I was raised "in the truth". I was a true believer, I pioneered during my last year of high school and for one year after that. I was an MS until the mid 90's.
I lost my ability to look at it fondly when I realized that the elders were not at all what I was led to believe.
In my hall, I will tell the story some day, the elders were petty, lying and scheming. The CO that came through was worse; are you still out there, Jack?
I backed away slowly, not even realizing it. I just could not stomach going regularly; I would get physically sick on Thursday nights, even when I had the second school to conduct, which I really enjoyed.
In 2002 a relative called me in a panic about the Dateline program on child sexual abuse; I said I would research it.
That was it for me. I found out that the organization was lying about Bill Bowen, Barb Anderson, Paul Barry and a host of others.
I began to research all of what I believed in; now I believe none of it.
And I am OK with that.
This board is a great place to come.
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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Pistoff
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yaddayadda
The 1995 generation change. After that I knew the Society's chronology, 1914, etc, was nothing more than presumptous guess-work and suspected the Watchtower Society couldn't possibly be God's sole channel of truth. But what finally freed me was learning that Charles Russell never preached that all of mankind will be killed at Armageddon, rather, he taught that the nations will be judged during the millennial reign. I had the epiphany that the JW's are essentially a doomsday cult masquerading as Christianity and the only thing really motivating them is a morbid fear of death at Armageddon stemming from the Watchtower's sick version of who God is. In my mind, The Watchtower Soc is no different from those religions that use the fear of eternal torment in hell to command obedience and submission. Realising this vaporised any lingering attachment to the Watchtower organisation.