by maksutov 30 Replies latest jw experiences
Welcome Russ, I never was a Jw but I am married to one, although she is quite liberal. My kids ( 26,21 and 13 ) aren't. The family of my wife ( parents and siblings ) are all Jws.
We share a lot of interests as science, weight lifting, writing and classical guitar. My question is;" did you always have these interests or only after you left the Jws?"
Maksutov
Doubts came back again, and I stepped down again. Got really depressed and tried very hard to re-convince myself that it was "the truth", without much success. Eventually admitted to myself that I no longer believed, and felt the weight lift off my shoulders - no more depression (I was "cured by Satan" according to my dad). Stopped going to meetings in 2010, and started reading apostate stuff. Now I'm a sceptic, atheist, humanist, human being.
Welcome, Russ! Nice to see you over here! It's amazing how lifelong depression can lift once we accept what we truly believe and act on it!
I like your description of yourself. The Borg strips many of their humanity, turning them into corporate drones. The kind-hearted ones seem to escape. I think with you as a Dad, your daughter will be just fine. Once I finally woke up, both of my kids told me that they knew everything I had ever done was out of love. Your daughter knows that too.
Welcome, Russ! It's good to see more awakenings taking place.
Hi Russ - welcome from New Zealand. Informative overview of your journey so far. We live in interesting times indeed! Yes, when family remain in the organization, you have to act skillfully so that you don't make your situation even harder than it has to be. I should imagine it would be hard wondering about the likelihood of your daughter getting caught up in the organization. On the other hand, children are resilient - and not "stupid", especially given the high number of youth who leave the organization.
It can also be hard when parents are in - but disappointing parents in one way or another is part of what life is about, whether in the organization or out. Besides, important lessons in life are how unreasoinable it is to live your life to please others (and even when you do so, there's no guarantee they'll like you).
One of my favourite sayings is, "Baptism is the first step in leaving the organization" - because for many, it's all downhill from there once the "Rah, rah, rah" is over.
Hope you can post more.
Hey Russ (waves wildly) nice to see you over here! I visit here and other places as well.
You must share some of your music...classical guitar...beautiful stuff!
Thanks for all the welcomes! One or two familiar avatars here I see :)
John_Mann: Seja bem-vindo!
Obrigado! O senhor estava num grupo português também? Eu escrevi um livro sobre a idioma: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Language-Lovers-Guide-Learning-Portuguese/dp/0992959209
cha ching: sing your heart out and enjoy life with her
You haven't heard me sing, lol. Mind you, not many people have. I'll stick to plucking strings I think! But yes, I'm trying to make life fun for my littl'un. It is her birthday next week, and I'm taking her roller skating with her friends.
NVR2L8: Glad to learn it is Satan who cured depression because I prayed Jah for decades and I got well soon after I stopped following his organization.
Yeah, Satan seems like a more reasonable guy than Jehovah from what I've seen.
Simon: Sorry your wife is still in. I can imagine how much conflict that can cause.
It can be difficult at times, but mostly we just avoid talking about it as much as possible. When I first left things were very tricky, but my wife is quite reasonable for a JW, ableit completely convinced.
roberto avon: did you always have these interests or only after you left the Jws?
I always had them, but never had much time to pursue them before. I go through phases though, and will draw loads for a few months then drop the pencils and play chess for a few months, etc. Weight lifting and guitar are two constants though (I've only been weight lifting for the last couple of years, and I'm an ectomorph, but I love it).
SailAway: I think with you as a Dad, your daughter will be just fine.
Aw, thanks!
fiddler: Hey Russ (waves wildly) nice to see you over here! I visit here and other places as well.
You must share some of your music...classical guitar...beautiful stuff!
Hey Sharon! Lol, if anyone is interested, here is me playing guitar: https://www.youtube.com/user/russellscottwalker
Thanks to everyone for your replies!
Welcome! I truly hope you can find or have found inner peace with yourself. I know having a spouse that is a JW can be frustrating but worry not. Your wife will eventually see the organization for what it really is. The best defense to use when discussions come up is the organization's own offense. Use their own publications, at least the study articles, and simply ask her to view it with an objective common sense mind approach. She'll come around hopefully.
All the best from the deep south in the U.S.
Greetings from a fellow brit!
Still in, for family reasons. One day maybe we can all have an apostabeer together...
Greetings!
Eventually admitted to myself that I no longer believed, and felt the weight lift off my shoulders - no more depression (I was "cured by Satan" according to my dad).
Sometimes I have dreams where I'm still "in" or still a bethelite. When I wake up, even on a cold early morning for work, I get such a feeling of relief and joy that it was just a nightmare and I'm not a depressed JW anymore. I'm thinking of getting a copy of my degree to hang on the ceiling over my bed so I can see it every morning and it's something WT can never take away! So, "Thank You Satan!... or Thank You Santa!... or Thank You University!"
