most jws seem to be "devout" in that they go to 5 meetings and out in field service.
yet, many also lived double lives.
were you a true-blue jw or were you a faker?
"A guilt-ridden convert who never quite got the secret handshake down"
LOL...DanTheMan....Isn't that the truth!!! I always felt like such a misfit when I was a JW, never quite fitting in and couldn't figure out why.
I was a "true blue" believer, didn't lead a double life, would have died for my beliefs (came close with the blood issue), but I was considered "weak". Service was an ordeal for me and so was public speaking, so I got the "spiritually weak" label slapped on me.
Hapgood
ok there are so many americans on the map now i had to split you all in half.. valis was kind enough to let me place the maps on his website until i found a new home for them.. photobucket seems to be a good option - at least for now.
so i have uploaded the new maps which have been updated to include everyone who has asked.. so if you were wondering where we are from.
or how close you are to other jwd posters in your area just take a look.
Lady Lee could you add me to Pennsylvania next time you do the map. I see that there's a few of us from Pennsylvania. Sorry I didn't see this thread before.
Hapgood
i recently put up a thread which discussed the fact that the wts does not hesitate to promote and sell books containing "old light" to its membership and the public.
well, that thread was about material things and to a lesser extent spiritual things.. how does the wts feel about spiritual things?
let's take a peek.
Great post, Farkel! This is defiantly a keeper. JW's are so busy trying to get people into the "front" door that they don' t have time for those going out the "back door."
I know in my case if someone would have shown a little interest in my family (we were all just Publishers) when we were going through a rough time I would still be a JW. When my daughter just stopped going to meetings not one of the "loving shepherds" asked about her. It was like she never existed, and she went to that Kingdom Hall since she was a newborn. It hurt like heck at the time, but they did me and my daughter a huge favor.
We had an Elder drop buy with an invitation to this years Memorial. He acted like he didn't even know me and proceeded to invite my hubby to the Memorial gave him an invitation, told him the time of the service, the whole bit.....and my hubby is an active Witness. He couldn't leave fast enough. I was going to invite him in for a cup of coffee :-) So much for the "Shepherds" recognizing their own sheep.
Hapgood
i recently put up a thread which discussed the fact that the wts does not hesitate to promote and sell books containing "old light" to its membership and the public.
well, that thread was about material things and to a lesser extent spiritual things.. how does the wts feel about spiritual things?
let's take a peek.
........did you experience the "love bombing" during your first year?
how did it change (if at all) after that first year?
what were your experiences?
My hubby and I studied with an Elder and his Wife. So we were love bombed to the extreme. We thought that was the way Witnesses treated everyone, how blind we were. Although the congregation that we were baptized in was an extremely friendly congregation. We moved a few months after we were baptized to a new congregation, were we shocked, what a difference in treatment.
Hapgood
g,day all from sydney.
i've been dropping in to the board since being d'fd a month ago and have been very encouraged by the posts and they way everyone has been able to move on since leaving the collective.. being a 5th generation, it was always very hard for me to imagine life life outside the truman show bubble.
having a huge extended family who are all believers means that i now have virtually nil social contacts.. soon to be divorced, the only contact i have with my past life is weekend visits from my 7 year old boy and 9 year old girl.
Beaker, what a beautiful song! It's so true, isn't it, I can totally relate to this. Did you write music to go along with the beautiful words? I'm so sorry that you received such horrible treatment, I'm in tears reading your story. ((((Hugs)))) beaker!
Hapgood
for me it was the slow, purposeful fade....and you?
?
Did the fade for a while. Couldn't take it any more, so 2 years 5 months ago I stopped going to the meetings. Since then I've been to one Memorial and I do go the the Assemblies with my hubby to keep him company, plus I like to keep tabs on the latest BS that's being spewed out (why are Assemblies so interesting to Apostates :-)
Hapgood
it's been exactly 2 years since i stopped attending jw meetings and it's taken a toll on my marriage.
i expected as much but i guess you can never really prepare for the pain you have to go through when one mate no longer believes in the same things they once did.
i think my wife has honestly tried hard (as have i) to make the relationship work but i think we're both realizing that there are some really large issues before us that will never be resolved.
I did what Gumby did when I first learned the truth about the "truth". I told him everything that I had learned, we had some interesting battles discussions. He didn't want to hear it, but he could not dispute any of it. What he has done is figuratively "shut me out and locked the door." There are things we do not discuss. It's like there is a giant wall between us. I'm hurting, but have to hide it. One day I just know I'm going to fall apart.
I want to get on with my life outside of this cult to live a normal life outside of the JW's, but he expects me to follow Watchtower rules. It would be much easier if I was DF, because technically according to him I'm still a JW. We have what you would call a don't ask don't tell thing going on. For example, for Mother's Day my daughter gave me a beautiful candle that I put on the dinning room table. My hubby asked where it came from, I said it came from our daughter, but I didn't add it was a Mother's day gift and he didn't ask, but he had to have known. I go through this will all of the holidays and birthdays.
I'm getting tired of living like this. I'm tired of hiding who I am. Another thing, he doesn't know that I'm here, I live in fear that he will find out. Maybe it would be a good thing if he found out. It would defiantly clear the air.
Hapgood
how's the weekend going for you?.
i know some are feeling a little low - pompey lost ...........to leicester!!!
!man city ......
1. Changing where we live. But my entire family is here would really miss them.
7. This ties in with choice #1, would consider Australia, beautiful country! Maybe we could get the whole family to move to Australia :-)
Hapgood
yesterday was the wedding.
all five of my siblings and their spouses and children, my mom and dad and their spouses, even my three daughters were invited.
but not i. she is the only one who is jw.. they sent the invitation to the girls in their name only to my address.
I'm a so sorry, my heart goes out to you. Your story did have me in tears. The pain, I can't even imagine. She is so lucky to have a sister that loves her so, hopefully one day she will come to her senses. At least by the "fine example" that she is giving, the rest of your family are all protected from ever joining that cult that masquerades as a religion.
((((Hugs))))
Hapgood
