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I also find it hard to swallow that your friends would also turn their backs on you because you left the church. From this example, it tells me that the people of your religion are very stuck up and judgemental- two things that have nothing to do with religion in my opinion. Please remember that I do not mean to offend, but am just commenting on the way your parents and friends seem from your examples.
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Religion and sprituality are different things. Religion is associated with social groups and all of the group mentality involved with that. Spirituality is a individual endeavor.
I find this to be very consistent with my dealings with Jehova's Witnesses. They despise "worldly" people (what they do, they say that they love everyone) and hate educational practices other than their own Watchtower and other in-group publications. I'm sure there are even more extreme examples out there, but for a major strand of Christianity, Jehova's Witnesses really stand out as being very close-minded. Strangely enough, they're typically really nice people. They often don't even realize how they're being close-minded and/or what is wrong with that. Jehova's Witnesses are a articularly fearful bunch because they think that the end of the world is coming very soon so they want everyone that they can help to get saved and in a hurry.
As for this thread's original post, I understand how you take this hard... but I would try to take personal pride in the fact that you did graduate and for yourself. I know many Jehova's Witnesses that haven't even graduated high school, and that is an accomplishment regardless.
And... I never went to prom because I had no-one to go with me. I think it would have been a lame prom, but that is one of those things that is already haunting me from my career in teaching. Either I'm jealous or bitter at times, I'm not sure exactly what to call it.
[edit: This was supposed to be posted by wilbjammin, I didn't know Janet signed me off before she went to work!]