How I always remember having that one question lurking in the back of my mind when I thought about leaving the organization in my middle teens " what if Jehovah's Witnesses are right?" I never left in my middle teens because the fear that the Organization's patsy's had inculcated in me about dying at Armegeddon was just too strong. I remember that if I ever questioned, did something that elder's didn't like, or agitated one of the old-timers at the Kingdom Hall the conversations with these people would convienently turn to talk of Armeggedon and what type of people Jehovah would destroy, all the meanwhile, there would be nuances in their statements that the type of person Jehovah would destroy was me!! Seriously, the PO in my first kingdom hall always threatened me with death and destruction at the hands of Jehovah if I "grossly misbehaved." His definition of gross misbehavior was questioning things, doing worldy organized sports, having friends at school, being a nusiance out in field service, talking back to my parents, and such. NOW MIND YOU HE WAS TELLING ME THIS WHEN I WAS 7-8 years old! We all know that kid's will be kids at that age...but in the organization there is no such thing as childhood your expected to be an adult.
When I was around 15...I remember remarking to my Mom " The people that go to the meetings are scared to death of their own mortality and cannot accept that all living things must die and that's why they are at the KH...their grasping at straws...I am of the opinion why worry about something you cannot prevent?" It caused a big stir with My Mom
I don't know AuldSoul but do you remember this lame phrase from the platform " Even if Jehovah did not hold the promise of everlasting life out before us we would still serve him out of love the reason why we serve Jehovah in the first place is because out of love. We shouldn't find serving Jehovah a burden..."
I remember snickering to myself at that meeting and said " No were all here because we don't want to die and are afraid of dying at Armeggedon we don't love this tyrant whom we call Jehovah..."
That whole religion is based upon fear of dying...and thats how they keep control over the flock...(which we already know) I personally find the idea of letting the human race suffer so that Satan the Devil could prove his point that no human if given the free will or incentive to serve god would is utterly despicable...It sort of contradicts what the bible says at 1st John 4:8 " God is love." HOW IS HE LOVE if he lets the human race suffer so Satan the Devil can try to prove his idiotic point? It all seems rather academic to me...
I don't fear Death anymore...To fear death is to allow others to exert control over you whether that be the Watchtower or the nations of the earth that use the fear of death to govern... I rather go down fighting for what I believe in than submitting to tyranny...To me submitting is an act of a coward...and I didn't like being a coward....so I finally resolved in my heart to leave the organization...
Far as I am concerned now the Organization can burn for all I care
General