When I was in, just about everyone I knew was aware of me being a jw. When I left, however, I didn't tell any of the friends I have made since leaving for the first few years, although most of them know now. They also know why I left, and steer well clear of the jws they meet partly because of what they know of my experiences, so I am glad now that I got around to sharing it with them.
dedpoet
JoinedPosts by dedpoet
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20
Embarrased that you were a JW?
by Lady Lee ini have finally started to read captive hearts, captive minds.. they say something that got me to thinking.. i used to feel embarassed to tell non-jws that i was a jw.
it was one thing to tell people at the doors.
it was totally another thing to tell other people.
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Accident prone/Gremlins in the house -what is going on?
by Crumpet ini was busy reading posts on the board just now when i noticed a strange noise.
i went into the kitchebn and the electric kettle i had put on to boil some 15 minutes earlier was still boiling and the whole kitchen filled with steam to the point some of the cupboards had started to blister and nothing was visible - it was like being on the yorkshire moors.
i can find no reason for this!
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dedpoet
Hi Crumpet, what a thing to happen! As long as you are none the worse for it though, thats the most important thing, and I would definitely get your plumbing/electrics checked out, just in case something is wrong. I remember coming home from a late shift at work a couple of years ago and having no lights working. The electrician said something about a short circuit and I was lucky as I could easily have had a fire. I didn't feel lucky, sitting in the dark all night, but I was glad I did have it checked.
take care
dedpoet
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hallo an alle hier im forum
by indianer56germany inhallo ,.
ich komme aus deutschland und war bis vor 15 jahren ein zeuge jehovas.. wurde mich sehr freuen wenn hier jemand ist der deutsch kann und mir hilfe im forum gibt.. mit lieben gruen aus germany.
peter
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dedpoet
Welcome to the board
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22
What's with my Mom and the NWT?
by Ingenuous inbefore i left the org, i decided to start doing my personal bible reading in a translation other than the nwt.
my mother seemed bothered by this, wanting to know why i didn't want to use the nwt, describing why she greatly preferred it to other translations, and generally adopting a worried look whenever i mentioned the topic.
i talked to her this morning and she turned the conversation into a q&a session on a bible i was looking for in a local bookstore.
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dedpoet
When I was in the borg I had a collection of other translations, as well as the NWT of course. I remember an occasion when a couple of elders called on me and questioned why I needed other translations, particularly the Jerusalem, as it contains the Apocrypha. I was given a "friendly" warning never to quote any other translation besides the NWT in a talk from the platform! They implied that the NWT is the only true translation as it restores God's name throughout the OT and inserts it in it's rightful place in the NT, and no true servant of jehovah would need any other bible.
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While preaching, did you realize that you were also screwing up their lives
by JH in.
when you were going door to door, although you had the pure intention of teaching people what you taught was god's will, did you realize back then, that if they listened to you and accepted a bible study that you were also screwing up their lives and that they would suffer greatly by this?.
it was always in back of my mind.....
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dedpoet
Yes, I did used to wonder if what I was telling them would really benefit them long term.
Happily, not too many listened. One guy did study with me to the point of becoming an unbaptised publisher, but he doesn't go now either, so I guess I didn't do anyone any lasting harm with all the bullshit I used to spout
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Email I received off mum
by Es inhey all, i usually pop into my folks once a week so that my son can see his grandparents.
anyway last week my dad asked if i wanted to go to a country show\fete with them on sat , so anyway a couple of days later i emailed my mum to see whether my fiance (non jw) could come too.. this is the email i received today.
as you are going to be busy over the next few weeks, we dont want to put added pressure on you, dont feel you have to come to the show.plus we have already explained the situation regarding mike we dont have anything against him personally, but the situation is difficult for us regards associating with him as your fiance because it would be viewed as our supporting your decision to marry out of the truth.
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dedpoet
Hi Es, so sad that you had to go through that. I agree with some of the other posters, iy definitely sounds like an outside influence has been at work here.
take care, and all the best on your big day
dedpoet
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If WT shuning practices were removed, what would be the result?
by hubert inimagine if the wt in brookline decided it was "scriptually incorrect" to shun ex-j.w.
's for any reason, what do you think would happen if they stopped the shunning practice?
i was never a j.w., so i'll leave it up to the experienced people here to conclude.
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dedpoet
If that happened it would rob some of my former conditional friends of one of their main pleasures in life, ignoring me when they see me.
It isn't going to happen though
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If WT shuning practices were removed, what would be the result?
by hubert inimagine if the wt in brookline decided it was "scriptually incorrect" to shun ex-j.w.
's for any reason, what do you think would happen if they stopped the shunning practice?
i was never a j.w., so i'll leave it up to the experienced people here to conclude.
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dedpoet
If that happened it would rob some of my former conditional friends of one of their main pleasures in life, ignoring me when they see me.
It isn't going to happen though
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confused 18 year old
by lonelysam inhey everyone,.
as you can see im new here, and like every new person im trying to sort alll this jw stuff out.
i have no idea where to start, but here goes.. i first started questioning all this when 'a brother' in the congregation sexually abused one of my best friends family members, he did not get disfellowshipped, but he got publicly reproved?!
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dedpoet
Welcome lonelysam,
You are at a stage many of us have previously passed through, doubting what you have been taught but not wanting to lose all your friends by doing something about it. Perhaps all your social activities revolve around the congregation? If that is so, then the thought of building a new social life outside the org must surely seem to be a daunting task. It is not, however, impossible, as many of us have found on here. Think about what non - jw things interest you, and pursue them. Try to associate more with non jws. You will find that the friendships you make outside the org are not conditional and do not depend on you blindly following a belief.
If you do leave, your current jw "friends" will most likely shun you, but ask yourself, have you really lost anything? My former friends shun me, apart from a couple, but I no longer feel any sense of loss because of it. I no longer have anything in common with them anyway.
Whatever you do, I wish you well. Take care
dedpoet
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10
Why don't witnesses celebrate their Baptismal Anniversary?
by JH in.
they celebrate their wedding anniversaries, so since baptism is even more important than marriage,"says the watchtower", why don't they celebrate it?
not that i would celebrate it though....
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dedpoet
That was the day I made the worst mistake of my whole life. Why the hell would I want to celebrate it?
I will celebrate the anniversary of my da though,