by Bonsai 54 Replies latest jw experiences
I left after 55 years because, 1) I 'evidently' got tired of standing on the 'threshold' of something that 'clearly' wasn't happening, 2) because I was finally able to admit that all the bullsh*t doctrines of the wt made no sense, 3) and various other "overlapping" reasons.
just saying!
I was raised a witness and stayed as one right up until I was 35. Throughout the years, I disagreed with several teachings. Due to these differences in opinions, I was never able to “take the lead” as I could not see myself teaching things on the platform that I did not personally believe. Still, I was happy as a witness in that I had friends and nothing too serious shook my boat. Until I had kids. As they grew up, I came to realized that I would have to teach my kids the society’s truth and not my personal beliefs. If I ever did such a thing, I’d risk the chance of being “exposed as an apostate”, one day or another. If that day came in late, I could even lose my kids as they would turn against me in favor of the watchtower.
This seriously came in as a shock. These differences in opinions did not feel serious enough for me to leave the watchtower. After all, I followed the watchtower’s advice to be meek, humble, and to “Wait on Jehovah”. I kept in mind that they’re imperfect, and could not expect their teachings to be infallible.
But wait a second, why aren’t they humble as well? Why would they feel the need to take actions against me if it ever came to their attention that my teaching was different then theirs, even in small matters?
I than carefully looked at how they consider anyone who disagree with their teachings, including apostates. They insult them on a regular basis: “they do the will of their father Satan”, “prideful” “fornicators” “anti-Christ”, “they don’t love Jehovah”, “they left God to pursue their desire”, etc.
It than came clear to me: Even if I tried to explain how I actually want to serve God, all they’d hear are the insults regularly thrown about in their teachings: “Lazy Snob”, “he wants to lead people after him”, “false prophet”, “puts his trust in man rather than God”.
How can an organization claiming to represent God and treat people who disagreed with them even on insignificant details as I did? Acting this way is far from doing the will of God. They have exchanged the will of God which is essentially about love towards him and your neighbor and placed in numerical values about field service hours, meeting attendance, privileges, donations, etc. All the while, becoming increasingly concerned about the survival of the organization rather than actually upholding righteousness.
So, I have left. With my wife and kids. I was not a sinner and I was not mad at anyone in my congregation. I was not sick, and I was not working too much. I was simply a man that felt the Watchtower lacked the love that they preached.
Common sense and science ended it for me.
The Biblical account of the Great Flood of Noah's Day. When I learned of Kepler's Law in my college Astronomy class you soon realize that the math doesn't add up.
It was only after I called it quits that I decided to look behind the curtain and investigate the origins of the religion. That just sealed the deal.
Absolutely no truth whatsoever to what your 'friend' said. I had doubts for YEARS before I ever dared start doing any research and left. And you can tell him this 'mentally diseased apostate' is not a prostitute, the only man I ever had sex with was the one I married, doesn't do drugs, smoke, and has never been drunk. I do not and never have had a desire to set myself up as a rival cult leader. (Because all us apostates just want cults of our own, you know!) I know for a fact I've lived a more moral life than many JWs I can name.
I was struggling (2002) with elders lying about more than one event, being protected by other elders, and also that in general, life in the congregation was nothing like we pretended it to be.
Then Panorama broke with revelations about child sexual abuse policy; my nephew called me in a panic and I said that it was probably just some rogue elders, and I would check it out.
I started researching; I kept hearing the same things over and over, that elders told victims not to go to the police with child sexual assault charges, victims were doubted, victims were asked if they perhaps misunderstood the actions, the same thing over and over.
I realized that the leaders of the governing body were lying repeatedly about their policies and events.
I didn't want to leave (my family is in still), but I saw no choice; I could not sit through any more meetings where they pilloried the Catholic Church and then when it came to accusations against the Watchtower, they said the media was controlled by Satan.
What got me was this:
If leadership got this issue wrong, this jugular issue of protecting children, how could they be trusted for anything?
What is their moral compass when they value their reputation more than children (and by the way, how is that working out for them??)
That got me reading: historical criticism, textual criticism, documentary hypothesis, and I have never gone back or looked back.
I didn't leave for sex, or pride, or to pursue same sex relationships, as the elder so callously asserts.
I left because I could not in good conscience sit and listen to the rank hypocrisy of the leadership, and be extension, local elders.
I think some of us followed the Bible's advice at Deut, chap 18......................Doc
marked
I'll take door number 3!
I saw something bad happen involving elders. That wasnt what did me in though.
It was the cover up by a Circuit Overseer and the branch helping in the cover up rather than a simple straightening out of the problem.
That was my first moment of realizing the Emperor has no clothes.
Finding this site and getting facts to back up what had just dawned on me was the natural progression for me.
Why should the reasons people leave JW organization be any different from the reasons people leave any other organization?
JWs champion people waking up and leaving the churches but roundly condemn any who wake up and leave JW organization.
This egregious double standard protects JWs from having the courage to wake up and leave.
He said, " The vast majority of those who leave the truth do it for one of three reasons:
1). They want to go out and fornicate, or are already fornicating, get caught and leave.
2). They have homosexual desires and finally go out and decide to act on those desires.
3). They've been stumbled and their pride pushes them out."
Reason 4).
