Leaving Jehovah's Witnesses can be a very rough experience, and
sometimes you find yourself becoming familiar with the language of
recovery. Those 12 steps can change your life, and there are much
worse places that one can find oneself than in the dingy basements and
under the fluorescent lights of a local support group.
We were thinking of the eighth and ninth steps recently...
8.) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to
make amends to them all.
9.) Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when
to do so would injure them or others.
...and they inspired us to reach out in a unique way to all of those
people who had us knocking on their doors to try to push our beliefs.
Please see the video "I am sorry that I knocked"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFaBvII4kPg#GU5U2spHI_4).
A lot of people have been very supportive of the idea of apologizing
themselves in this way. The outline I developed for myself started
like this:
1. an apology to all the people I bothered
2. thanks to the vast majority of people who treated me civilly
3. what I was taught to think of worldly people (why I was there)
4. what worldly people taught *me* (that religion is something they
adopted to *their* needs), e.g., "I am Catholic, but I have my own
ideas..."
5. what I have since come to know about being a jw
6. implore them not to let friends/family become jw's
7. sorry I bothered you -- thanks for the patience and have a great life!
It is your eighth step, though, so express yourself however you want.
There may be other issues you want to mention. But please do express
yourself with a text or video reply on YouTube. The more voices, the
more chance we have to make a difference.
Best,
Raven and Mike
sometimes you find yourself becoming familiar with the language of
recovery. Those 12 steps can change your life, and there are much
worse places that one can find oneself than in the dingy basements and
under the fluorescent lights of a local support group.
We were thinking of the eighth and ninth steps recently...
8.) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to
make amends to them all.
9.) Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when
to do so would injure them or others.
...and they inspired us to reach out in a unique way to all of those
people who had us knocking on their doors to try to push our beliefs.
Please see the video "I am sorry that I knocked"
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFaBvII4kPg#GU5U2spHI_4).
A lot of people have been very supportive of the idea of apologizing
themselves in this way. The outline I developed for myself started
like this:
1. an apology to all the people I bothered
2. thanks to the vast majority of people who treated me civilly
3. what I was taught to think of worldly people (why I was there)
4. what worldly people taught *me* (that religion is something they
adopted to *their* needs), e.g., "I am Catholic, but I have my own
ideas..."
5. what I have since come to know about being a jw
6. implore them not to let friends/family become jw's
7. sorry I bothered you -- thanks for the patience and have a great life!
It is your eighth step, though, so express yourself however you want.
There may be other issues you want to mention. But please do express
yourself with a text or video reply on YouTube. The more voices, the
more chance we have to make a difference.
Best,
Raven and Mike
it better 
