What view did you have of apostates when you were a JW?

bull01lay

I can remember being an attendant at one of the circuit assemblies in Nottingham, where a group of Pentecostals were picketing out by one of the gates. I was intrigued for a short while, until a guy in a motorised wheelchair type thing, tried to get into the assembly by ramming himself into us. I could of quite happily baptised him in the Trent !! That one act of irrational behaviour instantly told me that the JW's were right about us.

Even when I was disfellowshipped, I never imagined I'd ever be here, one of the rank and file apostates...

I hated my ex and the Elders who disfellowshipped me - now, I could almost kiss their feet in gratitude........ almost !

What views or experiences did you guys have ?

Bull! <= in a contemplative mood tonight !

twinflame

OMG, you mean there was more than one way we could view Apostates? I never knew that!

bull01lay

Nice avatar twinflame...

I never got the whole "Apostates are Evil" business until the above incident. Before that, I just knew I wasn't supposed to talk to them incase they corrupted me somehow....

Bull!

lisavegas420

I was afraid of apostates...I thought that they must be possesed with demons...why else would they leave Jehovah?

I'm better now....much, much better. Love all you guys... Apostates, or not.

lisa

Effervescent

Apostates were talked about in my family and congregation in the same hushed and fearful tones that demons were discussed in. I think I feared Apostates more than Armageddon... well not quite, but close.

I remember my Dad making a comment about my Mother, who was disfellowshipped (and remarried) saying that based on thus and such, she was "leaning towards being an Apostate". That scared the crap out of me.

DanTheMan

I thought they were all a bunch of rabid Born-Agains. This board helped me see that that wasn't the case at all.

AuldSoul

I thought they were frothing at the mouth, eager to lie about my God and His loyal servants.

What a happy reality I found!

AuldSoul

Soledad

Honestly, I had no idea what apostate really meant. I would hear them mentioned every once in a while but I had no clue. When I would hear announcements about someone no longer being a JW I thought it was because they did something, like pre-marital sex or drugs, not because they became "apostate."

bigwilly

My only personal experience with "apostates" was when I was 12 and went to Brooklyn for the tour and what not. Does anyone else remember a Mr Coffee (I think that was his name, not the coffee maker) who used to stand out in front of the headquarters and yell about how f'd up and wrong the borg was? I remember my dad herding us around him like he had a plague and was contageous.

Big Willy

woodsmanhere

Several times at the meetings I made comments that the hall was full of apostates,...apostate catholics, apostate lutherans, etc. etc. That didn't go over well. When they laughed at how the priests told the Catholics not talk to us or take our literature I made comments that we do the same. This too ghot me some cold shoulders. I was never afraid of apostates or viewed them as evil. I just saw them as people who did not believe what I believed. I always saw the hypocracy in many of the Witness positions and refused join in. Now I'm an apostate Jehovah's Witness. Guess I was always heading this way when I look back.

What view did you have of apostates when you were a JW?

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