We and our unbaptised children have now been cut off by our last JW family members. Cowardly email at the bottom and my response just below. Sorry it's rambling and probably not the best thing to send, but we are upset and angry.
'I will shortly explain to Oxxxxx and Jxxxxxx what is going on. After I have written this reply. I am going to start this by saying how much it saddens me that you feel this way. I am your brother. When I came to you three years ago, I didn't come to you to say goodbye, I couldn't live a lie and had the guts to talk to you and others about it, and of course stupidly hoped you would discuss things. Nobody had proper answers for my questions. We are all your family. You have not even had the decency to speak to me and you have very cowardly sent an email. You and Dxxxx have cut off the kids, who are not adults or baptized. It's disgusting how any of you can even consider this as Christian behavior. Oxxxx and Jxxxx were honest with Dxxxxx and gave him the chance to speak his part. That was very mature of them. Dxxxx lied and promised things wouldn't change. Now he has cowardly just blocked them out of his life without a word of explanation. Oxxxx and Jxxxx don't deserve this kind of disgusting treatment. They are innocent children!!! It's sick!!!! Of course I have been on the other side of this behavior and understand why you think it's right. Well it's not!!!!! Initially what made them, and Cxxxxx think twice about the religion, was the cowardly, hypocritical behavior of so called loving friends. People who instantly dropped them like a ton of bricks when it was only me that spoke out. I know you didn't do that initially, and I appreciated that, but many close friends did. Not an excuse or reason for their decision, just an eye opener. You are so right that this is sad. You want to correct me, but I am afraid that it's you that is wrong and I regret ever talking to you about the religion in the first place. Despite the above, I don't hold it against any of you personally, because I know it's the religion. Just as you feel you need to save me, I feel I need to tell you some things. If you haven't got the bottle to read on now, save this email for another time. Perhaps when something happens that makes you doubt something in particular. I'm sure that will happen. None of you JW's can think beyond what you are told by eight unqualified men who have put themselves in a position over 7million people. It's so sad that you are willing, obviously in the belief that you are doing 'the right thing', to drop us all after our whole lives together, because of a difference of opinion. After I initially spoke to you I haven't brought it up again. I respected your position. I'm sure you have probably stopped reading now, because your faith would be compromised by any opinion outside of the official line, and what you have probably been encouraged to do by an elder. You are a very intelligent bloke. How many years will go by, wasted, until you realise that you have been misled and lied to and the new system hasn't come??? Just like all the old timers that have now gone. Please think for yourself and outside the box, for all your sakes. I am not trying to dissuade you from your beliefs with a few sentences, surely no faith can be that fragile. You must think for yourself and see that this way of acting is wrong, especially to innocent kids. You must ask yourself why does the GB want anyone with any opinion other than theirs out of the way? Believe what you want, but normal human kindness must make you sense this is wrong. I truly hope you don't live to regret this decision. If you do ever want to talk about it honestly, we will always be here for you all. An invisible ruler and an invisible reign? What do you think of the latest 'generation' truth? The latest 'faithful and discreet slave' truth? The fact you can choose to take blood fractions but can't give blood. Look up about 607BCE outside of the WT publications. Look up what was really being taught about 1914 during the 1800's and how that's all been disguised and swept under the carpet. What about how you would have been disfellowshipped for apostasy if you voiced an opinion different to teachings of the time, which then were changed to the same as you originally thought? No apology. Oh yes, It's the 'light getting brighter'. Truth is truth, it cannot be truth one year and then wrong the next!! It's meant to be gods organization and gods word. (Oh yes, imperfect men who don't claim to be inspired!! Come on!!). You could have been disfellowshipped in the past for having an organ transplant. Any apology for those that obeyed 'the truth' back then and became seriously ill or died? A big fat no! Why did Jesus never have anything written down at the time? Why are most Christians really following Paul's writings? Why is the bible pretty much incomprehensible without some special person/persons explaining it? It's meant to be as clear as day if it's the most important thing ever written. Every other religion and religious book is wrong! Why did god command the slaughter of innocent woman and children and is prepared to do the same at Armageddon? I was told by the COBE that it was a 'kindness' because all the adults were killed and the children would be on their own!! You will condone that kind of thinking in your own mind. All JW's do. I know because I used to rationalize unbelievable stuff like that. There is the cognitive dissonance again. If it's 'the truth' you should be able to easily answer these points with common sense, just as you do with everything else in life. That's just the frost on the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure you won't even reply to this or even think about it. Why? Because you think that someone else's opinion will affect your faith. How fragile can those beliefs be if you are 'banned' from thinking for yourself. If you were to make a large purchase or sign some sort of contract, you would research it, not just take the salesman's word for it. Common sense would tell you not to take one opinion. You are taking the word of eight men who have never predicted anything of substance that has come true, not that you can see that, to dictate to you how you should behave towards people who do nothing wrong except leave their religion. A book written by Bronze Age people to control others and try to explain what we don't understand about life, needs inspecting closely, in a time when superstition and irrational fear should be consigned to the bin. There is no evidence that anything miraculous actually happened!! No miracles these days. How convenient! A talking donkey, a vicious deity, take my daughters for rape, kill your son (only joking, here's a ram), double standards, slaughter kids that call out 'go up you bald head', senseless murder, kill thousands because David took a census, feed god by burning animals, a worldwide flood and all those animals, food etc in a boat!! It's a good job it's a work of fiction because it makes me vomit!! You can justify all of the nonsense by cognitive dissonance, circular reasoning and 'we don't fully understand gods ways!' Come on, think about it!! If you have read this far, that's good. I would be surprised though. I know you won't, but I need to say it anyway. Not out of some bitter revenge or vindictiveness, but in an effort to get you to think. That's all. Think! I am only interested in saving our family. Again, I am truly sorry that you have made this wrong decision, and I look forward to the time when you have the insight and bottle to face up to facts about this cult! Google 'Biblical Nonsense' and JW Facts, if you are brave enough. Or, just read the bible without preconceived ideas or dogma in your mind. All our love and here to talk, always. X' ---—------------------------------------------------------------------- I know it won't be read but I had to vent it anyway. Nothing more to lose. Thanks all Sent from my iPad
On Jan 3, 2014, at 11:13 PM,
Sent yesterday. I've been asleep all day. I only woke at 10:30 so have just found your text.
When you came round about three years ago you were basically saying goodbye because you knew that things wouldn't be the same between us and you because of the choices you had made. You said you understood and that you 'done the same thing yourself'. After discussing the situation with others we thought it was worth giving the benefit of the doubt and showing love by seeing how things played out. Perhaps you would change you mind? There was also the issue of trying to keep a friendship with the kids.
Now that it has become clear that you are not going to change your mind, and C, O and J are with you in your choice, the situation has changed. Your positions have become abundantly clear. As Jehovah's Witnesses we can not ignore the situation and your views on our religion. So it is time to limit our association to essential things to do with mum etc.
If O, J or M show an interest in the truth, I'm sure if you approached the elders they would arrange for them to have a Bible study or to be taken to the meetings.
This is all very sad but there is nothing here you weren't aware of when you made your dedications.
We live in hope that you will change your viewpoints in the future.
C......