by Marilyn 6 Replies latest jw friends
:::::there has never been a better time to leave Jehovah's Witnesses and make a
good recovery.
Megadude just wrote this under the thread of *down and out exjws*. His post was, dare I say - very uplifting?
We should run this catch-phrase somewhere prominent. Coz it says it all!!!
Marilyn
Thanks Marilyn, I agree.
With the internet and the access to so many xjws and their experiences, it is great for healing. I don't know how people did it before, all by themselves and not go crazy.
Hugs,
j2bf
ps, its good to hear that your family is doing great Marilyn. Living life well is a good reward in itself.
Joy2, Hubby and me left before the Internet and before "leaving" had caught on. Trail blazers, that's us!! :-) But yeah it was really hard. We didn't know any exjws nor had we read any literature that explained a lot of the problems to us. We left on a gut feeling it was wrong in 1979 and were disfed in 1981 for apostasy (not believing it). I think I got hold of C of C around 1984 and it was a tremendous help. I was only just thinking yesterday that it's time I read it again.
And yes we have prospered as a family but we are not perfect by any stretch. It's just that we don't trumpet ourselves as perfect. My siblings are still in and they are all in bad financial shape. I feel bad for them - almost guilty for getting out and living well. They say the best form of revenge is to live well, but I sure don't get any pleasure from seeing how hard up my siblings are.
Hi Marilyn,
My oldest sister Angie was the trailblazer in our family. She left the JWs first, and we, her family, shunned her for doing that. She moved away to college and never looked back. She had never heard of Crises of Conscience, Ray Franz or anybody else. There was no internet at the time. She just knew there was something wrong with the Watchtower and left. Years went by. She graduated from college. None of her family (mother, brothers, sisters) except for our father (never a Dub) went to see her graduate. She married. Again, we shunned her and her new husband and didn't go to her wedding. Her children were born, and again we ignored her and her new family. Years and years went by. I went on with my happy little JW life until a friend at work began helping me out of the Watchtower. What a surprise years later when I knocked on my sister's door to say, "I'm sorry. I had no idea I was in a cult, I'm sorry I shunned you, I'm out of the JWs," and began to see if we could be family again.
I'm happy to say today Angie has two masters degrees, two fine children, and a great husband, a house by the lake, and she is doing very well in her career. She's active in civic organizations and is one of the most generous people I know. It was so hard for her to leave because she had no ex-JWs or ex-JW books to confirm what she felt in her gut. She had to go it pretty much alone. But it just goes to show you, if you get on with your life and accept those necessary losses, and do what's best for you, you have a much better chance at having a good life. And that's the best revenge you can have on the Watchtower.
:::::::::::What a surprise years later when I knocked on my sister's door to say, "I'm sorry. I had no idea I was in a cult, I'm sorry I shunned you, I'm out of the JWs," and began to see if we could be family again.
MD that is such a beautiful story. I have always hoped that I might be blessed with a knock on the door such as that. I'm glad to know that someone like me has received one. And of course your sister told you to piss off for shunning her all those years??? hehehe! NOT. Welcomed you with opened arms like the truly good person she is.
love
Marilyn
Seems to me......
.......... the best time is, and was always, NOW.
But I take the point about the availability of information and support being never better than now.
Do you think we should be aiming for a 10% DECREASE in the number of pubs this April?
Cheers,
Ozzie
Very funny Ozzie. I like it. I will increase my efforts 10%. :-)))))
M
