by Joker10 76 Replies latest jw friends
I too caused much harm when I left. Not with the whole congregation, but mostly the young single ladies. You see, I'm cursed with these good looks. I can't help it, but I'm beautiful. It traumatized all these young sisters because they then knew that I was no longer "marriage material", and they would then have to settle for my peers who were cosmetically and intellectually lacking.
Kwin
Some of us wouldn't know if we did or not, seeing as those who were supposed to be so caring never came around after we left. Then again I must of hurt my mother for her to say.."When you left it felt like a death in the family." Normally one would think her words to be sincere were it not for the fact it is a catch phrase among many JWs....
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
One of the things I am please about: I never had a bible (book) study! I'm NOT a good sales person. I guess that because as a teen and young adult I wasn't fully convinced, so I wasn't convincing. So in that respect I did NO harm because I didn't drag anyone in behind me.
(Breaking arm patting self on back!
Brenda
I left in my original home cong. in 1996 was followed by my eldest son and one of my daughters both JW's. We were discussing the other day about it and what had happened to the congregation since then. Up to when I left I only recall 2 people being DF'd 1 DA and a couple of reproofs in the 25 years I was there. In the 8 years since we left there have been at least 6 DF'd 3 DA'd a few reproofs. Three elders have resigned, the attendance has dropped from an average 120-130 for a Sunday when I was there to 90-100 now. There have been numerous things occurring which I would never have thought would years ago. One elders son a MS, ran off to Las Vegas to marry a lap dancer. What made us laugh about that is that the elder was one of those who thought he was Gods gift to the congregation and his family were Oh so theocratic.
I also recently received a letter from a JW an ex-elder, at another cong., he resigned over the peadohile issue and has now stopped attending meetings. His mother is in my old congregation he say the last he heard was that the congreation was tearing itself apart. In what way he didn't say. Yet at one time my old cong was regarded as one of the strongest in the area.
Plus I know someone has been sending information about the WT to the elders and some publishers. Not me by the way.
Plus from other sources I have been told that a couple of JW brothers, one an elder, have been going into the local Christian bookshop, not together seprately, and having long talks with them in there. Also I have a Christian friend who works with a JW an MS who is in such conflict with himself over what he has learned about the WT he has had to take time off work because of stress.
My son and daughter often say that since we left the congregation has slowly crumbled. Whether we were the cause I don't know, but things have happend in the cong which I would never have thought of at one time.
jst2laws and others - well said!
I was told by an elder, and former very good friend that when our family left - there was a 25% drop in contributions, and about the same percentage in field service hours (2 full time pioneers and above national average pubs).
Whatever pain we may have caused others - we experienced 100 fold.
While I was in, I was guilty of following the shunning practices for some people. Mostly these were people I didn't really talk to anyway.
When one guy I talked to, but wasn't really close to got DF'ed, I'd still say Hi to him and ask how he was doing when I'd see him outside of the cong. When a very close friend of mine got DF'ed, we remained friends and took our friendship underground from my parents. We continued to talk to each other on the phone and meet up from time to time. That's more than his own sister would do. Later the Society said he was OK to talk to because he wasn't baptised yet when he committed his offense. So now his sister talks to him.
I remember egging an elders house a few times.
Aside from personal "harm", I think I've helped others leave and/or stay out of the religion, which is a form of harming the congregation (even if it's not always the one I went to). I've helped family members who were inactive stay inactive. I turned them on to Ray Franz's book, and helped them understand that it was not the truth and they shouldn't feel guilty about not going back. At one time, I had 14 family members who were either JWs or studying. My mother died in it and my grandmother died while studying it. Of the 12 remaining JW family members, only 3 are still JWs! And I also feel that posting on this board has helped others in some small way to leave.
Joker,I am interested in your response to my post.
SNG
SNG, That was a great post and I loved it.Why did joker not respond... It was because he could not look in the mirror and see the sham that the WT is !!! He is a typical WT HYPOCRITE. Poz.
I would like to encourage you to answer your own question yourself as well.
I haven't caused any harm to anybody, not like some of you had the heart to.
Don't ask a sensitive question like this Joker and then turn around and insult people. You are fortunate some here have the nerve or to some extent, the humility to answer. Stop being an ass or I will lock this thread. Your self righteous attitude is wearing thin.
Sincerely,
District Overbeer
Not one soul.
