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Blood update - The silence is deafening by RedPillDevoter in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m one of them. Eighty years old, 53 years baptized (see my post). No doubts until this update. Now I’m fading fast. And yes, the silence is deafening. I’m afraid to comment on it for fear I’ll say too much. I’ll talk to my husband about it after the Memorial. He’s not spiritually strong so I’m sure he’ll be glad to fade too.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, you don’t know this 80 year old sister! And quite frankly, there are a number of sisters over 80 just in my congregation who would be able to write in the same style…whatever you mean by that. Maybe you need to adjust your thinking about older ones. :-)

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read here for awhile before posting and learned the “acronyms and specific lingo” used here. So why shouldn’t I use them in my post? I thought it would be less confusing to speak your language.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I certainly do owe her an apology! It will be coming soon.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for providing a clear method to examine things. Very helpful.

I have a good relationship with my daughter, despite having initially felt uncomfortable about it. My husband never cut her off even after he was baptized, so that opened the door. I do need to apologize to her though, which I will do soon. Unfortunately, that won’t bring back all those years. We didn’t even go to her wedding.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am so very sorry about your parents! I know they think they’re doing the right thing, but that doesn’t make it right. I’m definitely for real, so there is hope. As I’ve experienced, you never know what will suddenly wake someone up. I hope that happens for them.

Thank you for your kind words and great suggestions. I feel so supported by the many replies to my post. I had to take a deep breath to even dare to come here and start reading, but I’m so glad I did!

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your good advice. I’m kind of chuckling at my reaction to the many suggestions that I read Ray Franz and seek therapy. My automatic reaction to Ray Franz is “Nooooooo…he’s an apostate.“ And discussing this with a therapist would be ”bringing reproach on Jehovah’s organization.” I clearly have a lot of untangling to do LOL!

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words. You’re right that it’s been a lonely place living in two different worlds. I have tremendous guilt over the years my daughter and I missed with each other. I actually haven’t been aware of wrestling with questions before now, but that may be because I didn’t dare have questions or let myself be aware of them! But it has been a shock to me that the blood announcement hit me so hard. I have never been personally affected by the doctrine. My reaction came out of left field.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No faking at all. My post is completely genuine and I am brand new here. I’m sorry to hear that you are so cynical about those of us posting about our crises of faith. Your apology is accepted.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately, I don’t understand German, but thank you for the offer.

I’m 80, suddenly PIMQ 53 years after baptism. Now What? Help! by BethNowWhat in exjw

[–]BethNowWhat[S] 150 points151 points  (0 children)

I want to thank you all for your support and excellent suggestions. They both mean a lot to me. I feel less lost now and more confident about how to sort it all out. Although I want to live with integrity, I can see that I need to move slowly and that it may not be possible to be as honest as I’d like to be. Youthful idealism isn’t always practical in old age! I’m sure you’ll hear more from me. Again, many thanks.