What have you noticed in your JW families and congregations ? Are young people getting out of the witnesses and exiting more than in previous years in what you have noticed personally ? What kind of impact will this have on the numbers decreasing possibly in the WT organization ?
Thanks Flipper for this post! I'm very happy currently. I'm engaged and have a new home that I love. My fiance is not a Jehovah's Witness and he treats me wonderfully. He went to College and has an awesome Job. He is now a first time home owner and taking great care of me. :)
Even though I got Disfellowshipped (resulting in regret, self pity, and sham), went through my melt down (throwing my morals out the window because of lost hope),shunned by most of family and friends (resulting in embarrassment, low self esteem), had allot of confusion (some JW family and friends talk to me sometimes not, "worldly" friends were there for me and up-building but negative about my treatment, exJW friends were judge-mental, hypocritical...confused themselves, either dragging you down or making you feel that life is OK and you are not alone), etc. I realized after twice getting Disfellowshipped that I tried, I worked hard, I felt regret, I made bad choices, I had problems, but I'm OK. You may not have what you wanted, you may not live the life you thought you would have before, you may not dream the same dream you once had, but life is not over and it actually has just began, I am free now to make my choices with understanding and experience. I am ALIVE and God gave me life, LIFE, not to waste it, not to take it for-granted, but to Blossom in the society around me... to LEARN and GROW.
As been mentioned before the Internet is a strong tool. There are curious ones and they will be exposed to things that will turn on a light bulb and bring many things to question... How will it be answered? What's the organization have to say about this? I'm going to ask the Elder at the hall! It will be interesting to see what responses they get from them. Will they be lectured or will they be answered with satisfaction.
My old best friend in the Jehovah's Witnesses Organization, I found out just recently got married to a worldly guy. This is not uncommon but what makes this crazy for me is that she is the smartest person I knew, very strong in Jehovah's Witness rules and belief, she was loyal and was a pioneer, she never did anything wrong in my eyes, very quiet, caring and loving friend. So to my surprise I found out she finished a four year college and got married to a worldly person. No way!
My sister and her husband both 19 are still Jehovah's Witnesses and going to meetings. They hold on with a strong thread. I don't understand why they don't get baptized or why they don't just quiet going. They are stuck in a comfort zone... enough that they won't talk to me often but enough that they hope to get baptized one day.
I have another friend who has a husband that got reinstated last year. She was disfellowshiped for the second time along with me. But her sin was crazy! Not telling names but if she thinks she can get reinstated, have relations with another man, and stay happily married, ha... she will defiantly reap what she sows!!
There are witness that hang out with disfellowshipped, non baptized that hang out with witness and disfellowshipped, and disfellowshipped that hang with disfellowshipped. It all OK until we get caught by nosy elders. Is it cool to hide? How long does this hiding have to go on? It's all ridiculous I think! People are going to do what they want in America with such freedom, people, the good and bad will be judge ultimately by God, why can we just let go of this Disfellowshipment and let people truly use their perspective powers as it were!
The organization I think is the most stubborn self righteous of them all. Sorry to say. They are not worthy but are being ridiculed because they are not looking into the mirror and not letting down the fact that yes they have good points but they are not the only right religion that ONLY has the path to everlasting life! I not say that I know all the answers and I know the right religion or path but I for certain after seeing evidance of what the organization has done to people, the unjust, and deceitful words of what they call justise, can say that they have no righteous council that comes from holy spirit and that what they have interpeted is what many other religions believe as well or have interpetations that have missing peices as well. But how would we know if we are urged not to look at other sources! It's all just a vicious game they play on their own people, to keep them in "The Village" a movie I thought was good and could relate too.
Will the decrease of people, youth, in the organization have an impact? I hope so. What kind of impact... is what I'm worried about.
