by LeftBehind 128 Replies latest jw friends
" I know he "researched" on the internet but it had to be more than that. "
WRONG!!! In spades.
Actually, "I know he "researched" " is all it takes. Don't bother demonizing the I-net; your local Public Library (minus ANY electronic trappings) will do the job just fine.
Mustang
Wow! This is, like, the thread of the year!
~Willyloman (of the Nothing More to Add Class)
I find the question "Is there any hope of you coming back to Jehovah?" interesting because it gives an insight into the mind of a witness. It's as if they cannot imagine NOT believing; that even if they left "the truth" they would still believe it was *the truth* in the back of their minds. However this is not the case. The simple answer is people change, their minds change. Some people may take longer than others, but the perception that ex-witnesses quake in their shoes for fear of "the end" is purely a misconception. The thought of "going back to Jehovah", in the sense you mean it, is almost ridiculous to us, and most ex-witnesses would not see any real point in considering it.
Never. I could never go back. I clawed my way out! I would rather die today than live an eternity as JW. I can't imagine a more horrific hell. If anyone wants to get a comprehensive picture of what the Watchtower is really like (in addition to cruising the internet), go to my website and read some of my "Cocoon" newsletters--or my book. The hypocrisy, unbearable control, emotional/sexual/physical abuse, habitual lies, blatant cruelty, "justified" child abuse (spare the rod...), are intolerable to anyone who has their eyes even partially open. If I lived on a deserted island and all I ate was pineapple everyday, I might think pineapple is the best thing ever, until I got off the island and tasted something else. The world is full of wonderful flavors that no JW has ever tasted because they are controlled by fear.
Brenda Lee, author of "Out of the Cocoon: A Young Woman's Courageous Flight from the Grip of a Religious Cult."
Hey, cocoon! Mouthy/Grace has been singing your praises. Welcome to the board.
Hello Cocoon,
How do I find your website please?
Let me see why one would want to come back to the organization possibly and why those reasons dont apply to me.
1) Fear of being destroyed at Armageddon.
- I dont believe that the JWs have a correct biblical interpretation
- I dont believe in the bible in general
- A god unjust enough to murder so many innocents (India, China, babies) doesnt deserve my worship
2) They are not god's organization
- Proven by how many things they are wrong on and how they cover up wrongdoings
- Therefore a relationship with god is not dependent on them
- I feel unable to tolerate hypocracy in any form.
3) Belief in "Jehovah"
- I believe jehovah to be a JW invention not congruent with typical biblical teaching
- I profess to be an atheist
4) Family
- There is no one worth living a lie for and Im not afraid to suffer to be true to myself.
Is there any hope of you joining the Flat Earth Society?
Just what can a person do when he realises that what he believed for all his life , is just not true? Would you rejoin it again, could you?
How about going out in the "service", trying to get people to read magazines that teach what you know to be untrue?
Certainly one may miss the cosy relationship of both family and fellow witnesses, but one's conscience just would not let you do it...
PS it is not "coming back to Jehovah" - just a man made organisation. Please read some of the "Best of" threads
For those who are interested, my website is: www.outofthecocoon.net . It's home of the inspiring "Cocoon" ex-JW newsletter; information about my new book, Out of the Cocoon, is provided as well. - Brenda Lee
Left Behind
First let me say Welcome ! When I came here a little over a year ago, during a family crises, I was extremely nervous. I half expected a demon to jump out of the screen and 'infect' me, take me over...think Stargate! A lot did happen, but, nothing like that.
Strike 1:
I was baptised in 1972 during the "Last Days of this wicked old system of things..." Rather than go to college, as my non-JW Dad had saved for, I chose to be a regular Pioneer for 3.5 years. Nothing happened in 1975 that is worth while to discuss...nothing at all. That was my very first BIG disappointment, there were lots of 'little' ones...you know...the ones that are always excused & explained away as -- "human imperfection", "God's organization is made up of imperfect men, so we expect mistakes..."
No matter what you've read or heard about 1975, I swear...I heard them say 1975 was the "last" year in "Satan's World", they were careful not to write it, because they needed 'wiggling room.' Just in case. They said it to DO's, CO's, PO's, Elders, Pioneers and we told it to everyone else at the Kingdom Halls, assemblies and door to door to the public. It's an issue you need to look into, before you spend the next 30 years, as I did, following a lie.
Strike 2:
I am not DF/DA, I am 'fading', basically faders usually have family that is important to them and don't want to be shunned...or put their JW family in a position where they think they must shun. I am 'marked' for not attending meetings and re-marrying a never-been-a-dub. My X forced an unscriptural divorce on me and got away with that, too. Most of my family thought/feared I would get disfellowshipped as soon as I got married again, because -- get this -- I would be committing 'adultery' . I was the innocent spouse, that didn't matter. I stayed single & celibate for 8 years, then I needed to go on with my life. That was another BIG crisis -- the same one that made me google 'Jehovah's Witnesses'. I was trying to find some info relating to my situation. My whole family was already shunning me -- in advance -- to look like 'good Christians' to each other. None came to my civil wedding.
I was amazed & saddened. My new wife was shocked and hurt my family of 'good Christians' could treat us so coldly. 1/2 of my family are active JW's. She over heard one of my sisters read (scream) to me, 2 Cor. 6:14 & 17 "...Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers..." & "...quit touching the unclean thing..." Well, that certainly was "Christ-like." My sweet wife...crying says, "I believe in Christ, I'm not an unbeliever! What does she mean ..."an unclean thing?"
That almost cut the throat of my beliefs with the Watchtower, then the BIGGEST cut of all happened:
My faithful Mom died. She needed a blood transfusion. She could have taken hemoglobin...but, my other JW relatives decided she would have want the "more strict interpretation and take 'no blood products' of any kind." The Watchtower Blood Laws are so confusing that many people just say "No", to everything, even tho' it's OK for a JW to take hemoglobin.
Btw, you know what the difference is between a Red Blood cell & hemoglobin ? The outside membrane. Hemoglobin comprises about 97% of the cell...the other 3% is basically the 'skin'. So, it's OK to take the INSIDE of the blood cell -- but, not the OUTSIDE !
My dear mother lost her life over that ! The very sad thing is, as you read these pages, you'll be shocked at how many other witnesses have died over this same issue.
This religion took the life of my mother -- that was STRIKE 3. The game's over. A lot of us have left the park...
Rabbit
