by 10p 64 Replies latest jw experiences
"I want to DO something with my life!"
That is the really good news-the fact that she wants to awaken from the lulling words of slumber that she has taken in for so long while waiting for the big A and actually live and use her mind and accomplish something!!!
well me and my wife had our second marriage therapy today.....it was pretty much agreed that i will never speak of anything of a religious nature ever again.....she needs that....i dont know why except that it always makes her cry and scream....yeah...that must be it....and to protect her faith............oompa
I've never been a JW, but I did ask my JW friend, whatever happened to the original bible students... He said that they just became JWs.... WRONG. The following article is from the jwfacts.com website..... I think it might be some good ammunition "food for thought"...
When Russell started the Watchtower Society, his followers were referred to as Bible Students. At Russell’s death in 1916, Rutherford took control of the legal entity known as the Watchtower Society. However, after Rutherford’s failed predictions for 1925 and overhaul of Watchtower doctrine the majority of Bible Students departed from Rutherford. To differentiate his followers from other Bible Student groups Rutherford took the name Jehovah's Witnesses. To this day there are active Bible Students globally.
The Watchtower currently claims that Jesus chose the Watchtower Society in 1919 as his cleansed people. It is interesting that Bible Students still hold to the majority of the 1919 Watchtower teachings, whereas Jehovah's Witnesses do not. If Jesus truly had chosen a group of people in the year 1919 based on their accurate understanding of truth, then that group today would have to be Bible Students and not Jehovah's Witnesses. Whereas Rutherford changed many of the Watchtower teachings during the 1930’s, Bible Students hold to core Watchtower beliefs instigated by Russell and held in 1919. The understanding of the Bible given in Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures are not described as old truth, but still held to as accurate interpretations resulting from God’s direction. These include doctrine still believed by Jehovah's Witnesses, such as;
They also hold to 1919 teachings later rejected by Rutherford, including;
There are various Bible Student branches. Rather than strictly organized under a governing body as Jehovah's Witnesses are now, they hold to the structure instigated by Russell, including open bible discussion and home churches. Information about Bible Students can be found at;
http://www.biblestudents.com/index.cfm
http://www.agsconsulting.com/
http://www.biblestudents.net/
http://www.bibletoday.com/
http://www.heraldmag.org/
i will never speak of anything of a religious nature ever again
hey, Oompa!
Actually, that may be a good idea. Once you feel like you are under attack, there is no negotiating. Give your wife a year or two off from any kind of mention of religious stuff. Work on yourself, get yourself right in your own head, and work on your marriage. It cant really be done properly, I know, but there is still a lot that can be done, even with a pink elephant between you.
I can honestly say in my case, that the scripture "won without a word" applied. Except I won her away from the cult, rather than into it :)
I said it before, logic and reason wont get through. I've always believed in the idea "give a man enough rope to hang himself, and he will." not a nice analogy, but the point is, give your wife the space to see it for herself and she will see it.
Witnesses, as you know, are immune to pressure or persecution - it actually makes them stronger. If she feels 'attacked' by you and your apostate information, it will make her resistance stronger.
Disclaimer : I don't know you at all, so my comments are based on many, many assumptions. Please forgive me if I've gotten some key things wrong, and bear in mind this is only my two-cents worth.
Still, best of luck, and don't give up!
I have a question...does anyone out there know of anyone that has read CoC and then not left the organization???
I know that I harbored doubts for years, then finally began to slowly act on them, but still fought it for years. Then, once I read that book, I couldnt get out fast enough!! I assume I am not alone on this one...so does anyone know of anyone not leaving after reading the book?
This post is only sort of off topic...
Wow! I just saw the updates... unbelievable, 10p!!!! I am so thrilled for you both!
Heartiest congratulations!
Love,
Baba.
Yes, I'm following the story too 10p...
YIPPEE!
Congrats 10p! Sounds like you are well on your way to a united household, united in freedom from the WTS, that is.
Congrat, 10p. Your story gives me a little hope. My wife, while not a hardcore dub, still holds to the party line of trusting in the faithful slave and not trusting herself. She has no desire to question her beliefs... I don't know, it's hard to determine if I've approached her in the right way. How do I get her to thinking without her throwing up roadblocks? I honestly don't know how to do it.
arrggg. darn forum - it lost my other post!
Thank you everyone for your nice comments!
a minor update
after my wife spoke to her mother, it left me feeling weird. Bad, betrayed, distant. I'm not sure why, to be honest, but I just didn't feel good. So since monday I have been kinda distant from her. Well last night I told myself to sort myself out and be supportive, because she's going through worse! I reminded myself what it was like for me at first. So I reached out to her again, and we re-connected.
She has been reading more of CoC and The God Delusion. She finds it hard not to believe in a god, which is fine - at least she has an idea of why I think what I think. I'm not trying to force atheism on anyone! But although, out of fear, she sometimes slips a little back into the "JW camp", she quickly recognises that it is unhealthy. Like she said to me, if she knew her mother would leave, then she'd be completely fine. So its mostly a parental pressure that is keeping her "in".
We'll see where that all goes. I know at least 3 doctrinal things that her mother finds hard to believe too. She agreed with me many years ago about the 1260 days of Daniel thing (when I was an MS). She doesn't buy the "the end hasn't come yet so more can be saved" (another evidence that the society doesn't "believe" in children. there will always be more to save so long as kids are being born). And she finds some of the depraved barbarity of the Old Testament hard to swallow (like a woman raped to death being cut into 12 pieces and sent around the land. sick, very sick)
on a side note
My wife told me that they tried to ban pushchairs (prams) at the convention this year. There was a huge outcry from the mothers, and they had to send a letter saying it would be ok to have them, but just in a special reserved place of the auditorium. 'New Light for you' is right - they hate children.
