When the elder on my committee case said to me love wasn't that important but neutrality - now that was something to be admired.
I kinda knew then they had totally lost the plot.
WHAT WAS YOUR EUREKA MOMENT?
by badboy 18 Replies latest jw friends
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banished1
Hi. New here. Wow Hazzard, that was incredibly painful to read. After all your hard work you were treated like nothing. Jesus words were "Not everyone saying to me Lord, Lord will enter..." well you know the scripture. With all the meetings and F.S. requirements no one has a moment to work on their sprirituality!!! For me, leaving was the culmination of a lot of little things. I just left recently mainly because I needed more time for myself. I had no idea when I first joined that the many meetings and functions would be so mandatory! I just wanted to know God, know his purpose, learn how to be a good person and make it into paradise. But so much kept getting added and added. So many people kept getting added to my life..people I didnt really even know and some I didnt want to know. I had fellow witnesses asking me "Are you going to be at the meeting Sunday? I had to be truthful that I didnt want to go hear Bro. Parkinson's Disease because I cant understand him! They said he was very old and that it might be one of his last talks and it would hurt his feelings if nobody showed up. "So you show up!" I said. "I've got a life!" I didnt dedicate myself to him! Where does it say in the Bible how many meetings a church should have a week? Why does church have to take up so much of your time and life? Shouldnt our conduct and happiness draw people to our religion? Why so much pressure after you are in???? I got a college degree, but I dont read my books over and over again, like I am going to forget the basics of music or biology???? I found the constant replay of Sunday talks and subjects boring like watching summer repeats on T.V. Another thing really hurt. On the occasion I would comment at the meetings I hated to repeat word for word the answer in the WT. I creatively answered from my own thoughts and words. The brother conducting came up to me after a meeting one afternoon to tell me he would call on me only if I answered from the paragraph and kept my comments very short. What the H-- is this about? Why am I going to these meetings anymore? It certainly isnt for my benefit! Then for whose benefit? I didnt want to come anymore anyway? I was either bored or mad every time I left a KH towards the end. The gal who studied with me lost her noodle and left long before. I felt I was not close to anyone in the Hall anymore. Everyone I cared about had either died, or moved away. Anyway, my whole family is glad I have left. My father especially who said he would disinherit me if I stayed. I just weighed everything and asked myself what I was getting out of it anymore. I learned about God. I learned his plan. Great. I'm glad for everybody who survives. I truly am. I did not realize what I was getting in to. But I'm out now and turning another page in the chapter of my life. How about you?
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banished1
Hi. New here. Wow Hazzard, that was incredibly painful to read. After all your hard work you were treated like nothing. Jesus words were "Not everyone saying to me Lord, Lord will enter..." well you know the scripture. With all the meetings and F.S. requirements no one has a moment to work on their sprirituality!!!
For me, leaving was the culmination of a lot of little things.
I just left recently mainly because I needed more time for myself. I had no idea when I first joined that the many meetings and functions would be so mandatory! I just wanted to know God, know his purpose, learn how to be a good person and make it into paradise. But so much kept getting added and added. So many people kept getting added to my life..people I didnt really even know and some I didnt want to know.
I had fellow witnesses asking me "Are you going to be at the meeting Sunday?
I had to be truthful that I didnt want to go hear Bro. Parkinson's Disease because I cant understand him!
They said he was very old and that it might be one of his last talks and it would hurt his feelings if nobody showed up. "So you show up!" I said. "I've got a life!" I didnt dedicate myself to him!
Where does it say in the Bible how many meetings a church should have a week?
Why does church have to take up so much of your time and life? Shouldnt our conduct and happiness draw people to our religion? Why so much pressure after you are in????
I got a college degree, but I dont read my books over and over again, like I am going to forget the basics of music or biology????
I found the constant replay of Sunday talks and subjects boring like watching summer repeats on T.V.
Another thing really hurt. On the occasion I would comment at the meetings I hated to repeat word for word the answer in the WT. I creatively answered from my own thoughts and words. The brother conducting came up to me after a meeting one afternoon to tell me he would call on me only if I answered from the paragraph and kept my comments very short.
What the H-- is this about? Why am I going to these meetings anymore? It certainly isnt for my benefit!
Then for whose benefit? I didnt want to come anymore anyway? I was either bored or mad every time I left a KH towards the end. The gal who studied with me lost her noodle and left long before. I felt I was not close to anyone in the Hall anymore. Everyone I cared about had either died, or moved away.
Anyway, my whole family is glad I have left. My father especially who said he would disinherit me if I stayed. I just weighed everything and asked myself what I was getting out of it anymore.
I learned about God. I learned his plan. Great. I'm glad for everybody who survives. I truly am.
I did not realize what I was getting in to. But I'm out now and turning another page in the chapter of my life.
How about you? -
BrendaCloutier
For me there were several "Ah Ha!" moments that lingered and built up:
Pre teen, door to door with my mom. It was my door and we were invited in by this middle-aged woman. She was a Baptist and LOVED JESUS! She did His work by fostering several children, taking care of her grandchildren, and opening her home to any child in the neighborhood that needed a good meal. "If this isn't Christian work I don't know what is!" was my feeling on the matter. So after we left I asked my mom that why if this woman is truly doing Christs work especially with the little children, was she doing to die at Armageddon? Because she has heard about Jehovah and his Witlesses and has rejected Him. That got me really puzzeld and pissed. But of course I couldn't show it, nor continue my questioning!
Baptized at 14 because it was time. Went through the pre-baptism classes and always answered correctly. Answered the questions with everyone else getting baptized. Got dunked. Nothing happened: except I was wet, cold, and in a bathing suit in front of 10,000 people! I expected SOMETHING other than what I got.
Got the car to quit school and pioneer after my sophomore HS year in 1973. Hated pioneering. I wanted to go to school, but my parents wouldnt pay for pt college or art school, so I got a husband at 18 (in 1975) and moved to his congregation where I (thought) had many friends.
Boy was I wrong.
This was the final extended eyeopener:
I married into the wrong family and was shunned by friends of mine and friends of my dad because of the family I married into! I didn't last more than a year, if that. I just couldnt take the shunning any more. So I faded because I just couldnt stand it! I would occasionally go for my mother-in-law's sake. Then I'd only go to Memorial. I think I did a total of 3 memorials in that congregation. Of course, as always, my dad couldn't (wouldn't) do anything about it. THAT was christian congregational love for ya. And I'd had enough.
(I endured 7 years of marriage with husband #1 who developed genetic alcoholism and became violent and abusive like his dad. I attempted suicide 2x and gave serious thought and plans to homocide to get out of the marriage, until once suicide attempt - russian roulette - actually made me realize I wanted to live and I wanted a divorce.)
Years later I went over to my parents home (after I had moved to Seattle from portland area) and my dad confronted me and asked what I was going to do at Armageddon? I told him I would stand tall before Jehovah and Jesus and account for everything I had done, right and wrong. My dad was speachless!
Oh, there's more. Much much more, but not this thread.
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Rayvin
When i heard through many talks how reinstated ones are to be treated. Then found out personally that it doesnt happen that way. I was shunned..given looks- the gossip of what i had done to be df'd was spread even outside my own cong. and reached a cong. 30 min away. My best friend was told by her parents to stay away from me as i was bad association. I was just as bad off 'cept i could answer and "yippy" go out in FS. I sure as heck didn't feel like preaching to people about the loving kindness of the JWs since I wasn't recieving it. I began my decent then and i am still fading.
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DannyHaszard
OBNOXIOUS {S+M} INSUFFERABLE SERIAL SLEAZOIDS !
My final exit,point of "know" return:Rockland Massachusetts Kingdum Hell was BIG on outrageous sexual harassment of the "toy boys"A 36 year old obnoxious hag,Jezebel Grandmother,("Tammy Faye Baker look-a-like only uglier) was sexually harassing my 16 year old Brother Rodney.When I went to the Elders they said:"That's the way she is,she likes to act like a teenager."
I protested to the elders again at my last stand,(the Rockland Massachusetts Kingdum hell) about gross sexual harrassment from some prima donna sleazy 'sisters'. One 'sister' in particular borderlined on felony sexual assult.She would literally bend over and wiggle her fat flabby tits and ass IN the Kingdum hell.I would discribe her as," Tammy faye Baker look-a-like only uglier " obnoxious Beelzebub bitch. they want to make it look like your chasing them...."Thats verbal assult and sexual assult too. Ya know,i now attend a very liberal church of 'christendom'( babylon the great ) and i am truly amazed how much human kindness is exchanged at my church compared to dog-eat-dog Jehovah's Witnesses. MORE: Adventures in the field service CARRYING ON IN THE CAR-GROUP; Sexual harrasment,sanctified by {S+M} 'sacred service'.OR Consecrated gossip. The Elder known as the "stupid" Elder,(Jeffery Damher look alike),( but don't forget,he's still 'apointed by the Holy spirit') Asked me;..." Have YOU BEEN OUT WITH THE SISTERS YET"??? Hmmmmm,I wonder what that's suppose to mean? Actually,my first take was that it's a sexual connotation of some sort..... I should have known something was up when getting out to the parking lot the 'sisters' where perched and hovered, like birds of prey. The first thing they let me know,is," sisters rule, brothers drool ".This is followed up by,'the obnoxious sister who acts like a teenager;.[man eater slut] Letting me know she is on her period so, I can calculate when her 'horny' day will be. THINK! If you behaved this way in the 'worldly' workplace you would be FIRED.
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Goldminer
After our infamous PO letter of 1998 I started asking questions and never got any answers.The PO sais he got his instructions from the society so I asked the CO if that's where the instructions came from.He said the local bodies of elders can do what they want locally.OK.
Is that what you call passing the buck?From then on I really started thinking there was a lot of hypocrisy in this organization,I started fading a year later,still am because the wife just won't let go and be happy.
Goldminer
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Insomniac
For years I told myself that it didn't matter if I disagreed with some of the Watchtower's teachings. If I found 99% of it to be valid, then I could live with the 1% that was obviously b.s., right?
Then I told myself that 90% was sufficient. Then 80%. Then 70%. Then one day I realized that over half of the stuff I'd been living my life by was b.s., and that pretty much made the remainder suspect, as well. I certainly wouldn't stand in a house where over half of the support beams were crumbling away from termite infestation, would you? The WHOLE thing is going to collapse! So, I edged my way to the door, and when no one was looking, I got as far from that rickety old building as I could.
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badboy
Interesting read, everyone!