by run dont walk 12 Replies latest jw friends
Unfortunately, I come from a family which is still ALL in JW land, I would love to be able to convince them all to get out, but I probaly have a better chance of winning the lottery, but I'll keep trying.
How many of you here had some from your family or close friend leave the JW's after you did ??? and why did they leave ???
How did it make you feel ???
Have any of you been able to convince anyone to get out of JW land and been successful ???
I would never encourage anyone to leave. I will present the facts and let it at that. It is not up to me to change others minds.
My father stepped down from being an elder because of me. It hurts. Everyone has to make up their own minds and find their own way. I will offer what I know, tho be it little.
Cathy
Well, after my parents saw the 'sunday' show about the sexual abuse in the borg and the WTS's coverups, they were devestated. They didn't see how they could continue to remain part of a religion that did that. So hubby and I took copies of documents that showed that the WTS had membership with the UN. This sealed it for my parents........they DA'ed from the WTS.
Also a friend of mine, who happened to be studying with dubs, could see how my family was drifting away from the borg. I never told her anything for a long time because I felt she might resent me for it one day. But she was expressing so much negative about the dubs, the study and the attitudes. And when one day she said she knew I was really unhappy with the borg, I just told her about my personal experiences with corrupt elders and false prophecies. That was it, she and her husband stopped the study.
I have spoken to many jws about all I know that's wrong with the WTS, and I believe in time that seed will grow. I hope that some time in the future, those people will think about what I said and see what is happening. Things may start to make sense to them as they hear what is going on.
I live in hope that more will come out of that cult sooner or later.
Bliss.
I got one in when I was teenager. I really want to get one out to make up for it. I am keeping my eyes and ears open for the opportunity to informally anti-witness, since they never come around in my neighborhood. I wish it to be my mom, but she doesn't care about all the inconsistensies, flip flops and other nonsense. She couldn't function if she didn't have her five meetings, service, and study to fill her mind and time so she doesn't have to know herself. Shoshana
I have never been given that privledge. I guess you can call me selfish and heartless. I could care less about those still in. I left because I wasn't feeling it (religion) anymore. Its up to everyone including my mother to see this religion for what it isn't and leave if they want to.
I know of one old friend of mine who left after me. However, that person doesn't live close to me . so we weren't able to support each other.
Family.. no . they are all still in there..I am the only disfellowshipped one. Thats a hard roll of the dice for me.
I don't know if you consider someone who is leading a double life as someone who is out of it...They still are not freeminds in my opinion.
My biggest regrets are those that I studied with who got baptized into it. I feel some responsibility to misguiding them into a way of life which I totally disagree with now.... an unloving way of life.
SPECIAL K
Unfortunately no, but I keep hoping someday....
Yes I helped two people see the wbts for what it is. Interestingly I never met or spoke to either one.
A non ever jw friend of mine, mentioned that he had two men he knew and liked that were jw's.
In telling my friend about the wbts and its hipocrisy he became interested in more information. I downloaded a lot of info from this site and others. Gave these to him and in about a years time both of them have left the jw's.
He is now telling me that he has another victim located. A waitress he knows in another town. He wants more copies of the same issues. UN-blood-Rand corp.- flipflops etc.
I am SO GLAD TO BE HELPFUL. I give him everything he wants. Telling him to GO FOR IT MAN.
I think he gets a bigger kick out of this than I do.
Outoftheorg.
Well, I can't say as though I've helped anybody leave (that I'm aware of), but I've helped some who have left feel better about it.
I've shared Crisis of Conscience with both my neice and my aunt. One of my neices had left as a way of getting out of the home. She moved out of my sister's house and in with a guy a couple of weeks before turning 18 and subsequently married him. The strictness of her father drove her out of the house and out of the JWs, by extention. But she always kept thinking, every time she hears about things like 9-11. Were the JWs right? She was living in guilt and sometimes fear of Armageddon. I talked to her to assure her she had no reason to fear. I also shared Franz's book with her so that she could read what that religion really was.
I also found out an aunt of mine had left the JWs. I hadn't talked to her in about 10 years and we reconnected via e-mail. I was afraid she might brush me off after finding out I was no longer attending meetings, but found out she wasn't either!!! She said she got fed up with them taking such hard stances on things and left somewhere near 10 years ago. And her son is an apostate. I told her how Franz's book helped pull me out and said she'd love to read it and had ordered it.
So, while I may not have helped anybody leave, I may have helped those who've left feel better and prevented them from going back.
In my family of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandchildren, grandparents, but not brother-in-laws, I count 14 total blood relatives that were once JWs. My parents were the first. As of now, 2 died as JWs and 3 more are still JWs (my father and sisters). All of the rest left (9 of 14). And from the sound of it, one of my sister's husband is inactive but still believes. Her daughter DA'ed. Reports from her daughter say she isn't living an exactly clean JW lifestyle (she buys x-mas presents and dresses her granddaughter for halloween). So, if I ever get a chance to have a heart-to-heart with her, maybe I can help her see the light. But for now, I try to keep religion off-limits with them all. If they want to believe, that's their perogative. And if they want to question (and I can only hope they will), I'm here for them.
Since I left in Sept 2001 (the UN cover up was my "final straw"), there are 4 others whom I have approached that have left or are in the process of leaving the Borg. The most interesting one is a guy I was friends with many years ago who I bumped into about a year ago.He was disfellowshipped a few years back and was currently "making his comeback" - he had already been re-attending meetings for 6 months and was about to submit his letter asking (begging) for reinstatement. When I first ran into him (at a local happy hour), he said right away "I'm disfellowshipped", I said "I know" - which kind of threw him a little.
Anyway I told him about the UN thing and many other reasons for my leaving the "truth". He told me he knew there were imperfections...Jehovah uses them...blah blah blah. That was it, didn't talk to him again..then about 4 months later he called me and asked to borrow Crisis of Conscience - the rest is ex JW history.
The other 3 are my wife, stepson, and a close friend (aka "Funchback" on this forum).
