did it reinforce your dedication to the cause?
or did it burden and disillusion you?
Initially and for several years I enjoyed FS very much. I would prepare well and use all the techniques we are taught in the TMS. I also was very capable of using the Bible to shred to pieces the arguments of most householders (I enjoyed doing that, shame on me). Since learning the truth about the truth FS is simply something I minimally do to avoid the problems associated with being labeled as inactive.
FM
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i've read a few very interesting stories about people's experiences when they decided to purchase coc.i'd like to share mine and read yours also.. in 1999,not long after we purchased our first computer i started reading material about jw's.before long,i got really interested in the ray franz story because even up here in northern ontario,i had heard about the apostasy of 1980.in the fall of '99 my wife decide to take a college course(bucking the jw trend),and she would stay at her sister's place during the week.one day i called a christian book store to see if they could get me this book.i was very nervous,changed my name and i wouldn't give them my phone number.i told them i'd call back in a few weeks to make sure they had it before i went in to pick it up.. when the day came,i picked up my courage by two hands and took off for my 40 mile drive to get my book.the book store is located in a small shopping mall,which had me really nervous that another jw might see me going in or out of the store.i walked in the mall looking around,making sure there was nobody in sight that i knew.when i walked in the store,i had cash ready in my hands,walked up to the counter,gave my fake name and the book i was purchasing.now i just had to walk and make it to the car and i was home free.. i know buying a book isn't that hard,i do it all the time,but at that time the implicationsof having this book in my possesion was tremendous.. anyways,it's been 5 1/2 years and still nobody here knows.the book has really opened my eyes and mind to the realities of the wts.i would definitely recommend this book to everyone here who has yet to read it.it's worth the effort to acquire it and will take away your fear of the watchdollar.
About a year ago after dipping my feet into the waters of apostasy by coming to web sites such as this one I found the courage to order 30 Years a WT Slave as a used book. I had it shipped to me at work. This book was OK but the writer’s attitude seemed to be an angry one and it left me feeling that he might have just been a very disgruntled person. So, I ordered COC and had it shipped again to my office so that my wife would not know. It was a wonderful book that really opened my eyes to the fact that what I had observed on a local level was actually an attitude that had filtered down from the top.
I have since obtained and read several other books by ex-JWs and will continue to order and read what ever is available as time passes. The books I have finished are part of a “secret library” I have at home. My hope is that my wife will discover them and that curiosity will get the best of her.
FM
i feel like screaming right about now...........the dickhead who takes our bookstudy group just came over and said "...i wonder how many brothers and sisters died in the tsunami disater.
" while that's a natural concern, his next comment blew me away "....it figures that the media hasn't bothered mentioning jehovah's witnesses helping out in this disaster!
" i looked at him stunned for a minute and said "and why on earth would they mention jehovah's witnesses?
It seems that most JWs, especially those raised as JWs have no compassion for anyone ouside the organization. The first thing my wife (a lifer) said was "I wonder how many JWs died?" The unfairness of her comment stabbed me in the heart!
FM
how long did you phisically stay in the truth, after you had mentally or emotionally left?
and how much was the reason you stayed was cos you didnt want to be wrong!
(pride is a terrible thing).
Physically I'm still there but barely. Mentally I started leaving after I decided that Jehovah could not possibly approve of the dirty back stabbing tactics I experienced and saw going on in the organization with apparent approval of the leadership. I guess that I'm now completely gone from an emotional and mental standpoint.
FM
hey folks,.
just curious, any concensus on what john actually meant here?
i doubt a guy in the first century could honestly envision a time when mankind could genuinely "ruin the earth" if the idea struck them.
I think we would all agree that man today is indeed ruining the earth in just about every sense, ecologically, morally and spiritually. I think an all out nuclear war would ruin the earth just about permanently. Will God let that happen? We’ll see.
FM
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something went wrong the first time.
here are a few facts that i have recently discovered by doing some research.
There's a lot more that could be said on the subject.
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"the organization" is one of my favorites.
very "cultish" expression, to me.......and you??
Running ahead of the organization or Jehovah
Congregational Privileges
Following those taking the lead
secret sins
virtual apostate
theocratic warfare (lying)
i was reading the accounts and the reactions to minimus?
elder friend that was deleted because of a wts secret letter to the circuit overseers.
secret letters of this nature are part of what has led to my critical thinking regarding the wts.
I was reading the accounts and the reactions to minimus? elder friend that was deleted because of a WTS secret letter to the Circuit Overseers. Secret letters of this nature are part of what has led to my critical thinking regarding the WTS. How many would like to share their ?Back Stabbing Secret WTS Letters? experiences with this forum? Please do, as I am very curious about the pattern of similarities.
FM
i am sure i am not the only one that thinks it's ridiculous that they allow pre-teens and young teens to get baptized.
i know now that i did not have a full understanding of the implications of baptism.
i did it primarily because that's what was expected.
How many young ones get baptized simply to please others? Far to often I have seen kids 14 -18 get baptized and within a couple of years become involved in drugs and sexual immorality. Dedication to God is something that should come from the heart and not from peer pressure.
FM
i've read on here several times about how jws are discouraged for doing charitable work for anybody other than jws, and that they are discouraged from contributing financially to non-jw charities.
are there some references to this in their literature that someone could point me to?.
also, i had a discussion with a jw about a recent relief effort some jws did in florida.
I'll be damned! This was one of the "good" things i thought the Society did. Knowing that they are making a profit from free labor and people's miserie reaslly hits home.
FM
