I think it is a fair question, but I'm sure the truth is different than what you expected. As Brenda said above it hurts many close family most when someone they love, even conditinally, leaves. If you are thinking we were mean to the friends and "beat the slave" I have not met one like that among us. We are the ones "beat' when we dared to take a stand.
I have been told my leaving has caused a lot of grief in our local congregation. I regret causing anyone grief. Some still feel we lied in our TV and newspaper interviews regarding the JW child molestation problem which resulted in an immediate end of our relationship with many. However, if no one speaks up these problems never get addressed. How many people will be hurt if the molestation problem is not addressed.
So to answer your question, I hurt many. Now can you answer, joker10, how many people are you hurting by not sharing what you have learned here? Are you really willing to share the blood guilt of the WT org by continuing your support by your silence?
ok, this probably won't sound like a big deal to some people but i'm pretty chuffed with it .... our washing machine broke earlier in the week, refusing to drain, and we were facing the typical 100+ for someone to come out and fix it.
it's already broken a couple of times (i'm sure they reset some 'breakdown timer' hidden inside .
Now that you have become god and using this advantage as a handy man . . . .
Ever since the hurricane the lift pump has not been working and all the toilets are filled with a blackish/brown boiling froth. I'm sure it is as simple as a sock in the intake which you have proven you can handle.
Don't worry about bringing tools, I have the siphon hose and a towel for you face.
if any one has been a regular such as i have in the silent lambs site you will have noticed it has changed for the worse..as of last week i decided to withdraw from my membership...the site was designed by bill to vent, explain and devulge abuse that we have witnessed or experienced..as in my case as a former m.s i had seen two coverups in my hall...the parents to afraid to go to the police and the elders screaming jehovah will leave them if they tell on the org is the crime i had to bare with..so i spoke up and left the org...silent lambs was for that reason...now.
it has mutated to a cheap lowlevel site for apologist and non witness who want to argue on unrelated topics..to top it off bill has given the site to an editor who is so silly and more involved than the participants why bother anymore....to bill..you lost your way...
I admire your defense of one not hear to defend themself. This is noble. The is no way of knowing where Silent Lambs would be now if that was appreciated fully by others.
As to:
What have I done? Nothing. What have you done? NOTHING.
Don't throw stones in glass houses.
As someone else said there is much more going on then you know. For one, Rev Malk is running a the lambsroar board which is getting many more hits than any other JW molestation survivor support system.
Most important is that the best we could hope to have accomplished regarding the JW molester problem was to get the attention of the legal system. That purpose has been accomplished, and as more and more cases are filed the media will keep reporting this, possibly bringing out even more victims. That ball is now rolling and Bill played a significant part in getting that started.
So agreed, lets don't bash anyone who has done so much and lets also recognize there are others working in less visible ways to support victims and bring justice to the WT.
i just talked to joy and she said to tell everyone they are fine.
they lost electricity so can't get on computers.. tornadoes came through awhile ago and killed two people, but they are doing fine, and have 5 strong young fellows, with them, to help when things get too bad later tonight.
the water is now in their yard, on the yard side of the picket fence, for those who have been there.
i just talked to joy and she said to tell everyone they are fine.
they lost electricity so can't get on computers.. tornadoes came through awhile ago and killed two people, but they are doing fine, and have 5 strong young fellows, with them, to help when things get too bad later tonight.
the water is now in their yard, on the yard side of the picket fence, for those who have been there.
i just talked to joy and she said to tell everyone they are fine.
they lost electricity so can't get on computers.. tornadoes came through awhile ago and killed two people, but they are doing fine, and have 5 strong young fellows, with them, to help when things get too bad later tonight.
the water is now in their yard, on the yard side of the picket fence, for those who have been there.
We couldn't get very close because of the draft of the 'Salvage' boat so this is the best pic I could get. The salvage company was ready to pull it out yesterday by inflating airbags beneath it pulling it out, but it is in about 200 feet of protected saw grass and the Department of Environmental Protection will not let us go in to get it. We are waiting for a call back from the local DEP inspector to see if they will concede. Steve
i just talked to joy and she said to tell everyone they are fine.
they lost electricity so can't get on computers.. tornadoes came through awhile ago and killed two people, but they are doing fine, and have 5 strong young fellows, with them, to help when things get too bad later tonight.
the water is now in their yard, on the yard side of the picket fence, for those who have been there.
Bear in mind, we were not hit hard compared to those west of us. We lost our beach, pieces of our upper deck and our sail boat. But in Escambia County and Walton County west of us have people lost their entire homes.
i just talked to joy and she said to tell everyone they are fine.
they lost electricity so can't get on computers.. tornadoes came through awhile ago and killed two people, but they are doing fine, and have 5 strong young fellows, with them, to help when things get too bad later tonight.
the water is now in their yard, on the yard side of the picket fence, for those who have been there.
I am overwhelmed with your thoughts. Thank you all. I am so sorry we were not able to keep in touch during the storm and was afraid some would be concerned for us. I'm glad Mulan was able to set your minds at ease and that Joy was able to get online yesterday from work.
We just got power back on last night so I am working on loading pictures now. I'll put them up in a little while. We didn't really suffer much loss at all but some who have been here may want to compare the present image with the past. Perhaps within the hour I can post the pics.
my name is nigel.i am 50,married with five kids,early teens to late 20,s.i live in the bush in australia.i have cruised this site for a couple of months & feel comfortable enough to talk now.those of you who were long term jw,s will understand that.only my direct family know what i am about to tell.i have never told anyone else as they would not understand.i was born a jw in the u.k. and some of my first memories are of going door to door.i was scalded when i was 4 & i remember some brothers coming to see me.my parents emigrated when i was 13 as my dad didn,t get on with the inlaws.my dad drank a bit at home at home & was violent.it was never spoken about outside of the family and at 15 i left home.i was the eldest of four.i continued to go to meetings,lived on my own & learnt a trade.at 20 i married a good jw girl as was expected & became a regular pioneer.i was a good public speaker & as far as the congregation was concerned had a bright future.i believed in what i was doing as it was what i had been taught.when i was 22 we had a baby & was witnessing one sunday morning & was involved in a head on car accident in a 60mph zone.my wife & son were minor injured but i was lucky to survive.i had many bone fractures & head injuries & i did not know who i was,what had happened,nor recognize my wife or child for 3 months.i was in hospital for 6 months.i was unable to do anything for a year.by this time i was in financial difficulty & due to this & my mental state grabbed what i could get in court,which was not much.during this time no one helped...no one.i continued to go to the meetings but my heart was gone & the downhill slide had started.over the next 7 to 8 years i worked a normal job but started to drink & by mid 80s was not attending meetings.my wife was a good jw & did not understand my feelings.although i had much respect for her & still do,by this stage we had 3 kids,& there was a chasm between us.i knew that i was affecting my wife but she would never divorce me.so i figured the best way was to give them all the reason not to want me around.i was called to the meeting & i told the elders how i felt & that even i did not know why.disfellowshiped.fair enough.we divorced late 80s.she married an elder.i married a so say worldly person.about 3 or 4 years later my new wife & i had 2 kids & were getting along fine.i had started talking to dad but i did not want to go back to meetings.my dad was disfellowshiped for smoking & could not give it up.he became ill & very depressed.he overdosed on anti depressants.my mum knew what he had done & left him on the floor for 24 hours before calling an ambo.she rang me when he was dead.i don,t talk to her any more.she remains a jw.no comment.my sisters are jw,s.
nobody talks anymore but.three weeks after dad died my brother had a lot of problems,financial,legal & grief.he was only 29.he shot himself.i buried two in three weeks.and so began a new chapter in my life...violence.and baby wasn,t i good at it.i king hit everyone within arms length for a year.didn,t lose a fight,the anger was immense.did the maximum weekend detention,lost my job,my second wife took the kids & went.
understandable.i held a gun in my mouth so hard i bled for two days.but i couldn,t do it.i love my present wife & kids & i believed that jehovah would understand & forgive me when i die.i did my best with what i was given.from that day i never looked back.i fixed it up with my wife & we get on great.my three oldest kids to my 1st wife are jw,s but i see a bit of them.my wife now hasn,t much time for religion.understandable.she is a nurse.i don,t work any more.i still look outside & appreciate what god has done for us but i don,t need other people to feel that.too much damage done.i don,t slag the witnesses nor the wts.their business what they do.i just don,t agree with the procedure of df,s and the climate of fear & guilt.i have seen much & will contribute where i can.you seem like a decent bunch.good luck to you all.nigel
