Auldsoul: You’re right. My family is fairly large and well known in this area. My mom has been a witness for probably 40 years now. Fading wasn’t working and in truth be told, I knew that it wouldn’t. I had read about a year ago, perhaps in a book by Ron Rhodes or David Reed, that it generally a person generally has a year, from the time they realize that it is not the truth and they start to pull away, before they are df’ed. It took about a year and a half, before everything came to a head. My circumstances would not have allowed for it. But, I am happier this way. I was getting to a point where I didn’t want to leave my house, because I was worried that I was going to run into Someone I knew and they would want to know what was going on and I didn’t want to keep evading things. Hopefully, you’re right…. “when the organization comes down”.
Luna: Thanks for the kind words. His card was really sweet, but I knew, and the advice that I’d gotten warned me, that it was a mere way of him fulfilling his elder responsibility. I knew he wouldn’t respond. I hoped, but I knew. Witnesses are taught to be afraid of anything that doesn’t come from “Jehovah’s only channel of communication.” Sad? Yes, incredibly. Especially since, after I left and was able to look at the org a little more objectively, I realized just Why they strike that fear into people. That’s how they keep ‘em in. It’s the only way to keep them in. If people realized that the only thing that awaited them on the outside was life and hope and freedom, not destruction, not abandonment from God, they wouldn’t stay in. So, to keep them from knowing what is really out there, they nurture fear inside them. As Auld soul said, they abuse their power: they are abusive, they are a cult.
Forscher: Yeah, now I understand why Christian religions, Don’t like to consider them Christian. The scary thing is that so many people in the world, don’t understand that this is not just some harmless group of people. The wts are wolves in sheeps clothing. The more people that I talk to about my experience, most don’t realize what the big deal is.
Ironclaw: Love. Yeah, that’s what an abusive person would say to the person they’re trying to control: “But I Love You!!! That’s why I have to punish you. Because I love you!”
Darth Frosty: Funny, but my brother in law, (husbands brother) said that to me in the beginning. He said that I needed to just explain Why I don’t believe in it anymore, explain my personal reasons and be true to who I am. In the end, he said, they would come to understand and get over it. It wasn’t until this happened that he understood just why that wasn’t going to happen. I do agree that it mirrors the doubts that they have had. I know this because I know exactly for a fact, that my family has their doubts.
I just keep thinking, you never know. The strangest things in life happen. They may all end up walking out of the org one day, saying, we’re not doing this anymore. On the other hand, preparing for the worst, I’m not placing any bets on this one. They have many, many friends in the org.
meagan