What's The First Step To Leaving The "Trut...

minimus

For those that have entirely left, what was it that first got you seriously thinking that this really wasn't the truth? For those that may be in just mentally, you can answer too....

After I caught 3 separate elders at 3 separate congregations telling serious (judicial) bald-faced lies to me and found out that their co-elders had knowingly covered it up, I realized that "the truth" was run by liars. The lying hasn't stopped either. It's amazing what an elder/body of elders will say to protect his or their collective a$$.

Liars are friers. (Revelation 21:8)

Edited by - Blondie on 19 October 2002 9:40:50

chester

I went to the District Convention at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac Michigan in June of 2000 and one of the speakers said, "If you are happy with your life the way it is stay off of the internet."

That really got me to thinking seriously about what it could be that they don't want us to know.

I felt that was a very profound statement for a speaker to make in front of 30,000 people.

Sometimes I wonder if that man on this forum with us today.

DanTheMan

I remember a bro giving a service meeting part. This was around 1999 or so. He started off with all the standard stuff, how blessed Jerhover's people are, all the wonderful stuff He's done for us. I was really enjoying the talk, as I was more or less still a believer at the time. But then -

"So the question is friends..." (long dramatic pause) "Are you doing all you can to serve Jerhover?" (He said it in a really condescending, guilt-tripping sort of way. And of course this statement was made in regards to FS)

You know, I had heard it a million times before, but for some reason this time I had a different reaction to it. I actually rolled my eyes at him, and he definitely noticed me. He was kind of cool towards me after that. For some reason that incident stands out in my mind. That was the second of three congos I attended during my brief tenure in the troof. I couldn't stand the elders, especially the PO, and he was a sub CO, and everybody thought he was just the greatest. I thought he was an idiot.

Francois

Strangely, it was "Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose" that did it for me. First published in 1959, I read it, chuckled at the arrogance, and kept on. But the seed was planted; the fermentation was underway. The WT assigning itself as the fulfillment of all those "types" of which it was the "anti-type" or vice versa, I forget. These vast, sweeping, planet-changing happenings in the scriptures being fulfilled in our time by a small assembly in Two Gun, IL in 1929 fulfilling some arcane scripiture about something or other. And then the real LARF: a dinky little pamphlet left all over town inviting the local clergy to debate "Da Judge" was likened to the "fire on the heads of Jehovah's enemies" of the anti-typical, present-day, bone-headed fulfillment given to Jehovah's people "away back there" and on and on and on in that dubious mode.

How presumptious it all seemed; how small minded, how laughable.

Then, in an anti-typical (or the other way 'round. I forget) fulfilment of "you shall not damage the corner of your beards" which command still bound us - of course - on account of the "great principles" still applying our OUR day, away down here (as opposed to 'away back there') - I grew a beard in respose to that great principle, "you shall not damage the corner of your beards." They had no appreciation of my sense of duty.

Then, reading, "you shall not damage the corner of your hair," along with, "it is a disgrace for a man to have long hair," and deciding that the former was superior to the later, grew my hair in response to the continuing presence of this greaaaaaaat principle.

It was too much for them.

Just think. Your eternal standing with the infiinite, existential, all-loving, all-merciful creator of all we call REAL can be influenced by strands of dead protein a-growing outta your body (which aforementioned strands were put there in the first place by that infinite, existential, all lov....you get the idea).

And THAT was too much for me.

I say they're a cult, and with apologies to Simon, I say ~~fuck 'em~~, er, FECUND 'EM.

francois

Edited by - francois on 19 October 2002 10:30:7

wildfire

well actually I started to read the novel 1984 by George Orwell ( my daughter who isin the trooths book) and i could NOT PUT IT DOWN,,,, THERE were so similarities ,, BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING....FREEDOM IS SLAVERY......THE CONCEPT OF DOUBLETHINK WHICH MEANS THE POWER OF HOLDING TWO CONTRADICTORY BELIEFS IN ONE'S MIND SIMULTANEOUSLY,, AND ACCEPTING BOTH OF THEM AND ALSO ORWELL SHOWS QUITE CLEARLY THAT IN A SYSTEM IN WHICH THE CONCEPT OF TRUTH AS AN OBJECTIVE JUDGMENT CONCERNING REALITY IS ABOLISHED,,, ANYONE WHO IS A MINORITY OF ONE MUST BE CONVINCED HE IS INSANE...........

WELL LIKE I SAID I COULDNT PUT IT DOWN and I have struggled with depression for years,,,and if anyone knows a song by PINK IN THE LYRICS IT SAYS: YOUR'E JUST LIKE A PILL,,,, INSTEAD OF MAKING ME BETTER,,,,, YOU ARE MAKIN ME ILL !!!!!!!!!

THAT WAS THE START OF THE END FOR ME AND THEN my daughter caught me on the apostate website and told the elders and well ( surprise the very next day i got an uninvited visit from the PO and a newly baptized brother ) But the worst were the freakin words of crap that came out of his mouth,,,, but the final straw was when he told about a retarted boy that they df for smoking at 15,,,,, and he didnt even know where he died (he died of leukemia) the rumors were he died in california,,,, hell i knew the kid and his folks he died in our city in the hospital i worked at;;;;;;; can you imagine what the new brother thought....haha i wish i could have been a little fly in their car as they left 2 hrs later.... I could go on but i am too agitated maybe more later

willdabeerman

i started to fall away when the elders called me in for a "impromtu meeting".at the time we were building an assembly hall about 2.5 hrs away.i was up there religously every weekend,using my skills and my time,my tools,my money(gas,wear and tear on my equipment).i just started working in the beer business,and they called me into the meeting,and it began....."well will we really admire what you are doing with the assembly hall.we understand it takes alot of time and money and self sacrifice to do what you are doing,(here goes)...BUT.....the business you are in is not proper. you promote lewd conduct,drunkeness,etc....blah,blah"..all the while after we were done for the day on the ass. hall,espically on sat. evenings some of those brothers were the ones out killing a case of beer in the parking lot(but they dont approve)...then they pull this on me....."you are a well liked ,popular M/S...you have alot of privlages.people look up to you.and we cant have you promoting something so worldly can we?..after all what does Jehovah think about what you are doing?".....well long story short.i started to fall away from the bullshit truth.i met a "wordly chic"...went off got married..and right before i moved west..had a J C meeting...and at first i was feeling a lil guilty. and then something clicked in my head...i realised what was goin on.and i told the 4 brothers(i know j/c's have only 3 elders,but a c/o wanted to sit in).i looked em strait in the eye,jumped up and pointed to each of em and said and i quote..."fuck you,fuck you,fuck you and mother fuck you"..walked out the kh with them saying "please come back,we want to talk to you"... i slammed the door ,gained my life back,and never returned again.im pretty sure im d/f'ed but im not sure...

Blueblades

Minimus,An injustice to a member of my family.This led to further investigation, which led me to the first step to leaving the giant misstep i made so,so many years ago.Blueblades

freedom96

I started to realize that this was not true religion when I met people who led more Godly lives (by their everyday actions and how they treated people and their families and had a real love for God) than most witnesses I knew. I thought to myself, there is no way in hell that God is going to destroy these people just because they were not witnesses.

Further studies of the history of witnesses and their doctrinal issues made the final determination in my mind that the WTS is not the only way, not the only true religion.

Max Divergent

We stayed with the in-laws for 2 weeks in the tropics, got roaring drunk every night, didn't shave, talked to wordly people like they were human, considered there may be another life possible... Suddenly (in the shower, seeing myself full length in a very kinky mirror they had...) got the thought that I didn't NEED to be a JW which left me completly panic striken, I remained so (and loosing sleep) for the next 6 months before confessing to the Mrs... we were out 6 months later...