I forgot to thank Besty and the posters on this thread for their excellent insights.
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DNCall
JoinedPosts by DNCall
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42
Why The WTS chooses to shoot itself in the foot
by besty infrank and barbara kavelin's recent disfellowshipping for 'apostasy' two years after they stopped going to meetings made me ponder why exactly the wts frequently pursues people long after they have disappeared off the jw scene.
at first glance it seems a counterproductive strategy to make enemies out of people who would otherwise leave quietly.
i've had the pleasure of getting to know frank and barb over the last year or so and i know for a fact that frank's story would not be on jwn and freeminds if he hadn't been disfellowshipped.
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42
Why The WTS chooses to shoot itself in the foot
by besty infrank and barbara kavelin's recent disfellowshipping for 'apostasy' two years after they stopped going to meetings made me ponder why exactly the wts frequently pursues people long after they have disappeared off the jw scene.
at first glance it seems a counterproductive strategy to make enemies out of people who would otherwise leave quietly.
i've had the pleasure of getting to know frank and barb over the last year or so and i know for a fact that frank's story would not be on jwn and freeminds if he hadn't been disfellowshipped.
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DNCall
It was no coincidence that I got "the call" the week after the circuit overseer's visit. Another factor is gossip. Once it reaches a certain level, the elders are moved to take action. Absent those two things, I'm quite sure the elders involved would rather have just let us fade.
F.
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I wonder if Karl Klein would like this remix of a Kingdom melody...
by Nostromo inhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kjf1ir4cik.
(sorry i dont know how to put the youtube video here in this box).
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DNCall
He might. You could nevert tell what he would like and wouldn't like.
F.
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42
DNCall Unmasked - Part 5 of 5
by DNCall instartfragment.
during the appeal period of one week we sent the following letter to approximately 22 of our oldest and closest friends.
im including it here because it conveys how we feel at present, looking back over the half-century of our lives.. dear ____,.
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DNCall
During the appeal period of one week we sent the following letter to approximately 22 of our oldest and closest friends. I’m including it here because it conveys how we feel at present, looking back over the half-century of our lives.
Dear ____,
This week it will be announced that we are no longer Jehovah’s Witnesses. We owe you, our friends of many years, an explanation.
We love and miss you deeply.
We are not upset over the human imperfections of anyone, being fully aware of our own imperfections. True, we have been hurt on occasion, but who hasn’t. We are not disgruntled or bitter.
Our withdrawal over the past two years is the product of over ten years of legitimate questioning and subsequent research, carried out prayerfully and objectively. We have not rushed to any of our conclusions.
We have not left God, his Son or his Word. Jesus warns, and Paul counsels, that it is our obligation to carefully evaluate religious affiliations and teachings. Thus, we do not believe we are sinning against the Holy Spirit by evaluating the organization and its teachings in the light of the Scriptures and fact. Genuine truth stands up to such scrutiny. The organization does not. Those who have gone before us in making such an evaluation have been slandered and vilified by those loyal to the organization. We expect to be treated no differently. However, we hope that this brief explanation will leave you with some understanding of why, in good conscience, we can no longer support the organization.
We are not driven by pride, as we are admitting the mistake of supporting, out of our own negligence and lack of information, for most of our lives, erroneous teachings, revisionist history, deception and unloving policies.
We are willing to wait on Jehovah, and we continue to do so. However, it is clear to us that waiting on Jehovah is not the same thing as waiting on the organization.
Shun us if you must, but please know that we will never judge you but will always accept you, love you and never forget you.
Love,
Frank and Barbara
We received a number of responses to this letter. Most of them were predictable. However, a couple of them were actually kind and non-judgmental.
The social vacuum that was created when we became inactive two years ago has been gradually filled with new friends, those who saw the light before we did, including our children, and our wonderful families. Although the first year was difficult for us, our newfound freedom was certainly worth the pain. Having more time to pursue art, music, travel and study has improved our lives beyond anything we could have imagined “in this old system.”
At this point, we have no desire to affiliate with any religious group.
Among the resources that we found very helpful were Raymond Franz’s two books and the website he contributes to, http://www.commentarypress.com. We also greatly appreciated the concise style of http://www.jwfacts.com and personal experiences and diversity of http://www.freeminds.org.
This board has been a tremendous resource. We are grateful to Simon and so many of the regular contributors. We have enjoyed forging lasting friendships with some of you and hope for the opportunity to meet many more of you.
Love,
Frank (fka DNCall)
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58
An Open Letter From Jeff
by AllTimeJeff inbut i don't write this for sympathy.
actually, i just thought you all would like to hear how i am doing, esp with a little space now between me and the borg.
(its been 3 years).
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DNCall
Hi Jeff,
I really enjoy your posts and admire your opening up. I think you've gotten some excellent feedback in this thread. I just wanted to voice my support and admiration.
F.
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48
DNCall Unmasked - Part 4 of 5
by DNCall instartfragment.
even though i didnt have the title of elder, i was still active in my work at bethel and the congregation used me as much as possible.
when the congregation recommended that i once again serve as an elder, one elder raised the objection that that barbara was a low-hour publisher.
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DNCall
Outa: I've known Ruben and Paula for many years; had many a great meal with them. Once, we put our two tour groups together on a trip to Hawaii. I have always known Ruben to be open-minded. It wouldn't surprise me if I got a call from him someday.
F.
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48
DNCall Unmasked - Part 4 of 5
by DNCall instartfragment.
even though i didnt have the title of elder, i was still active in my work at bethel and the congregation used me as much as possible.
when the congregation recommended that i once again serve as an elder, one elder raised the objection that that barbara was a low-hour publisher.
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DNCall
I'm told I can't post part 5 until after 8:00 p.m. PST. In the meantime, I'm happy to confirm Sweet Pea's rumour.
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48
DNCall Unmasked - Part 4 of 5
by DNCall instartfragment.
even though i didnt have the title of elder, i was still active in my work at bethel and the congregation used me as much as possible.
when the congregation recommended that i once again serve as an elder, one elder raised the objection that that barbara was a low-hour publisher.
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DNCall
pwp: Please PM me with your address. I still owe you for the CD!
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48
DNCall Unmasked - Part 4 of 5
by DNCall instartfragment.
even though i didnt have the title of elder, i was still active in my work at bethel and the congregation used me as much as possible.
when the congregation recommended that i once again serve as an elder, one elder raised the objection that that barbara was a low-hour publisher.
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DNCall
I've reached my four post per day limit so Part 5 will post tomorrow.
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48
DNCall Unmasked - Part 4 of 5
by DNCall instartfragment.
even though i didnt have the title of elder, i was still active in my work at bethel and the congregation used me as much as possible.
when the congregation recommended that i once again serve as an elder, one elder raised the objection that that barbara was a low-hour publisher.
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DNCall
Even though I didn’t have the title of “Elder,” I was still active in my work at Bethel and the congregation used me as much as possible. When the congregation recommended that I once again serve as an elder, one elder raised the objection that that Barbara was a low-hour publisher. There were legitimate reasons for her status. By this time, Barbara’s respect for the organization had eroded significantly. This incident moved her to read her Bible with greater intensity to see how scriptural all of this was. Thus began a process of discovery for her. Her big epiphany was the understanding that Jesus’ teaching regarding the faithful and discreet slave was a parable, not a prophecy, and that the leadership has arrogantly asserted that they are the fulfillment of that teaching. At the same time it was evident that they have blasphemously assumed the role of co-mediator with Jesus by asserting that salvation for the rank and file is not possible apart from them.
I loved study and research, and the organization’s teachings held together for me until 1995. When the Governing Body rendered Jesus’ words regarding the generation that will not pass away until all these things occur meaningless in order to retain the 1914 chronology, I saw them regard their own tradition as more important than the clear words of Jesus. Over the next ten years I saw the effects on the leadership of having a less defined expectation of when the end would come while trying to sustain a sense of urgency within the membership. The increasing emphasis on the “faithful slave” and its governing body and the increasing demands that we trust and obey them replaced motivation based on the content of their teachings. This, I believe, was due to the Governing Body’s losing a measure of confidence in its own teachings and discerning the need to be more assertive in demanding loyalty and obedience. The emphasis on increased activity for its own sake replaced emphasis on that which properly motivates such activity. Over time, Barbara and I lost any joy we had in connection with the congregation. Our joy returned somewhat when we simply read the Bible. Our prior Bible reading had always been through the subjective lens of the organization’s teachings. A more objective reading provided an understanding of the marvels of God’s grace, as opposed to the limiting, condescending and guilt inducing “underserved kindness” of the New World Translation. It became more evident that, in the first century, it was the power of the holy spirit acting on individuals that made possible the spread of the good news about Jesus, not some central authority in Jerusalem. The importance of faith in Christ and his role as the singular mediator between God and man stood out as never before. Once we had sufficient indication from the Scriptures that there might be another way of understanding them, we made a thorough investigation of our religion, including its history and development.
By 2007 we could no longer in good conscience support the Organization. We would have probably come to this realization earlier had my mother not lived as long as she did. She was emotionally dependant on me, mainly because I was the only one of her children who had embraced her religion. I resigned from my congregation responsibilities and withdrew my participation in the Society’s music projects. Our leaving was abrupt, not gradual. Our closest friends shunned us from the start as we had shared with them some of our reasons for leaving.
The first year after leaving the congregation was harder on Barbara than on me. She is a social person who enjoys entertaining friends at our home. Naturally, it hurt us both to lose lifelong friends and realize the conditional nature of those friendships.
After two years of inactivity, I received an official call from a long-time friend inviting us to a judicial committee meeting. I was told that there was sufficient evidence that my teachings provided basis for judicial action. Our efforts to explain ourselves and even defend ourselves to our close friends and been construed as “teaching”. In reality, we never sought to “draw away” others from the Organization. When asked if I wanted to write a letter of disassociation, I declined. Barbara and I had previously decided that writing a disassociation letter was playing by their rules. This was their initiative and I wanted them to finish what they had started rather than to finish it for them. I declined, on behalf of both of us, the invitation to attend the judicial meeting. I knew, and thus stated, that the judicial committee would do as it is told. A few days later I was informed that we had been disfellowshipped for apostasy. I indicated that we would not appeal the decision.