Posts by Tameria2001

5

You Bet Your Life

by DNCall in

it is said that life is a gamble.

when you join a religion, you are wagering some portion of your life.

you may choose not to risk too much.

It took me a long time to finally get my head on straight, I'll give you a hint, it was only a couple years ago that I finally was able to get past the whole religious stuff. I was raised as a JW since I was 4 (mom fell for the whole 1975 lie), I got baptized in 1987, and left it in 2001. Yes, I will admit I too fell for their spill hook line and sinker, mainly because I had total faith in my mom. When I left it, I immediately started attending another church, which I don't regret, because they helped me to get quite a bit of the JW garbage out of my head. Went there for a while, and then I ended up moving to another location. The thing about going to churches, even the mainstream churches, after a while they all felt just the same as the JWs, and that was the feeling of them trying to take total control of my life. This was something I vowed to myself to never again allow what the JWs did to me, to ever happen again.

I now believe in spirituality, and not religion. Spirituality is the spiritual connection between the individual and God. Religion, on the other hand, has done nothing but harm, and to control the masses. I mean how many people have been killed or harmed in the name of religion? How many wars or terrorist actions have happened and religion was right in the middle of it? I don't expect an answer, it's just how I feel.

18

I'm considering putting off my leaving

by paradiseseeker in

jw
friends

i just wanted to share with you the thoughts that i've had lately.. my plan was to get a job, become independent and then leaving the org throughout this year 2018. i'm going to achieve the first step in a matter of weeks, the second one soon afterwards but maybe i will wait a little longer for the last one.. one year ago a friend of mine was reinstated.

we weren't very close friends back then, although we got along well.

but, since no many jws in my town want to hang out with him (because of his being a former disfellowshipped), we started to talk and go out more often and in a matter of half a year we've become very close friends, like brothers.

Tameria2001

I wanted to add just one little thing if you don't mind. You might be wondering who I am first. I was raised a JW, and officially left it 17 years ago (dissociation). When I left it, I knew it was coming, I knew that eventually, I would have to make a choice. My choice of when was taken away from me by my brother in law, and it wasn't good. I just wanted to say don't worry about when you should leave, or stay; when the time comes you will know.

23

Funeral/Memorial at the Kingdom Hall ... Would you go?

by Wild_Thing in

jw
friends

let's say an aunt or uncle dies.

.

let's say you barely knew them.. let's say their memorial service was held at the kingdom hall.. let's say if you attend, you have to deal with shunning from family and jws, and you are forced listen to them present their paradise promotional materials, and the dead person's "earthly hope™", and let's face it ... the heeby-jeebies of having to be in a kingdom hall again.. would you put yourself through it?

Tameria2001

I can easily answer this question with a solid NO. I can say this is because I have already refused to go to two different JW relative's funeral. One was a grandmother and the other was an aunt. The first funeral I faked an illness, yes I know that was the cowards way out, but it worked. The other a few years later I flat out refused. My husband was really pushing the issue (he's also a former JW as well), but he decided to drop it when he saw I was in full panic mode.

They say the funeral is for the living, so why should one put themselves through complete hell to be around people who don't want them there anyway.

3

I really hate what religion has done to my head, namely just one religion.

by Tameria2001 in

jw
friends

back in 1974 my mom fell for the lies of the jws, and became a member, dragging me along for the ride.

i was only around four years old.

that lie she fell for was that in the fall of 1975 she would be reunited with my older sister.

Tameria2001

Back in 1974 my mom fell for the lies of the JWs, and became a member, dragging me along for the ride. I was only around four years old. That lie she fell for was that in the fall of 1975 she would be reunited with my older sister. My sister had died in May 1973, and she was only five years old. She had a cousin who used this lie to lure my mother into that cult. Before that my mother couldn't stand them, and always had a few colorful words to describe them.

So I spent the next years (from 1974 to my dissociation in 2001) they had plenty of time to do their worst. For a while I too fell for their lies as well, got baptized in 1987. So now I'm sitting here always in conflict on different things. Oh I'm never going back, that's a promise. But there are times it's like I'm fighting what was ingrained into my head all those years. Part of me wants to move on, and there are other parts of my head, it like no you can't do that, it's wrong. I would love to break free from the constant conflict, I just can't figure out how. It's been 15 years since I officially left them. Any suggestion on how to break free from these religious chains that just seem to keep attached.

37

How does an elder become an elder ?

by Drwho in

i was never a jw , so have millions of questions .

please, how does an elder become an elder and how much trust does or should a jw put in an elder .?

simon.

Tameria2001

I don't know what they have to do to become an elder, but I do know this for sure. First and foremost, do NOT ever put any trust in any elder. They are not there to help, but to judge, and they are not even qualified to do so. I say this because a few years back, my husband and I were having some marriage troubles. He had committed adultery.

Anyways, while my husband was going through the judicial meeting with them, they had actually had me there for one of the times. They asked me all kinds of things, that I had no knowledge of, because I was not at home when the deed had went down. Anyways after it was all over, they had put my husband on private reproof, and that was it. I thought that at least they would help me in how to deal with my feelings of betrayal, and all the other feelings that a spouse goes through when their partner cheats on them. But all I got from them was not a dam thing, no counseling, nothing. The next seven years after that was pure hell for both me and my husband, because I was left to figure out how to deal with this whole mess all on my own.

Also there are double standards when in comes to elders. What I mean by this is from what I also saw. There were two elders, and both had gotten a divorce. The first one met and married a woman, and he did everything to make the marriage work out, but she left him anyway. They had no children, and weren't married very long. He lost his position as an elder.

The other elder, he had been married for several years, and had 2 children. He treated his wife like crap, and finally she had enough of him, and divorced him as well. I know the awful details of what his wife when through, because I had worked for him, and had spent quite a bit of time at their home. He never lost his position as an elder.

52

Memorial 2017

by wifibandit in

instead of making a new thread for every little thing related to memorial 2017, i'm going to try to post here.

.

and to start us off.... cart artwork for 2017 memorial invitations.

Tameria2001

Talking about the Memorial, after I left the JWs, I had this nagging question at the back of my mind with this practice. Yes I know that only the anointed JWs would partake. But in Matthew 26:26-28 Jesus is commanding to eat of the bread and drink of the wine, because it represent his flesh and blood, and he goes on to talk about his blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sin.

Anyways after I left the JWs, I had this thought come to mind, and it is, if the JWs don't partake of the bread and wine (and this is almost all of them). Both the bread and wine are passed to every one that is in the building, and none, except for a select few, partake of the symbolic flesh and blood of Christ. Wouldn't that mean that they are actually denying Christ, and in short actually doing a Satanic ritual every year?

30

So, how did the 'beard article' go over yesterday at your congregation?

by neat blue dog in

at mine the conductor was somewhat awkward and minimal and there were nervous chuckles from the audience.

two people, including an elder, gave reasonable comments that it's okay as long as it's not extreme styles, etc.

but then another one of the elders commented that nothing has changed and they still aren't proper locally.

Tameria2001

It's really funny, because if you look at any of the pictures in their publications of the men of old, Jesus, Moses, Paul, and so on, they all have beards in those pictures.

19

"It's a cult, mom."

by schnell in

my mom has been extensively texting me, trying to argue that the un ngo scandal is not a big deal and that the child abuse scandal is to instigate the great tribulation.

even worse, she kept saying how great it is that the gb is imperfect and fallible and that teaching changes all the time.

maybe it was aggravation or impatience, but i finally just snapped and told her, "it's a cult, mom.".

Tameria2001

She sounds just like my mother. After I left that cult, she did send me a very hateful letter, and at the end she signed off, from the woman who gave birth to you. At the time it really pained me, but now 15 years later, I could care less what happens to that woman.

22

Can a Person Resign From Being One of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

by UnshackleTheChains in

how many witnesses are aware that technically, according to watchtower policy, they can if they wish too...associate with dissociated and disfellowshipped relatives.

for all those who are dissociated or disfellowshipped, please share this with your relatives who are currently shunning you.

there is nothing the elders can do as long as they are not discussing spiritual matters.

Tameria2001

Tell you the truth, for myself, and my husband, with them shunning us, they are actually doing US a huge favor. Because all our JW relatives are very toxic, and most of them have some severe mental issues. So even if a new light came out some time down the road where they stopped shunning. My husband and I would be shunning them, because we don't want them in our lives. I would go so far as to put a restraining order to keep them away if need be.

33

Fifteen years later, I went to the UN in person.

by biblexaminer in

of all the things that the watchtower has done wrong, what would you say is the singular most powerful thing that you could point a jw to, to crack their eyes open?

what is the singular thing that can be expressed bluntly and conclusively that might shock a jw to their senses?

if you could only carry one arrow in your quiver on your way to war with watchtower, what would it be?.

Tameria2001

I remember pointing this out to my JW mother, and no matter what I told her, she wouldn't believe it, even with the proof right there in front of her. She reminded me of those three monkeys, you know the ones that have their eyes, mouth, and ears covered.