You are not alone in the eating disorder department. My daughter (raised in the "truth" as we called it) too had a severe eating disorder. And she was NEVER buxom or heavy - but it took awhile for me to realize her problem and get her to professional help. I do think the "perfectionism" efforts inculcated by the cult had some contribution to the problems. It may indeed be that it is or has been more rampant amonst the WTS than other places. Just the very focus on "am I alright?" can have a negative impact. And even though she is now free and outside the organization she definitely still has problems trying to be "superwoman." She no longer suffers from the eating disorder but she suffers from trying to "overachieve" as I see it. She is raising 5 teenagers, 4 from a recent marriage who suffered severe emotional trauma from their early childhood, works full time at a demanding technology job which keeps her on call 24 hours a day, attends college full time right along with two of the children - in order to obtain that degree she was denied while being a member of the WTS, and now thinks she would like to adopt a baby or two at the age of 38! Jumpin Jehoshaphat!
saltyoldlady
JoinedPosts by saltyoldlady
-
11
Eating Disorders and the JWs
by the_raisin inhey everybody!
so i was wondering something... am i the only who realized that eds ran rampant throughout the witnesses?
i remeber dreading the conventions and memorials because, as every young girl involved knew, we all covertly checked each other out and snarked on each other's bodies.
-
-
-
87
Is this a forum for JW issues or a poorly designed political and celebrity site?
by Band on the Run init appears to me that even in the few months that i have been here there is less and less emphasis on jehovah's witnesses and anything remotely related to jws and more very poor posts about politics, foreign affairs and celebrities.
i can't omit the juvenile sex ones, which i find lacking in erotic nature.
it seems the 6th grade boys are meeting in the locker room.. the posts that involve jws have a very different tone from the drivel posted on others.
-
-
saltyoldlady
I rather like the eclectic nature of the site myself - I see it as a site designed for the sharing of any issue that is personally bugging us and one with which we want to share concerns or to seek answers. We are free to select the fare to which we are attracted - while I tend to be more on the serious side myself I enjoy the humor also and some of the outlandish fare that says so much inbetween the lines. I have learned a great deal - not just about JW issues but about religion in general and many other topics too - about the need for comfort and reassurance amongst one another that is so lacking in the impersonal world culture that has developed in this generation.
My daughter doesn't post here often - she prefers other sites. I am not exactly sure why - maybe she finds the arguments get too heated at times - but I haven't even tried another site - this one is all I can handle in any one day. And if the exchange seems to get too rough for me I can always find some more peaceful fare on another page. To me it very much resembles going door to door - we find all sorts of views and prejudices and biases, true - but at least we are getting to talk to real people and who knows - maybe once in a blue moon I might have something to say that will be just the right thing for the moment for that person. But it keeps my mental wheels turning and makes great interest for my day.
-
209
The trouble with Christianity. TRINITY.
by whereami ingotta love pat.. "ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions.
ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity.
it is the mere abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of jesus.
-
-
saltyoldlady
I keep running into "Trinitarians" - thinking of my local Bible Study Class at the moment and of course Godrulz above - that claim anti-trinitarians deny the "deity" of Christ. Since I, as an anti-trinitarian, do believe Jesus was "divine" - given the divine nature by God Almighty - of and from the source of God I believe that accusation is an unfair one. I just now searched my dictionary for a better comprehension of "deity" and I notice one definition given - it is the 2nd one I admit - is that deity means to glorify as of supreme worth. I can ascribe to that definition of Christ whole-heartedly and still be anti-trinitarian. And I can do as Philippians Chapter 2 says - verse 9 "For this reason also (the fact he did not grasp at claiming equality with God - see verses 5-8 above) God exalted him to a superior position and kindly gave him the name above every other name so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground (the dead yet waiting resurrection) and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
A careful study of this entire second chapter of Philippians reveals the real issue that Trinitarians miss - Jesus was not similar to Satan - He was humble and submitted himself to God. Trinitarians prefer to say he is EQUAL to God and one wonders about their reasons - is it that they too might consider themselves "Gods" and equal to God too. Jesus did say in John chapter 8 that those who follow Satan are simply "unable to listen to his words - incapable of understanding - because they desire to do the works of THEIR father - which included crucifixion of the Master.
While I am sure there are anti-trinitarians that have done heinous deeds because none of us are "good" the point I was making in my previous comment Godrulz missed - I have been unable to find record of any anti-trinitarian KILLING another human being because his belief was not in agreement with what the anti-trinitarian perceived to be truth. But quite the reverse is true when one believes the Trinitarian dogma. I was referring not to the moral character of the people involved but rather to what the belief itself brought about as actions. Examine the actions and the results of any belief before accepting it is still a true and valid precept in my book and also one I believe the Christ himself would support.
-
209
The trouble with Christianity. TRINITY.
by whereami ingotta love pat.. "ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions.
ideas must be distinct before reason can act upon them; and no man ever had a distinct idea of the trinity.
it is the mere abracadabra of the mountebanks calling themselves the priests of jesus.
-
-
saltyoldlady
Whereami - Thank you for introducing me to Pat Condell - he makes some excellent reasoning points and causes one to think. As to what does he really think - I suspect we have to understand the British "tongue in cheek" style of wry humor to catch it - watching his piece a delight for me. I am going to search for more of his video's.
Re the Trinity doctrine - I always say the proof is in the pudding. How many anti-trinitarians can you find in history that bound people to stakes and watched them fry in flames? Thinking or as John puts it "imagining they are rendering a sacred service to God" (John 16:2) Yet I believe we could establish a LONG list of Trinitarians that did just that! John Calvin comes to mind first of all. And his style of "religiosity" is anything BUT what I desire to imitate. As Paul said examine their faith for its results and then imitate those that are Christlike.
-
26
Im now out...
by MrFreeze indespite the fact that i officially left the jws last october i still had a big issue to deal with.
i was still living at home.
many of you are aware of the kind of pressure that parents can put on you.
-
-
saltyoldlady
Mr. McFreeze - That is wonderful news! I am so joyful for you. And I agree leaving and not looking back is far easier than I ever believed it would be too. I had no realization of the improvements it was going to bring to my life - just fears for what I thought I was losing. In truth we gain much more than we ever imagined we would lose. Enjoy your new found freedom but keep walking by Spirit. And may the Good Lord bless your every endeavor!
-
7
WW one and gentile times. Need HELP for references!!!
by notruth indear all, .
i'm posting this message because i'm searching references in wt publications regarding the wt apology because the world war one began two months before the end of gentile times.. in fact, i found a reference in the "finished mystery" book from 1917 in the page 181 for revelation 11:18 saying : .
"for this reason they did not even wait for god's wrath to come, but began to bring it upon themselves nearly two months in advance.
-
-
saltyoldlady
Are the CD-Rom's put out by Applications Research featured for sale on Randy's Bookstore - searchable by subject or specific phrases? If they were that would shortcut your search. The complete collection of all the older publications is available for a nominal price I believe with one exception for which I am still longing - the Volumes I and II of The Golden Age. For some reason Volume III was issued but not the first two - otherwise I think we would have a complete historical record at our fingertips for this sort of verification.
-
13
No Governing Body in 1925
by VM44 infrom the june 15, 1938 watchtower, p. 185: "in the beginning of the first hebrew month the watchtower of march 1, 1925 published the article "the birth of the nation," meaning that the kingdom had begun to function.
an editorial committee, humanly provided for, then was supposed to control the publication of the watchtower, and the majority of that committee strenuously objected to the publication of that article "the birth of the nation," but, by the lord's grace it was published and that really marked the beginning of the end of the editorial committee, indicating that the lord himself is running his organization.".
there was no governing body, judge rutherford was the watchtower president making the decisions and running the organization.. .
-
-
saltyoldlady
You are right Pirata - The actions of Rutherford at that time were so very wrong - and "unchristian like." At least it seems that way to me what history sources I can did up. The current WTS does not have a very pretty history behind itself and to be calling itself the ONLY channel of communication from God is what I term pure blasphemy!
-
74
New Member - Dan Edmund - Introducing Myself - Preaching in the Philippines
by Dan Edmund inhi to all the brothers and sisters and friends who are using this site.
this is just to introduce myself.
my name is dan edmund, and am a fellow witness from australia.
-
-
saltyoldlady
Welcome Dan - Will enjoy reading your book. The poster for it beautiful - is it representative of the countryside in the Phillipines? Hills seemed too steep to me for that - but I loved it.
It is true many of us here have left the WTS including myself but I still love God with all my heart and try diligently to devote my energies and life to His service. There were many memories from my WTS days that I still treasure as well - things are never all black and white. I can imagine the field service there that you described. And it would indeed be a joy. I think that is why many become missionaries and go to foreign lands - to find humble people still living the simple life - they are much more receptive to learning what the Bible contains then those of us with so much technology and diversion.
One of my favorite field service partners came from the Philippines herself right after World War II - they suffered terribly from that war and she often told me about their customs and ways. You are right, they are a very hospitable and warm people. We have a congregation serving that language group right in my neighborhood - one of four that meet there. Many years later she did missionary service in Peru and it was equally joyful there.
-
-
-
saltyoldlady
Looks like great fun! Are you taking orders?
-
13
No Governing Body in 1925
by VM44 infrom the june 15, 1938 watchtower, p. 185: "in the beginning of the first hebrew month the watchtower of march 1, 1925 published the article "the birth of the nation," meaning that the kingdom had begun to function.
an editorial committee, humanly provided for, then was supposed to control the publication of the watchtower, and the majority of that committee strenuously objected to the publication of that article "the birth of the nation," but, by the lord's grace it was published and that really marked the beginning of the end of the editorial committee, indicating that the lord himself is running his organization.".
there was no governing body, judge rutherford was the watchtower president making the decisions and running the organization.. .
-
-
saltyoldlady
VM44 - You have a great point here - I had never stopped to think about it before - how could FDS be the GB and have been appointed in 1919 if there wasn't even a GB back in those days! And furthermore if the nation of Spiritual Israel which is supposedly what the 144,000 represent didn't get birthed until 1925 it really messes up that 1919 pillar they try to stand upon. I see all kinds of humorous confusion coming to the surface with this lovely piece of history you have highlighted for us.
In trying to explain how Rutherford came up with the idea the FDS was selected in 1919 recently to a friend - another poster here - Don Cameron's book and Ed Gruss material too highlighted the fact they didn't even come up with that idea til 1928 - and then a new one I hadn't realized in addition - the idea of Jesus Christ's "invisible presence" starting in 1914 instead of the old 1874 didn't get printed til 1943 which means it was probably an idea of Fred Franz's and not Rutherford's per se - Rutherford having died in 1942.
Cameron has a delightful pic showing Jesus Christ knocking at the door (from 1914 until 1943) - 29 years before they answered the knock and acknowledged his presence and arrival in 1914. And if they got their appointment as the FDS in 1919 how come it took until 1928 to find out? And how do you get appointed before you have even been hatched yet? Oh what shifting sands they stand upon!