WHY ARE YOU HERE?

jst2laws

Why are You here?

Joy2bfree and I have so enjoyed meeting over 70 of the posters here on JWD in the last few months. This has brought us even closer to many, yet the things I learned about each made me even more concerned about others here. I hope each is getting what they need from this CyberPub we visit.

As I have grown on this journey of truth I have gone through several phases. Do you remember the thrill you had as you discovered knew things while reading online. How about that knot in your stomach as you hesitantly pressed the enter key on your first post! But you moved on with this journey, into new phases. Where are you now? Why are you here?

1 To learn

This is why I came here initially. My first post asked a question for which I truly wanted an answer. Having a taste from H2O and JWD of the incredible information being hidden form my eyes I recognized the foolishness of allowing others to dictate what information you can look at. Having reached this point I read every book I could get and couldnt get enough at Randys site http://freeminds.org/ and the extensive research found http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com/ , Shauns www.jwfiles.com. and many others.

In just the last year the UN/NGO scandal was exposed right here.

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=13530&site=3

About 8 months ago we were linked to the Jensen/Watchtower blood letters. http://watchtower.observer.org/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20020123&Category=JWANDMEDICINE2&ArtNo=201220009&Ref=AR

We watched Silent Lambs fight for victims of a bad policy and finally got the issue to the public: http://www.silentlambs.org/

I still come here to learn, but there are other reasons I visit now.

2 To receive support

I have gone through some extreme emotions I suspect most of you also went through or will go through. I think I have gone through all the emotions of grief. After all, I left behind 36 years of my life that I try not to view as a loss but it is sometimes hard. Many of us have lost friends and even family just because we opened our eyes. We lost the CIRTAINTY that had been sold us and now stand alone before God, as we should, but this is one more adjustment.

Having spoke to many of you on our Apostofest circuit, I know many of you found life saving support in friends online. It is helpful to listen quietly to others who have been through this already. It is therapeutic to see the angry express our own anger, to listen to the injured express our injury. It is most encouraging to me to see how people like Englishman, Ozziepost and many others have come through balanced, reasonable and self confident. I think to myself Yeah, we can make it. We will be OK, even happy again someday.

Even among the scared and the angry ones we form a bond, because we can relate. All this adds up to a community. For some this is the only community we have, and for many it is a great community.

3 To give support

When we are shown love most of us quickly respond with love. While still learning and receiving support we all find someone in need that WE can help. Those further down the road of recovery are now experts at helping others down that road. How often have we seen a new poster express their pain and get flooded with sympathy and understanding.

I have been told by Megadude and several others that I still sounding like an elder. At a couple of Apostofests I was even told I still dress like an elder. IM AM GOING TO CHANGE THAT! But one thing I hope not to change is the desire I had as an elder to help others, even sacrifice myself for others. Yes, there are even now some good men in the organization with such pure motives. While I hope to become more of a real person I hope to never loose my desire to serve the needs of others. Any lurking JW elders might consider doing what Jesus encouraged, willingness to leave the 99 to find the one lost sheep.

I have spoken in the last 2 weeks with several people here who seriously contemplated suicide but have survived due to help from this community. But I have also spoken to some whos friends or relatives did not survive. This has brought tears to my eyes several times. I lost an 18 year old brother because of the twisted atmosphere in which he grew up. I wonder if he would be here now if I had known what I know now. I tried to help him but failed. At least now I have shed the mindless dogma that prevented me from being realistic and effective in dealing with depression and suicide in the past. I hope to continue helping friends in such need.

So why are YOU here. Any other ideas?

Jst2laws

COMF

All three reasons you listed have 100% validity, just2, and have been true in my case. And I would add: for friendly fellowship with people of like experience.

Note that lavish doses of #1, #2 and #3 have led to my being able to relax and enjoy #4.

Valis

jst2laws/Zone Overbeer....so nice to meet you this week sir! I hope your smurf is acting inappropriately. one thing maybe you left out is AMMO for the ongoing Theocratic Warfare that you and I and many others have to repell. Say hello to tha fam and give all the Floridians my regards.

Sincerely,

District Overbeer of the "where am I again?" class

jst2laws

Hello Comf,

Yes, "friendly fellowship with people of like experience". This results in the bond and sence of community. Humans must have it. Was good meeting you last week.

Valis

You said "Theocratic Warfare"? Is there a war going on. Maybe thats why I am bloody and beat to a pulp. My best freind just came by to tell me he and his family is cutting us off completely. I guess the war has begun, but how do you fight back when you don't want to hurt anyone. Never mind responding to that, I know the answer.

You are a cool dude Valis. We really enjoyed visiting.

Jst2laws

Edited by PAPA Smurf when J2l was not looking

Edited by - jst2laws on 10 August 2002 13:8:58

jst2laws

JJrizo,

Yes we all make a contribution. Yours has been enough that I was surprized you said you have only been here a few months. You have had a signicant presence in such a short time.

BTW, If I remember right you are also an X-bethelite. We need to talk some day.

Jst2laws

ConnieLynn

Just2Laws, I enjoyed visiting with you last weekend in Edmonds!!

Why am I here?

Just2Laws, your words expressed a lot of what I feel, but I think the 2 main reasons Im here is to heal, and to develop the skills to help others. I think the value of this board became a realization for me after the death of Robert Bryant and his family. I felt like this was the place I could grieve for the Bryant family and understand my own feelings by reading the thoughts and feelings of other posters. I also felt an intense need to reach out to other people who feel lost after they leave the organization.

I went to my first Apostofest last weekend, (which I learned about on this board) and I meant so many people who came from a similar background as me. Ive spent the last 6 or 7 years feeling like a freak of nature because of how I grew up. Now I have a community of my own that I can feel comfortable in, and that I can lead other people to. Thats my selfish reason.

My unselfish reason is that Im meeting people here locally that have questions, or who dont know where to go. I just got an email the other day from a young guy who was recently disfellowshipped. Weve been talking and I sent him here to learn other peoples experiences. I can help and Im learning things here that can help others, and I can send people here to feel part of this community.

songmistress

{Of course everytime I post here I deduct the time from all the hours in service I was blindly involved in as a Jw, so in 20 years I might be even.}LOL @ Jim, never thought about posting in this way. So do you think this means we should go back to those we had as return visits and tell them we were wrong in what we were telling them. Just a thought.

Seriously tho, I lurked here for a year before I got involved. It has been interesting and enlightening seeing the variety of experiences ones have had, both good and bad. Just2laws, all the reasons you gave are valid from my perspective. It is hard to talk about the years spent as a JW with those who have no experience with it. I find myself spending more time explaining the insanity. Here we can talk and know that the jargon we may use will be understood because our experiences are built on common ground.

Blessings

Song

Searchin50

HI JUST2LAWS I loved your post! That is the reason i like this site. I love to hear othes experinces, about being in JW RELIGION, yes i was myself,but not fully indoctrinated . You know it's a funny thing, others, ADULTS can only do to us what we allow them to do although, when we came into JW org.we fell---hook--line and sinker because it played on our heart strings, but there was just things i simply could not agree with.For example--------- JESUS had to wait at GODS hand when he died. However I SPENT alot of time in field service, SPECIAL PIONEER-REG PIO- ABOVEAVE.PUB.But through it all ,I couldn't concive their teachings on this matter, I KNOW where your coming from, about leaving org. there will always be memories good or bad ,we must remember we were,indoctrinated willingly. So i think this helps in getting back on track in our worship of GOD. It's only through prayer that we will see the truth, Consider it a blessing, BROTHER that something opened your eyes. Only the BIBLE will bring them down. Belive me it will happen. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY YOU CAN SEE THAT!!!!!! because nothing else ever will get their attention. thanks Searchin50

Simon

I find that the support we get from others is invaluable - leaving is very difficult when you loose many friends and family or have strained relationships at best.

Despite being a pretty unsociable person I'm surprised too that I have a strange desire to help other people which has also helped me relate to other people better.

And the information? Never ending! So many new revalations and ongoing struggles to keep up with such as silentlambs.

Oh, and I get to chat with cute women online

happy man

Jjrizo.

Hello man.

I must say something abaout this picture you was posting on Franz, hee look not so god, was he blind and was his brain still in order, in this time?

And then i must say this bord , give mee also much , even if i am ongoing JW, serving in a littel confg in sweden is not like what some of you have been told, here nowan now nothing, about this mess , UN, Child abuse, and when I tell some , the loook at me as I is crayzy.

One thing you can learn from this site, is whats is on the backside, if you gone a by a house, you dont only look on frontside, do you?

I have say this before, why not give the GB and evry congs elder, 1 our evry monday too look on internet, then they perhaps can understand, why peopel leaving, what i heard some dont understand this.

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

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