Thoughts on...
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Preaching Door-to-Door Why live any longer with the uncertainty of whether you will be acceptable to God when you die? Discover how to have the assurance of Eternal Life! (www.4witness.org) |
Ex-JW Ministry Team Julie's Corner Not Just an Ex-Jehovah's Witness Anymore
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NOT JUST AN EX-JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ANYMORE A topic brought up on the discussion group of our Meetup for former Jehovah's Witnesses was from a post titled "not an ex-Jehovah’s Witness anymore." It dealt with getting past the identity of just being an Ex-Jehovah’s Witness and getting on with life itself. There is a healthy stage of anger and frantic reading of material exposing all the lies of the religion, but it's just a stage of recovery, not a place to reside forever. At some point in the recovery from a religious cult, we need to stop pointing fingers at what's been done to us and ask ourselves who we are as unique individuals. We're not just former cult members, we are growing up and being conformed into the likeness of God's Son. It is not faith to just slam our former religion. That's no better than Joseph Smith and Charles Taze Russell claiming all the other religions were wrong! Who am I in Christ? Why am I here? What is God calling me to do or to trust? That is what our Christian life is. This is a great topic and regulars on the Meetup know that I often use the movie "The Truman Show" to illustrate the journey we go on in finding our way out of the controlled environment of a cult. If you have not seen this film, please do. It's rich in symbolism for a person leaving a cult. In the end Truman knows his entire world, including his wife and friends, were all FALSE. He's at that point like many of us when we come to the realization that our religion was false. Notice his questions posed to the creator of his world. Truman: Was none of it real then? Christof: You were real Truman! Great spiritual significance in that! Picture yourself standing before God as you ask Him about the world He put you in: where you live, the family you grew up with, the friends and family you gained along the way, the hurts, regrets, joys and blessings. Like Truman, I will ask about the reality of it, but standing before Him I will know it's all gone like a vapor. It's just between Him and I. As Truman grasps this, he poses another set of questions. Truman: Who are you? Christof: I am the creator...of a popular television show.. Truman: Then who am I? Truman was told he was the star of the show. Likewise, God is watching us, individually. We can not use our surroundings as an excuse. He is only watching us and our reactions. Once we discover what the false world was and come to ask for truth from our Creator, the next big question we all face is "then who am I?" If we get stuck in blaming our upbringing or make our religion that of forever slamming the former one, we may be merely hiding from this very important stage of recovery and growth that leads us to ask, "then who am I?" Yes, I'm a former Jehovah’s Witness, but that is not my identity. He created me to be me and He asks that of every TRUMAN. We are more than what the world did to us. We are what we do with the world He placed us in. In Christ, dominion is restored. By His Spirit, He changes the world as we become who we were born to be. Truman asked the right questions and instead of staying in a pity party or running back to his false world, he faced his fears and walked through a door into a world he knew nothing about. That is FAITH. And that is where TRUE FREEDOM is. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor 3:17-18) Keep yourself in God's love, Julie FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE:
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Testimonials
They are all there for me!
“I had Jehovah’s Witnesses visiting for six years. … The sad thing is now I have their beliefs in my head. So I put myself into God’s hands and asked for direction. …Well, the feeling of freedom is amazing. I am like a child, learning again for the first time. The reason I had to write to you was the Karen and Cindy conversations. Instead of me asking for help, one question at a time, they are all there for me!! It seems as if ‘Karen’ could read my mind.
It’s so lovely for things to fall into place, mainly that ‘What happens when we die?’ This was a very big issue for me. I was scared while I did not understand even the tiny bit I do now. It’s such a joy. Instead of feeling unworthy(were all sinners I know) and feeling I would never be saved or go to Heaven. So, please thank God and Jesus with me for such help.”
I have to tell you how your website saved my life.
“I have been a baptized Witness since 1995, and I have to tell you how you have saved my life. Every couple of years I get this gnawing sense that this is not quite right, that I am not 100% vested in what the Watchtower Society says. …Lately, I have stopped attending meetings and my daughter, 13, has begged me not to make her go back. So I have been praying and chatting with friends outside the organization…
…I can’t tell you my sense of relief when I stumbled upon your site and started to read the articles. I want to cry, but I’m at work. I can’t wait to get home because I am so excited I can barely stand it! Please, please, how can I meet others who feel this way? I sure could use the fellowship. Again, thanks for the work you do.”
God bless you for the difference you are making.
“My brother and I were raised by a Jehovah's Witness mother. I am 52 years old now and still haven't been able to shake the stigma of the experience. My brother wasn't as lucky as me and ended up taking his own life at 17. I have been through everything ... I can't express how much I appreciate what you are doing... God bless for the difference you are making.”
I do not feel so alone!
“Thank you for creating this website. After reading stories of former Jehovah's Witnesses, I do not feel so alone. My resolve to stay out of that religion has also strengthened. I have also come to realize that my depression, anxiety, and many other emotional scars inflicted by the organization and those in the ‘truth’ will take time to heal. But your website has also come to help me ... Thank you.”
Just as I was about to enter the Jehovah’s Witnesses again, God led me to your website.
“Hi…I am an Ex-Jehovah’s Witness from South Africa. ...I left the Jehovah’s Witnesses not because I did not agree with their beliefs, but because my wife could not handle it with me being a Jehovah’s Witness and she not. I became an anti-religious person. Then, just as I was about to enter the Jehovah’s Witnesses again, God led me to your website… Today, I prayed to Jesus for salvation after I read your article on your website…”
I’m so glad that I have run across this site.
“After reading the article that David Reed wrote on your site, I’ve looked at things in ‘a new light’ so-to-speak. ...I’m so glad that I have run across this site. I’m sure that it was the Holy Spirit that directed me to all of you!”
Your website is a great source for truth
“Your website is a great source for those seriously seeking the truth.… The Jehovah’s Witness elders shun me. I’ve known these guys for 30 years... Well, when I walk into the Hall they turn their backs to me. I have not seen my Jehovah’s Witness ex-wife, or daughter for two years. ...They hide my family from me. When I go to their homes, they smile with arms folded and say nothing.
The stories I read at your website were loud and clear - conditional love by the ‘brothers’! I have learned more in the Christian Church about unconditional love than 30 years as a Witness. When I accepted Christ, who He really is, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see both sides clearly. ...Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to know the real TRUTH! Keep up your good work.”
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