i know you all are tired of hearing about michael jackson but after seeing this video, i was reminded of the guilt that lingers after the leaving the jw religion.
as i understand it, his primary reason for leaving was because latoya was df'd and he didn't like having to chose between religion and family.
sounds familiar?.
Michael seemed so sweet and innocent in that video. It made me wonder if that is part of why I come across to people as so much younger than I really am, because of all the childhood stuff I never experienced so it makes me seem sort of childlike now. Like Brinjen, that video made me want to laugh and cry all at the same time too.
Rachel
i have no idea what i want to convey in words here on this site, and have surprised myself by even joining at all.
i intended just to read, and get a few pieces of information, and now am a member, and spend many hours looking through posts old and new alike.
i am a current jw, born into it, and lets just say i'm in my thirties, female, and a mom of more than your average kids.
I know just how you feel, Heartbreaker, my boyfriend is very fond of saying to me, "Patience is a virtue." Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I say don't push your husband, or rather don't push him past his limit, which only you know what that is. It sounds like you are handling it well.
You could start a new thread anyway, since people might think this is still your welcome thread and you are touching on some new things now. Click "Home" at the top of the page underneath the "Active Topics" button to see all the categories, and then choose the one that fits the best.
I'm fond of the "Private" category so that only members can read it. But if you browse for a minute or two you will see what your options are for categories. There are lots of them.
Rachel
i was about 4 or 5 years old.
they must of been talking about prejudice in the meeting or something.
that's when i first learned about it.
Whoever wrote the Daniel and Revelation books should have won the HUGO award for best SCI-FI fiction!
Yeah, right, if only the writing weren't so terrible too, I bet they would have won some awards! LOL.
Though I admittedly know little about the actual changes in the updated NIV, my initial response is I don't think adding the word "sisters" is going to change the fact that the Bible is a very misogynistic book. Look at any fundamentalist group that applies the Bible literally for strong evidence in that regard.
Rachel
once again i'm posting information about the new danish film.
this time, the xjw, who saw the movie, updated his original e-mail to me containing additional facts.
"to verdener" / "worlds apart.".
False alarm, no threats were found when I did a full scan. I don't know what that was, but I do know it happened when I clicked that link.
I guess the fear of the virus is fresh in my heart and mind since I lost my last laptop to 5,000 viruses a few short months ago! (It's since been cleaned up but will never quite be the same. It's sort of like a very expensive word processer and movie-watching device that seems to be suffering from PTSD now.)
Sorry to go off topic. I was just trying to warn others against the Big Bad Computer Virus.
Rachel
i was about 4 or 5 years old.
they must of been talking about prejudice in the meeting or something.
that's when i first learned about it.
It's funny, but looking back, I can suddenly remember all these doubts that I shoved out of my psyche.
I remember all the times I'd be studying and something just would not make sense to me.
I would cross-reference and think about it and look up other stuff on CD-rom, but still I couldn't wrap my head around it.
Eventually I would chalk it up to my own stupidity.
Never mind that I have always been a good student, never mind the glaring obviousness (now) that it didn't make sense because it was made-up BS; at the time I did what any good JW did: shoved it aside, waiting on Jehovah.
Usually this was when studying something like the Daniel prophecy books. You have to really have an imagination to see the parallels they draw; even when I was at my most zealous and wanted so badly to believe it, I remember thinking "these people in this room that are so excited about how obvious these prophecies are in line with events we see happening in our time, man, they are just really stretching here," and then I'd have to chide myself for having such a thought!
Rachel
Edited to add: Though it wasn't explicity requested, ultimately what forced me into truly waking up from the JW's was: Disfellowshipping and Blood. I just cannot agree with those two JW doctrines. Their Bible verses on those two items are incredibly weak, and the practices themselves are far too damaging to enforce such things based on such weak arguments.
my mom is pretty cool.
81 years old and still going fairly strong.
my older sister was the first one to leave the dubs in our 3rd gen jw family.
(((((((((((((((Trebor)))))))))))) Don't apologize for going off on a tangent; that is what this place is for. We do understand.
Sorry your mother is not much of a mother. Good for you for respecting her anyway, that shows health on your part, but don't respect her at your own expense, which you probably already know. You have to take care of yourself. Especially since your mother has shirked her motherly duties of taking care of you in an emotional way.
No natural affection. Jehovah's Witnesses are fulfilling Bible scripture every day when they choose their religion over relationships with their family.
The compassion you show for her is evident. I know how hard it is. My mother is like a child. It is important for me to accept that. That doesn't mean it's super easy every day. One day at a time. Like you, I believe my dad knows deep in his heart it must not be The Truth; however, he has made his choice, to stand by his wife. I have to respect that. It's not easy to do.
Thanks for speaking on your experiences,
Rachel
has anyone read this book?.
i figured i had to comment because everyone was telling me oh tim, youre going to love this book.
she went to the same assemblies as you, she was raised in a similar household, she did poetry slams as well.
Tuesday, I was thinking about this a lot last night, and suddenly it dawned on me (duh): You are damn proud of yourself for having resisted so many things in the name of not proving those ugly stereotypes to be true.
As you should be.
I think my understanding that alone clears up for me why you are so against people proving ex-JW stereotypes right. Because you have worked so hard to prove them wrong.
Seems rather obvious now that I've typed it out.
Anyway, I'm proud of you too. For whatever that is worth. You are a very strong person.
I would like you to know that I am living my life now, everyday, moving forward, by making the best decisions possible, and always striving to do the right thing. Something I didn't used to do. I guess you could say I'm growing up. :-)
Peace,
Rachel
once again i'm posting information about the new danish film.
this time, the xjw, who saw the movie, updated his original e-mail to me containing additional facts.
"to verdener" / "worlds apart.".
Inkling, that link caused my computer to freak out and say there was malicious software detected and to scan my computer NOW. FYI to others.
Rachel
once again i'm posting information about the new danish film.
this time, the xjw, who saw the movie, updated his original e-mail to me containing additional facts.
"to verdener" / "worlds apart.".
I just watched this film, which a dear friend of mine sent to me some months ago. I wish I would have watched it sooner. It's so wonderfully done.
Besides a few very minor details it was incredibly accurate and like Sweet Pea pointed out poignant.
The elders meeting was tame compared to what my elders asked me, though I thought the actors got the creepy, leering looks down pat.
I loved the conversation between the father and daughter at the end; what Sara said to her dad was priceless. For those who have not seen it I won't spoil it for you, but go watch it, already!
The older brother's shunning was so heart-wrenching. I really hope that lots and lots of people see this film!
Rachel
