Rookie on the Field (page 3)

peacepipe

I'm kind of getting the hang of this place now & hey, I like it. I greatly appreciate all the diverse comments that have come from my original post- a little suprised how many did reply as I have no deep philosophical thoughts to convey like some. It is sad to read how many lives have been disrupted within the WT org. I'm glad there is a place online for stories to be shared.

Though, despite the hardships many have been through I still have seen so much good in mostly all of the people I have met who are JW's and I've enjoyed the time I've spent with them. I just feel that maybe the people themselves are on the right tract but there should be some big adjustments made in the "discreet & faithful slave" because no I do not believe those men are any more special than the "great crowd" and no I do not want to give up my "freemind" to a dysfunctional org. But I just can't help but feel respect for the people I've met who have dedicated themselves to having morals & high standards for themselves & their families and I know for a fact they are not all like that but the majority I've met are. Just with all the things that go on in the world now, all the hate and sadness, and hopelessness and God, well speaking for myself I have many friends who claim to believe in God but very few who care to fit Him into their lives. But it is still a basic belief that the JW's cling too and live for. I've gone to Catholic church with my family for 15 years & I'm sorry but people can't even remove their coats for church! "Oh let me confess my sins, eat my bread & get the hell out of here in 30 minutes till next time I decide to drop by, oh' and I'll say a prayer to St Whoever that I win the lottery" but there is no forums on ex-catholics anywhere I've found. I'm rambling, much to say but don't want to go on a tangent all at once. . . .
I don't have a paticular need to belong to any certain religious group but I do have a need for HOPE & that the world will not turn into a Howard Stern for President society (I personally think his form of entertainment is really sad)

ok, here's my stab at a big ending verse:
Row, Row, Row your boat, gently down the stream, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, Merrily, LIFE IS BUT A DREAM!

peacepipe

Bridgette, I read your post after I submitted my last post & I just wanted to add that I know what you are saying is true & it makes me sad & it's something I've thought alot about. thanks. . .

larc

peacepipe,

I think the reason there is no ExCatholic site, is because they don't need one. If a Catholic stops going to Mass, they are not shunned by their family, the way a Witness is when they stop going to meetings. Think about it.

Richie

Thanks for your participation in this forum and may I say welcome to true friends who will genuinely listen to you since we all have many things in common, that is being or having been involved as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Most of us are not here to be negative or just slamming down JW's, on the contrary we do love and respect JW's very much as we do also other human beings so long as they are honest and insightful enough to see things in a fair, civilized and intelligent manner.
I must commend you on your resolve to make an educated decision whether you continue to make use of this board of not. It shows that you are openminded and ready to observe and discuss matters pertaining to JW's versus our value of freedom of conscience.

:*) Richie

You are the music as long as the music last...............

Richie

My previous post was actually directed to Trumind!!!

Welcome to this board!!

:*)

You are the music as long as the music last...............

peacepipe

larc,
Thanks for your thought. No, they may not be shunned in that way; however, (as quoted from "A CATECHISM FOR ADULTS by REV WILLIAM J. COGAN 1988") "It is, and therefore to miss Mass through your own fault is a serious sin." Also in the same book the question WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THOSE WHO DON'T PRACTICE RELIGION? answer: "Those who are guilty of serious neglect in this matter will go to hell." You might not be "shunned" in this life but you have the happy thought that your goin to hell baby! But actually I doubt most catholics pay much attention to that but going on the assumption that the above were true (which i am only hypothetically supporting that notion) I'd personally rather be disciplined here on earth by my family for a short while than for eternity in a blazing hell & PLEASE I'm not in any way trying to belittle anyones hardships they've been through from that WT rule I can't even imagine, but I'm just trying to make my point.

This whole book is part of the reason I turned to a home bible study. It's hilarious. I, believe it or not, found the answers in the knowledge book to make alot more sense.

My point I guess being that all religions not just JW have their flaws.
Thanks again for your response.

seven006

Peacepipe,

Welcome to the board. As a few others have said you will find a large variety of people with various thoughts and feelings in regard to the JW religion. I see that you are in the dating stage of your relationship with the JW's and as in most dating stages things seem new and exciting. You have that feeling of an impending love and hope for a bright future. All dating stages make a person full of hope and anticipation and it gives you something to look forward to and puts a smile on your face and a hop in your step. It is fresh and new and you tend to look past anything that might cause you to think with your head instead of your heart. Everyone likes the beginning of a seemingly good relationship. Everyone has their best foot forward and are on their best behavior. The ability to try and impress is of utmost importance and what appears to look impressive at first sometimes turns out just to be just an act to get you in the door. At the meetings and in their homes the JW's look like they all are as happy as they can be. At least it seems that way from the outside. When someone is dating they always have a smile on their face and from the outside everything looks great. Just beware of what lies beneath that smile and friendly hand shake. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.

You say your husband is a catholic and you have seen the hypocrisy in that religion, that's because you have been in it long enough to see all of that. All you have seen of the JW's is what they want you to see. Just as you have seen and experienced the things with the catholic religion many of us have spent a good part of our lives in the JW religion and have seen the same thing and even worse. The only difference is the JW's are a lot better at hiding it. Keep reading this site, keep observing what we say. We are not bitter because we hate the religion, we are bitter because they have stolen our families. They have told our families not to talk to us, not to be a part of their lives. My Mom was a catholic before she became a JW, I wish with all my heart that she would have stayed a catholic. At least I would have been able to share part of my life with my Mom instead of her treating me like I am dead and only seeing me 3 times in 16 years, all because I no longer believe in her religion. The few times I have seen her all she can do is cry, she misses me and I miss her but the rules of her religion will not let her see her own son. If you call that moral, then there is not much I can say. I am a very good father and I have three great sons whom I love very much and are wonderful kids. My mother has only seen my boys a hand full of times in their lives, that is the true immorality of the JW religion. You say the JW's have good morals, I guess you have not read the threads about Silent Lambs. The protection of pedophiles is the biggest immorality there is. Ask any one of the women on this board who have suffered from the immoral policies of the watchtower organization. They hide their pedophiles as much as they hide their true immorality. What you think you see is not really the way it is and you will find several hundred posters on this board that will tell you exactly that.

You say you have read some posts from unhappy and bitter people on this board, and you are right. Each one of us has had our once loving families torn from our arms and we have watched them treat us like we are dead. Just ask yourself, is that love? Is that what a loving god would do? Is that true Christian morality or is dressing well at a meeting more important and moral? Yes, we are bitter, yes we are mad at that religion. We miss our mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters, all the people we grew up with and loved. If your family turn their backs on you wouldn't you be a little bitter? Think about it.

Take care and keep thinking

Dave

bajarama

Hi Peacepipe,

Welcome to the board! I'm not love bombing, I promise. Glad to have your unique veiw on things. I look foward to reading more of your posts.

baja

peacepipe

I'd really like to type up a big response to seven006's comments; but it's my bedtime. Thanks for the story it saddens me to know how families have been broken but. . . .feeling like there is a quest for truth in general on this site I'd like to add that families are lost, terrible things happen to people & sad stories unravel to those of us who were not raised in the truth but in "Christendom" & the WT ideals can seem like a ray of light(and I know they're not) BUT nevertheless, no family should be broken NOR NO LIFE should be lost at the hands of a religion.

Baha & to all thanks for the warm welcomes.

. . . .that's all there is, there is no more.

Undecided

Hi PeacePipe,

You seem to be a reasonable, good and loving person. Stay that way by not letting any religion get control of your life. If you love God, that is between you and him and it shouldn't be controlled by any human or organization of humans. I have my doubts about God and if he really cares, but that is my personal view.

As you have seen there are many good people associated with JWs but they are controlled in their thinking and life by a few old men who feel they are so special that God is telling them only what is truth, and your opinions are not worth listening to. They put themselves in God's place and every crumb of truth must come from some publication they print. Down through the years the "truth" has changed so many times that if one of the founders were alive they wouldn't recognize the "truth" today. They call it new "light" or brighter "light".

I won't try and tell you what to do, but I would at least look closely behind the scenes to see what really goes on there. No loyal JWs will tell you any thing contrary to the party line as they would be labeled an apostate and disfellowshiped. Take you time and look closely at the real JW life.

You seem to be doing that here.

Ken P.

Rookie on the Field

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