this is my last post for a couple of weeks as i'm going on holiday (st ives).
my apologies to those waiting for august's km, it's going to be a bit late!.
anyhow... i was enjoying amazing's recent thread where he picks apart the society's view on masturbation and, like him, realized that female sexuality is seldom discussed.
Articles like that make me want to scream! Actually I think I've seen that somewhere more recently also...maybe in the YPA book? Sounds to me like the old saying - if you'd kept your legs closed you wouldn't have gotten pregnant.
Something else that used to disgust me was the way the spoke of a woman's "monthly cycle" and being the "weaker sex" during wedding talks.
Betsy
jw's like to believe that people who leave the organization do it for selfish reasons or due to impatience and not "waiting on jehovah".
there's a variety of reasons for persons making the decision and saying, "that's it!
i'm not doing this anymore".
It started with me when they wouldn't give me an application to Bethel because I was a sister! Thank God I didn't actually apply and get accepted!
Then I really wanted to go out with a guy from work. I was still a good little pioneer at this point, but I had this nagging thought in the back of my mind - what would really happen? Would Jehovah strike me down right then? So I went out with him (and a little more ) and the rest is history - it was all uphill from there! I never really thought about doctrine issues etc.. until I had moved to CA and started looking on the internet, about 2 years after I left.
Betsy
as i was growing up in the troof.
there were sayings used over and over again to control my behaviour.
the biblical on bad associations spoil useful habits and another on just because everyone else does it doesnt mean you have to do it to, would you jump off a cliff just because other people do what were the sayings that bugged you?
"Agape love"
My sister still signs all her letters with that.....Ewwwww!
Betsy
remember back to the days you were in the theocratic school and had to give talks, were they the worst or what, i remember they were suppose to run about 6-8 minutes, i had some short as 3. the talks were pointless, you would just throw some mumble jumble together and go up and talk, first the introduction (and don't forget your gestures), then read the weekly scripture and then the conclusion, all your words of wisdom.
i would rank this second on the worst list next to field service (still # 1).. how about you, did you enjoy doing them ?
did you even prepare for them ?
I never minded giving talks, I was even on the "fill-in" list for when someone wasn't there. I was always jealous of the brothers though since they got to do the bible reading and basically just read scriptures, while the sisters had to develop a whole talk every time. My Dad was the worst. As a MS he sometimes had parts on the Service Meeting and we'd just sit there and cringe as he misprounounced words. Poor guy, now I feel so bad that he had to go through that for an organization that's lied to him his whole life.
Betsy
coming at this as a householder rather than an ex-jw, i'd love to hear from any of you about comments from householders that made an impression on you, back when you were active in the door-to-door work.
since the jw's first knocked at my door 13 years ago, i've done my best to give them something to think about every time they knock at my door.
i always introduce myself by name and try to get their names.
When I was pioneering, I had a regular magazine route. Well, one older lady - in her 70's - always invited us in and talked for a time and then gave me a dollar. Anyway, she was Methodist and we would always talk about the paradise. Funny thing was, she said that they believed in it too. That really got me thinking...you know how could we be the only ones with the "truth" if the Methodists believed in paradise too? She said she believed in Heaven, but that one day they would return to a paradise. Now that I think back, it made more of an impression on me than I thought at the time.
Betsy
as most of you probably already know, from time to time the watchtower society likes to use district conventions as a platform for adopting silly resolutions, which more than likely are forgotten by the people who gave their approval to it by the time they leave the parking lot of the convention.
this year, during the final talk of the convention (talk entitled: "keep bearing much fruit to jehovah's glory"), a ten point resolution was adopted, with all the baby seal-like clapping following its adoption.
here's the main jist of the ten points (i didn't copy it word for word):.
Blah, blah, blah. Will they ever have an original, new thought? If I took all my notes from 20 years of conventions and consolidated it, I'm sure it would be the same old thing over and over and over.
My Mom called me to say how "refreshing" the convention was. How can the same old stagnant water be refreshing?
Betsy
hi everyone - just wanted to introduce myself.
i posted a hi over in personal experiences, but thought i'd elaborate here..... i was raised a jw in delaware, ohio.
you know, i was that girl all the old ones in the cong liked because i was kind to them and pioneered.
Hi Gumby,
Most of my family's still in Ohio (parents in Florida). My parents keep in touch regularly (they're still devout jw's) and one of my Nephew's in Ohio is OUT so we talk regularly. My sisters don't keep in touch much, but I think it's due more to laziness than not wanting to associate with me.
I was never disfellowshipped, I just faded...and it helped that I moved 3000 miles away. Kind of hard to have a jc when they can't find you. I do miss all my nieces and nephews, but I have a different life now. Luckily, my husband's family is totally great - they're my family now.
Betsy
hi everyone - just wanted to introduce myself.
i posted a hi over in personal experiences, but thought i'd elaborate here..... i was raised a jw in delaware, ohio.
you know, i was that girl all the old ones in the cong liked because i was kind to them and pioneered.
Hi everyone - just wanted to introduce myself. I posted a hi over in Personal Experiences, but thought I'd elaborate here....
I was raised a jw in Delaware, Ohio. You know, I was that girl all the old ones in the cong liked because I was kind to them and pioneered. Anyway, here's the short version of my story.
I was Miss Pioneer, but started working temp at a new job in the Summer of '92. I met someone that worked for the same company, but in California. One thing led to another and I moved out to CA in early '93 to be with my new "love". All I can say is there were a lot of jaws dropping in my old cong. Boy did I shock everyone. I was driving in the car one day and thought..okay, will God really punish me if I do something "wrong"? Up to this point, I had never really had doubts or anything about what I believed - I just really wanted to be with this person. So....I moved out here. We've been married for 8 years and have a 2yr old son and a baby on the way....I guess God decided not to punish me....
Anyway, I went through a really down period when I first came out here. I missed my family and wondered if I had made the biggest mistake of my life. I even went to a few meetings and dragged my husband to the memorial every year. Around this time the internet was just getting big, so I of course did some research. After everything I had been through with the cong and my family after I left I was still shocked to find out how many missing links there are in the jw doctrine. At that point, I decided to never feel guilty about anything I had done in the past. My husband (no religion, but believes in god) really helped me see how degraded some of the "rules" of the jw's are. I was so naive.
Now I have a nice home, wonderful husband and son (and peanut on the way), a great job etc... I can't help but dwell sometimes on what my life would be like if I hadn't had the courage to pursue something I wanted. I'd probably be an elder's wife (shudder!) pioneering etc...you know the good little jw. Whew, I'm so glad that didn't happen!
I've lurked here for a long time. I decided to finally post and maybe contribute something to those who have helped me. So...that's me.
Betsy
hi everyone, i've been a long time lurker, and now a first-time poster.
just wondering if anyone here is an old friend.
i grew up in delaware, ohio.
Thanks for the great welcome everyone!
Dan - I've lived in CA for the last 10 years. I was still deep in witnessdom when I lived in Ohio, so never went to Red, White and Boom. Did you know Bob and Carol Vaughn from Gahanna?
hi everyone, i've been a long time lurker, and now a first-time poster.
just wondering if anyone here is an old friend.
i grew up in delaware, ohio.
Hi everyone, I've been a long time lurker, and now a first-time poster. Just wondering if anyone here is an old friend. I grew up in Delaware, Ohio. Anyone know me?
Betsy
