Making a Difference!

Some may ask themselves why they post on forums such as this one. They may wonder what compels them to do so. You may wonder what causes others to keep at this so frequently. Here are some reasons of my own:

1. Spreading Information: My own life is far from over, but a big chunk was spent as a JW ... 27 total years of being associated. So, the other day at BRCI a young Canadian man, about 25 years old, approached me and complimented me for my posts on JWD. He studied with the JWs for a while, but he woke up before getting baptized and fully committed to the JWs. My posts were not responsible, as he had already made his decision. But, much information now available is helping people see through the WTS fraud. It is good to see that one more younger, happy, healthy-minded good person will not have thier life sucked out of them by the WTS - why? - Because of people taking time to keep information on the web.

Helping Others: Many coming out of the WTS have varying degrees of issues to resolve. Some of professional therapists recognize ex-JW symptoms as being almost identical to what divorcing people experience. So, to be there for those new ex-JWs, whether in person or on this forum, is a nice expeience. Yes, we rehash much of the same material, but each time, I still learn some new things about the JW experience, and its impact on peoples lives.

Self-Help: It has been and continues to be an important form of self-therapy to write about this religion, knowing that someone, and evidently many listen, understand, and have additional insight to share. It is validating and challenging. But, with every post, I am aware of how far I have come since leaving the JWs.

A Chance to make a difference: One of the things that binds us all together, besides the common experience and association with the Watch Tower religion, is that we ALL have been denied something important to us by the Society --- it is an important aspect of closure, and because it eludes us, our closure is NOT complete --- and that also keeps us in the battle of information --- and what is that which is denied us? Accountability! The Watch Tower leadership has not accepted responsibility for the harm they caused, the lies told, or made any attempt to be accountable. Therefore, by working together, we are going to force them to become accountable.

Closure! The root meaning of forgiveness is to 'let go.' To forgive does not always mean that we accept someone's apology, for such an apology may never be feasible. I doubt the proud, arrogant, and stubborn men who run the Watch Tower religion will ever understand the harm caused by their conduct, even if they were convicted in court and had to go live in the GrayBar Hotel.

However, the basic form of forgiveness will be in finally letting go of the religion ... accepting what happened ... understanding how it happened ... learning why it happened ... sorting out what happened ... moving on ... letting go. The accountability that the Watch Tower leaders arre about to face on the pedophile issue, is perhaps the most significant development since AJWRB and Ray Franz's books Crisis of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom.

The Future! In the aftermath of what comes about in the next few months ... I feel that many more will leave the JWs or stop studying and walk away. This issue alone may be enough to send the Watch Tower numbers spiraling down. So being there for yet more ex-JWs will be a good thing for many of us. The Internet is a Godsend in this regard. I feel I have achieved closure ... and with the upcoming Dateline program ... a sense of accountability. Moving on for me will not mean leaving ex-JW forums ... as I plan to stick around. But, it will mean in a sense, that I have passed through the Maze of doors and turns in the exiting process and reached the Final Exit Door. - Amazing

Amazing,

How many people was at the conferance? According to Gerald Bergman it should be at least 300 people there.

Amazing,

I love this post, it is a definite keeper. Thanks for saying so well what so many of us have felt but been unable to properly articulate.

:)

*hugs*
Essie

The Four Agreements:
Be Impeccable With Your Word
Don't Take Anything Personally
Don't Make Assumptions
Always Do Your Best

Amazing,

Thanks for that. I agree and have been benefitting from this place and others in my 4-month exit from jws. It's a great relief to speak about things that bother me and know SOMEONE understands.
Pat

How many at BRCI? Well, we are so large now, that the Society held a District Convention in the same city just to try and keep the JWs away from us! Actually, the number there floats each session as some need to leave while othrs are just coming in. So the fluctuation makes it hard to keep track, and of course, no count is taken by attendants. There is a sign in sheet that some do sign and others do not because they need to remain circumspect - or incognito. That sheet might give a good clue. I have a pretty good idea that about 150 were there counting those who came late or left early, or did not attend all three days. (The sessions started Fri at 1:00 PM and ended Sunday about 10:AM) The conference room had enough seating for 70, and on Saturday I would say that most all the chairs were filled. But, I no longer count empty seats as I use to do as a JW Attendant. Next year, the BRCI Conference will be back in Chicago where the attendance is much larger. - Amazing

Thanks Amazing,

There were many good things that you stated and I feel the same way about many of points you made.

I sometimes wonder just how many people are in the process of leaving, those that go through the motions of being a JW but are reading all the Internet info that is out there. How many in addition to the 2000+ registered members here are lurking in the background and to whom the "fit hitting the shan" is not going to be a real surprise but the final motivation to get out?

Talking of numbers: the 2170 members here is more than the peak number of JW's in 105 countries. There are more members here than JWs in Alaska and double the number in Israel. "Truly a mighty nation..." as the say in Watchtowerland.

Thirdson

'To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing'

I also attended the BRCI Conference and wore a name tag that identified me as outnfree as well as my real name. I found several attendees who identified themselves as lurkers here who had never posted and had no intention of posting, but who had been reading from several months to a year and were grateful for the site.

outnfree

Hello Amazing:

I so appreciated reading your post so much.

Why do I continue to come here?

Since I started coming here, I've been learning things about the history of the borg's beginning teachings that I probably never would have found out on my own. I was too ingrained by the typical controlling methods of the borg to even think of searching out if they were right. I totally, unquestioningly believed. That which I couldn't and wouldn't follow (such as shunning) left me feeling defective, rebellious, unworthy of God's spirit.

Reading 'Crisis of Conscience' was the beginning of the opening up of my eyes. I realized there was so much wrong with the borg and then since coming here, I have read so many others express these same feelings, I could see that it wasn't "just me"...maybe I wasn't just rebellious and unworthy.

So the first and foremost thing bringing me here and keeping me here is the knowledge I have gained. And every day it seems, there is something more brought to my attention that I would have never dreamed the GB would have done to deliberately mislead us in creating their own "doctrines" or rules. It truly flabbergasts me to find out where they have twisted someone's words to mislead us to believe these people agree with the borg on "blood", or "creation" and others.

It has been an amazing outlet for me to formulate my thoughts and to be able to express my emotions that have been on a wild rollarcoaster ride ever since I started on my road of discovery. To be able to have an opinion, or question, and to have freedom to express it is gratifying and therapeutic. That freedom is intoxicating.

Then a building-up of my self-esteem, from the borg-induced brow-beatings, has resulted from the interchange of thoughts with posters here and "meeting" others in the same boat as I am in.

It also encourages me so much to "hear" someone express their appreciation and gratitude for something I've said. That just urges me on to keep on digging away at learning more myself. I want to be able to help anyway I can to make others that are "lurking" here to feel the same freedom I feel.

What also keeps me coming is not revenge but a sincere hope that the borg will have to face up to #1.their deliberate misleading by their "couching" or twisting words which can only be called what it is...LIES...and to...#2.the lives lost as a result of their rules on blood and neutrality...and to...#3.the lives ruined by their dogmatic stand on protecting molesters {for only one reason..to protect their image}

I hope we'll all feel the gratification of seeing a profound affect on the borg, like a significant drop in numbers, as a result of the exposure of their skeletons on the internet and in the media.

I have a long way to go to overcome the waves of absolute sadness that overcome me when I think about, or talk about, how deeply it hurts to know how many years of my life has been wasted believing and trusting so naively in the purity and holiness of our self-proclaimed "spirit-directed caretakers".....BUT I am so grateful for the people here, like you, who are committed to helping so many of us with information about the deceitful, deliberately misleading teachings of the borg.

I know I have so much life to live yet and want others to experience that freedom too.

Had Enough

PS Amazing I enjoyed meeting you at the BRCI and thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings with us there.

Yet another acronym. What is BRCI, please?

-AMNESIAN

BRCI = Biblical Research & Commentary International

Their website is, www.brci.org

--VM44

Nice post Amazing - enjoyed your thoughts as always.

I hope so, I really hope so.

Amen to that Copernicus!!!

Just thinking about what the WTS has done and gotten away with over the years in damaging or destroying peoples'lives, in the name of being the vessels to make God's name known in the world, makes my blood boil.

To see them be forced to their knees to accept their accountability will be the ultimate vindication, and to see their grip undone on those still in their prison, will allow me to rest alot easier.

Had Enough

Hello all,

I must 'fess up that the guy Amazing was talking about at the conference was me. I hafta say that it was an enriching experience sitting down for breakfast with some prominent members of the ex-JW crowd. It's unbelievable how deep the issues surrounding the WTS are.

Since I was never baptized, therefore never forced to take part in the "religion" that enslaved many of the people on this board, I cannot say for one second that I fully understand what you have all gone through. On the other hand, being as close as I was to "going all the way" and being on this board I feel GREAT relief that I listened to my intuition and got the hell out.

It is a great thing that everyone shares their experiences here. How can anyone, who has gone through this and lived to tell the tale, in good conscience allow the WTS to continue their scandalous ways and inflict the same pain on innumerable, less informed people? If no one speaks out, if no one fights to expose the WTS as a fraud and a cult, then the resposibility is on OUR heads for keeping silent and never allowing those blinded by the Empire the chance to see the "truth." If we don't do it, then (according to the late, great Obi-Wan Kenobi...)

"When there is freedom from mechanical conditioning, there is simplicity. Life is a relationship to the whole." - Bruce Lee.

Hello,

First of this is not Zazu, it is Larc. Zazu is my lovely wife. (I wrote that because she is watching me type this.)

I ran out of posts, so my dear, sweet wife, allowed me to use her name.

I brought this back up to the top, because I think this is an important subject. I hate to use Witness terminology, but this thread is "upbuilding."