Has anyone left still believing it was the truth? (page 5)

Quendi

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts on this important topic, particularly FollowMyHeart for initiating the thread, and the contributions of MrQuik, Aude Sapere, and Lady Lee whose thinking has reinforced my own. Right now I am resisting pressure from a close Witness friend. He never shunned me when I was df'd, but supported me emotionally, financially, and otherwise. Now he is telling me how much he wants me to attend the Memorial on the seventeenth. Of all the meetings I dislike, the Memorial is at the top of the list. I am pondering how I can tell him yet again that there is no going back for me, that I have more freedom now than I ever did as a JW.

We have discussed the problems that exist in the organization. He acknowledges them, but still insists that it is "the Truth" because of the preaching work and the teaching of certain doctrines that I can still agree with. It is difficult to get him to see that with respect to WTS teaching I am in the process of 'separating the wheat from the chaff'; and how such an examination is incompatible with remaining in the organization because of its demands for blind and total obedience. I am determined to hold my course, but I can only feel sorrow for people like my Witness friend. All I can do is to love him as much as I can so that I will be there should the day come when he wants to leave the WTS.

Quendi

DesirousOfChange

I think there are also a lot of people who haven't left (I mean they still attend meetings, etc) and don't believe it is the truth. I have a strong suspicion that a lot of these stay put simply because of the friendships and socializing.

I think that is the lesser of two evils for many who are not willing to endure the loss of family & friends. As long as you are not involved in conduct that will get you put out (DFd) then you can coast along with that smile on your face and enjoy any benefits and ignore the things you don't like.

FlyingHighNow

I still believed. I left in 91. I didn't read apostate stuff til I hit the internet in 1999. Even then, I just kind of dropped it, but thought about it occasionally. In 2001 I ordered and read Crisis of Conscience and was released from my spiritual dungeon. So, it's 20 years out physically and 10 mentally and spiritually. Boy am I glad I left.

Deceived

You are definitely NOT alone with having left still thinking it was the truth.

I left 2x still thinking it was the truth. Once in 1967, once in 1984. Both times there was no support groups, internet or ways to find others in the same boat. I was raised a JW from the time I was 3 years old. My Mom and Dad were almost fanatic about it and they went to serve where the need was great in 1958, he became an Elder/congregation servant. He was always shouting at me, pulling me out of bed by my hair, hitting me with a belt etc because I didn't study the bible enough and didn't have enough interest. I hated him and blamed the religion so I plotted to leave the minute I turned 18. I did and then I purposely committed fornication to get DF. I was totally shunned, I had NO friends, I was young and naive. I became a total mess, nightmares, wrong choices. I got married, stopped being wild, had 2 kids and worried Armageddon was coming still, didn't want my kids to die so I went back. I stayed in for 7 years, hated it, finally faded away but still believed it was true. I thought I would rather die than live that lifestyle.

I started drinking, partying and making another mess of my life, live today for tomorrow I will die sort of thing. then about 5 years ago I discovered exjws on the internet and my eyes were opened.

So I spent most of my adult life believing but hating it.....until I found the truth about the truth. What a Huge thing that was for me.

I feel bad for my Dad. He left in 1973, he was a special pioneer, he saw the hypocrisy of the organization. He said he was leaving DA'd himself until they stopped showing favoritism etc to those with money. He still believed it was the truth but he hated the way the organization was hypocritical. He died in 2001 still believing it was the truth. I wish I had found out about the internet exposures before he died so he could have died in peace.

Deceived aka Paula

Pahpa

People leave the organization for many reasons. Some no longer believe

the doctrines of the Watchtower Society. Others experience the hypocrisy

that exists within the organization. Many of my friends left because they

no longer believed the prophetic interpretations coming from the

leaders even though they may hold to the doctrinal teachings regarding the

trinity, hell and soul. (Of course, these were incorporated into the

Watchtower belief system from other sources that predated the

organization by centuries and are still debated by Bible scholars

today.) "The Truth" is not an organization. Jesus plainly said

"I am the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6)

Mad Sweeney

I think the VAST MAJORITY of those who leave still believe it is "the truth." Not the majority of us here, because most who believe it is the truth won't come here, or if they do, won't stay.

Think about the JW statistics versus polling numbers. In the USA the JW/WT stats show around 0.3% of Americans are JWs. Polls show that 1.0% of Americans consider themselves JWs. That is TWO INACTIVE/FADED/DAd/DFd people who STILL BELIEVE for every ONE active JW.

This is why the Memorial is such a huge sales push. Anyone who comes to the Memorial from the door to door campaign is a bonus; the goal is to get your inactive family and former studies back in.

I have felt for some time that THOSE are the people WE need to educate. Once in awhile they even come here, asking abour reinstatement or some such Dubism. They are SO VULNERABLE to the cult because they are still programmed to feel the guilt of not being IN.

THERE ARE A COUPLE MILLION OF THOSE PEOPLE IN THE USA ALONE.

FlyingHighNow

I left because the whole lifestyle was killing me and I didn't like the pharisee philosophy. I had a whole list of things that made me go hmmm, but I still believed enough not to vote and feel guilty about everything.

MsDucky

I disassociated myself about a year after I got baptized. I didn't have the "love for the whole fellowship. . ." And I didn't like going out in field service. I pretty much thought that I was a goat that was going to get destroyed at Armageddon. I couldn't imagine myself being happy in a world where you could pet wild animals and all of that stuff. .. I don't know why I thought it was "the truth"? I guess it was because the first thing that they taught me at bible study was that "the demons would try to interfere in my studying" and that "it could be your own family that the demons used". smh Pure mind control at the very beginning.

Thank goodness for the Internet!

jgnat

My poor (JW) hubby has gotten close to throwing the towel in - chiefly because the way he has been treated by the brothers. He still believes many of the doctrines, however, and he's warned me he'd never darken the door of my church.

I did my own study of the WT doctrines, and as an honest berean, I would never become a Witness.

designs

Most leave knowing it was BS for years, just waited for the right time to exit.

Has anyone left still believing it was the truth?

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