What was your ''the last straw that broke the camels back'' moment

by RULES & REGULATIONS 40 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  
  

  

  There is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back. If you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back. When you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more.

  My moment (to stop attending all Watchtower meetings) was after the harsh treatment from the Elders and fellow congregation members of my second cousin who was disfellowhipped as a teenager. I wrote two topics on this site years ago about his cruel treatment and how it really bothered me to no end.That was the moment ''that broke the camel's back'' for me.I haven't been to any meetings since then.

  
  

  My cousin passed away last week from cancer at the age of 49. The cancer spread so fast it took our family by surpise. We figured she had a couple of years instead of months. She left 4 children(3 were baptised and 1 was disfellowshipped a couple of years ago).

  Dealing with the death of their mother was bad enough but the conduct of the congregation Elders made it worse. The disfellowshipped child had to:

  * leave the house when his mother died because Witness relatives were coming over to the house to visit the family.

  * had to stay on the side of the funeral room at the wake by himself while the rest of the family sat in the front chairs.

  * Elders refused to greet him in the line. They walked right past him.

  *He was told not to attend the luncheon after the funeral. He left alone and went home because some members would not attend the lunch if he was there.
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  Lost and adrift

  Yep been at family funerals same thing happened. .brothers pointing and telling others not to speak to family member because they were df...sicko s ...also covering over of abuse because it was just one persons word... even tho more than one person accused the same person. ...watching the accused get away with it for decades. ..and still is....that's just the tip of the ice berg
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  LV101

  I realized it was anything but a loving, kind, environ (ungodly) after attending a couple of meetings but psyched myself it was the truth having brainwashed myself via the magazines -- thus the trials/difficulties. How I endured few yrs. is beyond me. Most miserable time of my life.
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  flipper

  RULES & REGULATIONS- Great thread, thanks for starting it . I had a similar situation as yourself. I saw huge injustices committed by elders not only against myself - but against numerous others in the congregations and what angered me was that the elders got away with it with no punishment or answering for their injustices. But if a rank & file JW publisher did similar things- they'd be either reproved, counseled, or DFed for the same offenses. The things you stated about how DFed ones are treated at memorials and elsewhere disgusted me also.

  So it was the straw that broke the camel's back for me when elders tried giving me their personal opinions as counsel- instead of the Bible or even going beyond or against what the WT Society counseled to say when counseling a person. I was taught for years from birth that elders allegedly had God's " holy spirit " - but when I saw HOW they counseled and the counsel that was given to me as lunacy and their own opinions I told myself , " there is no way in hell these guys have anything resembling " holy spirit" or God's backing ! " . That's when I left cold turkey walking out of a kingdom hall before a meeting started back in 2003 - and I never went back nor ever looked back. Best decision I ever made. Freedom of mind and freedom of movement is priceless
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  LoveUniHateExams

  My 'straw that broke the camel's back' moment actually came after I'd initially left the WT.

  I had major doubts and had been out about 8 months - including missing the memorial for the first time. Then, I seriously considered going back - I thought that I could put my doubts to one side and return.

  At about the same time, British newspapers first revealed the arrest of Michael Porter for child abuse. At that early stage he'd been spared a prison sentence because the judge was impressed by his supposed sorrowful attitude. The WT hadn't disfellowshipped him because of the lack of a custodial sentence. I asked a family member about this and basically said the WT is as bad as the Catholic Church. The family member, also faded, got angry with me and defended the WT. Well, that was the straw that broke my back - I couldn't go back after that.

  Apparently, another judge reviewed the case and gave Porter a two year custodial sentence. Then the WT disfellowshipped him.

  Whatever, it's totally sick the way the org refuses to deal with paedophiles properly.
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  life is to short

  It was child molesters in the hall, than I am like you and flipper injustices committed by elders, toward me at first because I was upset over how they were dealing with the pedophiles. Even to the point of demanding that I take one of them in my car door to door. Than I finally opened my eyes and saw so much injustice everywhere in the religion. Sort of makes me mad at myself because the injustice was always there but I kept my blinders on until it hit home and I was the target. I feel bad for any part I ever might have had now.

  LITS
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  rebelfighter

  Never a JW, I think these experiences are disgusting. In my finally round of emails with the "Elder" I pointed out that God wanted us to all get along and love one another. My last straw with him was when he sent me 20 days of sermons and Bible verses instead of directly answering all of my questions regarding what had been going on between us for 5 years. So I sent him an email headed Roasted, Toasted, Deep Fried and BBQ next sentence was I will take all emails to one of 3 local KH's and have one of their Elders explain you and your emails to me.
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  rebelfighter
  You stated: My last straw with him was when he sent me 20 days of sermons and Bible verses instead of directly answering all of my questions regarding what had been going on between us for 5 years.

  
  

  Can you elaborate? Was he bullying you,sexually harassing or was there a romance that needed to end?
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  freddo

  @Love Uni

  Understandable but I need to correct you on a point which certainly won't help your return to the borg!

  Michael Porter was never disfellowshipped. At the first trial he indeed got a non-custodial sentence at Bristol Crown Court and then the Attorney General Baroness Scotland referred the case on appeal to be reviewed in London due to the leniency of the sentence. He then got 18 months sentence.

  He was publicly reproved and that was as far as it went.

  His paedo crimes were committed largely in the South-West of England when he was a pioneer and a MS. The holy spirit obviously accepted his application to Bethel where he became an elder - field service overseer - in his London congregation.

  One of his victims came forward and "forced" his confession to the elders and to the police. His old congregation elders were so incensed at his not being disfellowshipped that the WT heavies sent the D.O. to calm them down at a special meeting.

  Ill feeling still remains and some of the 14 or so victims (24 counts in total) are out of the borg though many still remain in.
  
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  Crazyguy

  I think it was the blood issue for me, finding out they killed so many people for a doctrine they just made up. Then to throw salt in the wounds they allow cows blood as a option. Holyshit their just evil!