Went to my first meeting today anonymously! (page 4)

clarity

Tim .....I'm just going to throw this little bit in ... you already have great words of advice and encouragement.

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In a relationship or marriage, straight or gay, the 'Honeymoon' phase ends.

We go from a high ...... to a confusing low. For awhile.

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It's a trough that we pass through.... if we're are wise.

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We go into it and come out on the other side to a NEW phase!

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I'm thinking you two have hit this place.

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Don't make the mistake of panicking and trying to fill-up that space with "comfort food", aka the old familiar kingdom hall.

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Give yourselves some breathing room. Enlarge your circle. Plan new activities. Maybe a few sessions of group counselling. Love the drumming idea btw.

You really don't have to prove anything to anybody. Good luck.

clarity

Honesty

Do you remember the WT illustration about 2 restaurants?

One was glittery, had a warm atmosphere and plenty of smiling, happy people but the other restaurant was a hole in the wall that served great food.

People who ate at the glittery one got sick and died but people who ate at the hole in the wall were healthy.

You were at the glittery restaurant this morning.

as we speak the elders at that KH may be trying to ID you and your partner. They will ask around and eventually find out who you are. Is this KH not that far from the one you went to? Your next reception may not be so kind. The jws around here have a powerful grapevine and you would be outed very quickly .

I was born into this religion and actual Bible study is a thing of the long gone past. It is watchtower study now and other book publication studies. Start reading your Bible , maybe not the NWT, and read the NT. You will find the WTS does not teach what is in those scriptures and the only reason you would believe any of it is if you accept the GB to be the FDS and allow them to twist the scriptures to suit their agenda.

I know how you feel. I feel the need for spiritual association and since you are gay, have you considered the Episcopalian religion.? They are very tolerant. Also, Methodists are sort of Christianity lite . Some of the smaller ND Bible Churches are really Pentecostal disguised as ND , so watch out. I have not found anything yet , but I am looking too. My hubby found this out, ND , all faiths welcome. NOT. They were Pentecostal and aside from jws and Christ of Christ, you could not find more legalistic Churches.

OnTheWayOut

TT, enjoy your freedom and enjoy your church visits. Wherever you wind up at, it sounds like you will be fine. Peace out.

LV101

moshe --- LOVE, LOVE your comments and others, too. so true about the horsey. this is a great thread.

punkofnice --- agree with you about the baptist church altho i'm not good at attending any church.

Band on the Run

This is the Witness problem with a nutshell. I felt funny after stopping attendance at 16. My rage at the WTBTS was sharp but I believed many of the values. Biblie literacy is nice, fellowship is nice, group endeavors are nice. I wrongly believed it had to be all or nothing. My interest was sparked by a New Testament course in college. I could not read Paul's actual text b/c my KH memories flooded me. So I read everything else and then read secondary sources for Paul. I kept running to a public phone to call home to announce my latest blatent WT lie or obvious miscontruction. It freed me. After the course was over, I read and re-read the actual text in consecutive verses in substantial chunks.

I thought churches were just as bad as KH. Yet I yearned for Jesus. Jehovah I threw out into the trashbin. Jesus was the baby I did not want to throw out with the bathwater. The subway was down so I had to walk down a block. There was this huge cathedral that I never noticed before on the block. Their billboard outside proclaimed that the coming sermon would be given by Cesar Chavez, a legendary migrant worker organizer, and Geraldo Rivera, who was a local NYC reporter of not much fame. It blew my mind! I drove in to hear the sermon. Somehow I stumbled upon a church where artists gathered, UN diplomats preached, Catholic Jesuits taught, and there was serious Bible Study. The rock concerts, etc. were a draw. There was liturgical dance and fabric. Deep in my heart, I believe the subway was down to help me find what I needed.

I strongly believe you can find a "welcoming" (welcoming in this area is code for gays are welcome) church that has the type of Bible study and worship for which you yearn. The problem is you have to experiment and research. There must be a gay community where you are. Community members should be able to tell you what they found for themselves. You have each other now. I wish I had someone. Please don't stress your relationship by going where you are manifestly unwelcome. Would they have shaken your hand or smiled if your sexual orientation was tatooed on your forehead?

Giordano

Hi Timothy and Jack thank you for sharing,

If I was gay I would see no point going in going to or joining any church that preaches against Gays. So the first thing I'd do is Goggle gay friendly churchs. I am also sure there are on line forums for religious minded gays as well. Grow your spiritually among those who accept you just the way you are and share with us what that experience is like.

Violia

Tim and Jack

here is a URL that might lead to a group

http://gayjw.blogspot.com/

think if we did go back to this meeting again, I would suggest to Tim that we cut out the pretense, say we're gay and listen to the talk regardless. Yea they probably won't be so friendly anymore but would we care? Our primary reason for attending is for the talk.

That is how you think now, wait until they shun you. It is very hard on your self esteem to sit somewhere folks loathe what you are.

paulnotsaul

Hey Tim & Jack, I found on gaychurch.org about 105 'open and affirming' churches in the U.K. alone. Maybe check them out? peaceT&J paulnotsaul

jamiebowers

Unitarians, in the US, at least, are accepting of gays and have interesting sermons on Sunday, as well as social events.

Went to my first meeting today anonymously!

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