Posts by freein89

10

If you have or will have children...

by breal in

what would you teach them with regards to religion, spirituality, god?

i often wonder about this since i don't have any "beliefs" now or belong to any religous group.

(sphere's thread got me thinking again) what if your children wanted to become a dub?

freein89

When I DA'd my kids were ages 11, 9, 7, 6 and the older two were pretty confused by my about face on god and religion. I ended up raising a passel of atheists now ages 25, 23, 21, 19. Great, hardworking (2 in college) honest, honorable, delightful members of the human race. (do I sound proud?) They are open to possibility and we have many lively discussions about life beyond. They have however taken some guff about not having a religion and never having been baptized. If I had it to do over, I'm not sure but I would lean towards doing it the same way. Their friends eyes bulge in disbelief when they find out that they were never baptized, but the kids are able to defend themselves, I hope I haven't robbed them of anything, I don't think I have but a Mom's guilt reflex is never at rest.

as far as any of them become dub's well my eldest son-25 has informed me that he would be dismayed (putting it lightly) if I ever went back, the rest concur, so I guess I have no worries on that front.

142

Do you believe in God now?

by Ron1968 in

.

this question has probably been asked before, but since i am a newbie, i wouldn't know.. anyway, i would like to ask if you believe in god or a higher power since becoming an ex-jw?.

ron

freein89

amen,

it isn't that there are good or bad sciences but rather good or bad scientists and I don't mean bad as in evil, I mean bad as in inflating results to get published. I see evolution as a process of adaptation, the environment changes and so must organisms, changes in food supply and climate over the long term require adaptation or death. Human beings are curious creatures, would god create curious creatures and then foil them by making his existance a big mystery, would god design people capable of science and require belief in him/her to be a matter of blind faith?

another question I have had is, can't god and evolution go together? Would not a clever god program the ability to adapt into his creation? I'm not saying that I believe in god or don't believe in god, but I do lean towards not. Here is why:one reason anyway.

When you hear life and death stories, people say they prayed and were saved and I think how arrogant. God took time from a busy schedule of watching people starve to death and succomb to disease to save you-how lovely. What about all those people that prayed mightily and died anyway, say my 13 year old niece who died of leukimia for example.

33

Do You Struggle With Depression???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i know more persons that are depressed than i know that are not.

whether a person was a witness or not, so many are affected with depression.

i've read here that many jw's were on either regular medication or silently accepted their depression with much prayer and tears.

freein89

yup, been on medication for about 9 years, and it looks like I may be my whole life, it helps. I agree that JW's don't actually cause the condition but certainly do aggravate it. Five times a week verbal BEATINGS. "and PROBABLY you MIGHT be saved" work your #$% off and you get probably and might.

I had been doing pretty well and recently took a digger, I had tried to have a relationship with my siser who is still in and all of a sudden she backed off and it was she who restarted the "relationship" all of a sudden she got stronger in the "truth" and backed off. I needed to know why, that is how I began looking at ex-JW websites. very healing and got me back on an even keel, I learned that JW's with unbelieving family are getting a lot of pressure in there and it helped me not be angry with my sister, it also soothed my hurt feelings, I was so hurt that I quit functioning and experienced the sort of deadened feelings characteristic of a depressive bout. Thanks to you all. However-if anyone is seriously down, GET HELP don't try to do it yourself-too risky.

22

Let the shunning begin!

by Cicatrix in

boy, this has just been my lucky week.

twice in one week i was the recipient of "active shunning" by former congregation members.. scene one-the local discount food place where all the blue collar folks (and a few smart upper crust ones) buy their food.

i'm busy grocery shopping and sister zealous comes marching down the other side of the aisle, dutifully studying the cans on said shelf.

freein89

yesterdays child,

couple things

thing 1-great job sticking up for yourself, that took courage and it sounds like you take after your Mom, this involved your child and you didn't let anybody mess with that

thing 2-I am so sorry for what you and your mom have been through, you will find healing here.

142

Do you believe in God now?

by Ron1968 in

.

this question has probably been asked before, but since i am a newbie, i wouldn't know.. anyway, i would like to ask if you believe in god or a higher power since becoming an ex-jw?.

ron

freein89

amen,

I understand your being bitter. I was and sometimes I still am. But the worst of it fades with time. Do you remember when you were a kid with a loose tooth? When you wiggle that loose tooth it hurts like hell, but you keep wiggling and after a while the tooth come out and you bleed a little, then you get a brand new tooth. The process of leaving is like that it hurts, but you get a brand new life. hang in there amen.

89 (good thing I didn't leave in 69)

39

Why cults hide their old publications.

by refiners fire in

here is a classic example of why it is that cultic religions find it necessary to conceal their old publications from the scrutiny of the membership.

this example is from 7th day adventism, but i assure all readers it is a classic and well worth the reading.

still, it is necessary to lay out a little background to the speech i will be quoting from before proceeding.

freein89

thanks to all who answered, Winston do you have to bring one of those bags to throw up in to get through meetings? I hope you can get the info from the bound volumes. I wish I had saved my library, I had an extensive collection of bound volumes dating back to 1960, but I tossed the whole works in a dumpster the day I DA'd. It was fun, all four of my kids (ages 11-6) helped me. We made many gleeful trips to the dumpster, every thing went. We always had a copy of each publication for each kid and ourselves. We spent a damn fortune on that stuff, to help us brainwash our poor children and so they would have a library of their own. I have apologized to my kids a million times for inflicting them with all that. I was raised in it and thought I was doing the right thing. Many, Many regrets. My kids are awsome and they forgive me. I guess I have a tendancy to get off the subject.

10

I had some liver

by doodle-v in

*doodle-v clears her throat*.

oh sliver of liver, get lost go away.

you shake and you shiver, oh sliver of liver.

freein89

your poetry is sublime, I actually like liver, but everybody else I know hates it. Oh sliver of liver will be going through my head all day!!!

22

Let the shunning begin!

by Cicatrix in

boy, this has just been my lucky week.

twice in one week i was the recipient of "active shunning" by former congregation members.. scene one-the local discount food place where all the blue collar folks (and a few smart upper crust ones) buy their food.

i'm busy grocery shopping and sister zealous comes marching down the other side of the aisle, dutifully studying the cans on said shelf.

freein89

cicatrix, and all who replied,

I absolutly let people know that she would not talk to me, I thought people should know what"loving" people the JW's are. I sure wish I would have had such a wonderful support group when I DA'd, it was in 89 and I don't think the internet was even available yet. Thanks to you all!

142

Do you believe in God now?

by Ron1968 in

.

this question has probably been asked before, but since i am a newbie, i wouldn't know.. anyway, i would like to ask if you believe in god or a higher power since becoming an ex-jw?.

ron

freein89

amen, you said that you will not gamble with your future life by not believing in god. Here is what I think about that. After my horrible experience with JW's, life long I should add as I was raised in it and was 33 when I left, I hated god at first, then I stopped believing in him, part of my modification is that well maybe . . . as i added to this thread before, but I will say that IF there is a god, he certainly sees how cruel the JW's are, and in that case he understands why I can't say I believe, so if god is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving being that he is supposed to be, then he (she?) knows why I am the way I am and surely understands why I can't jump in there and believe and he wouldn't want me to believe just to hedge my bets because that would be big hypocrasy.

39

Why cults hide their old publications.

by refiners fire in

here is a classic example of why it is that cultic religions find it necessary to conceal their old publications from the scrutiny of the membership.

this example is from 7th day adventism, but i assure all readers it is a classic and well worth the reading.

still, it is necessary to lay out a little background to the speech i will be quoting from before proceeding.

freein89

speaking of hiding old publications, I read here that JW's sanitize the bound volumes, can somebody post some examples, I never would have believed or even conceived they would do that, but now it makes so much sense, get rid of the individual copies, which you have already paid for, and buy the bound volumes, just the money part kills me, now it looks like it is a way to hide "old light" besides. I would love to hear about some specific examples!!!!!