Seeing good people(my parents, who I love dearly) neglect their health and financial responsibilities to themselves in favor of carrying a heavier load of responsibilities in the congregation. That was what flipped a switch in my brain.
atypical
JoinedPosts by atypical
-
44
What Pushed You Out The Door Of The Watchtower?
by minimus infor me, it was realizing that nearly every prophecy or commentary on a scriptural passage has changed.
througout the years, it's been new light, old light and even blinking light.
-
-
-
40
Have you ever just wanted to pick up and leave?
by destroyedbyhate inhas anyone ever wanted to do that?
to just leave and tell no one where you are going.
start over fresh in a new place where nobody judges you based on your past.
-
-
atypical
James, I love your posts. Do you mind if I ask, how did you get to where you are philosophically? Do you recommend any certain reading, or did you manage to do it on your own? I appreciate the way you seem to be able to eliminate any superstition, but at the same time do not have a materialist / dog eat dog mentality.
Sorry, not trying to hijack the thread, but I just had to ask.
-
56
Do you still *want* to believe?
by daniel-p inif the answer is "yes," please explain why.
.
(i don't think this question needs explaining - i think you all know what i'm talking about.
-
-
atypical
At this point, I struggle with the question, Is ignorance bliss? Since I have only recently studied both sides and opened my mind, I have struggled with a wide range of feelings. knowledge is a terrible power. I am glad I have the facts, but it is very hard to have a lifetime of beliefs crumble in just a few weeks. So many built in fears and guilt trips. I wonder if I will ever be able to watch the news without getting that feeling of dread that Armageddon might be here. Also, always struggling with how much to say to my family and friends. Do I let them go on if they are happy? Or do I blow away everything they believe in and risk them not being able to recover? Even though I know logically that many things are not actually wrong (holidays, etc.), will I ever be able to just live a normal life without feeling guilty if I am wearing green and red during christmas, or just saying happy birthday?
I am ashamed to say this, but I guess if I could believe and have a peaceful, happy life, I would choose that. The problem is, for me, I don't think that was ever possible. Believing meant believing that I was never good enough, and while I am not cursed with an inflated ego, I also struggled with the thought that I was a horrible sinner deserving of death.
How's that for a convoluted, flip flop of an answer? I learned from the best.
-
23
Simon & Garfunkel...
by Frog inmainly cause i've nothing much else to do, and cause i love it so much that i fell asleep to it on repeat last night, that i wanted so share the lyrics of my fave s&g tunesimon and garfunkel lyrics: flowers never bend with the rainfall .
through the corridors of sleep .
past the shadows dark and deep .
-
-
atypical
I think Simon and Garfunkel pretty much top the list in my book, both musically and lyrically. What an amazing, one of a kind duo. On top of that, Paul Simon is also unbelievably good on his own. I could quote them all day long. One that comes to mind lately is "Blessed". Anyone know that one? One of the best lines in that song is "church service makes me nervous"
How about Fakin' It ?
Such a dubious soul
And a walk in the garden
Wears me down
Tangled in the fallen vines
Picking up the punch lines
I've just been fakin' it
Not really makin' it
Is there any danger?
No, no, not really
Just lean on me
-
40
Have you ever just wanted to pick up and leave?
by destroyedbyhate inhas anyone ever wanted to do that?
to just leave and tell no one where you are going.
start over fresh in a new place where nobody judges you based on your past.
-
-
atypical
I am definitely considering moving and starting over somewhere else. I live in the same area where I was born and I can't even go to the store without seeing several people from the congregation. Makes trying to fade extremely difficult. Been working on finding a place my wife would like to live and then selling the house and going. It's hard to have so much history with so many people and then try to make a dramatic change (not attending meetings or going in service) without starting a crapstorm of problems.
-
5
admiring zealousness
by carla indo any of you get annoyed when nonjw's say they admire the jw zealousness?
they agree it's all crap but still admire the zealousness!
would they feel the same if it was a pure satanic cult knocking on their doors?
-
-
atypical
Another reason I have heard witnesses do this is because they equate a "misquided" zealous person with the apostle Paul. You know, he persecuted christians very zealously, then he saw the light and became a christian himself, then applied that same zeal to christian living. So, since witnesses view everyone as another potential witness, they love to say that they admire zealousness because they imagine they could bring that person into the org and have a real firestarter.
-
21
How Did You Feel When You Were Passed Up For A "Privilege"?
by minimus inthe watchtower thrives on the pecking order.
who's in line next to "be used"?
who can we allow to "handle the microphones and mow the lawn"?
-
-
atypical
It made me feel like the kid in high school who wasn't cool enough and so everybody excludes him, making him feel embarrassed. (I wasn't that kid in high school, I promise!) It's like the football players vs. the one computer geek in the corner. The geek is probably the cooler one, it's just the fact that he's different from the group, so the others use that fact against him.
-
139
Add an Awake caption here!
by doodle-v inhere is the original one:.
here is a blank one for you to add a caption to:.
have fun!
-
-
atypical
Well, better late than never....
-
36
I may have sealed my fate.....
by atypical inwell, i have been trying to fade peacefully for months, for the sake of my wife and family.
to do this, i have had to hold my tongue about most of what i know, and i have done a good job of it until now.
the other day, i was hanging out with my buddy who misses most meetings, but still believes it's the truth.
-
-
atypical
My wife, who is hardcore jw, just laughed when I told her the basic story. She said, 'do you really think he wants to tell the elders you guys were drinking too much and speaking against the truth?' She also said, 'Do you think he said anything he doesn't want you to repeat?'
I had to admit that was true. The part she doesn't understand is the extent of what I said that could be considered "apostate". But, my friend did tell me some other personal stuff I'm sure he wouldn't want me to repeat, so that may keep him from talking. I think probably if nothing else, he will tell other witnesses in private that I have "apostate" views and that will eventually get around.
Well, I will give updates if there are any.
-
36
I may have sealed my fate.....
by atypical inwell, i have been trying to fade peacefully for months, for the sake of my wife and family.
to do this, i have had to hold my tongue about most of what i know, and i have done a good job of it until now.
the other day, i was hanging out with my buddy who misses most meetings, but still believes it's the truth.
-
-
atypical
That's funny, because I have sort of taken the same tack with my family. My mother really tried to get into a discussion with me, and I told her that if she could just give me some kind of reason to believe that the watchtower is god's chosen organization, it would help me to deal with my doubts and make me want to be active again. She tried valiantly; used the increase in numbers (what increase, I know), to which I mentioned tobacco companies with their huge success; she used the ministry thing, I pointed out the entire branch of Christianity called "Evangelical", and so on. After that, she dropped it and never brought the subject up again, and in fact has not even acted as though we had that conversation.