What was your first Apostasy? (page 2)

RichieRich

I honestly have no clue. So many acts of apostasy, I can't remember my first.

One time when I was around 11, I wore pajama pants under my suit to the meeting. That was a defining moment.

I was appointed an elder and I knew I would have been disfellowshiped if I was honest about some of my private life. I always figured that the spirt-directed elders in Brooklyn would somehow not approve my appointment- wrong! Ha-ha- I knew from that point on that Jehovah was not piloting this ship. So I guess I had a secret apostasy, in that I did not believe the F&DS were chosen or directed by Jehovah. It took me 12 years to get out. I tried to ease out and take my wife with me - she was a stubborn one. I slipped up one day and told my wife that I would sign for a blood transfusion for the kids if they ever needed one. I was an official apostate from that day forward. peace, Moshe

Buster

I remember it well. It was in 1974, just befrore the great '75 debacle. I was 15.

A group of then-teenagers were talking about the impending big-A. I was explaining that in my opinion, the 'generation' might not have started until exactly 1914. I said that it seems like supposition that people had to be of 'reasoning age' to see events of 1914. Also, I suggested that this generation wasn't necessarily limited to 80 years; that it could last as long as there is one representative of a generation. Based on that, the Big-A could be as far out as 2014.

You should have seen the reaction. You'ld have thought I was espousing canibalism.

It was then that it was clear that we had to pretend to believe all the bullsh!t. My exit was still a few years out.

Ellie

I always had doubts, even as a little kid, can't really remember anything specific.

Probably the first real act of apostasy was when I was around 19, I heared a whisper about 1975 and I asked what it was all about only to be told that I needn't worry, it was just a lie that apostates put about, so I asked again when I should've shut up and forgot about it.

Confession

Little ones I was good at dismissing...

-Fifth Grade. You mean Jehovah's going to kill all the kids in my class just because their parents won't listen to us at the door?

-If this is the true God's organization, why do we have to worry so much about listening to its opposers?

They got a little bigger, but I still dismissed 'em...

-So a person who once thought it was "The Truth," but now doesn't get's shunned? Can't a person change his/her mind?

-The Watchtower's denunciation of oral sex within marriage as "perverted." In particular, this statement got to me...

*** Watchtower 1972 December 1 pp.734-6 Questions from Readers *** "...the vast majority of persons would normally reject as repugnant the practice of oral copulation, as also anal copulation. If these forms of intercourse are not "contrary to nature," then what is?"

Then the biggie... I actually couldn't hold back on this one, bringing it up in my judicial committee. It definitely contributed to my being disfellowshipped. (You guys tired of hearing me bring this one up? )

-That confession to congregation elders is necessary to receiving Jehovah's forgiveness. It's completely unscriptural, the WTS knows it, but they still use it to find someone unrepentant and therefore DF them.

misspeaches

Something that I always will remember but I ignored it at the time...

In my teens I was reading a book - one of those did you know type of things... And I was absolutely astonished to read

Did you know that Jehovah's Witnesses believed that Armageddon was going to come in 1975

I asked my mum about this and she said she knew nothing about it. Our family started going to meetings etc in 1978. I got out the WT library CD and found references to 1975. This was something I never stopped wondering about. Although I was not to really process what I learnt until many years later.

avishai

The other one was when "spirit appointed" elders were soooo dumb!!! And made remarks that were just....well... stupid!! I.e, one elder that said stuff like "Well, witnesses should'nt be cremated, because then we can't be ressurected." To which I asked, "Well, what about Noah, etc., who is obviously just dust by now, or those JW's thrown into the oven's by the Nazi's?" Once again, he did'nt ahve an answer.

serendipity

Around 1978 or '79, there was rumor going around the congregation that we no longer had the Holy Spirit because of the horrible actions of the elders. I helped spread that one. Around the same time, there was a QFR in the WT about oral sex. Even though I was zealous, I thought the logic was weak. We shouldn't engage in oral/anal sex because homosexuals do so or because prostitutes do so? They also kiss, hug, etc. By the WTS logic, we shouldn't do that either.

IronClaw

People wont have genitals in the new system.

Size wont matter then.

jeeprube

I don't view anything I've done as apostasy. It is the Watchtower Society that is in apostasy, to shout it from the rooftops is no crime.

What was your first Apostasy?