JWF
Just know you are among friends now. We are here for whatever, and whenever you need us!
shelley
Can't live with...Can't live without....
by JWFreak 28 Replies latest jw friends
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yesidid
Dear JWFreak,
I so feel for you. My husband and I are in our 70?s and 60?s respectively and like you had only Witness friends
and associated only with Witness family. It is a very close family and is extremely precious to us.
We love them dearly as they do us.
For all concerned we have decided to do a slow fade. It has been four years.
In the beginning we were simultaneously angry, depressed, bitter, worried, frightened and at times,
distraught; we wanted to warn everybody, but knew that speaking about our new knowledge would alienate
our loyal Witness relatives.
We had been in the full time work for years and my husband had been in Bethel and had other positions
of responsibility. So our fading has not been easy.
What has helped us is finding Jesus. Absolutely not in a trinity sense but more putting Jesus in his rightful
position at the right hand of the Father. The writing department has diminished Jesus in favour of
the governing body, euphemistically called the Faithful and discreet Slave.
As Blondie has so often noted Jesus and Christianity are often overlooked in Witness literature in favor
of Hebrew examples. Just consider how many books and articles are about Jewish experiences and
examples compared with what we as CHRISTIANS should be looking to as examples.
Really it is a hybrid religion somewhere between Judaism and Christianity.
Getting back to our fading; so far it has worked well. Our family still includes us as lovingly as
before and we have even met some from the congregation who have talked and even hugged us.
Our Bible reading and study is an exciting adventure, just us and the Holy Spirit for guidance.
Our Bible understanding is no longer being hijacked. All in all things are improving.
I wish you well on a bumpy but exciting journey.
yesidid
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Honesty
A BIG thank you to THIRDWITNESS. Your ramblings trying to defend the indefensible...was what really opened my eyes. The Society is just so so wrong So again a BIG BIG Thank you
Welcome, JWF.
Yes, THIRDWITNESS has helped many 'New Ones' see that the Watchtower Society is a fraud.
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GoingGoingGone
Welcome JWF!
My story is a lot like yours... I've done the slow fade, and the JWs mostly ignore me now. It's a difficult road to travel, but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I'll never go back.
Welcome to freedom!
GGG
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jwfacts
Well come JWFreak and Doubting Bro. It is a terrible position to be in, but take strength from knowing that there are literally thousands on this board that have been through the same. There are some things about being a JW you will sorely miss, but leaving is so liberating that it is worth the hardship. Take your time. That is the most important thing. Give yourself time to sort things out, a year or more if possible. When you first see the truth you want to tell everyone, but will alienate 99% of JWs in the process. The indoctrination is so deep it takes a lot of thought before you any hope of helping anyone at all. Rather think about yourself first and what is going to be best for you, your individual circumstances and personality. Some choose to continue pretending to be a JW, some fade, others d/a, others to be d/f. It will take time to work through the initial emotions in order to be able to make a non emotive decision.
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sass_my_frass
Hi petal. Just take it slowly, be very gentle on yourself, and understand that it will take a long long long time to heal. In the meantime, learn more about yourself, challenge yourself with some new interests, and you'll meet people who you like because you're right for each other, not because you make each other feel good about what you believe in. I'm 33, I've been out for a year and a half, and I think I'm a child just starting to discover life. I'm looking forward to it!
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JWFreak
Thank you all for your continued support, there is some very GOOD people on this forum
JWF -
OnTheWayOut
I was right where you are at two months ago. Many were there or are there now. I was attending elders meetings, knowing I didn't belong there. I felt I had no place to turn to because family and friends were JW. I find much support here, and it's great to be able to vent, let it out, and somebody listens.
I have already made many positive steps toward getting out. I no longer am an elder. My wife is aware of my "doubts." I don't want to lose friends and family. Many choose to fade away, slowly, like me. Others decide they are ready to disassociate. Just keep reading, posting, meditating. You will know whatever it is that you need to do.
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OnTheWayOut
Consider this thread about getting out of the WTBTS the easy way: