Well it's been 38 years - but I finally blew out my first birthday candles today!
mjarka911
JoinedPosts by mjarka911
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a first for me
by mjarka911 inwell it's been 38 years - but i finally blew out my first birthday candles today!
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Big claims made that simply arn't true
by drew sagan ina number of posts on the board have got me thinking back to the time when i first became aquainted with jehovhah's witnesses.
many things that i was told (an probably no doubt many of you) where the ramblings of people are so dedicated to their religious system that it clouds all basic judgement.
here are some of the things i was told by certain members (mostly elders) that have panned out to be actual lies.
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mjarka911
How about the "fact" that doctors are on the side of Jw's in their no blood stance. My wife tells me all the time that blood transfusions are dangerous and "most" doctors fell the non-blood alternatives are good science.
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Please help me. Advice re. children
by jambon1 ini have been out for a few months & have been doing the supportive role for my wife who still goes to most meetings and is taking the lead with our 2 kids.
the supportive role has cushioned the mental anguish for my wife and i would not have wanted to be frank about my disbelief in god & the wts, it would have put a tremendous strain on our relationship.
at the moment she is hoping i will come back.
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mjarka911
Hi jambon 1 I think dismembered makes a good point (boy does that sound wierd!), you have to try to compromise. My situation was very similar to yours. After 35 years in the org - the doubts became too much. We had a 2 year old son and I think that was a big part of me making a decision after being a 3rd generation witness. It's one thing to just go along the path of least resistance for yourself - but to look your kids in the eye and keep this fiction going for another generation was too much! I owed it to him to find out the truth. In time I DA'd myself. I still love my wife of 13 years very much although she is still a dub. When she realized I was leaving to be mentally free to live my life and not what the org wants everyone to believe (i.e, they want to leave to be materialistic or sexually promiscuous or whatever) then the negotiation to save our love and respect each other could begin. Now she takes our 2 kids (yes she conceived with me even after leaving!) to 2 meetings a week - and I get them on Sunday. The kids and I celebrate holidays, birthdays or whatever little things we want to do. I'm confidant that by giving the kids both sides of the issue - they will be able to make an informed choice for themselves once they are older - something I was never given!
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what do you think?
by joanne_ inhi everyone, i have a friend, who wants me to attend the meetings again.
he has said that the faithful and discreet slave are inviting those that have not attended for awhile, to come to the memorial, and then there is going to be a special talk in april-may, and then they want us to come to the convention in the summer.
which apparently will be about welcoming those who once were involved to come back.
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mjarka911
I don't know how long you've been associated but I grew tired of the constant crying wolf about the end and the importance of numbers years ago. Instead of worrying about hours of preaching and # baptized, they should focus on changing a system that allows child molesters to be ministers, that allows loved ones to die for a blood policy even they now acknowledge is inconsistent and accept responsibility for creating a hierachy of "do as we say, not as we do". Have a convention or special talk about that!
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All that Witness potential
by mjarka911 ini just had an opportunity to donate to a friend's avon breast cancer walk and i was reading her reasons to get involved.
it made me think that not getting involved in charities was one of the things that never sat right with me when i was in the org.
but since then, i've loved donating and being active to help others.
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mjarka911
I just had an opportunity to donate to a friend's Avon breast cancer walk and I was reading her reasons to get involved. It made me think that not getting involved in charities was one of the things that never sat right with me when I was in the org. But since then, I've loved donating and being active to help others. It feels great!
By and large, the Witnesses are good people who are culturally brainwashed. If they were ever set free and allowed to actually live their lives (i.e. college, meaningful careers and relationships, etc), I think charitable works would figure prominently in their lives. All that training for sacrafice and door knocking energy would need to find outlets in charity work.
Think of the gains for Habitiat for Humanity or other building groups and outreach programs. But instead they are made to feel guilty if they want to put some extra change in the bell ringers jar because their money is better spent promoting a future that only exists in their minds. Such a shame, such a waste. It makes me sad.
Matt the fireman -
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To newbies: You give up your rights when you become a Witness
by MsMcDucket ini was sitting here thinking: am i making fun of my children's religion?
am i being disrespectful to witnesses?
i was raised to be accepting of other people's religious choices.
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mjarka911
Along with #2 - the right to take life as it comes to you without having to filter it through "what we're supposed to believe". This has been the nicest part of being out - making up your own mind on what to say and believe based on what you believe is right.
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Scriptures/Beliefs That Never Sat Right With You
by minimus inwas there anything that you were taught that made you think twice regarding the watchtower's interpetation??
the scripture about jesus raising the temple in 3 days sounded like he was going to raise himself back to life.
i never really understood that scripture.
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mjarka911
Hey! - I'm a junior member now!
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Scriptures/Beliefs That Never Sat Right With You
by minimus inwas there anything that you were taught that made you think twice regarding the watchtower's interpetation??
the scripture about jesus raising the temple in 3 days sounded like he was going to raise himself back to life.
i never really understood that scripture.
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mjarka911
I was a third generation true believer, so most of this stuff I swallowed like an oyster with a beer chaser! But I remember being the reader many times for the Revelation book study and feeling very uncomfortable saying outloud that certain 20th century assembly talks were prophecy fulfillments or like "scorpion stings". Such ego!
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Comeback from witness...interesting
by integ ini asked my uncle elder about the scripture that says; "keep testing to make sure you are in the faith" or something to that effect, to kind of try to explain why i have the audacity to question watchtower doctrine.
his response was something i guess i knew, but had forgotten.."that doesn't mean to keep testing the teachings of the faithful slave, it means that we need to keep testing 'ourselves' to make sure we are still faithful to gods' organization".
i had forgotten the spin on that scripture, and all i could do was shake my head and say "okay, whatever".
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mjarka911
The picture I always remember is from the Live Forever book that showed a car on a road stopping to ask for directions. If I'm not mistaken, the man they are getting directions from is pointing in the opposite direction and the heading is "If you were on the wrong road, wouldn't you want someone to point it out?" or something to that effect. They like to conviently forget to apply that to themselves.
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Well, It all hit the fan!
by onesong inlast week i sent an e-mail of a compilation of of traits of a cult (i posted it here mon.
or so) to every jw i had an address for.
i knew it would come and sure enough it did!
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mjarka911
I'm not cleaning it up!