by starfish422 37 Replies latest jw friends
No, no, a thousand times no. And like others have said, I wish I'd come to my senses years earlier than I did.
Eleven years in the borg, ages 32-43 - my "prime years", actually... acckkkk.
quality of life quotient since leaving: 60,000,00444,30054895,03934i times a million.
laura
I had a period years ago where I thought if the JW's are right I am going to die! So I started to study again, I am really grateful I did. I know if I did not I would always have a doubt in the back of my mind. After studying and realizing that this religion is a snare and a racket, I am now able to have no regrets whatsoever.
One thing though, along the lines of what others have said. A girl I grew up with died tragically 2 weeks ago I could not go to her funeral, and cannot express my condolences as I want to. Her death was really a shock for me she was only 21 and very close friends with our family. I regret not fitting in, but that really isn't my fault. It is a burden to carry though, especially when things like this happen.
wendy
I'm sure all of us have a regret or two but I bet few if any have regrets about getting out.
My regret is I involved my son with it and he ended up marrying a witness. That is my biggest regret of all.
Never Squat With Yer Spurs On
I regret the way i left, there was a lot of pain left behind, i regret the loss of a lot of very good friends, i, like mommy regret that someone who i admired alot died very tragically recently and i couldnt go and share my grief, most of all i regret the confusing feelings that i get about things to do with conscience.
Yeah.. my only regret is that I didn't leave sooner.
ofcmad
Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts on this; it seems many of us have had similar experiences.
Amazing: I've now unlocked my email address so please feel free to email me; it would be great to compare notes.
Harmony, my parents, two brothers and their wives and kids, and my younger sister have all disowned me; it's been so long now though that I have nothing in common with them any more. It's like they passed away or something.
I have no regrets about leaving. I spent 35 years as a very active member, and do wonder what my life would have been if I'd applied that same time and energy to something I really loved.
Being a Witness taught me a lot. Biggest thing I'm sad about? The lost friendships, of course.
More education would have been great as well.
I do at times find myself angry at some of my Witness friends that I know see a lot of the same problems with the WTS that I do, but who lack the courage to take a stand. I've seen some real self-righteous hypocrisy that kind of turns my stomach.
S4
I left last year at the age of 27. The only thing I regret is that I did not leave sooner and that I didn't tell off some of the people who I saw participate in hypocrasy that I saw.
"I have so much love to give, but no one to give it to."
William H. Macy - "Magnolia"
************************ my parents, two brothers and their wives and kids, and my younger sister have all disowned me; it's been so long now though that I have nothing in common with them any more. It's like they passed away or something.********************************
Hi Star,
I never liked it, even as a five year old (thats when my Mom opened the door to them) I knew in my little gut there was something wrong with it. My Mom instilled such fear in me (mostly about Armageddon)
as a kid that I didn't leave for years.
I became inactive about 30 years ago. Then 20 years ago the hammer came down. When the article in the Sept 15 1981 came out my witness siblings (2 out of 4) decided they would drop me like a hot potatoe.
It was tough but I have no regrets. The last 20 years have been the happiest years of my life. Aside from a little haunting from the "End of the World" mentality which I have dispelled by finally reading "crisis of conscience". That book was the final nail in the door.
Now guess what....after all these years my JW side has been in touch through email. My JW brother started a family picture project and sent me a letter asking for family pictures which I provided to him right away. Now my JW sister has been in touch and we are going to have lunch in a couple of weeks. I've explained to her that I have no interest in being a witness and she still wants to go ahead. So star, you never know what might happen.....I don't want to raise false hopes but you never know, perhaps someday there will be a knock at the door (or an email).
Glad you started this thread.
Sunny
I was booted when I was 16 or 17. (Don't even remember any more) I remember that my parents moved about 60 miles away and left me behind to finish high school on my own and find a place to live. I did it. I found a place to live with some "worldly" girl and her family. My parents never even met the family I was moving in with.
My regret? I'm 32 now. And I JUST found out(within the past two years) that it was all a load of sh**. That is what I regret. Going thru all those years believing that I was doomed. I would have done some things differently I think. I'd have been over the anger by now too.
-P(J)
