by bronzefist 40 Replies latest jw friends
I'm not criticizing anyone's decision to DA themselves...just wondering what the advantages are.
If the whole DA thing is something made up by the GB why make them happy by playing by their rules? How are THEY hurt by your decision? Why not just walk away? I can understand taking the decision out of their hands if by staying you decide to "speak against the organization" to family and friends thereby leading to DFing.
What lead you to your decision?
If the whole DA thing is something made up by the GB why make them happy by playing by their rules?
They make rules they follow. I make rules I follow. We happened on a merger on the da issue
How are THEY hurt by your decision?
Dont know. Didnt do it to hurt anyone. I did it to help me
Why not just walk away?
I did. DA is the ultimate walk away
I can understand taking the decision out of their hands if by staying you decide to "speak against the organization" to family and friends thereby leading to DFing.
Naw not really. I just felt for me I didnt want to be known as a JW by anyone, ever again, for any reason. I felt a clean line needed drawn.
I second IP's remarks and would only add that at the time I DA'd I was glad those in attendance at that meeting would hear that I chose to leave.
Btw, nice to see another fellow Wisconsinite on the board.
Personally, I disfellowshiped the Watchtower Society for
the United Nations scandal. That is exactly what I wrote
to them in my final letter.
So, No, I did not play by their rules.
Respectfully,
The Wanderer
IP_SEC said what I think.
I would also add that for me it is a way to get them to JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!
I don't want them to just randomly show up at my house anymore trying to get me back to meetings, or trying to share a scripture with me, or even worse some crap from the literature.
I don't want to worry that every time the phone rings or I come home and there is a message on the answering machine that it will be some jack@$$, self-righteous, fool trying to save me from myself.
I just want to be left in peace.
Just my 2.5 cents
Peace to everyody.
LDB
I don't know about anybody else, but I am not going to validate their sense of authority over me with even the acknowledgement of a resignation. Thats just me. Forscher
One might also consider this: the Bible commands that we completely separate ourselves from bloodguilty establishments. The WT society, in my opinion, is considerably bloodguilty in many ways. For those of you who still believe the Bible (I know many do not) you might feel it necessary to officially separate yourselves by DA'ing. This is not my primary reason for DA'ing. I'm with my husband, Little Drummer Boy. I just want to be left in peace and not spending my entire weekends wondering who's going to knock on my door and/or call! Besides, it gives me satisfaction to leave them first before they find a reason to DF me.
When I decided to leave decades ago, I told my JW parents of my decision and the reasons for it. I felt they deserved to know. They asked if I was going to write a DA letter, and I said no, that I didn't believe I owed them any explanation.
So I faded away but was able to keep in contact with my parents. They never told the elders about my decision or about any of my "apostate" activities since then (like birthdays, Christmas, voting). Fortunately, they value me more than the WTS "policy" of ratting on delinquent JWs. I sometimes wonder if they feel guilty about that, but I'm not asking! Let sleeping dogs lie.
I think it is. It's exactly what they want us to do, so they can wash their hands of us.
I refuse to make it easier on them. Let them spy on us and try to get something on us. I could care less, but I won't make it easy for them.
I think that DA'ing myself was the best thing I did for myself and my family. The elders would have disfellowshiped me for Apostacy anyway and I didn't feel I should show up for their meeting becuase by the time I left - I realized it was not the truth and I didn't care what they thought of me.
I also had young children to protect and support and did not want to drag the matter on longer than necessary.
Why should I have left on their terms? To me if I even attempted to meet with them at one of their inquisitions meetings, I would have been giving them power and authority over me and my life. I'm sure they would have felt deserving and self righteous about it but to me they represented absolutely no one! They had enough power over me for 12 years - I decided to revoke all their power and I am sure the way I did it, they were rendered speachless for a while. Why? I was a pioneer in excellent standing with a MS husband until the day I walked out never to return.
Anyone I knew who waited on the elders or went to their little Sanhedrin/kangaroo court always regretted it.
Like the famous song says "I did it my way!" - Frank Sinatra
