Years ago I remember studying with a young girl and encouraging her NOT to go to college because the generation that was to die before the end of the system was in their early 70s. (Fortunately, she didn't listen - went on to college and I think never joined the congregation.) Fast forward a few years and my family and I are sitting at an assembly and the brother (my PO) is giving a talk - explaining how our understanding of the generations is no longer the same! Everyone around me broke out in applause as I sat there in shock!!! I couldn't stop thinking, "How many people have I told this to?" "How many people do I owe apologies to?" And then I waited for the society's apology - I paid rapt attention to that talk - waiting for him to say something about how sorry THEY were! NOTHING! I remember getting in the car, turning to my husband and asking, "Did you hear what I heard?" I couldn't understand how the masses didn't get out of that what I had. It was pretty hard to ignore my previous doubts after it.
What planted the seed of doubt that lead you to leave or think of leaving?
by NanaR 51 Replies latest jw experiences
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StillGroggy
Nelly, wow... just wow.
I can't image what 75 was like, especially since most dubs i know sweep it under the rug and have internalized the society's view of the matter. -
itsallgoodnow
welcome NanaR.
A work associate who didn't know I was a witness (I had decided to keep it under wraps at this job) had a relative getting baptized and she was furious. She basically listed all the reasons she thought the JWs were a cult, and that got me started doing some of my own research. Should have seen it all along. I think I recognized it when I was a young kid, but ignored all that to please my family.
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2112
All my life my father has been a very positive and up beat person. Always looking for the bright side of things. Then when he became a witness he started changing, by having a moch darker outlook on life. My mother and I both became JW's also but something never "felt", and I do mean physical, with me. But what really set me off doubting big time was when my father said to me one day - "I want to call your sister everyday and just say goodby because Armegeddon could come and she won't join us". When I heard him say that I knew there was something really wrong about it all.
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freyd
ROMANS 11:25 REV 7:4
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dobbie
Welcome! Nana! what a moving story what a wonderful parent you must be! The very first doubt i had was the generation change, then for me too it was the blood issue with my prem baby who needed transfusions (which is apparently only a spoonful of blood in one that tiny!), which made my doubts grow so big that i knew whatever happened my next child would have blood if needed.That is now the main issue for me staying away, because whether the blood doctrine is correct or not (i am no scholar and haven't a clue) i will not risk my childrens life or that of any loved one ever again.
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Gregor
The short answer -- The Watchtower.
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sass_my_frass
Bless you, Nana, for saving her life!!
I can never pin down the first thing that got me thinking; every time I do I think of something that happened earlier. It took me so long to get out that I must be one of those people who had to go over it sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowly, and I always advise people that it's a long, long journey, both for themselves, but more importantly for somebody they love and they want to free. I think it's something different for every person, or as in my case, many many different things. I wasn't such a fast learner. I was just a good kid that trusted her mother.
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aquagirl
it was actualy when i started listening to music.not the duds smatlz stuff,but real music.made me hopeful and happy.there is nothiig like the scream of jimi hendrix's electric guitar to take the fear of yahweh OUT if a 6 year old....
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dedpoet
Hi Nana, and welcome to the forum. That was a very moving story, thankyou for sharing it.
For me, it wasn't one specific thing that triggerred my doubts, rather severale seemingly insignificant incidents that, when I started to connect up the dots, took on significance. Once I started wondering, I did some research, and read Crisis of Conscience. I never went in the ministry again after I'd read that, and stopped attending altogether around 4 weeks after reading it.