Posts by stephaniesays

8

Need help...I am so confused....(this will probably be rambling)

by stephaniesays in

i started going to church.

i am going to a baptist church just because they have a great youth program at this one, and my daughter (12) has really gotten into it, which i think is a positive thing.

i have never really taught her anything about religion because i never knew what i believed, and i am having to confront now, what exactly it is that i do believe.

stephaniesays

I started going to church. I am going to a Baptist church just because they have a great youth program at this one, and my daughter (12) has really gotten into it, which I think is a positive thing. I have never really taught her anything about religion because I never knew what I believed, and I am having to confront now, what exactly it is that I DO believe. I really like the church pastor-very down to earth, open to answer any questions, etc..., but I don't want to bog him down with all the questions I have, because I need to start at the very beginning, if you know what I mean. I have always been taught that people who are dead are just dead, and everyone else belives they will go to heaven, so I am trying to research where those beliefs come from, but it's so overwhelming. I don't understand the trinity, I don't understand if you are allowed to be a religion and not agree with some aspects of it (then why would you be that religion?), I don't understand if you have to be a religion at all...I am just so completely confused. I don't even know if I believe in the bible, but I am trying....Does anyone understand what I am going through here?

Also, now that I am spending time at church, my son will eventually let it slip that he goes to Sunday school to my mom. Should I tell her first, and would that make me an official apostate in her eyes? I don't want to lose my family, but I am so sick of having to pretend that I believe it's the truth and just don't act on it!

Help....

47

JW Children and Immunizations

by LDH in

jw
friends

well the not-so-little baby (19 mos) got his next round of shots last night, 5 in all.

he was rightfully indignant, and let the nurse know it.. i mentioned it to my dad in passing, and he was saying that another family member doesn't allow any immunizations of their child.. this person is a df'd-jw hater, and yet the some of the brainwashing has hung on.

now, all 3 of us children are immunized, but i can't discount the brainwashing that the medical establishment has taken at the hands of the wbts.

stephaniesays

"Absolutely not. We're intelligent people. We know when we are sick and when we are well. I think most people do themselves a great disservice by their medical wimpiness. Dr's are good for disease and emergencies and real sickness. They aren't needed for probably 70% of the things people go to them for. "

Just wanted to say that we do things in our family much the same way. People think I am negligent, and yet, I have three kids who have never (literally) had an infection or any type of health problem, and are all in the 90th percentile for height and weight. I get the same attitude for breastfeeding my kids past 1 year, not circumcising my sons, and for giving birth at home, but I feel just as strongly about what I do or don't do, as others do. I simply don't believe in taking my healthy child to an office of sick children for them to be weighed, measured, and looked at-well baby visits are 99% for shots, and as I don't do shots (family history that makes me uncomfortable, and a friend whose child died a vaccine related death), I don't feel the need for well baby visits.

7

Got back from my sister's wedding on Monday (long)

by stephaniesays in

i had previously posted about my jw parents making my sister miserable over marrying a catholic...well, the wedding was on the 27th.

my sister and her fiancee (now husband) went out of their way to make my ms stepfather and pioneer mother happy.

he gave up a catholic wedding, they gave up a church wedding, they wrote their own vows and worked it to where the man performing the ceremony didn't do the prayer but my sisters husband did (so that he could pray "through" jesus).

stephaniesays

I had previously posted about my JW parents making my sister miserable over marrying a Catholic...Well, the wedding was on the 27th. My sister and her fiancee (now husband) went out of their way to make my MS stepfather and pioneer mother happy. He gave up a Catholic wedding, they gave up a church wedding, they wrote their own vows and worked it to where the man performing the ceremony didn't do the prayer but my sisters husband did (so that he could pray "through" Jesus). Well, all of that was not enough for my parents-her father didn't walk her down the aisle, my brother did (although that was touch and go for a while, too, as he wants to please my parents).

When the man asked, "who gives this woman?", which was supposed to be excluded, my brother said, "Her family and I do" and there was a really awkward silence for a moment. After the ceremony, my stepfather danced the father-daughter dance with my sister and then left. He even missed her pre-wedding party the night before, because he had a meeting with the CO that couldn't be cancelled. His daughter's WEDDING PARTY!! I was so mad and sad for her, but I kept an upbeat attitude for her and I am so thrilled that she has married into a very close-knit family, who will accept her no matter what..

Oh, another thing I found to be infuriating was the attitude that they have towards homosexuals. My mother won't say the words, "that sucks" or "pissed off" because it's vulgar, but upon finding out that one of my sister's sister in laws is gay, she had no problem saying, "so which one was the dyke?" in this hateful voice. Later (many drinks later for me), after my mom basically accused one of the members of my sisters new family of being a child molester-without knowing the man AT ALL-we really got into it, and my mother seemed to feel that it was because I had been drinking, thus giving her fuel for her thoughts on my sad lifestyle. I was just so freakin' mad-her husband kissed me when I was 4 years old-really kissed me, and when I told my mom that when I was 14, she basically said his family was just inappropriate like that and.... Here is this man, this really nice man, who happens to have a close relationship with his three year old goddaughter, and he is a molester...I stormed off and smoked a cigarette, and thanked God she didn't follow me because I was about to show her some drunk hysteria for real....

Thankfully, I won't have to deal with then for another couple of years!

55

College and EX-JW Discontent....Questions and Stats

by teenyuck in

jw
friends

*many* ex-jws say that they were robbed of an education due to the wtbts and as a result, they feel that their families and the wt screwed up their life by depriving them of the opportunity to go to college and therefore, earn a high salary at a job they love.

here is a link to the us census which shows that approximately 26% of the us population graduates college.

page 5, towards the bottom, shows the college graduation stats.

stephaniesays

It's always amusing to me, too, that those JW's that do make decent money (i.e. are able to afford a few material things beyond basic neccesity) are often looked down upon by others for being materialistic. My mother takes pride in their not having money to send their grandkids gifts or come visit, etc.. because she doesn't work so that she can pioneer. My husband makes more money at 31 than my parents combined at 50, our home is much nicer, etc.. and my mom would love for there to be something in my life that shows that I do not have Jehovah's favor, but, you know, all in all...life is good...Must be that the demons already know that they have us..:)

55

College and EX-JW Discontent....Questions and Stats

by teenyuck in

jw
friends

*many* ex-jws say that they were robbed of an education due to the wtbts and as a result, they feel that their families and the wt screwed up their life by depriving them of the opportunity to go to college and therefore, earn a high salary at a job they love.

here is a link to the us census which shows that approximately 26% of the us population graduates college.

page 5, towards the bottom, shows the college graduation stats.

stephaniesays

For me personally, I blame my parents and the society for the lack of importance that education held for me. Education was not something that was ever a priority in our lives. After the 7th grade, my mother let me take a year off of school, telling my school that I was home-schooled. The next year, I had to go back and do the 8th gade, and so was a year behind. What kind of message is that to send to a 12 year old? After I went back, my parents would pick me up early whenever I wanted, or let me stay home quite often. Of course, I also lived in a very abusive home, and got pregnant at the age of 15, so my reasons for not going to college then were extensive, but yes, I do blame my parents for most of them and in turn, to a certain degree, the attitude of the WTBTS towards education, for basically giving people like my parents permission to raise their children that way.

24

Anyone have an extra "Learning from the Great Teacher" book??

by lisaBObeesa in

jw
friends

i would very much like a copy of this book.

does anyone have one they would be willing to part with?

i would pay for your trouble and for shipping... .

stephaniesays

Not sure if you have worked this out yet or not, but I have one that my mom gave me for my daughter that I really don't want...:)

24

Should JWs Be Allowed To Foster...This Child Died Over Blood

by ISP in

jw
friends

probe into jehovah's witness's death after crash.

a jehovah's witness who suffered internal injuries in a motorbike crash died after refusing a blood transfusion.

jonathan everett, 22, told staff at bury general that he would not take any blood products before undergoing an emergency operation.

stephaniesays

This is so sad...children who needed to belong so bad...Of COURSE they would go along with whatever would make them accepted by their new "family". I would think that the blood issue would be a major issue with the Witnesses fostering, but....I guess not.

14

Quick question...

by stephaniesays in

who wrote coc?

a member of the gb or a nephew of a member of the gb?

stephaniesays

Oh, okay...Thanks! I was talking to a JW "friend" of mine today (I put quotation marks because I know she would not continue to talk to me if I told her how I felt), and she said she had come across some stupid apostate site that was by that nephew of a GB member who wrote a book about the JW's....All I had heard was that he was a GB member...Gotta get that book!! :)

14

Quick question...

by stephaniesays in

who wrote coc?

a member of the gb or a nephew of a member of the gb?

stephaniesays

WHo wrote COC? A member of the GB or a nephew of a member of the GB?

21

Online JW matchmaking!

by Abaddon in

jw
friends

.

this is so surreal; i'm gonna find me an 18 year-old pioneer sister... mmmm.... http://www.jwmatch.com/welcome.php.

stephaniesays

Something really creepy is that some crazy witness guy who was stalking my sister (a former witness) put her face on another woman's body and put an ad on there for her...Then he had an imaginary relationship with her, in which he checked her email (we have no idea how-she hardly knew the guy) and threatened her boyfriends....Very bizarre....