Lin

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Posts by Lin

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  54

  What If We Are All Wrong?

  by SpannerintheWorks in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  ludicrous as it may seem, the watchtower society may be right?...

  yeah?

  as so much of their doctrines are based on interpretation.. the watchtower society may have interpreted the bible... correctly!

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  Lin

  I've been asked that very question before and my only response is, If THAT is "true religion" then I'd RATHER BE DEAD at Armageddon.
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  29

  Garage Sale Tips? Ideas? Suggestions?

  by Prisca in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  erm, i believe garage sales are also known as yard sales in the states?

  anyway, i'm planning on holding a garage sale in a month's time, as i will be moving and i want to get rid of my junk, as well as hopefully raise some few much-needed $$$.. those of you who have held them, what advice do you give?

  any tips on making it more profitable?

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  Lin

  Hi Prisca,

  Lady Lee's post was definitely a good one. I highly recommend having a couple people with you as helpers, watching for shoplifters etc, but you hang onto the money in a pouch purse around your waist. Don't pull out wads of money to give change, I've heard of sooo many robberies at garage sales it ain't funny. I've had several garage/yard sales myself and it went wonderfully. Hang some signs in nearby laundrymats/apartments etc to advertise, those ladies in there waiting for their laundry would love a diversion! If you have a friend with a pickup truck, have them handy to assist with furniture too if necessary. Good luck to ya!
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  90

  WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?

  by hamptonite21 in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i have been researching the greyhound breed.

  does any one have a italian greyhound or greyhound?

  my application is in for a retired or rescue dog.

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  Lin

  Sorry, no. We have three dogs, one a yellow lab and the other two are big black rotwielers (sp?) mean as hell.
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  38

  Were you born into the jw faith?

  by nakedmvistar in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  how many of you on this forum were born into the jw faith?

  do you think this put you at a disadvantage when leaving the org.

  do you think that someone who becomes a witness later in life would have an easier time adjusting back to a "normal" life?

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  Lin

  I was born and raised in it, third generation. Leaving the org was a tough decision to make, considering it meant losing everyone I ever knew and basically thrown into a world I was taught to fear. Surprisingly though, it wasn't difficult to make good friends with "worldly people", even though as a witness I was taught there are only true friendships in the jw org...gag choke laughing sarcastically!!!

  Some things I've felt rather naive about, not having had experience with before. I love the holidays, yet I didn't know what to DO!, how to decorate or even how to "trim a tree". I used to copy what I saw in magazines, LOL. I really like celebrating friends birthdays and my kids birthdays, yet none of them ever remember mine or send a card, etc. But, I really enjoy Christmas time the most, and love driving around looking at all the lights and yard art, etc.

  It was a difficult yet easy decision to make to leave, and I'm not regretting it one bit!
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  16

  Time for a new Org for THE silent lambs?

  by Prisca in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  the actions of bill bowen over recent months have lead many to conclude that he is more interested in his organisation, silentlambs, rather than the issue of protecting and supporting the silent lambs.

  as kismet said:the sl.org vehicle has been poorly identified as being of support to victims of abuse rather than it actually being an activist organization intent on changing policy through the media and the courts and public pressure .

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=43702&page=3&site=3.

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  Lin

  I agree with Simon that we already have things in place, and each plays an important part. I think Lambsroar is coming along great, with the new counselor etc and many great people as support to victims. It takes time to build things and get people involved, and get public awareness so victims can be helped. But I think things are coming along quite nicely.
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  29

  If YOUR Child Was A Pedophile, What Would You Do?

  by minimus in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  we have shown an abhorrence to pedophiles, and rightfully so, but how would you view pedophilia if your own son or daughter was either a known pedophile or displayed abnormal feelings for children?

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  Lin

  This thread describes MY situation. My second child, now 21, was the victim of an M.S. when he was in second grade. He then became a teenager who molested my youngest daughter. So now I have a son/victim/molester and a daughter/victim. My son molested my youngest daughter. Both molester and victims are my own children.

  When I first found out, my son had just moved to Chicago with his father. Good thing too, because the rage I felt was tremendous, and I probably would have beat him down real bad. Mind you, my son did not reveal what happened to him until after he was sent to jail, so dealing with that didn't come until later.

  The police had been informed by a school counselor and then they called me in to tell me. The police then informed my ex to get my son back to Dallas for the trial. I had to testify against my son, and so did my daughter in sickening detail. My son spent the entire time denying everything and was very defiant in his attitude, which the judge was very angry about needless to say. Before the trial began and we were all seated in the courtroom, we could hear my son ranting and raving at his defense lawyer that his sister will have to testify against him and that he's not admitting nothing.

  Do I still love my son, as the original question asked? Yeah, it's there. But it's also not the same sense from before. He's my son and he was hurt, but he also hurt my daughter. Her life is changed now too, because of him. If my own daughter wasn't the victim of my son, it would probably be different in some respects than what others have already posted. But my feelings are torn about my son. I love him, yet it's different now. Maybe as time goes by things will get better. He's just been released after serving four years and has several years of parole to do. I guess to be open and honest, I would have to say my love for my son is as if he were my nephew; I love him but it's different.

  My son is a habitual liar and manipulator, one not to be trusted. This was finally discovered by his counselors while in jail, and he ended up serving an xtra year than what he would have had to. The original sentence was twelve years with a minimum of three served. He was caught stealing and selling someone's prescription meds while in jail, so served another year. He's out now, and living in Dallas. I have seen him twice since he got out of jail, and I hope he will create a good life for himself. He just moved out of the Half Way house into a roommate situation, but immediately found the roommate is heavily into drugs, which of course could get my son in serious trouble, guilt by association or something. He told me he feels like he's still 16, which makes sense because his life came to a stop at sixteen when he was arrested and put on trial. He's also making 16 yr old decisions, and no one can suggest or tell him different because he'll get mad if you show even the slightest facial expression indicating disagreement and he won't talk to you for months. So my relationship with my son is strained to say the least.

  I hope none of you have to answer the question what would you do if your child molested one of your other children. It's tough, real tough.
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  24

  My Story

  by pr_capone in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  in 1990 my mother married an american guy from that she had met while working for an aircraft company.

  my brother was not allowed to visit me and they even turned him against me.

  the relationship that my mother and i have will never be like what we had.

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  Lin

  Thank you for posting your story! I think it's very important and helps in the healing too. What you describe is not at all uncommon. I'm very happy for you that you have your mom and brother back in your life now. Hopefully things will continue improving for you and your family, and others will be benefited by your story.
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  14

  When is it not worth helping JW's out of the org?

  by sleepy in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  .

  being an ex-jw who would love to see my friends and other out of the jehovahs witness organisation i face a dilemma, is it always in a persons best interests to know the truth about the truth?.

  when i first decided to leave the organisation, i was happy to speak to my family about why i disagreed with the organisation.then about 6 months ago my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer of the lungs (due to asbestos poisioning.if you think the governing body are corupt they are nothing compared to the people who produced this stuff).i have desided it best not to mention anything about the organisation untill my family recovers from my fathers death.. so since then i have not said a word about the "truth".that would be so counter productive to my fathers mental health, his and the rest of the families happiness can be only be found in the hope of a resurection , no matter how unfounded that hope is.. i have bumped into some elders from time to time who are in their late 70's and spent all their adult lives in the truth, how about them?there are many in the congregations suffering from depression and other mental problems, what would our knowledge do to them?should we be taking the intiative to help these out, or could we do more harm than good to them?of course i can't know how knowing what know about the truth will effect some people.will it make their lives better or worse.will it free some to fufill their ambitions and desires living a full and happy life or will others be full of regret , deprestion and sadness, maybe even some would comit suicide.. what part will i have played if its me that persuades them?should i wait to be asked about the organiasion, or should i take the initative, is it really up to me to judge who can "take" it and who can't?

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  Lin

  I'm with Larc on this one. I have zero communication with my jw family, so I don't have any experience in this situation. I don't hear from them, other than hearing stuff through my neice who wasn't baptized/df'd. She hears stuff about the family and tells me, which sometimes I don't want to hear about because it's just a reminder of the non family I now have. Like, my parents were thrown a 50th wedding anniversary party this past weekend, and my brother made a point of showing my niece the list of those invited and commented that no one df'd or da'd are invited or welcome to come. Part of me wants to know how the family is doing in general, but then again I don't. Not hearing about any of the goings on is easier for me I guess. The only thing I hear about is usually sad stuff, like my "sister in law" has cancer of some sort, or like when my aunt in ohio died, things like that. All through the grapevine or through my niece, never directly. If they wanted or cared if I knew, they'd tell me directly, so why should I care to know?
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  50

  Texas Apostates...Roll Call & New Map!

  by Valis in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  greetings all texas apostates...i have been guided by the holy spirit (tm) to compile a map locating us in the veritable hotbed of apostacy that texas is...if you would like to be on the map let me know and i'll add you as you request.

  we can't very well let ballistic and our uk counterparts/blokes/blokettes have all the fun now can we?

  we can also squeeze in our brothers and sisters from neighboring staes as well.. .

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  Lin

  Hey Valis, you can put me in at Denton! Thanks!
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  83

  Judge Bans Shunning

  by Farkel in

  1. watchtower
  2. child-abuse

  today i spoke with a former jw i've been in touch with for several years and discovered what i think could be a major bombshell for the wts.

  as we all know, shunning is the most powerful weapon the wt cult has over its members and for decades the wts has been able to get away with practicing it at their whim.

  the us and other courts have permitted them to to use it, even though it destroys families and has ruined countless lives.

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  Lin

  I would love to think that court decisions like this one would have a big impact on jw's, but I just don't think so. Even if there was a new law, with stiff punishments, requiring no shunning, I don't see it doing much. Just think about all the jw's who have already given their lives for things the G.B. required. I think the jw's would simply quote that scripture about obeying God's law vs. man's, and things will go on as usual even if it means going to jail for it. Heck, my dad went to jail for not going into the army years ago. I don't see much happening as far as real changes. I'd like to think so, but I just can't see it.