Got A Letter From A JW

by JW Walking Away 47 Replies latest jw friends

  • oompa
    oompa
    The Idiot: I will delete you from my email.

    Wow...i think she felt like she was already destroying you.........oompa

  • StAnn
    StAnn

    Please, please, please post her email here for us. We can all send her links to silentlambs, freeminds. She may not read them but at least she'll discover they are out there, in case curiosity ever gets the best of her.

    StAnn

  • willyloman
    willyloman

    My response would look like this:

    Dear XXXX,

    I left for reasons way too numerous to list here, but your letter reminds me of at least three of them:

    1. Your inability to spell and use the English language properly not only reflects poorly on the organization you represent, to say nothing of the Creator who invented spelling, grammar, rules and order of every sort, but also reminds me that JWs spurn education in general with the inevitable result that a generation of illiterates is produced. This is not a result I want for my children.

    2. You cite someone who lost 3 of her 4 children, which reminded me of the perfectly awful statistics regarding JWs and the sorry percentage of their own kids who remain "in the truth" when they grow up. You know as well as I do that in most congregations anywhere from 60 to 90 percent of the young ones leave when they become adults. Many others who appear to "stay" are just going through the motions to keep peace in the family. I want more for my own kids than that.

    3. Your willingness to kiss me off as though I were as good as dead because I don't buy into all the fringe beliefs of your obscure little group is not only cultish, but flies in the face of your alleged Lord's command to leave the 99 sheep and go to great lengths to bring back the one who strayed. I'm not seeing that kind of effort in your letter to me.

    Let me know when you're ready to talk sense and I'll show you the way out.

  • AK - Jeff
    AK - Jeff

    If she doesn't know you, how does she know so much about you?

    Send me her email, I have a few engaging things to say if she will listen. Maybe she secretly admires your courage, and is looking for enough guts to leave herself?

    Jeff

  • Elsewhere
    Elsewhere

    Here is how I would respond:

    Don't be an asshole. Nobody likes an asshole.

  • jws
    jws

    Got something similar from my father and a seperate attached letter from his wife which infuriated me too. It layed on the guilt. First from him, with all kinds of assumptions about the JWs being the right religion and me returning to it. And guilt about having to face my mother (deceased) in the ressurection without my brother and I. Then a seperate letter from his wife telling me how much this bothers my father.

    My response was a polite (I think) "Thanks, but no thanks" letter. I assured him I still study the Bible and I have some excellent study materials. That there's one mediator between God and man and you don't need an organization. And that I'm a good person.

    Then, I sort of addressed why I couldn't come back. There's just things like 1914 that I don't agree with and I could stumble others. And that I just can't live in that environment of people judging you for everything. And the burden being on me not to do anything that might stumble others.

    That's the sort of letter you'd write to a loved one though. One I'm trying to keep the peace with and maybe leave him with some hope for me. But from somebody you barely know???

    What little time you have left? My father joined when he was about 26. At nearly 83, he's not going to last too much longer. I'm sure throughout those years, he's thought there was only a little time left for various people who've lived their whole lives out.

    I agree with some other posters. She certainly wrote you off fast. Leave the guilt trip on your doorstep and wipe her conscience clean. No trying to save you or engage you or help you.

    Without really knowing your story or that of this woman, it's hard to say how you should handle it.

    She's a scared person. The JW religion is based on it. She's scared of the big A and whether she'll make it. She's scared to question anything for fear she'll end up not being saved. Now that she knows about you, she'll be scared to talk to you or read your e-mails. It's kind of sad for her. But the pompous attitude still gets to you, doesn't it?

    I guess you could gently address the things she said about you. Explaining them in a way that accepts her statement, but turns them around and makes sense and gets her to thinking. This may work better than blasting her with accusations. Like the statement about the world offering more than Jehovah. That it doesn't have to be an either/or choice. It can be both. And not being a JW doesn't mean you're part of some other religion (maybe you are though) or have adopted a sinful life. You can explain that you are indeed very happy and are not regretting it one bit (they always portray people who leave as being miserable). You could tell her about all of the quality time you spend with your kids on every night of the week now. As for enjoying your life however short it will be, you could quote plenty of examples of people who thought the time would be short and have grown from small children to old age and died. Say that you are enjoying your life, however long it will be.

  • flipper
    flipper

    JW WALKING AWAY- I'm so sorry you had to receive such a disgusting letter. This person is an absolute pig. She herself is the " devil incarnate " if there was a devil. Her statement that her sister is " married to a total abuser and she is the " best ever " faithful to Jehovah ? " WTF ? So because she is a martyr and allows herself to be abused she's considered faithful ?? That sounds about right . These days all of Jehovah's loving son's and daughters prove themselves faithful and let themselves be abused. Jesus Christ. Peace out, Mr. Flipper

  • SnakesInTheTower
    SnakesInTheTower

    I had this same kind of thing happen a year or so ago. I guess when I registered my IM account with yahoo way back when I had listed as an interest "Jehovah's Witnesses"... I get a IM message from a pioneer sister in the Philipines. I talked with her off and on at first, because I was still active at the time...after I left, I got a few more messages. I finally deleted her from my list...but that didnt stop her from IMing me. So I finally put her on permenant offline status. Havent heard from her since.

    I feel bad for people like this now. In her own way, she really cares. Put her on your blocked email address list and move on. Dont feed the bears.

    Snakes ()

  • sacolton
    sacolton

    Is your mother still shunning you? What is the update to your experience since leaving the organization?

  • Mary
    Mary

    OK, I sent the twit a copy of my project. I wonder how long it'll take before she realizes exactly what it is.........I'm sure she reply with a most venomous and unChristian email. I'll make sure I post it on here when she does.

    LOL!!

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