What triggered your doubts / awakening?

by Tornintwo 64 Replies latest jw experiences

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  konceptual99

  Oh yeah - I'd forgotten that I sussed the blood issue was a crock of bull during my slumbering awake phase. Mainly because I did not understand how you could get bolloxed for donating blood yet were perfectly OK in accepting a blood fraction that someone else donated but should have poured out on the ground.

  And then there was the obvious problem with billions of people being fecked at the Big A. What's almost worse is the amount of people being born everyday into a situation of injustice and death. Yet most Witnesses want to believe this isn't the case yet can't work out why this makes a mockery of the "warning" work.
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  TTATTelder

  What's almost worse is the amount of people being born everyday into a situation of injustice and death. Yet most Witnesses want to believe this isn't the case yet can't work out why this makes a mockery of the "warning" work. - Konceptual99

  Ain't that the truth. I just want to scream when I hear "Jehovah is being patient because he does not desire any to be destroyed."

  First of all using "destroyed" is a bit over the top - wouldn't you say?

  Second, how is letting the population grow faster than your organization saving anybody?

  Third, if God really wants to not "destroy" people, then how about just not destroy people. There's a thought.

  Lastly, ever since I was a child I thought this: If Jehovah sees the future, then why doesn't he just save those that would have "come into the truth" eventually .....or better yet just judge everybody's current or future heart condition and save anybody with a snowball's chance? It's not like there isn't the "last test" as a backup plan if you let too many in.

  And these people have the "truth" of all the universe..... wow. if this is truth I hate to see lies.

  -TE
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  freddo

  It just built up over the years.

  I was a young teen in 1975 - that didn't do it. I got baptised in '76 go figure! After all "the generation" might go 70 or 80 years from 1914!

  The generation change in 1995 - nope but looking back that was a biggie.

  The Revelation Book - how many times did we study that pile of crap? And then paste in more crap? I never could get how Cedar Point trumpeting was foretold in scripture!

  A falling out with a CO and my resignation as an elder in 2004 was a help and for ten years its grown into "staying in to keep peace with family". But I have been mentally free for at least five years. That is a good place to be - I'm comfortable knowing that if I'm lucky I'll grow old and die.

  I'm just like a lazy dog led on a nail - it's uncomfortable but not as uncomfortable as it would be if I cut all ties.

  I'm too cowardly to leave yet and I hate myself for it.

  Don't copy me.
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  stan livedeath

  it took me a few years to face the fact i had no belief in a god. to me its utterly ludicrous. a massive empty space in the sky. yeah right. a total nonsense in this day and age.

  but it was when i was about to become a father for the first time--in 1971--age 23. it came as a shock to realise i could have to make a decision about a blood transfusion--not for me--but my child.

  no way--i was out--there and then. simple.
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  Bonsai

  My doubts began with the reinstatement arrangement. I wasn't so much bothered by the disfellowshipping arrangement at the time. However, the process to come back into "the truth" seemed excessively punitive and a form of cruel and unusual punishment. For years on end i would see different ones sitting in the back in assigned seats (Yes, that's right. In the country I live in they actually are assigned where to sit!) being treated as if they were quarantined. My heart went out to them as they were shunned every meeting, yet they continued to come for more punishment week after week, month after month. I checked the bible and ran into JWfacts and realized there was no biblical support for such a cruel arrangement.

  The second thing that got the ball rolling was the earthquakes and Tsunamis that killed hundreds of thousands over the last 11 years. To me, God is the only one who knew they would happen. He has the power to show his love/mercy and warn people or stop the earthquake all together. Yet he didn't intervene as children and babies were crushed or drowned.

  I remember clearly the tsunami of 2004 (as I was living very close to the nations that were devastated by it.) At first I was actually excited. This is a clear sign that we are living at the end of the last days! Then as I saw the level of suffering and death, I just got angrier and angrier that our loving god did nothing to help. I could no longer fault people for being atheist or agnostic and that really affected my ministry. After that, the small stream of doubts steadily grew into a raging roaring river that swept away everything that I had held to be true.
  
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  freemindfade

  Sorry I thought of one more thing in my evolition out. One turning point was seriously asking myself the following "if I wasn't born in, and witnesses came to my door today, would I even give them the time of day?" The answer was no f%&@ing way! once I got the balls to be honest about that, I realized what am I doing in it then If I would have otherwise just been an athiest?
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  Tapioca

  Two main things: First, I had kids and felt like you, Torn. There was a lot of mistreatment of JW children that I observed and experienced (born-in 3rd gen). Second, I got a copy of COC and discovered that not only did the organization get it wrong on many documented occasions, but you could disagree with the org without being disagreeable. I was struck by the even-toned narrative of RFranz who highlighted the most distressing events without devolving into a rant. I'm not that good. I've taken some minor "stands" with my family, but they know my temperament and generally try to de-escalate the situation. Most all of my family on both sides are still in. It makes me sick.
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  hardtobeme

  144,000 doctrine, blood doctrine, 1914,1919,1925, beth sarim, the trumpets of revelation, 1975, 1995, Work was gonna be done by the end of the 20th century, overlapping generation, pedophile cover ups, lies, lies, lies...

  I read some forbidden books: Ray Franz, Don Cameron, etc..

  I'm still in only for family....
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  stuckinarut2

  TTATT Elder:

  First of all using "destroyed" is a bit over the top - wouldn't you say?

  Second, how is letting the population grow faster than your organization saving anybody?

  Third, if God really wants to not "destroy" people, then how about just not destroy people. There's a thought

  GREAT comment! The fact that witnesses cant see how illogical this is, proves how brain-dead they really are!

  The LONGER god "leaves" it, the MORE people will be destroyed!...WTF??
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  stuckinarut2

  My "awakening" was due to allowing myself to mentally 'step outside' of the org for a while, and look at things from the perspective of a rational, non-born-in person.

  WOW! then the house of cards just fell apart!

  SO many teachings, views, beliefs, doctrines, practices etc including much of the bible itself just make NO SENSE!

  Witnesses try and encourage "worldly" people to question everything in "this system", BUT they cant apply the same to their own belief structure.....