a self appointed dictatorship.
removing anyone who dares to question.. deleting from literature and history anything embarrassing to the movement.
zero tolerance, functioning & appearance of the movement is worth more than an individuals life.. .....but am i talking about north korea or watchtower?
Band on the run, Don't you want to have a pet panda?
I have never thought of this before. What an excellent point. When JW's make that twisted comment about how the 144,000 need someone to rule over on earth... Is this the kind of ruler you want to serve for eternity? And if everyone is now perfect, what need will there be for 144,000 judges?
we had fun putting together our first artificial tree last week, it came out so pretty!
the lights and cheap ornaments just add to it.. we have been careful to close our blinds at night to avoid our jw neighbors from calling in the elders, that worked for a few days until we decided to go out for an early dinner and yes, i forgot to close the blinds!
as we drove up to the garage door i could see the tree in the front room and started to freak out a little.
Yes, we do have a German Shepard ornament for Sasha. We also have a black lab ornament for our other dog, Martha.
we had fun putting together our first artificial tree last week, it came out so pretty!
the lights and cheap ornaments just add to it.. we have been careful to close our blinds at night to avoid our jw neighbors from calling in the elders, that worked for a few days until we decided to go out for an early dinner and yes, i forgot to close the blinds!
as we drove up to the garage door i could see the tree in the front room and started to freak out a little.
Our tree is mostly decked in cheap ornaments. Each year, we take our kids to a big Christmas store and let them choose a special one. There are also several homemade ornaments, that the kids made in preschool. We make some together. We also lose a few cheapies along the way, as some break or we discard them. We look forward each year, to getting out the ornaments and hanging them on the tree, like memories. We love our memory tree. It gets better every year. There are even ornaments for pets gone by. Haha.
(BTW we have a pre-lit tree, and love it hahaha)
Good for you! It is wonderful to hear a story of Christmas spirit. Do you watch any Christmas movies? Make cookies? What other traditions are you starting or continuing?
lost my job, just a week before making the final arrangements to move into my very own apartment.. got a speeding ticket on the following sunday for trying to make it to the meeting "on time", (never made it to the hall, just parked in the back of a shopping center for 2 hours in silence).. marked by the elders for quitting pioneering, no more commenting and "failing to adhere to bible counsel".. jw family sees me as a disappointment.
non-jw family is too far away to care.. found out ex-girlfriend got df'ed and is now pregnant.
puts some of the blame on me for how things turned out.. realizing that she's not entirely wrong as i was still an ignorant, kiss-ass, die hard jwdub when we started dating, always putting the "kingdom interests first" never having time for her since "the end was so freaking close" and then warping her up in the mess of me learning ttatt.. dwelling night after night in "what could have been" if i had never been a jw.. alternating between being a theist, atheist and agnostic on a daily basis to the point where i don't care anymore yet getting creeped the f*ck out when facing my own mortality and the thought of me dying alone.. always coming to the same conclusion, when i find myself alone on friday nights and weekends, that i have no actual friends, only two conditional jw "friends" which are both currently out of town for about a month and 0 real, non-jw friends.. haven't been able to sleep well in literally weeks now.
One day,
You did the best thing, posting your feelings here. We all go through times of hopelessness. It sickens me to see how many people have dedicated their lives to this organization. You are in a time of growth and change. I know it hurts, but you will come out better from this challenge.
Have you ever seen those polished stones, that have been through rock tumblers? When they go into the tumbler, they don't really look that special. They get tossed around and around with some grit and bounce off other stones for long enough, and they come out shining. You can see all the little details of the colors and even the flaws in the stone make them look more unique. A simple rock turns into a small treasure.
I am reminded of the story of Joseph. If you're feeling like reading the Bible, read the last few chapters of Genesis. He got tossed around a lot, and look how he came out. I don't know you personally, but I can sense something spectacular happening here.
Hang in there, and the practical advice that has been given here will serve you well. You are among friends. Your feelings do matter, and you won't be judged or reprimanded for thinking or expressing yourself here.
Keep posting. I think your story is going to help others, who may not yet be brave enough to speak out loud.
just wondering on whether jwn gets more newbies that the wts gets bapstisms?
are there any statistics?.
this site's newbies usually lurk for a month or two, with no interaction with us.
We "left," but we were never really there in the first place. Since then, I have met so many people whose lives have been touched (or torched) by the influence of the WTS.
You asked a great question, and I do agree that people are underestimating the power of the Internet in reaching people.
Many people will pass right by, or right through, the organization and not give it much thought afterward. Others have their entire social and support network demolished, leaving them so devastated and alone, having "nowhere else to go."
I honestly didn't take any action for a couple years after changing my mind about the JW's. It was not until my tree got shaken more violently, that I realized I should actually take another look (with open eyes).
I am so grateful to find this forum, and all the people here who are willing to share their experiences. I am learning a lot.
when i discuss things with my father regarding whether a governing body is needed for christians one theme that is constant with him is "if it's not the gb who is the faithful and discreet slave - who else is giving food in these days to god's people?".
i've been working on a response to this for the last couple of months and am just curious as to who christians who are ex-witnesses interpret the faithful and discreet slave to be, and the parable in general.. .
i guess i'm just looking to round out my argument and have a few different angles.
Oh, this is a can of worms, but I will bite.
The faithful slave is one of Jesus's parables. He uses parables to illustrate how men can please God.
The parable of the slave is so simple, to anyone who has ears to hear it. Like most of the parables, the meaning of this seems to be "hidden" from the wise and righteous ones who have declared themselves to have this special power of interpretation.
Anyone who serves the Master (Jesus), should consider himself to be a slave. Do what is pleasing to the master, and when he returns, he will reward you with more responsibility.
If I choose to serve Jesus, I am a slave. The idea of serving a slave, is absurd to me.
Where does Jesus tell us to serve the slave, even a faithful one?
(The JW's have mastered the art of confusion, and this is a prime example of their twisted teachings. Try explaining their belief to anyone unfamiliar with JW doctrine, and you end up sounding like a mental patient).
in honour of this personal landmark i have decided to choose my personal top 5 threads i am pleased to have posted.. 1. jehovah's witnesses view of jesus compared to the early church.
2. soldiers of jah.
3. the current state of the watchtower & the cynicism of soviet communism.
Cofty is cool.
what would you say are the best questions to ask a jw which they will not be able to answer and may make them question their beliefs?.
what (if you are a former jw) made you question the "truth"?.
It is easy to determine when a question has stumped a JW because a JW will not be able to respond for minutes, so don't say another word until a JW says something.
This is a great point to remember. I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut. Let them think. It is fun to watch.
if they change the subject, ask again. Be patient. Don't ask too many questions. if you raise flags, you lose their attention and possibly your only chance.
My question today: why do JW's write their names at the top of time cards, when Jesus specifically told us to practice righteousness in secret? Matthew 6:1-6
of course we were all shamed for not having enough faith in god's spirit directed organization, the elder arrangement, the f&ds ....blah, blah, blah.. but what else is there?
.....another organization, faith in jehovah, faith in jesus, faith in the bible?
what precisely is the primary object of faith for a christian?.
I do not feed abortion debate threads, but that is an interesting perspective, Adam.
Is it better to have lived and lost, or to have never lived at all?
in order to "scripturally justify" j.f.
rutherford's rebranding of the bible students by the creation of a designer name which made them stand out from other bible students, the nwt deceptively misuses a verse to perpetuate the falsehood of the unscriptural name, "jehovah's" witnesses!.
(james 2:7) "they blaspheme the fine name by which you were called,* do they not?".
Haha, I was confused by the subject line of your post. I thought this was going to be about the cross.
