I went crazy when I first left...lol.
Congrats to you on your newfound freedom! Just be careful not to get too "wild", it's so easy to do when you've been held down for a long time. I did a lot of things I now wish I hadn't but it was all part of the long process of breaking away...one that I can honestly say I don't think I'm done with even 12 years later!
*Hugs* ~April
amama2six
JoinedPosts by amama2six
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9
I'm in love!!
by Newborn indear friends,.
maybe you're not that interested but i'm so in love, after many years of unhappy marriage.
i'm in love with a forbidden "worldly" man but still he's the best guy and most kind and genuin person i've ever known and he likes me back.
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amama2six
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28
Best JW tall story/variations of it?
by KW13 indont just list one, list them all so we can laugh because in all honesty i can't believe we believed some of them.
for example, i was told annie lennox stopped a concert to ask if there was any jw's in the audience, and if there was could they leave as they were stopping the demons getting through...is this even remotely true?
did annie lennox ask the jw's in the audience to move because they were stopping the snack lady getting through...and it got twisted through chinese whispers.... the other day (i felt sick) one witness was banging on about how amazing it was that the watchtower society's building was the only one standing still...wtf...my stepdad responded with a 'wow thats amazing' and the first brother was like 'yeah i know'...grrrrrrrrr aaaaaaaah screaaaaaaaaam .
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amama2six
Well, true or not I never kicked any little dogs while out in the field, especially after hearing that...hehehe.
I wish I could remember more stories...there were so many! A lot of the ones already mentioned here I've heard before, it's crazy how far information travels in the organization. :D -
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amama2six
Welcome to the forums! I just joined a few days ago and already feel I am in the presence of family. :D ~April
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What's the most ridiculous thing that was ever said to you personally?
by iamthewolf5562 inwere you told that you werent "spiritually mature"?
you were "acting worldly"?
you need to "rethink your association"?.
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amama2six
Here's an email response I received to some of my comments on the ex-JW YouTube videos about families shunning their DFed members (myself included):
maybe its somethin' wrong with your family because you can't completely disown a family members when they don't follow the teachings we're given. I know because my brother is disfellowshipped and i was sad because i thought i wasn't going to be able to talk to him again. However, an elder came to our house and told our family that we could still talk to him because we can't not talk to him. The only thing that we have to do is limit the time we spend with him.
It's not just my family. Every DFed JW I know has had the same shunning experience. I'm glad this was not your personal experience, however! Not to say I don't talk to my family at ALL but it's VERY general "Hi, how are ya...love you...yeah love you too" and that's about it...and they don't even attend the meetings anymore themselves! My DFed best friend's mother (we grew up together from the age of about six), who is still a devout Jehovah's Witness, refused to attend her wedding, refused to be there for her when she got cervical cancer-radiation treatments-endometriosis-total hysterectomy, and only calls her when someone in the family is dying/dead.
I could understand if I was throwing apostate information at them or was leading a wholly immoral life, but I am not. I have a husband and six children that cry for the grandparents that will not get close enough to have a real relationship with them. I can count on one hand the number of times they have ever been in the same room with us over the past 12 years. It is the same for my friend with her mother and many more like us. The heartbreak each of us face is unimaginable and we have been told it is supposed to be out of "love" in hopes that we will come back to "the truth".
Again, I am glad that in your personal experience this has not been the case. I wish more would take that approach on the issue...as having everything and everyone you know and love taken away from you in an instant simply for a choice you made is not what I would consider "loving" or "Godly"...it is cruel and heartless.
Regardless...blessings to you and your family, I wholly respect your belief choices and hope you do not view my message as an attack on your faith. It certainly is not meant to be so! Aside from the heartache involved I am fully willing to admit that I have gleaned many positive attributes from my years as a Jehovah's Witness, and for that I am thankful. *Hugs* ~April -
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Best JW tall story/variations of it?
by KW13 indont just list one, list them all so we can laugh because in all honesty i can't believe we believed some of them.
for example, i was told annie lennox stopped a concert to ask if there was any jw's in the audience, and if there was could they leave as they were stopping the demons getting through...is this even remotely true?
did annie lennox ask the jw's in the audience to move because they were stopping the snack lady getting through...and it got twisted through chinese whispers.... the other day (i felt sick) one witness was banging on about how amazing it was that the watchtower society's building was the only one standing still...wtf...my stepdad responded with a 'wow thats amazing' and the first brother was like 'yeah i know'...grrrrrrrrr aaaaaaaah screaaaaaaaaam .
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amama2six
Here's one.
Two Jehovah's Witness brothers go up to some lady's house while out in field service. Her Chihuahua is out in the fenced-in yard...barking up a storm and nipping at their heels as they wait at the door. Finally, one of the brothers gets fed up with it and kicks it...immediately causing it's death. An "Oh no!" moment, and the brother stuffs the dog in his briefcase just before the owner answers the door. They go on to give their presentation (I believe she turns them away but asks if they've seen her dog, which they lie about), then leave and stuff poor little poochie in someone's trashcan down the street. Hahahaha...no kidding, this was really a story going around about 15-20 years ago! Moral of the story? Don't kick people's small dogs in field service, no matter how irritating they may be. :P :D -
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Imagine
by John Doe inyou're eating at a large, multi bilion dollar franchise corporation restaurant.
now, further assume you find a pubic har in your food, or better yet, you find a hair when it pulls your lip as you removed your fork from your mouth.
now, you suffer no physical harm, no sickness, no tangible harm.
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amama2six
That's really sad, John Doe. I understand it...but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. More so than the monetary value is the fact that this facility is known for it's medical mistakes (training hospital). Apparently since it's so hard to sue them, even when they really mess up, they aren't feeling the need to do anything to improve their care. :(
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Imagine
by John Doe inyou're eating at a large, multi bilion dollar franchise corporation restaurant.
now, further assume you find a pubic har in your food, or better yet, you find a hair when it pulls your lip as you removed your fork from your mouth.
now, you suffer no physical harm, no sickness, no tangible harm.
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amama2six
The Navy Hospital I had my tubal ligation done at immediately following my last child's birth screwed up and nearly cost me my life. The Navy doctor that ultimately saved my life even admitted there was negligence in my care. I talked to various lawyers about suing and they all told me that because I am not "permanently damaged" (and am still alive) I don't have a good enough case. So apparently days of excruciating and unnecessary pain while I was slowly dying and weeks of extra recovery time is not good grounds for a suit. Had I died, however, my husband could have sued on my behalf. That's comforting to know.
So would I sue for a pube? Ummmm...no. :P -
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Did Being A Witness Make You Feel Better About Yourself?
by minimus insome persons need to feel they are validated because they don't have much going for them otherwise.
being a part of jehovah's organization makes them feel special.
being different from other religions makes them feel recognized,.
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amama2six
Lady Zombie...to this day I am deathly afraid of firearms.
After posting that message I was sitting here thinking about how profound an effect being scoffed at and rejected day after day, month after month, and year after year at home, school, and during field service can have on a child. With every slam of the door during field service I would get this sick, sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt immense hatred toward me every day of my life, my opinions NEVER mattered (questioning ANYTHING my parents said resulted in a beating), and I was conditioned to believe I was a BAD child. This during a time when even other kids in my congregation snubbed their noses at me for being a "goodie-two-shoes". I just couldn't win.
My parents STILL insist I am not good enough and I still have a hard time recognizing they are wrong. There's always that little voice in the back of my head that reminds me of everything I ever did "wrong"...so maybe they're right and I really AM not good enough. It's a horrible thing to have to live with. :( -
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Did Being A Witness Make You Feel Better About Yourself?
by minimus insome persons need to feel they are validated because they don't have much going for them otherwise.
being a part of jehovah's organization makes them feel special.
being different from other religions makes them feel recognized,.
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amama2six
I'm another childhood witness...and like so many others I'm seeing on here I was very much depressed during that time. I often said I had "NO self-esteem" as opposed to "low self-esteem". I tried my best for so many years to make everyone around me happy...my parents, elders, and other members of the congregation...but I never could. Despite my efforts I was constantly beaten down, belittled, told I wasn't good enough, and pushed to do more, more, MORE!
All the while I was dealing with persecution from my fellow classmates because I wasn't like them. No holidays, no pledge, no sex ed, no parties, no friends outside of school, etc. I barely had any friends in the religion (mostly talked to the elderly ladies that attended) and barely any at school, either. I felt like a freak...constantly being embarrassed and harassed like that.
Field service was hell for me, I was extremely shy and having to knock on doors at 7+ years old to try to teach grown adults "the truth" horrified me. So did having dogs sicked on me, people almost always slamming doors in my face, and the couple of psychos that brought firearms to the door.
Still, I got baptized at nine years old because other congregation kids were doing it and I was being pressured to conform. At that point I just wanted SOMEONE to like me, be proud of me, SOMETHING. The negativity was just too much to bear sometimes and I often thought of suicide. Of course, that too, is a sin so to avoid Jehovah's wrath I chose to live with my misery instead.
So no, I can't say being a Witness made me feel any better about myself...