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	<title>Comments on: How I Became an Individual</title>
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	<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual</link>
	<description>Life &#38; healing after leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses...</description>
	<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:02:22 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>By: Erin Barch</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1821</link>
		<dc:creator>Erin Barch</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:55:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1821</guid>
		<description>........Just so you folks know.......
I do not look like the pic next to my name.......Well, maybe when I first wake up.......</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>&#8230;&#8230;..Just so you folks know&#8230;&#8230;.<br />
I do not look like the pic next to my name&#8230;&#8230;.Well, maybe when I first wake up&#8230;&#8230;.</p>
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		<title>By: Erin Barch</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1820</link>
		<dc:creator>Erin Barch</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:41:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1820</guid>
		<description>@boyd C Chance, I'm unclear about some of the terms you used.  WT?  Studied ahead?  Do they really make you wear bright orange if you're, I guess, demoted?  Almost like a body-wide Scarlette letter, except it's orange?  Hmmm....Orange jumpsuit with a number???
@all, no disrespect intedended, but I'm curious about something, why aren't JW's allowed to celebrate Christmas, Easter, or even, say, Passover, when Old Testament folks were commanded to celebrate certain feasts?
God Bless All of you, and may we all come to discover the truth!  I'm a Christian who is not welded into a particular denomination, nor do I want to be.  I study the Bible and will worship at almost any church or Jewish Synagog.  I've been approached by cults before, but I wear excellent running shoes, so forget catching me, ;-)!
God's Blessing and Peace be with all of you, :-)!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@boyd C Chance, I&#8217;m unclear about some of the terms you used.  WT?  Studied ahead?  Do they really make you wear bright orange if you&#8217;re, I guess, demoted?  Almost like a body-wide Scarlette letter, except it&#8217;s orange?  Hmmm&#8230;.Orange jumpsuit with a number???<br />
@all, no disrespect intedended, but I&#8217;m curious about something, why aren&#8217;t JW&#8217;s allowed to celebrate Christmas, Easter, or even, say, Passover, when Old Testament folks were commanded to celebrate certain feasts?<br />
God Bless All of you, and may we all come to discover the truth!  I&#8217;m a Christian who is not welded into a particular denomination, nor do I want to be.  I study the Bible and will worship at almost any church or Jewish Synagog.  I&#8217;ve been approached by cults before, but I wear excellent running shoes, so forget catching me, ;-)!<br />
God&#8217;s Blessing and Peace be with all of you, :-)!</p>
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		<title>By: fran</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1812</link>
		<dc:creator>fran</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:06:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1812</guid>
		<description>i have been studying with JW's for many years. I do not want to be one of them but I read the literature and they have many good points. I have never meant a member that was practicing immorality that i was aware of. most people that do those things are not practicing a religion. self indulgence is a very terrible extreme to fall into.  I believe that God sent his son Jesus to die in my place so I could live. I try every day to always practice living and loving as I feel God wants me too. I believe Jesus said it best, "Do onto others as you would want them  do to you"</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>i have been studying with JW&#8217;s for many years. I do not want to be one of them but I read the literature and they have many good points. I have never meant a member that was practicing immorality that i was aware of. most people that do those things are not practicing a religion. self indulgence is a very terrible extreme to fall into.  I believe that God sent his son Jesus to die in my place so I could live. I try every day to always practice living and loving as I feel God wants me too. I believe Jesus said it best, &#8220;Do onto others as you would want them  do to you&#8221;</p>
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		<title>By: Dave from Australia</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1799</link>
		<dc:creator>Dave from Australia</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 20 Nov 2011 11:50:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1799</guid>
		<description>Hey all,
Been Disfellowshipped since 2001 (born into the faith ...my father was an elder)  and never looked back, so great to be out and to think and grow for myself......unbelieviable the amount of people who have been scared by the JW's .....am I religious??......I am just a blank when it comes to this.....had enought doctrinated religious beliefs imposed on me all my life...I just want to soakin all people viewpoints .......but it is interesting reading all the comments how the beliefs of the JW's does affect the way we view the world....I'm 48 and its taken me 10 years to relaise where all the strong feelings and beliefs around morals and relationships come form.....there has been some light bulb moments for me.......

EX JW's unite...stay strong and be independant....

Cheers Dave</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hey all,<br />
Been Disfellowshipped since 2001 (born into the faith &#8230;my father was an elder)  and never looked back, so great to be out and to think and grow for myself&#8230;&#8230;unbelieviable the amount of people who have been scared by the JW&#8217;s &#8230;..am I religious??&#8230;&#8230;I am just a blank when it comes to this&#8230;..had enought doctrinated religious beliefs imposed on me all my life&#8230;I just want to soakin all people viewpoints &#8230;&#8230;.but it is interesting reading all the comments how the beliefs of the JW&#8217;s does affect the way we view the world&#8230;.I&#8217;m 48 and its taken me 10 years to relaise where all the strong feelings and beliefs around morals and relationships come form&#8230;..there has been some light bulb moments for me&#8230;&#8230;.</p>
<p>EX JW&#8217;s unite&#8230;stay strong and be independant&#8230;.</p>
<p>Cheers Dave</p>
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		<title>By: Steven</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1798</link>
		<dc:creator>Steven</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Nov 2011 23:48:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1798</guid>
		<description>Oh jeez a bunch of people who have no self control. See the one thing i dont see in any of these posts is that you after leaving this "cult" (which it is not. its a religion. The largest Organized religion on earth if you haven't realized. think about it. Its all unified unlike any other religon out there who all have there sects and separate churches)Found the truth in another religion. why dont i see that?????? its because you all feel sick going into another place of worship because its so obviously WRONG. Jehovah witnesses are only humans. And humans are terrible. but the teachings by witnesses are all logical. If you stop being a Jehovah's witness dont blame anyone but yourself and  lack of self control and shut up.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Oh jeez a bunch of people who have no self control. See the one thing i dont see in any of these posts is that you after leaving this &#8220;cult&#8221; (which it is not. its a religion. The largest Organized religion on earth if you haven&#8217;t realized. think about it. Its all unified unlike any other religon out there who all have there sects and separate churches)Found the truth in another religion. why dont i see that?????? its because you all feel sick going into another place of worship because its so obviously WRONG. Jehovah witnesses are only humans. And humans are terrible. but the teachings by witnesses are all logical. If you stop being a Jehovah&#8217;s witness dont blame anyone but yourself and  lack of self control and shut up.</p>
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		<title>By: Judy</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1793</link>
		<dc:creator>Judy</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:47:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1793</guid>
		<description>I remember as a kid growing up my father (who was not and will never be a JW) was very opposed to my mother taking me and my sister to meetings with her. I remember not giving it much thought growing up, I was never really too active in the meetings, as a kid she would tell me what to say if I wanted to comment (i just wanted to hold the microphone). As i grew to be a teenager and my sister became more involved (my aunts and uncles on my moms side are still part of the organization)there was A LOT of pressure on me to become more involved, a lot of pressure to interact with the teens (i didn't because I knew they all had double lives, i went to school with many of them and didnt feel right doing that) and a lot of pressure to be baptized. Every time a convention would roll around all of the elders would hound me, are you going to get baptized? is this the time you get baptized?? They would always ask me if i was going to go to college and discourage the notion of it. I remember how much pressure my mom put on me, she tried to strip me of any personality I had, anything I was into was worldly (i couldnt even like hello kitty because that was satanic.. wtf) I would come home to find my room was completely torn of anything I may have put up on the walls, posters were forbidden, school events were forbidden, school athletics were forbidden, talking on the phone with non JW's was forbidden. 

I remember someone had sent us some information in the mail about leaving the JW organization, I dont know how or who but I was blamed for it because I had been on the internet, I dont understand how this logic worked in my mothers head, but she seemed to think I had something to do with it and she started telling me all kinds of things.

This is how I saw a lot of parents treating their children, abusing them verbally, setting unrealistic expectations, there was a lot of superficiality in our congregation, I remember my self esteem and confidence being completely torn because none of the young guys there were interested in me. I remember being depressed all of those years and never knowing why. 

After finally educating myself in other religions and feeling like my eyes were opened I stopped attending, I had to move out of my house, eventually moving back in with my fathers help, I started to feel happy again, I was social with friends and I quickly gain confidence when "worldly" guys started asking me out. I never slept around and I ended up marrying a guy that has been amazing to me. I now hear stories of other JWs I grew up with that are getting divorced (I thought this was EXTREMELY bad in the organization?)others that are cheating on their spouses with other members, and just a bunch of bad things coming out of our congregation.

I now feel that a majority of my childhood was taken from me, I didnt get the interactions that others did, my way of thinking had been chosen for me, and every time I see something on tv about cults, this religion is all i can think of. I hope to never ever set foot in a kingdom hall again, and never ever have my children be forced to do something they don't want to do. Open mindedness and free will is all I will preach to them.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I remember as a kid growing up my father (who was not and will never be a JW) was very opposed to my mother taking me and my sister to meetings with her. I remember not giving it much thought growing up, I was never really too active in the meetings, as a kid she would tell me what to say if I wanted to comment (i just wanted to hold the microphone). As i grew to be a teenager and my sister became more involved (my aunts and uncles on my moms side are still part of the organization)there was A LOT of pressure on me to become more involved, a lot of pressure to interact with the teens (i didn&#8217;t because I knew they all had double lives, i went to school with many of them and didnt feel right doing that) and a lot of pressure to be baptized. Every time a convention would roll around all of the elders would hound me, are you going to get baptized? is this the time you get baptized?? They would always ask me if i was going to go to college and discourage the notion of it. I remember how much pressure my mom put on me, she tried to strip me of any personality I had, anything I was into was worldly (i couldnt even like hello kitty because that was satanic.. wtf) I would come home to find my room was completely torn of anything I may have put up on the walls, posters were forbidden, school events were forbidden, school athletics were forbidden, talking on the phone with non JW&#8217;s was forbidden. </p>
<p>I remember someone had sent us some information in the mail about leaving the JW organization, I dont know how or who but I was blamed for it because I had been on the internet, I dont understand how this logic worked in my mothers head, but she seemed to think I had something to do with it and she started telling me all kinds of things.</p>
<p>This is how I saw a lot of parents treating their children, abusing them verbally, setting unrealistic expectations, there was a lot of superficiality in our congregation, I remember my self esteem and confidence being completely torn because none of the young guys there were interested in me. I remember being depressed all of those years and never knowing why. </p>
<p>After finally educating myself in other religions and feeling like my eyes were opened I stopped attending, I had to move out of my house, eventually moving back in with my fathers help, I started to feel happy again, I was social with friends and I quickly gain confidence when &#8220;worldly&#8221; guys started asking me out. I never slept around and I ended up marrying a guy that has been amazing to me. I now hear stories of other JWs I grew up with that are getting divorced (I thought this was EXTREMELY bad in the organization?)others that are cheating on their spouses with other members, and just a bunch of bad things coming out of our congregation.</p>
<p>I now feel that a majority of my childhood was taken from me, I didnt get the interactions that others did, my way of thinking had been chosen for me, and every time I see something on tv about cults, this religion is all i can think of. I hope to never ever set foot in a kingdom hall again, and never ever have my children be forced to do something they don&#8217;t want to do. Open mindedness and free will is all I will preach to them.</p>
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		<title>By: no</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1792</link>
		<dc:creator>no</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 05 Nov 2011 12:29:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1792</guid>
		<description>what are you thinking!?? jw are the best thing that ever happened to me!!!</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>what are you thinking!?? jw are the best thing that ever happened to me!!!</p>
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		<title>By: Bernard</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1789</link>
		<dc:creator>Bernard</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 29 Oct 2011 22:20:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1789</guid>
		<description>The Watchtower Brigade is the most manipulitive , vindictive bunch of control freeks i have ever met.There habit of shunning people is awfull.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Watchtower Brigade is the most manipulitive , vindictive bunch of control freeks i have ever met.There habit of shunning people is awfull.</p>
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		<title>By: annonie</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1788</link>
		<dc:creator>annonie</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:39:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1788</guid>
		<description>Hi 

I see you have done your reseach and you know a lot about JW than God, Yes it so happened that some of the prophecies that were said in the past by JW founder were not true due to lack of reseach or should i say lack of proper bible reseach, 1 thing i like about JW is the fact that when they have made a mistake it is with full responsibility that they acknowledge their mistake and rectify it. 

I was born a JW and there was a time when i really believed that being a JW was a big embarrasement to the community and big joke to other people, until I got a highlight of my life, if it wasnt for the witnesses I would have probebly have been dead by now, the love that JW people have it so deep that every1 feels secure around them, it is with no doubt that these people are lead by non other than the holy spirit from Jehovah GOD,

They do thorough reseach and when ever an error was made, believe you me no other religion is big enough to acknowledge its wrong, 



So go ahead and critisize but it is very clear to me that in your decision making a Witness in you always pop up no matter how hard you may try to bring it down and deny it, once you learn the truth it is and still going to be defficult to erase it out of your system, you can go ahead and tell yourselves that you are capable of making your own decision, maybe you are but the fact remains you had the bible influence and that will always affect your decision making in life no matter how hard you deny it, so who are you trying to fool, stop the foolishness and return to GOD and save yourselves a huge embarassement, I am not going to say that you have been lead by Satan to critisize Jehovah's people because he scoops low but not as low as you guys, he is just watching you all and probebly thinking, he can never use such confused minds, Guys really your reasoning is really poor, it is so sad!!! I am not trying to be cheecky but simply calling a spate a spate...</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hi </p>
<p>I see you have done your reseach and you know a lot about JW than God, Yes it so happened that some of the prophecies that were said in the past by JW founder were not true due to lack of reseach or should i say lack of proper bible reseach, 1 thing i like about JW is the fact that when they have made a mistake it is with full responsibility that they acknowledge their mistake and rectify it. </p>
<p>I was born a JW and there was a time when i really believed that being a JW was a big embarrasement to the community and big joke to other people, until I got a highlight of my life, if it wasnt for the witnesses I would have probebly have been dead by now, the love that JW people have it so deep that every1 feels secure around them, it is with no doubt that these people are lead by non other than the holy spirit from Jehovah GOD,</p>
<p>They do thorough reseach and when ever an error was made, believe you me no other religion is big enough to acknowledge its wrong, </p>
<p>So go ahead and critisize but it is very clear to me that in your decision making a Witness in you always pop up no matter how hard you may try to bring it down and deny it, once you learn the truth it is and still going to be defficult to erase it out of your system, you can go ahead and tell yourselves that you are capable of making your own decision, maybe you are but the fact remains you had the bible influence and that will always affect your decision making in life no matter how hard you deny it, so who are you trying to fool, stop the foolishness and return to GOD and save yourselves a huge embarassement, I am not going to say that you have been lead by Satan to critisize Jehovah&#8217;s people because he scoops low but not as low as you guys, he is just watching you all and probebly thinking, he can never use such confused minds, Guys really your reasoning is really poor, it is so sad!!! I am not trying to be cheecky but simply calling a spate a spate&#8230;</p>
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		<title>By: Jor-L5150</title>
		<link>http://www.exjehovahswitness.net/2008/08/how-i-became-an-individual/comment-page-2#comment-1776</link>
		<dc:creator>Jor-L5150</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 17:04:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://exjw.wordpress.com/?p=294#comment-1776</guid>
		<description>@ khanisa

you should be aware, that in recent years almost the ENTIRE recruitment strategy has been aimed at those who are young, confused and have had little or no previous religious identity.

this is because it will make you more vulnerable.

now, should we all behave in a moral responsible way?
yes.
is being a jehovah;w witness the only way to do that?
hell no.

and when they say "oh sure, there are good people out there, but are they living in harmony with jehovahs law and organisation?"
THAT is "CODE" for "us vs them"

so, in your "studies" have you had an adequite explanation of why it is jehovah's truth keeps lying?
was it truth or a hoax that c.t. russel, based on pyramidology, said that jehoavh said the world would end in 1914?
was it truth or a hoax that j.f. rutherford said th ersssurection would occur in 1925?
did jehovah ever actually "tell" the society this- or were they hoaxing? or simply delusional? 

i dare you to tell them you came here, to this site. go ahead, and pay CLOSE attention to thier faces-thier tone and thier rhetoric when you do. 

tell them you sought out and engaged an 'apostate' site- and go ahead and say it was to "defend the truth". 
see what happens. see how nice they are after that.
and when they tell you to NEVER do it again (they will) what will THEY think if, as you say,no one at the kingdom hall forces you to do anything, if you go ahead and continue to engage us.

you see, we aren't attacking the individual, we are defending ourselves from group-think and authoritarian baloney.
you don't need them. they are making it up. all of it. it's all a hoax. and it pains us to see people fall into it. 

"..you know it's not true"- hahahahaha!

the biggest difference between the "aposate" and the jw's is that we WELCOME the scrutiny. WE have nothing to hide! WE don't make outrageous claims about why god is telling us this or that. WE don't make false prophecies, or tell people to let children die for lack of blood!

thats them. THEY demand lock-step obediance at every level.
THEY lie. 
THEY make false prophecies.
THEY advocate wasting your life waiting for celestial events tht-will-never-happen.

please, if they have the truth, then you have nothing to lose by further research by exjws. prove US wrong.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>@ khanisa</p>
<p>you should be aware, that in recent years almost the ENTIRE recruitment strategy has been aimed at those who are young, confused and have had little or no previous religious identity.</p>
<p>this is because it will make you more vulnerable.</p>
<p>now, should we all behave in a moral responsible way?<br />
yes.<br />
is being a jehovah;w witness the only way to do that?<br />
hell no.</p>
<p>and when they say &#8220;oh sure, there are good people out there, but are they living in harmony with jehovahs law and organisation?&#8221;<br />
THAT is &#8220;CODE&#8221; for &#8220;us vs them&#8221;</p>
<p>so, in your &#8220;studies&#8221; have you had an adequite explanation of why it is jehovah&#8217;s truth keeps lying?<br />
was it truth or a hoax that c.t. russel, based on pyramidology, said that jehoavh said the world would end in 1914?<br />
was it truth or a hoax that j.f. rutherford said th ersssurection would occur in 1925?<br />
did jehovah ever actually &#8220;tell&#8221; the society this- or were they hoaxing? or simply delusional? </p>
<p>i dare you to tell them you came here, to this site. go ahead, and pay CLOSE attention to thier faces-thier tone and thier rhetoric when you do. </p>
<p>tell them you sought out and engaged an &#8216;apostate&#8217; site- and go ahead and say it was to &#8220;defend the truth&#8221;.<br />
see what happens. see how nice they are after that.<br />
and when they tell you to NEVER do it again (they will) what will THEY think if, as you say,no one at the kingdom hall forces you to do anything, if you go ahead and continue to engage us.</p>
<p>you see, we aren&#8217;t attacking the individual, we are defending ourselves from group-think and authoritarian baloney.<br />
you don&#8217;t need them. they are making it up. all of it. it&#8217;s all a hoax. and it pains us to see people fall into it. </p>
<p>&#8220;..you know it&#8217;s not true&#8221;- hahahahaha!</p>
<p>the biggest difference between the &#8220;aposate&#8221; and the jw&#8217;s is that we WELCOME the scrutiny. WE have nothing to hide! WE don&#8217;t make outrageous claims about why god is telling us this or that. WE don&#8217;t make false prophecies, or tell people to let children die for lack of blood!</p>
<p>thats them. THEY demand lock-step obediance at every level.<br />
THEY lie.<br />
THEY make false prophecies.<br />
THEY advocate wasting your life waiting for celestial events tht-will-never-happen.</p>
<p>please, if they have the truth, then you have nothing to lose by further research by exjws. prove US wrong.</p>
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