Posts by cha ching

40

Introduce myself

by dantoole87 in

i'd like share why i went from being a teenager determined to work in full time service for jehovah my entire life, to now being on here commiserating with you all.

i use to be an atheist but i now believe in god.

but i'm not preachy about god.

Hey Dan, make sure to enjoy life, investigate things you never have, keep learning, keep living, travel! My husband and I went to Europe this year. I never thought I would enjoy it so much, because I thought "Hey, one city, one country, they are all just 'thing's".... kind of WT ish....

But, I really enjoyed the history of it all. The architecture, the people, the adventure. We went to London, (for a child abuse prevention convention, that was full of amazing professionals, therapists, lawyers, journalists, victims) and then to Scotland (to see my niece and her family) then to Italy/ Rome and visited the Vatican (no problemo now, I am not a JW anymore w/JW restrictions) and the colosseum.

You will enjoy the broadening of your life. Hugs, cha ching

19

E cart witnessing on our way to see Shen Yun in San Francisco

by cha ching in

today, i took the day off to go with my husband to san francisco on bart to see shen yun.

coming out of the station, were two elders at a watchtower cart!

my husband loves to witness to them.. started off with a smile and they smiled back and he told them he had been associated with jehovah's witnesses and now he is not but he wishes to tell them that even though they are going to hear things that are upsetting in the news, there is life after jehovah's witnesses.. they smiled and asked him if they could ask what religion he has gone to, or what he is doing now.

cha ching

Hey Lisa, I believe you are spot on.... I was kind of weirded out about the religious overtones.... The two 'announcers' (a handsome white man who spoke both english and chinese, and a pretty chinese woman who spoke both E&C) would come on stage between each dance and explain what we would see next...... they had the audience learning how to speak 'chinese'/ mandarin and pronouncing 'Shen yun' and explaining:

Shen (神) is a general term for divine being, indicating the myriad deities, Buddhas, and Taoist immortals in Chinese spiritual traditions. Yun (韻) means rhythm and conveys a person's entire bearing. ... That's the meaning of the name Shen Yun.

So, yes, it was a tiny bit weird,(not so weird I could not enjoy the dancing) I started to feel like I was at a 'recruitment' in a sort of ways.... but I resisted! haha! My husband enjoyed the comparison of religion, and he said it reminded him of the Mormon religion (where they think they return to heaven and become 'gods') and from that angle it was interesting.

40

Introduce myself

by dantoole87 in

i'd like share why i went from being a teenager determined to work in full time service for jehovah my entire life, to now being on here commiserating with you all.

i use to be an atheist but i now believe in god.

but i'm not preachy about god.

cha ching

So sorry, Dan, it sounds like you have been through so many terrible life happenings. Your wife's family sounds messed up (put that together with a big head and a title) and that would always be plaguing you, but don't let it get your self esteem. Petty people like to put nice people down.

If you can take a break with your fam in Canada for a while, it will help you process things. I was a JW for 60 years, and when we had a pedophile in our hall I got to see another side to the WT. I found out things others are just coming to see. Look up the Australian Royal Commission, and their looking into JWs in that country. WT lawyers are not "righteous", they are lawyers, worse than 'worldly' lawyers, because they use every trick in the book and have no conscience about it.

Just take time to build yourself up, feel good, connect with people who love you. No one should have to have gone through what you did. Unfortunately, so many on this website have gone through the same things that you have. Your story is repeated the world over. It is not just one 'group of elders' or 'one congregation', it is an organization wide problem. It hurts people. Let yourself breathe.

Like Driveby said, maybe you should make sure you have a 'witness' (not a JW) with you when you visit your wife or daughter. Her family sound like the kind that will just make trouble for you and have no remorse.

The WT says one thing, and does another.... as you shall soon discover. Take care, and please let us know how it goes. You are a good person, who deserves to have a good life.

cha ching

20

"ah yes Dad, do you mean those times when Jehovah made those mistakes and errors?"

by stuckinarut2 in

so...while chatting with my ultra "spiritual elder" father on the phone this afternoon, i couldn't resist using that line!.

i had sent him that video of the recent convention showing brothers and sisters dancing to the "kingdom song" and waving their illuminated phones and arms in the air like some sort of revival church concert.

(perhaps someone can post that link to that thread again here?).

cha ching

joe134cd "got blocked" and stucky's dad had to "ring off", but like dubstepped and DOC said, they can't unhear that, and it may just be the beginning of change, right? Step by step!

20

"ah yes Dad, do you mean those times when Jehovah made those mistakes and errors?"

by stuckinarut2 in

so...while chatting with my ultra "spiritual elder" father on the phone this afternoon, i couldn't resist using that line!.

i had sent him that video of the recent convention showing brothers and sisters dancing to the "kingdom song" and waving their illuminated phones and arms in the air like some sort of revival church concert.

(perhaps someone can post that link to that thread again here?).

cha ching

"Don't hold hands during the prayer"

"We don't control you"

19

E cart witnessing on our way to see Shen Yun in San Francisco

by cha ching in

today, i took the day off to go with my husband to san francisco on bart to see shen yun.

coming out of the station, were two elders at a watchtower cart!

my husband loves to witness to them.. started off with a smile and they smiled back and he told them he had been associated with jehovah's witnesses and now he is not but he wishes to tell them that even though they are going to hear things that are upsetting in the news, there is life after jehovah's witnesses.. they smiled and asked him if they could ask what religion he has gone to, or what he is doing now.

cha ching

Dagney, you are going to diiiiiiiiiiiiieeeee when you hear what I said! LOL

41

Do you have JW-related dreams (nightmares)?

by compound complex in

greetings, dreamers:.

i guess it's never going away: daytime carryovers of jw-related stuff seeping into my dreams.. the majority of these dreams take place at conventions but with really weird trappings.

last night i dreamed i arrived at the site with no books, no lunch, nothing but my car keys.

cha ching

I had more of them just after I left, been gone for 5 years now, and don't usually have a dream. If I do, it is not scary, it just has people I knew in JWville, and I am "informed" about "the not so truth" and they don't really know I am 'out'. They weave in and out of the dream, kind of like a crazy thing going here and there.

But lately, nope, no dreams of JWville.

19

E cart witnessing on our way to see Shen Yun in San Francisco

by cha ching in

today, i took the day off to go with my husband to san francisco on bart to see shen yun.

coming out of the station, were two elders at a watchtower cart!

my husband loves to witness to them.. started off with a smile and they smiled back and he told them he had been associated with jehovah's witnesses and now he is not but he wishes to tell them that even though they are going to hear things that are upsetting in the news, there is life after jehovah's witnesses.. they smiled and asked him if they could ask what religion he has gone to, or what he is doing now.

cha ching

Haha, I know WingCommander! It is so different to be on the other side of the table.... I haven't had much practice it's kind of like 'going out in service' for the first time. My husband didn't like me telling them he was DFd either.

Next time, I will ask questions like:

1. If you were in a congregation with a pedophile, was asked by the victim to testify, would you? even if you knew you would get DFd for doing it?

Then let them answer, and say "I know someone who did" (I do not have to let them know it was my husband)

2. You are going to call the police first? Really, did you get something written? Because I just saw a video that said..... and just read a document that said......

However, that being said, I seemed to know these guys, after all we went to conventions in SF, and have lived here for 60 years, so we have come to know/recognize many witnesses. These first two guys were not as 'programmed' as the next, and I was peering into their eyes, like we had a connection (lol)

Anyway... I haven't told my WORST story yet... not sure I will tell it on this forum, haha.... Every time I think of it, I laugh hysterically.... and say "OMG, how could I?" I think I will tell anyone who comes to the aposta-feast this year who wants to know. Only in person, so I can 'peer into your eyes', haha!

19

E cart witnessing on our way to see Shen Yun in San Francisco

by cha ching in

today, i took the day off to go with my husband to san francisco on bart to see shen yun.

coming out of the station, were two elders at a watchtower cart!

my husband loves to witness to them.. started off with a smile and they smiled back and he told them he had been associated with jehovah's witnesses and now he is not but he wishes to tell them that even though they are going to hear things that are upsetting in the news, there is life after jehovah's witnesses.. they smiled and asked him if they could ask what religion he has gone to, or what he is doing now.

cha ching

Hey Diogensister, Regarding Shen Yun... a beautiful display of dancing, I loved the scarves, shields, swords, "handkerchiefs ", etc. They used a video screen in the background that had animation, and they coordinated the dancers with the screen. When one of the gods came down from heaven, the dancer popped up from behind the 3 stairs at exactly the right time, and it was a spacial/ interspacial display... Pretty cool.

One surprise was how much 'religion' was involved in the presentation. They have about 15 acts or dances with 2 announcers explaining the meaning. It starts way back in ancient Chinese history, and works it way up to the modern day with Communism not being tolerant of "Dafa" teachings.

They had 2 singers that sang solo songs that were religious... Reminded me of JWs. "God from heaven saw men, things are getting worse from evolution and atheism, god will return and fix things." My husband said it was like a combination of the Mormon religion and Star Wars, haha!

We sat in the 2nd row from the front (I love dance, and did not want to miss anything!) and that was pretty pricey, $200 each! I believe you could sit 19 or 20 rows back and be able to observe very well.

It is a great experience, I would pick the $100 seats next time, but both of us are inspired to take on new adventures, visit new places, meet more people!

19

E cart witnessing on our way to see Shen Yun in San Francisco

by cha ching in

today, i took the day off to go with my husband to san francisco on bart to see shen yun.

coming out of the station, were two elders at a watchtower cart!

my husband loves to witness to them.. started off with a smile and they smiled back and he told them he had been associated with jehovah's witnesses and now he is not but he wishes to tell them that even though they are going to hear things that are upsetting in the news, there is life after jehovah's witnesses.. they smiled and asked him if they could ask what religion he has gone to, or what he is doing now.

cha ching

Haha, Janice, good one!