But no DF, because they are off the radar, so to speak.

  Enjoy, if that's what you've got, but, remember this situation only exists because no one has confronted it.

  good luck to you!
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  80

  new member- my story

  by AndDontCallMeShirley in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  "that which can be asserted without evidence, can.

  be dismissed without evidence.

  " - christopher hitchens.

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  Pickler

  Welcome Shirley, thanks for posting your story.

  One thing that stuck out for me was your field service comments. I also hated FS. But I wondered, if you genuinely believed that you had a life saving message, if Armageddon really was approaching....wouldn't you get that message out in the most effective way?

  Wouldn't you use your money to run infomercials (like that sham wow guy?)

  wouldn't you advise all young JW to go to university & set up JW social groups on campus?

  Wouldn't you encourage socialisation with the world so they can hear the good news about Jehovah?

  all of these things would be more effective than door to door, but it drags on. Really to keep the rank and file busy, nothing more.

  Good luck to you Shirley, look forward to hearing more!
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  26

  conscious of my spiritual need, what next?

  by stillhurts in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  so once you leave, what next?

  have you found anything from a spiritual standpoint that brings you happiness and satisfaction?.

  have you been so scarred by the teaching that "all religions are wrong", that you can't see the truth anywhere?.

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  Pickler

  Hey Stillhurts,

  Only recently have I become aware of how damaged I was when I left the JW. With hindsight & what I have learnt on the last few months I think I was just reeling in shock as everything I was raised in was taken away. I was also exhausted from the effort of living a lie, as for many years I had been trying to stay in whilst not really believing.

  The JW have taken years from you, years when you should have been learning & growing. So, in some ways you are like a child & should not rush into any commitments & decisions. Read a lot, study if you can, socialise, play sport, go to concerts.....it's time to find out what you like, and I warn you.......it can take a long time to find out! Why?

  Because you were in a cult, and that means you were taught to suppress natural inclinations & feelings, not explore & develop them.

  think of yourself like a child you are raising. If you expose yourself to new experiences, eventually you will find your way.

  Good luck to you!
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  15

  Part 2 of Botzwana's story....The final part.

  by Botzwana in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  http://monstercafesaltillo.blogspot.mx/2013/03/my-story-as-jehovahs-witness-part-2.html.

  again comments are appreciated..

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  Pickler

  Thanks for writing your story Botzwana. I still get shocked at the arrogance of some JW. Someone commits fraud & gets away with it? How come you can't sue? She should be in jail.

  Anyway, glad to read you life is on track now.... Good luck to you!
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  44

  Is a slow fade being selfish when you have kids?

  by dissonance_resolved in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  so i got some great advice to take things very slowly with the husband and kids in order to be able to fade and still maintain contact with my parents and siblings.

  but today i got a call from my son's teacher that he was having a meltdown because he was worried about all his friends and teachers being destroyed at armageddon.... first i felt like such a schmuck for ever having allowed that thought to enter my son's head, then i thought, is it psychological torture for me not to immediately correct the situation?

  i had a long talk with him about how god is perfectly just and full of love and he didn't have to worry about that at all, but it still seemed lukewarm.

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  Pickler

  Your in a tough spot, and I feel for you. I also a born in, and have suffered from anxiety my whole life due to the JW upbringing.

  I also had the opportunity to study child development at uni, I really recommend you read a good text. It does help you to make age appropriate decisions on communication.

  So much That the JW discuss from the platform & in studies is really unsuitable for children.

  Be clear & simple & not a hypocrite in your actions.

  Never get angry about JW or their teachings because kids often internalise your anger and blame themselves.

  good luck!
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  6

  Your To-Do List Upon Exiting The Cult

  by rubadubdub in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you have a to-do list upon exiting the cult, and have you accomplished your goals?

  if you are still "in", have you started your list?.

  my list:.

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• 

  Pickler

  Thought some more about this list, what I've done so far

  1) completed a degree at uni

  2) traveled to Europe

  3) married & had children

  4) volunteered

  5) practised and studied yoga for years

  6) made some really good friends

  7) thrown some amazing birthday parties

  8) learnt to ski

  I still want to.....

  1) go to America & Canada, particularly the Pacific Northwest & I want to see the northern lights

  2) serous trekking in New Zealand & that long walk in Spain :) can't remember what it's called

  3) my husband wants to fish for blue fin tuna in the Northern Territory, so I'm up for that & I want to go to the Great Barrier Reef this year

  4) I want to continue learning, someone recently posted a thread on Harvardx, so I am looking at that at the moment

  5) my secret long term plan is to possibly qualify as a yoga teacher, by which time ill probably be the oldest one in existence...oh well!

  6) I want to be a grandma one day

  7) I will also one day catch a wave properly without getting dunked!

  Seeing it written down, there's so much to look forward to! Yay freedom!!!!!
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  6

  Your To-Do List Upon Exiting The Cult

  by rubadubdub in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you have a to-do list upon exiting the cult, and have you accomplished your goals?

  if you are still "in", have you started your list?.

  my list:.

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  Pickler

  Great list rubadubdub,

  I have been working on a list recently myself. A lot of the ones above I've done, but can I add gambling?

  I don't care for it much,but it's been fun to enter office sweeps & buy lottery tickets. I've also been to casinos. And I've laughed at my horoscope without feeling that I'm letting in demons.
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  4

  The movie "Sessions " ? whats your take ?

  by smiddy in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i hope ive got the title right i`m going from memory.

  helen hunt is a sex therapist with a severely handicapped guy fullfilling a basic need .. watching it , i thought it was an extremely important movie ,touching on a subject that most of us , certainly me , would not have contemplated .. and yet this is a function of life that the majority of people dont give a second thought to in their everyday lives.

  yet we all participate in it .. yet think ,.......if you were deprived of sex ,period , because of a physical handicap, honestly ,how would you cope ?

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  Pickler

  Smiddy, there was a really interesting documentary on this recently here in Australia. I think it was on the ABC, or SBS. There is a Sydney woman who works as a prostitute specialising in working with men with disabilities. Also in the documentary it showed her completing a Masters at Sydney University on this topic, and also travelling to Europe to present at conferences as an advocate for sexual rights for persons with disabilities.

  She works out of an agency here in Sydney, where it is legal. Apparently every state is different, and she could not work in Queensland.

  Its really interesting, and parts of it are very confronting. If I remember the name of the show I will post it.

  I do believe that these men ( and there was a woman featured as well) do have a right to a sex life. The working woman featured was lovely. She must be quite expensive, because her clients save for months, but then, why not?

  One man had a wish, he had never had a woman stay overnight, like a real girlfriend. The sex worker had to learn safety procedures & how to use some medical equipment. His parents went to stay at a motel for the night & he got his wish.

  It was lovely, and so sad at the same time.