Posts by ESTEE

29

The Depths They Will Sink To.....

by sweet pea in

having almost gotten over my jw ex-best friend telling me she could no longer be my friend, handing me back my spare keys, sending a note and present to my kids with not even a 'dear sam', shunning me in the park, etc, etc she now sacks her immigrant cleaner (who became her cleaner due to my recommendation a year ago) by text message.

cleaner phones her to check out what's going on and she tells her you can no longer clean for us as you work for sam and my husband wants us to have no connection whatever - you may tell her things about us and we don't want that.

charming, another kick in the stomach for me and a great witness to the cleaner (who ironically we found out a few months ago has a father who is a witness!).

ESTEE

(((((((Sorry Sweet Pea))))))

The things people do in the name of love, from a place of fear.

ESTEE

35

Stupid Idiots at the meeting

by B_Deserter in

i was at the sunday meeting today (i know, i know...) and i heard this one guy give a comment about how hollywood movies always portray rich people as happy and successful, so that's proof that satan controls the film industry because it's a lie.. .

i struggled to think of one recent hollywood film that portrayed anyone as being happy, let alone rich and happy.

if they made a movie like this guy was describing, it wouldn't sell.

ESTEE

movies always portray rich people as happy and successful, so that's proof that Satan controls the film industry because it's a lie.

Excuse me, maybe I'm just a dumb girl, but where is the logic in this comment?

ESTEE

42

How Have You Gone About Making Friends Since Leaving the Witnesses ?

by flipper in

jw
friends

i've noticed lately that some on our board, or perhaps for many of us, that's why i'm writing this , have had a challenge making new friends after leaving the jehovah's witnesses religion.

it has been a mixed bag for me.

i have met some through my wife, who is not a witness.

ESTEE

Followed my passion and took up ballroom dancing!

ESTEE

20

So close to sending in the letter

by PoppyR in

jw
friends

so, i found out today that my whole family, that is mother, older brother wife and child, older sister and husband, younger brother and wife have gone away together for a week.. previously i would have been right in the center of all that.

this time i didn't even know until after they'd gone.

cant say it doesn't hurt, what a punch to the gut.

ESTEE

((((((((((Hugs to you, Poppy ))))))))))

Sending your da letter might be a knee-jerk reaction.

Take some deep breaths.

Your family still loves you, Poppy.They are only doing what they are
told from the platform to do. They are not doing what is really in their hearts.

The JWD family loves you, too.We just want you to do what is right for you --- from the love in your heart.We trust you will do what is healthy for you when the time is right. In the meantime, vent here all you want. It's all okay here!

Love

ESTEE

22

How Did You Personally Deal With Disfellowshipped Ones?

by minimus in

jw
friends

.....whether they were family or not??

?

ESTEE

Hey, minimus, I'm the black sheep in my family, being df'd. Do elders talk to me? They gotta find me first!!!

ROFL!!!

ESTEE <-----of the "disappearing act" class

43

Well I finally resigned as an elder - Phew.

by The Scotsman in

jw
friends

thats right, about 2 weeks ago i confronted the po and told him i just could not do it anymore.. i genuinely have been under alot of pressure recently with my work so i used this as the pitch.

he was not happy but i received little resistance, which suited me.

i handed him my letter last week before i went on holiday.. i have to say it is a great weight off my shoulders, no book study, meetings for ministry, talks, public talks etc etc.. i will no doubt be the subject of local congregation gossip!

ESTEE

Scottsman wrote a year ago:

People desperately trying to convince themselves that they were right to give up! . . . Is this your purpose in coming here???? . . . I have no doubt some have had bad experiecnes within the organisation. But this does not change the fact that this is the truth.

Scottsman, would you say you “gave up” when you stepped down from being an elder?

I never really expressed my true self when I was in the borg. I attribute it to the fear --- yes,
F-E-A-R that was constantly instilled in me from birth from my parents and the elders. Being born and raised in the TruthTM just made it all that much harder for me to leave. The "jws have the only true religion" had been drilled into me all my life. I had nothing to compare it with.

But my soul had other plans. It became harder and harder for me to go door to door, until I could not physically make the effort any longer.

For myself, I don’t think it’s a matter of “giving up” as much as knowing in my heart that this belief system I had been born and raised with simply did not serve my needs any longer. Perhaps the religion never did serve my needs. Since I was only a servant --- and female --- what was in it for me? 1975 came and went. I had observed many faithful ones go into retirement with no pension. They had wonderful jobs, and had refused, yes R-E-F-U-S-E-D to take a company pension. They had laughed, saying they would not need one because the end of the world was coming and “what good would money do me?” Now these retired ones live on a meager allowance from the government in low-income housing. They hang their heads whenever they see someone they know. Their spirits are broken. What good did faithfulness to the religion do them?

In your current reply, you are still an active publisher. It will be interesting to see where you are a year from now.

Congratulations on your first step of stepping down from the elder role.

Warm Christian Love and Welcome to the JWD Forum!

ESTEE<------- of the happily disfellowshipped class

32

PLEASE tell me I'm crazy!!!

by Elyse867 in

jw
friends

so... hubby and i have been getting into discussions with a lot of people lately about the wts.

i want so bad to know what to believe... i don't believe that the 'truth' is the one true religion anymore, but i don't know what to believe anymore when it comes to certain things... what happens to you after you die, etc.

so, i've been praying a lot (i still believe in god) asking him to direct me somewhere, just give me something to believe in.

ESTEE

this is NOT God's answer to my prayers, please?

Elyse, sometimes God sends us an answer --- in reverse. Perhaps this sister is a reminder of who you used to be, just so you could see how the example fits now --- in present time. So is this who you want to be now? I suspect not. Answers don't come all at once, darling. It takes a lifetime of learning and experiencing.

Some people always know who they are meant to be, and some take years to form the idea. With those of us who have left a cult of indoctrination, God wants us to learn to use our free will, go deep inside ourself to discover on our own who we are and why we are here.

Keep us posted!

Hugs

ESTEE

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