Hi there, I was wondering if any of you who have experience with the Mormons know anything about the Reorganised Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. How are they similar and how do they differ? I was told by a relative who grew up attending the Reorganised Church of Latter Day Saints that they broke off over some differences, but I don't know what they were. Thanks in advance if you can help:)
Cicatrix
JoinedPosts by Cicatrix
-
7
A Question for anyone familiar with Mormons and RCLDS
by Cicatrix inhi there, i was wondering if any of you who have experience with the mormons know anything about the reorganised church of jesus christ of latter day saints.
how are they similar and how do they differ?
i was told by a relative who grew up attending the reorganised church of latter day saints that they broke off over some differences, but i don't know what they were.
-
-
-
30
I was snubbed by a 'dub
by Dawn inin the last month i left my job of 15 years for a new company (better benefits, room for advancement, yadda yadda).
i'm pretty excited about this new job - and it's a very large company.
there are over 4,000 employees in just this one branch division that i work in.
-
-
Cicatrix
Hi Dawn, Congrats on the job. Hope all is going well. Was this your first experience with shunning? I remember mine-I was shopping at the grocery store shortly after I DA'd myself (didn't give a reason to the elders, just stated I no longer wanted to be considered JW), and a family whom I'd been very close to came in. I didn't make an attempt to greet them at first (figured they had the right to believe however they wanted-we live in a free country, and I was willing be ignored.However, I was not simply being ignored, I was actively being shunned.The children kept walking by me and GLARING as they wallked down the aisle past me, so I smiled and gave a little wave when the third one did it.She was so shocked by my response, she actually took a step backward, then took off running. Next thing I know, their mom was hauling them all out of the store in a major hurry. Ironically, the song "Devil in a blue dress" was playing, and I was wearing...you guessed it:) Hey, I'm willing to live and let live, and I'm all for freedom of religion, but if they want to be that obvious about it, then I have the right to demonstrate that I don't agree;)
-
38
Breaking ties with toxic people....
by love11 inwhat do you do if your siblings are ex-jw's, but no one is still talking to one another?
i used to live in chicago and i moved back to my home town just to be near my sisters.
my husband had to search high and low for his line of work in this town and loved me enough to move back when he saw how sad i was without them.
-
-
Cicatrix
"My mom told me that sister- a- has always been jealous of me since I was a baby. I don't understand why, I have always had such a low self-esteem and looked up to her. Sister-d- and I were talking one day and she said that -a- never seemed to like me. I was floored! I never saw it!"
Love,
Have you ever asked -a- if this is in fact true? I found out from a similar incidence that a family member of mine is very good at creating alliances in our family by stating so and so said such and such, and pretending to be concerned about it. Well, when I started asking so and so about such and such everytime something was said, turns out that person never said such a thing in the first place.
Sometimes it's not the perceived "culprit" that's causing the problem. It's the "concerned" ones.
Just a thought.
Cic -
38
Breaking ties with toxic people....
by love11 inwhat do you do if your siblings are ex-jw's, but no one is still talking to one another?
i used to live in chicago and i moved back to my home town just to be near my sisters.
my husband had to search high and low for his line of work in this town and loved me enough to move back when he saw how sad i was without them.
-
-
Cicatrix
{{Love}}}
I'm so sorry to hear that you are going through this! Something similar happened to me while I was still a JW, and actually was part of the catalyst that led to my leaving.
All I can say is, hang in there. For me, it took over ten years before I was exhonerated from the lies in the eyes of people I really respected. The rest of them, I could really care less if I ever have their approval or not! They are miserable in their small little lives, and they simply live to make others miserable.My life is full, and I no longer have time for that kind of thing.
A lot of the reason why these particular people in my life act the way they do is because of the screwed up way in which they were raised. It doesn't excuse what they do, but it does explain it. I have learned to make clear boundaries where they are concerned. I keep my association with them limited, and have learned that if I use a few well placed questions, asked in regard to what exactly they meant by such and such comment,immediately after said comment is made, they usually shut up.In fact, I haven't had to confront them in quite awhile, because they know that I WILL ask them in a firm but calm manner to explain exactly what they just meant (that really takes all the fun out of their innuendos and "jokes").The worst offenders have been relegated to sitting in the corners staring daggers at me during family reunions.
At first, I did my best to try and publicly dispel all the rumors that were going around town about me. After awhile, I realized that it was pretty fruitless. People love gossip, and those who hate you or are jealous of you WANT to hear the lies and believe them (heck, just take a look at people in the public eye who get their lives broadcast all over the media).As soon as you correct one misconception, they'll just start another one about you if they are determined. I decided to concentrate only on the "worst offenders" after that. If I heard someone say something while I was present, I would confront them. Other than that,I decided to just get on with my life. I started college and began making friends in another town.I really think that getting on with my life and not running around trying to "explain" myself is what helped some in the community to stop and say "now wait a minute..."
Those who are actually intelligent enough to have the ability to think for themselves will usually try and get to know you first before forming an opinion about you based on what someone else has told them.Those are the kind of people you want for your friends.
Sibling rivalry is one of the most hurtful things, though. We expect the family to be one place where we can find peace, understanding, and support, but this ain't necessarily so (I think it's more common to have strained relationships than good relationships with sibs anymore).
My case started out as sibling rivalry amongst in-laws, which eventually bled over into our very small (not even one stop light) town.All of it started simply because my husband and I bought the family business, and a couple of his sibs wanted it too.Unfortunately, one of those sibs is a "pillar of the community" and hence my troubles. No one wanted to believe me ( JW elders included) when this person they grew up with, who is a deacon in a local church, was saying otherwise (and BOTH the persons involved in the worst of the damage had an ulterior motive for damaging my and my husband's credibility, as my husband was witness to some very UNCHRISTIAN behavior these hypocrites had participated in).
Well, ya take a bunch of kids raised by a self-centered, authoritarian father,add a mom with untreated schizophrenia that we all "can't discuss", plus some other really ugly stuff they ALL should be in therapy for, and ya got a time bomb.
I actually recently recieved an apology from someone who believed the person who started this rumor mill. She has since come to realize that she heard a whole lot of lies about me for a long time.I'm glad to hear that she's come to her senses,and I've forgiven her.But I doubt we'll ever be really close. Too much water has passed under the bridge.
As far as moving goes, that is EXACTLY the route I took. Having nearly four hundred miles between me and them is absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me!!! I did, however, take lots of steps first to demonstrate that I was not guilty as charged, and no longer gave a rat's ass what they thought about me.
I started college, held my head up high and went to community events, and actually confronted one of my in-law's friends in the friend's store when they started publicly gossiping about me right in front of me! That guy hated me forever after that, but some of the townspeople listening in treated me better after hearing me calmly tell the man that I truly did not understand why people would work so hard at sullying the reputation of a person they had never truly gotten to know.
If you still consider yourself a Christian, you can take heart in the fact that the same kind of gossip happened to Jesus. Heck, even if you don't consider yourself Christian, the very fact that a book that is some two thousand years old mentions gossip is an indicator that this is a problem that's been around for a long time.You were not the first victim, Hon, and you won't be the last.
Jealousy truly IS rottenous to the bones.
I'm praying that you eventually find some peace, Love. Even if it means moving four hundred miles away:)
Regards,
Cic -
40
Do You Enjoy Reality Shows??
by minimus ini hate them.
and i find them boring......what's your take?
-
-
Cicatrix
I watched the first season of Survivor, but lost interest after that. I liked a couple of reality shows that PBS had a few seasons back. One was on becoming a butler, and one was on becoming a knight. Those shows were pretty interesting to me, because I had never really thought about the logistics and difficulties of either of those avenues.
I have a pretty big family, though, and in general get enough "real time" alliances to not need to sit around and watch others form them. -
93
Men suck.. (no offense to any guys here)
by Dirt Rocker ini can't believe how many guys that have told me "oh i really really like you" or "i would never hurt you" <---- (my personal favorite) or just any other bull hooey that they just telll you to try to see how far they can get with you or whatever they want from you.
i'm not even 18 yet and i'm already sick of it!
ugh!!!
-
-
Cicatrix
Lol,
Don't worry too much, Dirt Rocker. You're young and totally gorgeous, that's why you're having to contend with so much b.s.
When you get older, say, thirty nine or so, lol, there won't be so many guys competing for your affections, cause even a lot of the guys your own age will be out chasing after younger women (ahh, the beauty and allure of youth). You may look back on these days with fond rememberance then;)
Loving people is always somewhat of a gamble, as every one of us human beans are imperfect (albeit some are more hurtful than others).However, consider the alternative of not taking a risk on love once in awhile.One can be a pretty lonely number.
Guys are human. Guys have hormones coursing through their bodies and generations of socialization that encourage them to "sow their wild oats".Women are socialized to be "nice" and nurturing, and to control not only their own sexual urges, but also to try to "civilize" their mates as well (not that these are bad things, when done in moderation, lol).Guys who "score" on a regular basis are "pimp". Women who act on their sexual urges as freely as guys are "sluts". Guys start to peak sexually in their teens, while women don't reach their peak until much later (and often, sadly, women reach their peak at an age where they are no longer as sexually desirable by society's standards).
Sometimes, I think this sexual "mismatch" is God's great cosmic joke.
As far as wanting someone to care about you, that is a common desire for men and women alike. Men just usually tend to express it in a different way-like telling you that you have a great (insert body part of choice in here), and badgering you constantly for sex. For them, sex IS caring. It's how they demonstrate that they care.It's how they feel the most that you care about them. It's also how they often just satisfy themselves at times.And rarely, it's used by some dangerous men as a weapon of abuse and power. The trick is learning to discern which is which with different guys, and as you get a bit more dating experience under your belt, your b.s.-o-meter will get better at sorting out the truly predatory guys from the nice but "hormonally challenged" ones.
In the meantime, may I suggest a couple of things? First of all, it's a pretty heavy thing to expect any person to be your only reason for existence. Relationships and knowing that one special person cares about you can be very fulfilling, but they are not the end all and be all of life. Put some of that awesome energy of youth into obtaining an education, both in the classroom and the world. Get to know yourself first, so you know what strengths and weaknesses you have to bring to a relationship. Secondly, you may want to try volunteer work. Having someone who cares about you doesn't necessarily require that the "someone" be a boyfriend. There are lots of other relationships you can foster that give you the chance to care for someone and be cared for by them without having sexual chemistry get in the way.There are scores of senior citizens out there who have been tossed by the wayside in our disposable society who would love to have someone to talk to and cultivate friendships with. You may just be surprised how cool some of them are if you give take the time to get to know them:)
Regards,
Cicatrix -
162
Goodbye everyone
by holly inits time to leave.
i have had all the answers i need to make a firm decision.
thank you so much everyone for your replies, for talking to me over the last few weeks and for some of the humour.. i believe the jws are right and that they have the truth.
-
-
Cicatrix
"make a firm decision."
Wow,I can see you're already learning the "theocratic language"!
Pleasant journey, Holly:)Just remember, if the elders tell you that you can't call the police when your husband hits you, like they did me, God will still love you if you leave that organisation. -
93
What's Your Opinion of Michael Jackson?
by minimus inis he a molester?
a nut?
a gifted musician??
-
-
Cicatrix
He has either had way too much plastic surgery or has a really lousy surgeon.
-
136
DA-ing Announcement in the Society's New Book
by Mark inthe society's new book 'organized to do jehovah's will', to be released in the congregations .
on the 20th of march, introduces a change in the df and da announcements.
announcements will read the same: "[name of person] is no longer one of jehovah's .
-
-
Cicatrix
Oops, sorry about the double post
-
136
DA-ing Announcement in the Society's New Book
by Mark inthe society's new book 'organized to do jehovah's will', to be released in the congregations .
on the 20th of march, introduces a change in the df and da announcements.
announcements will read the same: "[name of person] is no longer one of jehovah's .
-
-
Cicatrix
{{{Hugs}}} to all you who have been fading:(
I'm sure glad I decided just recently to quit my routine of not talking about the various reasons why I decided to DA myself from the JWs! Looks like I got in just under the wire with a certain relative before this "new light" is released. Fortunately, the relative was very interested in what I had to say, as they had been thinking seriously about dropping their study, anyway, and what I said only served to confirm their own growing doubts.The relative is now looking into going to a church, after heart to heart encouragement by me to do so;)
As far as this meaning the JWs can no longer talk about their incredible growth, that won't matter much to them. They'll just do a flip-flop back to the scripture that says "the road is narrow and few are the ones finding it."
It will be interesting to see how it will affect ones with family members who have simply quit going to meetings because of discouragement, or who were who were disfellowshipped for a sin and want to be restored, as opposed to those who left for "apostate" thinking, though.I wonder if those who are removed because of sin will be treated more harshly, and what effect this will have on their desire to be reinstated.
I also wonder how it will affect ones who can't, for whatever the reasons the elders have, seem to make the grade for baptism. Wonder what they'll consider them? I suspect the "do not foresake the gathering of ourselves together" and the field service regulations will be emphasized even more in this case, too. This will make it hard on any who can't, for various good reasons, comply.
I wonder if folks who have disablities which are not patently obvious will have to get doctor's excuses not to attend meetings.
I'm soooo glad not to be under all this legalism anymore!!