Have you seen my family?

My family has been stolen from me: my father, my mother, and both of my brothers. Gone, stolen. Never to be returned.

Were they murdered? In an accident or fire? No.

They were stolen from me by their own religion. The very religion I was raised to believe. But because I choose to follow a different path, they are REQUIRED to shun me. Or they will be expelled as I was.

I thought the greatest hope a parent could have for their child was happiness no matter what path they followed. Am I wrong? Why do I have to be someone I'm not for them to show me their love for me? I'm sorry, for them to be ALLOWED to show me the love they have for me? What kind of religion makes a parent treat their own flesh and blood with contempt? How healthy is that religion, really? Does that religion really follow the bible or Jesus?

But yet, they have "the truth", and I have turned my back on God, simply because I refuse to be a hypocrite and pretend to be something I'm not. I live in the now, instead of waiting to live my life in some mythical "paradise on earth" where everyone is the same. (Can you say "Stepford world"?)

It is my belief that each individual on this planet is unique, unlike anyone else. For those of you that believe that God created us, why do you insist that we all follow the same path? Why must we all believe what you believe? I don't get it.

I am a very unique person. So are you. I embrace you, why can't you embrace me? We come from the same place, don't we?

(Edited because some people can't see where my pain actually comes from. Actually, they can't see my pain at all.)

You claim you have the one, true religion. Really? Huh. Jesus said we would be able to recognize his followers by the "love they show". All I ever saw in the 28 years I was part of your religion was power-hungry assholes who put the appearance of righteousness above actual righteousness. Your religion has rules made by men (ie, not allowed to associate with those that have been expelled, not allowed to have beards or goatees, women aren't allowed to wear dresses or skirts above the knee, not allowed to critically examine your own religion but expect others to examine theirs so they can be converted, ..... I could go on and on and on and on and.....), something Jesus detested.

I quote from your very own bible:

Mark 7:6-8 He (Jesus) said to them: "Isaiah aptly prophesied about YOU hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honor me with [their] lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach as doctrines commands of men.' Letting go of the commandment of God, YOU hold fast the tradition of men."

One of the characteristics of a destructive religion is an enforced policy that requires the members to shun anyone who leaves or gets expelled from the religion. It is a common trait among esoteric movements that claim to be "the Truth." Members are required to sever association with even their own family members and relatives who leave. The consequences of this harsh doctrinal policy are extreme, shattering family relationships and leaving the victims emotionally and spiritually devastated.

Still don't believe me about the toxicity of your religion?

The scripture used to deny me entrance to my brother's wedding:

But now I am writing you to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man....Remove the wicked [man] from among yourselves.--1.Cor. 5:11, 13 (NWT)

The text is clear that a person with whom the congregation should not mix company is one who is:
1) "called a brother" (that is, one who professes to be a member of the congregation); and
2) practicing fornication, greed, idolotry, reviling (insulting), habitual drunkeness, and/or extortion (theft).

• Jehovah's Witnesses do not disfellowship greedy persons.
• They often do not disfellowship people who regularly get drunk unless their conduct becomes so outrageous and publicly-known as to bring reproach upon Jehovah's Witnesses.
• They do not disfellowship people for many of the things which they themselves class as "idolatry" (for example: materialism, worshipping an organization, etc.).
• On the other hand, Jehovah's Witnesses do disfellowship and shun people for:
  
  • no longer claiming to be called a brother/sister.
  • independent study and discussion of the Bible that brings Watchtower doctrine into question.
  • possession of literature written by former members.
  • having lunch with a former member, even if the former member professes to be a Christian and was not disfellowshipped for fornication, greed, idolotry, reviling, drunkeness, or extortion.
  • attending a service of any other church or religious organization.
  • authorizing a blood transfusion, even to save the life of a child.
  • numerous other actions not mentioned in scripture, but deemed by the congregation elders to be "unclean conduct," or "conduct unbecoming" of a Jehovah's Witness. "Conduct" in this case covers a broad range of actions not clearly defined by the Society, leaving discernment about what is not acceptable to the discretion of the congregation's elders. As a result, standards by which people may be disfellowshiped are inconsistent throughout this religion which claims "unity" to be one of their identifying characteristics.

"Not to be mixing in company with" . . . "not even eating with . . ."
Here it is important to learn the customs of association for worship practiced by first-century Jews and Christians, bearing in mind that Jesus and the apostles were Jews. They lived according to the Jewish lifestyle and customs of their day. Jesus taught in the synogogues; hence, he was called "Rabbi." Matt.26:25; 26:49; Mark 9:5; 11:21; 14:25; John 1:38, 49; 3:2, 26; 4:31; 6:25; 9:2; 11:8

There were two kinds of association for religious worship:
1) public meetings, such as at the temple and in synogogues, which anyone was allowed to attend; and
2) private gatherings of the different sects.
Christians and Jews participated in both. Christians, met in private homes, usually over a special meal with prayer. A presiding minister hosted the meal using either fellowship funds or personal funds. (Acts 20:20; see the footnote in older editions of the NWT)

Christians were instructed to "greet" one another with a kiss. (Rom.16:16; 1.Cor.16:20; 2Cor.13:12; Ti.3:15; 1Pet.5:14) When Paul sent his "greetings" in a letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, he requested that the "brothers" be greeted by a "holy kiss" on his behalf. (1Thess.5:26)
It was by this sign that Judas betrayed Jesus. (Luke 22:47,48)

Clearly, Paul did instruct Christians to expel from the congregation's fellowship any person who was purposely practicing willful sin. The disassociation would quite naturally exclude them from being greeted by the identifying "holy kiss," as well as not being allowed to share in meetings and the meals for Christian worship and prayer. However, Paul's instruction did not prohibit normal conversation or witnessing to former members. Nor were they barred from attending worship in the temple or the synagogues. Jesus, the apostles and Paul, along with the rest of the Jews, worshipped God both publicly in the temple and synagogues, and privately with small groups in various homes. (Acts 5:42) It was from the private Christian fellowship for worship that sinners were excluded.

I refuse to associate myself with any religion that requires shunning. I will not be an arrogant hypocrite ever again.

My family was stolen from me over 8 years ago, and I miss them.

Huge Photo Update

is up over at Sader-Family.org!

It's over 5 pages of pictures, it qualifies as huge!

How stupid are you?

Yay! I'm pretty smart! Woot!

A pretty accurate reading, I would say.

You Are 60% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

MWUAHAHAHAHAHA

This is so rad!



*wipes tears from laughing so hard*

I love the Dresden Dolls!

Beta.....

I finally know enough people who have already switched,, so here we go!


edited to say: me likey!

Free Hugs

Much better now

It's amazing what a trip to Worlds of Fun WITHOUT children can do for a person's spirit. I'm feeling much better, as long as I don't dwell on certain things. I still don't feel strong enough to deal with other people's drama, and I'm still not able to read any of the news regarding the tragedy in the Amish community without bawling.

Yesterday at WOF was a blast, I loved the new Patriot rollercoaster! Surrounded by friends who actually show me their love really took the bite out of the day.

BTW, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY goes out to Andrew. Thanks for sharing your birthday with me!

Pulling away for a bit

Do you ever feel like you just want to lock yourself away from everyone so none of their crap visits you?

I have a very stable, happy and sane environment at home. Depression is not usually an issue at our house.

I always stick up for individual's rights, and encourge all my friends to empower themselves. I tend to get very involved in helping my friends. They need help, I try to help them realized they can help themselves, that they're strong enough to kick whatever bastard is getting them down. Sometimes, my job is to just make someone laugh, sometimes it's to rally other friends to another's crisis.

In the past month, I've had two friends so depressed they considered suicide. One went so far as taking tranqualizers and going to the beach; she was going to walk into the water and dissapear, she didn't want to exist anymore.

I also have a friend dealing with an abusive soon-to-be-ex husband who tried to bully her into signing the divorce papers without looking at them or talking to a lawyer. She had to be convinced that she wasn't backed into a corner with no options and to call a lawyer anyway. She's gotten a good lawyer and has declared war on the bastard treating her this way, but it took a bit to get her there.

Drama I can handle. After all, someone I used* to call sister is bi-polar and there was drama in her life ALL THE FUCKING TIME. (*a whole drama in and of itself)

But now I have to deal with my brother and all that crap, which means it's my drama, and I can't just lock it out of my head at night. AND I'm still nursing, which means that post-partum depression can still kick in at any time.

I'm tired. I can't deal with anyone else's drama right now. I need to recharge, and figure out how to deal with my fucked up family and the grief they cause me by their actions. So if you call me, please don't be offended if I don't answer the phone.

My brother is getting married tomorrow and I can't be at his wedding, I've got all the drama I can handle, and then some. I can't help you with yours right now.

Halloween's past

Pictures from previous Halloweens. Still trying to decide what Matt should be this year (he still has the mohawk, too!)

First Halloween, 2003:

2005:

I have no idea what we did in 2004, apparently we didn't document it very well!

Ribbons

The magnet ribbon on my CRV says "Support our troops, Bring them home." What does your's say?

Where I stand on Politics.

Paleo-Liberal You scored 79% Personal Liberty and 52% Economic Liberty!

A paleo-liberal believes in low to moderate government intervention on personal matters and moderate government intervention on economic matters. They tend to be opposed to war, police powers and victimless crimes. They believe in a social safety net, but to a lesser extent then most leftists. They generally believe in protecting personal liberty. They support self-ownership and privacy. Some Paleo-liberals may lean towards embracing capitalism as an economic system. Paleo-liberals are reminiscent of the attitude of the "new left" of the 60's and 70's. Strong Paleo-Liberals border on Libertarianism.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Personal You scored higher than 99% on Economic

Link: The Politics Test written by brainpolice on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

My children are HUGE!

Josie: 4 months old, 17 lbs 9 oz, 26 inches long. That's <97th percentile.

Matthew: 3 years old, 35 lbs 5 oz, 3ft 4in tall. He's around the 80th percentile now.

No wonder my shoulders hurt! Add in the weight of the infant carrier, and I'm lugging around close to 20 pounds all the time. I hope she learns how to sit up by herself soon, then she can graduate to the bigger car seat.

Because it's still awesome...

btw, don't forget to talk like a pirate today! Arrr!

Happy birthday Sweetie!

I love you!

Thanks for being such a great husband and father.

15 minutes

Fifteen minutes can change the world. I shouldn't be able to remember what I was doing 5 years ago today, but I do.

In the 15 minutes it took me to drive to work that day, horrific acts of terror were commited to our country. When I got to my place of employment, I found most of my co-workers in the kitchen area gathered around a 13-inch tv, and we watched in horror as the two buildings that housed our home offices collapse. My company lost over 300 employees that day, because they worked on the floors that the first airplane hit. Those that worked in the second tower were able to evacuate before the second plane hit.

Five years later, we still haven't caught the man responsible for these acts of terror, even though he's 6'5", Arabic, and needs dialysis on a regular basis.

For anyone outside of the US that reads this blog: I'm sorry the man that claims the presidency of the United States (Governor Bush) is a complete asshat. Please know that not every American agrees with him or his oil/war-loving buddies.

Day 5

yesterday, 5/7 sucessfull potties in the toilet! today, we're 4/4 with a POOP in the TOILET!

I think he's got it!

It's all in the definition.

Was my child potty-trained in 3 days? Depends. If you count potty training as the ability to recognize when you need to potty, then, yes, he's potty trained.

However, this is the child that REFUSED to talk until he was almost 3 years old. I really didn't expect him to completely abandon playing to go potty on the 4th day, and he didn't. Tomorrow, he gets no tv at all until after he goes potty, otherwise, I'll have another mess.

You know how they always say to have no reaction when they mess? That doesn't work with my child, AT ALL. I didn't spank him, if that's what you're thinking, but he is quite aware of how upset mommy is when he wets himself now. And we've had two successful trips to the toilet since!

I'll be very glad when we get to the point where we can go out in public without a mess. If we reach that point within a week, I'll be very, very happy.

Potty training cont.....

End of Day 2, we're batting 500. Not too bad, considering yesterday he didn't make it to the toilet at all.

Everyone is exhausted, that's for sure, I'll be glad when it's done.

Potty training ...

Seeing as how this is a three-day weekend, and Keith would be home to help, we decided to potty-train the 3-yr old, who has shown absolutely no interest in using the toilet.

What does having a 3-day weekend have to do with potty training? you ask.

Well, I'm doing the 3 day potty training method, so all the stress of potty training is over after 3 days. Sounds good to me.

• Day 1

We put Matthew in 'big boy' underwear, and told him that the diapers were gone, he was a big boy and didn't need diapers anymore. It went over so well, it took at least 5 minutes just to get the underwear on his body, and I had to hold his arms back so Keith could get the underwear up past his feet. I also had to hold a leg because he kept kicking them off. It was fun, let me tell you.

Throughout the day we had to stay by his side 100% of the time to catch him when he went potty. Not once did we manage to get him to the toilet before he was done peeing. We are SO borrowing the carpet cleaner from Mom & Dad (my adopted parents, you know, the ones who actually treat me as their daughter) when this is all over.

We made it through nap time with no accidents in bed AND he went all night without peeing in bed as well!

End of day 1: no peeing while sleeping, but still not peeing in the toilet. Two exhausted parents.

• Day 2

Woke up, bed was dry! Yay!

I decided that in addition to telling him to tell me when he had to go potty, that he should RUN to the bathroom to sit on the toilet when he had to go potty as well. He really enjoys running, so he actually liked that. We had several "false alarms" where we went to the toilet, but no potty came out, but THEN, OMG, he went potty in the toilet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You would have thought he'd won a gold medal at the Olympics! It was AWESOME!

It's now noon, CDT, and he's gone potty in the toilet THREE times, with only one accident! I am so very proud of my bubba, and so amazed at how fast he's growing.

I swear, I just brought him home yesterday!