by flipper 152 Replies latest jw friends
PHIZZY- Congratulations on exiting the Witnesses. Lots of these JWs don't even realize they are mind controlled and mentally off. Hopefully more will wake up before they waste their entire lives on a pipedream. I'm glad we are out !
Any other experiences of escaping would be appreciated ! Thanks again ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
After a moment of clarity during a Sunday WT study in June-July 2001, I never went back. I attended memorials for the next 5 years just so my mother wouldn't have a heart attack. It was a small price to pay to not have her worry endlessly and needlessly for my everlasting life. I went to one meeting somewhere in those years when my gf's husband gave a talk. The other times I didn't go I heard it hurt him, and I didn't want to do that to him...he has kept me as a friend and his friendship is dear to me. His motive was not about the talk or meeting; he just likes people to be together then go to brunch...lololol. His talk was fine, but that WT study...gave me the heebie jeebies. I forgot how dreadful they were. I was offered a computer print out of the scriptures. I told them that it was quite alright, I prefer to read the verses in context...sigh.
Been back for funerals, including my mom's and my gf's mom. They were both terrible.
Hi Flipper
I'm a born-in still fading. I began to doubt a lot of the Hebrew Scriptures and then it all began to fall apart. I realised I couldn't love the God described in the Bible. Then I checked out the Earthquake stats and other facts on JW Facts and they held up. Then, like others have said, I began to evaluate JWs as I would any other religion. I stopped going out on F/S, I think the last time must have been summer last year (might be longer - seems ages ago). I still turn up at most meetings, tho usually late and I leave straight away - it's just a token gesture because I have family in.
I would say mentally I'm about 90% free but I'm still not totally free from Armageddon paranoia - world events seem to be panning out exactly as I was always taught they would and I'm still not sure how to process this information - so I guess I do have a fairly bleak outlook on the future even though I feel much happier now (I know this sounds contradictory). I still get fairly regular visits from the elders who try very hard to encourage me to go back out on the F/S.
world events seem to be panning out exactly as I was always taught they would
This is an illusion the Watchtower Society has always been able to maintain, by changing the application of Scriptures to suit current world conditions. But Witnesses in their 40's & 50's have seen maybe the greatest amount of prophecy failure ever: 1975, the literal generation that absolutely ended in 1995, the king of the north as the U.S.S.R. etc, etc. Although people can tell you about it, in a way you had to have been there to be fully disillusioned, I guess.
Last meetings I attended was around 2002 only memorials. Last weekly meeting was in 1988 when Elders attacted my son and then my daughter.
Memorials was to make Mom and Mom-in-law happy. Mom died 2006 and MIL moved to another state.
It was two things when I stopped attending in 2001, I don’t remember the day, but I do remember that I did not fade away, it was abrupt, and it ended when it involved my 6 year old son. It all started when my son had a night mare. This was no ordinary nightmare, but it was the exact same reoccurring dream I had when I was his age. This was what woke me up from the JW slumber, and blindly following the Watchtower’s teachings. It was at that point I started to think about all the bull I had to deal with over the years because of them.
While I was researching, I was using the internet to show me from their publications the lies, and deceit. My brother-in-law happen to pop by, and discovered what I was doing, and he called me an apostate, and that I was a stupid woman. At that point my husband made him leave threatening to beat the life out of him, which is putting it politely. Before he let his brother leave our home, he told him this. “If you are calling my wife an apostate for researching through the older publications of the Watchtower, then your religion is an apostate to God.” The only person I ever showed what I found at that time was my husband, who was already looking for an excuse to leave that cult.
It was also during this time, my son, became very ill, and required medical attention. At the time neither I, nor the doctors knew what was going on with him, and they were thinking surgery, and I was having some of the worst case thoughts going through my mind. I called up my family (JWs), the elders, and other friends, or at least who I thought was friends. They all asked me, “What do you expect us to do about it?” When they said that to me, it was in a rude tone, and after that they just hung up on me, when I told them I did not expect anything from them.
For the next week my son was in the hospital, fortunately he did not require surgery, but it was indeed life threatening, because of his age. After he came home from the hospital, it took him the next three months to recover from what he had. From the time he was in the hospital, and during the time of his recovery, no one called or checked up on to see how we were doing. I did manage to make it to one meeting, and no one asked how my son was doing, but instead they told me, no demanded that I attend the upcoming district convention. I never made it to that either, everything decided to quit working all at the same time (both my cars, the refrigerator, and stove all stopped working). It was when the repair man showed up, he said something to me, and it was this, “Maybe someone is trying to tell you something.” When he said that, it was light a light had been switched on, and it was then when I really started to dig into the history of the Watchtower. By the time I had learned everything, I threw away EVERYTHING, I was that pissed off.
In August 2001, both my husband and I sent in our letters telling those people we did not want to be a part of their group anymore, and I have not looked back since then. Then one month later the Twin Towers were attacked, and people were going crazy thinking it was the end of the world. I think that is the only reason why I remember the month of when I left that God forsaken cult.
Saw too much politics. It's not what you know but who you know. Favoritisim, elders covering over wrongdoings. Everything we didn't see in the world we saw it all in the congregations. Then add on the lonliness if you didn't go along with their garbage, bad business dealings and then we came across this board. What and eye opener and thankyou everyone! I hope society is reading this for if they would stop sweepinig everything wicked under the carpet, then we wouldn't start to question why is this happening and from there it was getting easier to doubt the doctrines as well. Finally we asked ourselves why does society always say change is good. It shows that the fds are willing to make changes to their doctrines to keep up with Jehovah's purpose, so they say. To us JW's are no different than all the other religions out there for they are roving the earth trying to find that abundance of knowledge as well. That's why they keep changeing things. 1Corinthians 4:5 says it's not until Jesus comes again and brings the secret things of darkness to light. Until then, I will wait on him.
It has been about 4 or 5 years since I attended meetings. And I was on and off before that...And I've been back for Memorial, and funerals. I keep going to the Memorial because it keeps my mom from freaking out and I believe it is a command.
The last straw for me was my inability to ever really fit in. There is no real place for a smart, independent single-by-choice-woman (not pining for a man) business owner who doesn't think it is more righteous to be poor than self sufficient and isn't pioneering. I couldn't take the anxiety I experienced every time I went to the hall or thought about going. Since I have stopped attending, my anxiety is gone, my relationships with people have improved and I'm much happier with myself. I simply can't endure generating the amount of guilt that comes with sitting through those "encouraging" meetings.
bafh
Hey flipper,
Great thread, reading everyones experience, we can see a little of each of us in something thats been said. I hate this CULT............
Etna
Wanted to bump this thread up for others who wanted to share their experiences and stories of how they stopped attending meetings. Thanks for sharin, appreciate it ! Peace out, Mr. Flipper
