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Honesty

Welcome SickandTired!

You might ask your husband what sources the WTBTS used to arrive at a date pivotal to 607...

539 BC (no, I don't recognise BCE).

clarity

Hi there SickandTired, you probably do feel ...just that!

Watchtower literature gives us all the answers,... but then I realized that they also give us the .....QUESTIONS. !

I started asking my own questions!

The biggest reason I left is that, the act of accepting the governing body as my mediators and accepting that Christ is not my mediator .... is blasphemy and idolatry. I will not do that!!!

There is so much more.

A very warm welcome to you.

clarity

Ding

Hi Sickandtired,

Thanks for having the courage to join and post.

Welcome to the forum!

I've sent you a PM.

Click on the little envelope in the upper right corner on JWN; if you get an error message, click again.

Anony Mous

Welcome,

If you are willing to, you can participate in our campaign to distribute this open letter to all Jehovah's Witnesses: http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/friends/204249/1/An-Open-letter-to-the-Governing-Body-of-Jehovahs-Witnesses-Elders-Ex-Elders

We're trying to distribute it to as many elders as possible and it is written by a fellow Witness, somebody who's still in the "truth" but has recently stepped down. It's not apostate but it's honest. We've reached hundreds already with this letter and the WTBTS is aware of it. On page 2 of that thread is my post on how to anonymously send it but you can send a list of e-mail addresses my way, I distribute discreetly.

I am in the same position as yours however me being male it's somewhat easier to "pull rank" in my own family yet my parents and extended family are all eldered up which makes it hard to discreetly do anything.

One of my friends (who's out) recently said: the reason you have difficulty sleeping at night (or you feeling miserable at times) right now is because of your conscience. It's never worked since you grew up in the organization which represses your conscience by saying "God says it's OK" but now your sense of 'right' is slowly coming back to you.

What can YOU do? Little. If you have a support system (family, friends) outside the organization, I would say, USE IT and make it quick and relatively painless. You're going to leave a lot of friends and family in the organization however. The benefit as a wife is that your husband will get taken down as an elder and you'll see the real reasons why people are elders and he might well experience how harsh and judgmental the organization can be even against those that have been with them for decades.

If you don't have a support system, there is little you can do. I don't have anything outside the organization thanks to the indoctrination that everything outside is bad and in a congregation without much children, that behavior makes children introverted and anti-social. I even cut off some of my family that left later in life and I regret it right now. I am actively working against the organization however behind the screens - this proves not only to myself but maybe later my family as well that the decisions and appointments being made are not directed by Holy Spirit and that being a *insert title here* is merely a result of putting the correct numbers on a slip of paper. I don't really care anymore if somebody finds out at this point but I'm trying to do as much damage as possible.

Showing your husband things that go against his faith is pointless. They write it off as apostate. What you need is genuine questions (not the classics you find on websites) regarding everyday things. Like: if so-and-so is still an elder, how is the organization directed by Holy Spirit. My mother-in-law recently asked her husband this question (although I'm not so sure she's even doubting the main doctrines): how come that elder so-and-so (her brother-in-law) gets taken down simply because his wife doesn't get enough hours in field service but we never see elder so-and-so in service yet he reports his kids to be pioneering and his kids are known to fornicate and homosexual yet he protects them from a Judicial Committee. Or I told my wife recently: It's funny how on this subject of disfellowshipping (in one of the recent watchtower studies) there are no scriptures.

The three main things that are definitely NOT scriptural and are hard to justify using biblical scriptures:

- The implementation of disfellowshipping aka shunning

- The blood doctrine (see also: ajwrb.org, there is great material and flyers on there which you could send by mail (anonymous) to your husband or leave inconspicuously at the KH)

- The (worshipping of the) Governing Body and the Faithful and Discreet Slave (this one requires a lot of mental power to get through though) being God's spirit-directed organization

Read Russell's or Rutherford's books and then ask: How come that so many (almost all) doctrine changed and is now considered wrong or even outright apostate and even spiritistic since 1914 yet Jesus found them to be acceptable at that time). I think actually Russell may have had it right, he does a really good job explaining the bible in simple and logical terms (such as the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus) yet he had some cooky ideas but even leaving those, the things you would agree with on reading it at first are now considered apostate and reading the current explanation of the same subject is not only self-contradictory but has major logical holes in it.

AK - Jeff

This is a tough one. Especially if you have children.

My wife and I found out 'the truth about the Truth' together, seven years ago, and left without notice. Later, the zealous elders decided they needed to kick me out for my bold choice of leaving. LOL So they came after me, and I resigned.

There is nothing easy about your journey. You have cracked open the shell, but most of the outside world remains. I suggest that you read, read, read. Everything in your path. Build some outside friends, for eventually you will likely feel trapped, and if nothing else you will need someone to talk to. I wish you well. You have taken the first step of a thousand mile journey, grasshopper.

Namaste

Jeff

Nobleheart

Welcome here SickandTired!

diamondiiz

Hello;

You've started to awake and it's hard to fall back asleep and follow watchtower nonsense. Since you brought out 607BC I hope you find a copy of Gentile Times Reconsidered by Carl Olof Jonnson and read it. It's a really good book that will help you and you can use the evidence he presents to discuss with your husband. If you ever discuss things about wts with him, use either strictly historical/archeological evidence or information found from watchtower publications themselves. Even with proof in front of you, many will still deny it. Never use ex-jw sites as a source to reason with your husband, and always have more than just one proof when discussing a topic. More evidence you present the weaker watchtower's stand will be for a believer. 607BC is a very important date in Watchtower belief system as you know since without that date Jesus didn't return and Faithful Slave wasn't chosen in 1919. Without 1919 the men leading the JWs are just self appointed. Another book I strongly recommend reading is Charles Russell's Thy Kingdom Come which is the 3rd volume of Studies in the Scriptures. That will give you a better understanding of the original teachings and calculations of various dates including 1914 which had nothing to do with what Watchtower teaches today. Old watchtower publication in pdf format can be found here:

http://www.archive.org/details/WatchTowerBibleandTractSocietyofPennsylvaniaWatchTowerpubs_0

Know, that the more you know the more disgusted you will get with Watchtower meetings and teachings and how you have been deceived. You will feel trapped in a group who will disown you if you ever speak your mind. My wife is a born in, and Gentile Times Reconsidered opened her eyes to the nonsense.

flipper

SICK AND TIRED- WElcome to the board ! Nice to have you here. Please know and be comforted in the fact that many of us have been through what you are now going through. We will be here for you if you need to vent, ask questions, or just need a hearing ear. I will PM you me and my wife's phone number.

Hang in there. You've received great advice so far ! If your husband is really mind controlled 110 % as you say- it would probably cause a ruckus to communicate your doubts to him. Feel free to contact any of us really. Steve Hassan's 2nd book is " Releasing the Bonds- Empowering People to Think for Themselves. " Like Leaving WT said, the 1st book is good , and " Releasing " the 2nd book is great as well. Both of those books really helped me lose fear and guilt after I stopped attending meetings over 7 years ago.

Check your private messages. Wife and I will send you our home number. Keep your chin up ! All of us are here for you ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper

breakfast of champions

SICKANDTIRED - I can certainly relate to what you are saying. Fortunately my wife is about 65% in and family ranging from 49%-101% in...

I have already expressed to my wife how despite my 'heresy' our 'core values' are the same, and I am going to give this A LONG TIME to sink in... Slow and steady wins the race!

no more kool aid

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