Posts by Faithful Witness

31

Getting bariatric surgery in March!

by marmot in

jw
friends

after being on a waiting list for three and a half years i've finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel and am going under the knife for a gastric sleeve operation in march.

i can't tell you how pumped i am because i'll finally be able to re-take my life after being severely overweight for several years.

i gained a ton of weight after being put on meds for bipolar disorder and it made exercising a painful chore.

Faithful Witness

Marmot:

I had gastric bypass 5 years ago. I am a success story. I am female, 5'8". My highest weight (non-pregnant) was 335#. I was 390-395# at the time of delivery for both my children. My son was 8 months old when I had the surgery. It has changed my life dramatically.

I am currently 185#, but that is my post-holiday weight. I will be back down to my normal 165# by summer time. I now know that I CAN lose weight. That is an amazaing realization.

I have always been overweight, so it has been a challenge for me to make the lifestyle changes. You will be a success. You have great goals and reasons for getting this lifesaving procedure.

Feel free to contact me privately if you would like to chat or just vent. It has been quite a journey for me.

Unless you've been there, it is hard to understand how small the world becomes for a large person.

11

Reading exJW then JW facebook sites can make you go crazy!

by ILoveTTATT in

jw
friends

it's absolutely amazing what exactly the same event can do to the jw community and the exjw community.. the difference is that the jw community does not think and has the expected response... we think and, of course, have the exact opposite response as the jw's.. take for example the march km with the "will this be the last?

here are some comments from a jw site:.

wow it comes like that in the km?

Faithful Witness

Thank you for sharing your observations here. I am one who is also very interested in watching how JW's respond to such blatant manipulation.

I was never quite submissive enough to join the ranks, but I got enough exposure to really have compassion for the people who are trapped by this BITE mind control. Now I am outside, witnessing the changes to members of my own family. My sister has taken on the new personality 100%.

I got a chance to talk with her about the July Watchtower, and it was interesting how she reponded to her first "new light." Me: "What did you think of that article and the changes about 1914?" She: (blank stare, extended pause...) "It made sense..." (???)

Her husband jumped in with, "I just wish they wouldn't spend so much time talking about what we USED to believe, but tell us what we believe today, so we can move on." (???Really???!!!)

A recent comment from my father, regarding the amazing new JW app: "They are smarter than me!"

I appreciate your sharing these comments here. I don't have the discipline to do Facebook in moderation.

24

Decided on the local C of E Church.

by quellycatface in

jw
friends

have decided to check out my local parish church.

it has a real mix of people.

old, young families and military personnel/families.

Faithful Witness

I hope you enjoy it, and meet some nice people.

We have visited Episcopal churches twice, and the chanting sort of gives me the creeps. They did have real wine for communion, and they made you go up front and kneel in a row to get it. (I watched from my seat, although we do participate at our local Baptist church).

Your clothing choice sounds fine to me. They should accept and welcome you, no matter what you're wearing. If not, then try somewhere else.

The real test for me, is how the people act, and if they welcome outsiders. Time tells the truth on that issue. The truth is, you will find imperfect humans, no matter where you go. It's a matter of what you can accept and enjoy.

I like the charity work! Pay attention to see how much begging they do for volunteers and donations.

Hope it goes well for you tomorrow!

42

I want to send a follow-up question to my sister who has recently cut me off

by Faithful Witness in

recently, i received this email from my jw sister: .

while i appreciate the thought, please do not send us gifts.. our kids are not missing out on anything other than things we try to protect them from.. at this time, based on prior encounters and their affect on me emotionally, i think it would be best if we didn't communicate.. i hope you can understand my decision and the fact that it is not meant to offend anyone.. .

i sent her a loving and forgiving message, and know she has no intention of answering me.

Faithful Witness

I don't know that it would actually dawn on her, that she is under mind control, or that there is even a possibility of that even existing. She lept at the chance to put on her new personality. I would like to remind her how far from reality she has gone.

I have made many mistakes in this process. Thanks for your insights. I'm going to keep quiet for now, and continue communicating with my mother and the rest of the family, as if we are all normal people.

42

I want to send a follow-up question to my sister who has recently cut me off

by Faithful Witness in

recently, i received this email from my jw sister: .

while i appreciate the thought, please do not send us gifts.. our kids are not missing out on anything other than things we try to protect them from.. at this time, based on prior encounters and their affect on me emotionally, i think it would be best if we didn't communicate.. i hope you can understand my decision and the fact that it is not meant to offend anyone.. .

i sent her a loving and forgiving message, and know she has no intention of answering me.

Faithful Witness

I haven't sent anything yet.

I agree that a face-to-face meeting would be a better way to approach her, but I don't think that can happen. This is really hard to arrange, because she lives in another town. If I knew when she was going to be at my mom's house, I could just show up coincidentally. When this has happened before, they rush out the door before I even get out of my car. They make quite a spectacle about it, and then I go in with my kids, and talk to my parents like everything is normal.

I forgive them. Somebody needs to act rational in this situation.

I like the points you all have made. I am still leaning toward reaching out to her once more, but I will sleep on it. I know I won't change her behavior or mindset, but I would like to make her think.

42

I want to send a follow-up question to my sister who has recently cut me off

by Faithful Witness in

recently, i received this email from my jw sister: .

while i appreciate the thought, please do not send us gifts.. our kids are not missing out on anything other than things we try to protect them from.. at this time, based on prior encounters and their affect on me emotionally, i think it would be best if we didn't communicate.. i hope you can understand my decision and the fact that it is not meant to offend anyone.. .

i sent her a loving and forgiving message, and know she has no intention of answering me.

Faithful Witness

Recently, I received this email from my JW sister:

While I appreciate the thought, please do not send us gifts.
Our kids are not missing out on anything other than things we try to protect them from.
At this time, based on prior encounters and their affect on me emotionally, I think it would be best if we didn't communicate.
I hope you can understand my decision and the fact that it is not meant to offend anyone.

I sent her a loving and forgiving message, and know she has no intention of answering me. I don't know if she will open another email from me, or if I would be better to send a card in the mail. Here is what I am thinking of saying to her:

Dear ,

I can't stop thinking about that last email you sent to me. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that you did not write those words to me. That is not my sister (name) talking, and I know it is not directed at me. I am the sister who has loved you since you were born. I have always found you to be a reasonable and logical person, so I am confused by this sudden inconsistency.

This question is for the real (name): What is causing you this fear? What have I done to deserve this unkind reaction?

This response you sent makes no sense, based on prior encounters I have had with you.

Try to see this from my perspective. My sister is cutting me off, for reaching out with generosity? Help me understand this cruel reaction.

Is this a Jehovah's Witness policy, or is it something personal between us? I don't get it, and am still interested in making peace.

Any advice you have is appreciated. I am not good at being concise with my words.

3

Your an apostate whether you are an ex JW or just a member of a christian church .

by smiddy in

jehovahs witnesses have long said that christendom has apostasised itself from the true religion after the apostles left the scene , and by the 3rd /4th century the weeds had taken over .. however they have always taken a softer stand with christendoms members because thats where their potential members would come from , and for decades this proved to be true.

is this still the case ?

or has their been a shift by witnesses against family members who are of a different faith .. a baptised witness who leaves the religion is cut off , shunned by family members unless they return to the fold.. depending on the time one has been a witness , how strong they are as members , or how indoctrinated they are does tend to vary with individuals.. yet the organization has strongly come out against apostates especially among their own , do you see a trend against family members who are christian though not jw`s ?.

Faithful Witness

They want it both ways. I've wondered the same thing myself, as a never-JW, who is now been ex-communicated by my sister for no valid reason.

She has made the statement, "We have a hard time explaining things to our kids." -- "Like what?" -- "You know, idolatry. Apostasy." -- "Can you give me an example?" -- silence.

I am left wondering if she is having a hard time explaining why we sings songs about Jesus, go to church and do things for the homeless. My kids are happy and playful, even though their JW cousins are obviously being told we are all going to die very soon.

Instead of trying to reach us, they are shunning us and leaving us to die at Armageddon.

My mom is caught between it all, and there are signs she is awake but feeling trapped.

10

Ackkkk JWs posting videos on Youtube now

by fahrvegnugen in

jw
friends

well i haven't been here in a long old while, but was browsing around youtube and stumbled across a channel called jehovah's witnesses downloads which appears to be an official cache of propaganda uploaded by the borganization.

jeezus christ!

are their any worse actors than jws in those smarmy dramas?

Faithful Witness

Anything that exposes JW's to the evil internet, is a good thing.

25

Peace In The Middle East - It's a comin'

by scotoma in

jw
friends

from the un news centre (with breaking news from the un news service).

un officials hope observance of international year will lead to israeli-palestinian peace16 january 2014 the united nations today launched the international year of solidarity with the palestinian people, with senior officials urging that the observance be used to redouble efforts to achieve a durable peace between israel and palestine.. the coming year will be crucial to achieving the two-state solution, deputy secretary-general jan eliasson said in his remarks to the un general assemblys committee on the exercise of the inalienable rights of the palestinian people.. mr. eliasson said israeli and palestinian negotiators are working hard towards a peaceful, comprehensive settlement of all permanent status issues.

that means a settlement that ends the occupation that started in 1967 and which would end the conflict.. it also means securing an independent, viable and sovereign state of palestine living alongside a secure state of israel, where each side recognizes the others legitimate rights, he added.. the secretary-general and i urge all in the international community to work together to translate the solidarity and desire for peace expressed on this occasion into positive action for security and for justice.. last november, the general assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 2014 as the international year of solidarity with the palestinian people, and requested the committee to organize activities around the observance.. general assembly president john ashe told todays meeting that he hoped the year leads to robust support for the people of palestine.

Faithful Witness

"Peace and Security!"

42

Super Tasty Kool Aid Flavored WT Study this Weekend!

by LostGeneration in

would love to hear comments on what is being said on the paragraph which states that if the wt demands you drink the kool aid, you should do it - even if you don't understand why!.

.

look forward to any replies..

Faithful Witness

I sent a quote of this paragraph to both my parents, just after Cedar posted an article about it on jwsurvey.

My father has not responded to a single email in over a year.

My mom's response? "Don't worry, we won't drink the Kool-Aid..."

My reply: "What will you do? Maybe you should discuss with Dad, what your limits are in this situation. It sounds like a threat to me."

(no reply)