by AlmostAtheist 19 Replies latest jw friends
A the central CORE doctrine of the WT/JW IS JC second coming in 1914 and is a LIE the entire doctrinal superstructure by their own admission rest on this "pivotal year" (you can add a google search shows it comes from adventist William Miller a civil war army captain)
B.every devout JW will grow old and die just like everybody else
C better to be an unbeliever on judgement day and fall on God's mercy then be cast with the false prophets
Daniel-p, maybe you could talk to ithinkisee on this forum about your situation with dealing with your doubts and how to approach the matter with your spouse.
Dune, I'm not sure why you wouldn't be convinced about the UN scandal. It is easily verifiable. I e-mailed the UN directly and they sent me a letter (PDF format) clearly outlining that the Watchtower Society was an NGO. (I wouldn't recommend flooding the UN with e-mails though because they've had quite a lot of requests about it, though I can confirm that the matter is genuine.)
Keep it to yourself at first. Then slowly withdrawl unless you don't mind getting DFed or Disassociated. Read what the Society has written about those with doubts. Basically its ok if you get over it. If you can't you may have to be removed to protect the congregation. So do what you want but know the consequences.
Study. Your doubts show insight. Don't kill your insight but nourish it. The internet is not dangerous, it is just a big library. Everything can be verified as true or false.
Many others have had exactly the same doubts and have published their research, on the internet. This can save alot of time.
Something I noticed was "apostates" were telling the truth.
I verified the UN incident by telephone and email correspondence with the UN and telephone and snail mail with The WTS.
I bought old WTS books on Ebay and verified other doubts and observations such as misrepresenting 1914.
It wasn't long before I could see how the WTS manipulates information it gives to its members and then warns or prohibits them from getting outside information.
Any organization that forbids reading information that is available to the general public should be treated with suspicion.
If you are married and your spouse stays in it is very hard. You can't really move on with your life without creating a horrible situation for your spouse. You'll end up with two sets of friends, hers and yours. Her's won't associate with you except as a kindness to her or to try to get you to come back. It's hard to listen to the Witness to Witness chit chat without telling them where they are wrong or challenging them to explain something they probably can't.
Btw I haven't gone in almost three years. My wife does. We have had arguments and we have had calm discussions. she knows exactly where I stand. So far its been manageable. I don't have any Witness friends anymore. I have become like an unbelieving mate. I have been making non Witness friends. I feel awkward at Witness gatherings but do it for my wife. Many people in the world do not share the religion of their mates. I am keenly aware though that if I were to attend another church or celebrate holidays or smoke there may be trouble even after all this time. So far that has not been a problem for me.
Am I doomed to suffer this plight alone?!?!?
Nope Daniel-P. We are here for you, but it might seem lonely at times nonetheless. The price of real truth I am afreaid.
Jeff
I have never replied on here before so I am new to this. I have been reading alot of comments on here and am amazed by how much my life has changed since leaving the JW's. I left when I was 17, almost 18, I had many doubts but no source of knowledge outside of the JW's. I will tell everyone thinking of leaving, it is a very lonely place, you will feel like you are making the wrong decision because of all the pressure to stay, I had elders and friends following me coming to my work to the point that I had to have coworkers chase them away, I was young and vulnerable and needed to go cold turkey and cut everyone out until I had decided what was right. They were filling me with fear of having no place to go without them and that I was turning my back on GOD, well in my mind I was looking for GOD, I knew there was more to it than what I knew to be true as a witness. They tried to manipulate me into staying by using fear, not love, and to me that was key, if Christ teaches that we must love each other as he loves us, well that isn't how Christ loves us, he never disowns us and walks through stores pointing fingers at us because we did something wrong. The love is missing, the desire of the witnesses is to convert people and control people by demanding they follow laws, hmm, sound familiar, like maybe the Pharisees and the Saducees, which Jesus rebuked, they were so obsessed with law and practice that they left out some of the most important teachings of the bible, the grace that GOD has shown us by forgiving us, the love he has for us, and how much we don't deserve it, and the fact that there is nothing we do that GOD doesn't already know we are going to do. GOD doesn't shun us and shame us into submission. So the only thing I can say to those leaving is to read, read, read, and read some more from the bible. Look up scriptures and sit with a witness bible and a regular bible and compare. Pray that GOD guard you heart and help you see the truth, find a book that can show you some good scriptures for comparing. Find out the truth about the trinity, John 1:1 is a prime example, the witness bible says the word was A god, a normal bible says the word was GOD, not A god, and since when have witnesses believed in multiple gods.Their own bible disproves there validity. I know that if you are reading this GOD is trying to tell you something, he is giving you a chance to listen to him and know that he cares enough for you to make you think about what choices you are making, if you are leaving the witnesses you are not leaving GOD you are listening to him and know that other people are out here who were lonely for a time, but remember the bible reminds us there is a time for everything, this is your time to draw close to him, we always draw closer to GOD in our struggles, you may struggle now for awhile but ultimately your reward is in heaven with GOD, and an eternity of peace, do you want to give that up? If you have read this you need to know that GOD is listening, talk to him, as I write this I am hoping that this will help even just one person, even if ten people are offended, Jesus didn't come here to tickle ears he came to speak the truth, the truth is this decision means your spiritual life. I will pray for you, and I will ask everyone I know to pray that this reaches to your heart, and GOD moves you it is time to act and especially now with Christmas, knowing that Immanuel is here, GOD is with us, he always is.
>> They tried to manipulate me into staying by using fear, not love, and to me that was key
Yep, standard procedure for JW's. Sorry you had to go through that, but glad you're through it. Welcome to the forum!
Dave
Hiya Nicky -
Welcome to JWD. Glad you posted your comment.
For those with doubts - Learn to trust your gut.
607 was a big deal for me. Also UN and Malawi/Mexico just floored me...!
The 'fear' of just ordering/touching the book Crisis of Conscience amazed me. That's just too much control to be a healthy organization.
Trust your gut and plan your exit.
-Aude.
Almost Atheist, I'd tell someone with doubts:
"If you continue to investigate, are you sure you will be ready for what you find? There's a very good reason the Watchtower doesn't want you to listen to anyone else. The easiest thing for you to do would be to forget what you've already read and just do what they say."
I don't know how well that would work, but I know it would have made me dig deeper. As the saying goes, "An informed witness is a former witness".
-FW
"You can see they are on their way out. What advice could you give them to make their immediate future as unstressful as possible?"
For you that visit here and are who considering leaving the Watchtower Society (as in this thread), I think leaving is kinda like the experience of moving to a new city or different part of the country you have never lived in before. You can plan for it, you can try and imagine every possible scenario, but ultimately there will be things and experiences you cannot foresee, both good and bad. Each person must decide for themselves their exit strategy, as we all have somewhat different situations. That said, my advice is to follow your heart and prepare as much as you can for any outcomes. If you have family within the WBTS, you may loose those relationships, but keep in mind, you will also gain new ones. For some this is too high a price to pay. For others, there is no price high enough to keep them in a totalitarian religion they no longer believe in. I can tell you that the day I decided I would no longer be a JW (it was the evening during the Friday night meeting), and I walked out the door (during the meeting) was the most freeing moment of my entire life! I knew that being a JW was not who I was and I had to explore the world outside of the four walls of the KH. That was twenty-five years ago and I have never regretted that decision. I think that once you decide to leave (in your mind), you need to go about doing it. Every former JW I have ever talked with says they also felt the same feeling of exhilaration of freedom when they finally decided to leave.
I don’t know how to make leaving as "unstressful as possible". I guess I would say to focus on the positives. There’s a whole lotta great experience's ahead of you once you get out there and start experiencing life. You have to find your line of demarcation and act on it when the time is right. Good luck!
Tell them:
Just remember the important thing is be or become as much like Christ as you can!
