Hello, I am totally new to this forum (only my second day and post), I have been out of the organization for about 6 years. I was raised a witness and we stopped going when I was 11 and I returned at 18 years old after a 7 year deal with partying, girls, drinking and so forth. I became a pioneer, MS and eventually an elder who later became very disappointed in the org. Eventually I couldn't continue to follow UNSCRIPTURAL beliefs and teachings and slowed way down. My ex wife would turn me into elder after elder seeking a divorce and trying to get me DF'd, after many meetings where I had elders who wouldn't answer my questions or realized that I knew of their "good ole boy system" of drunkeness, lying, cheating in business, HATRED of fellow humans (brothers), incest, and every imaginable sin that they condemn the world for, going on in the congr, they would no longer meet with me as they had no answers for their conduct Romans 2:1-3 which says 1 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?.
vss 17-24 also is fitting here as it applies to what all of us have witnessed in the organization when Paul states 17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. 18 You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. 19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.
21 Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? [ b ] 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.” [
Well eventually after the last meeting, she did leave me and I suspected her of cheating on me AGAIN, as I caught her in our fifth year of marriage and we were now facing our 20th, she would never answer me and left my daughter who was then 16, she ran to the comfort of her powerful and rich family who controlled most of the congr's in our area as they were the servant body or influenced them with jobs and so forth. They eventually had hundreds of witnesses in our area to believe I was an apostate and violent, the witnesses would LITERALLY run from me in stores and public places, I am totally non violent and have never even punched a wall yet alone a person, hardly and rarely curse and even then completely feel bad afterward. It was totally untrue and she was granted her divorce based on Spiritual Endangerment, ha, where do you find that scripture? Oh well, we will all have to answer for our actions and false teachings, however as I was saying about my daughter and I. It shattered my daughters life as my ex finally got both of us DF'd, she never had to face me for any suspicions of adultery, hid behind the elders in meetings without me, agian totally unscriptural as it completely goes against every step of headship starting with Jah to Christ to the husband 1 COR 11:3 and 1 COR 14:34,35, she changed her name after the first week of separation, filed for the divorce and was completely exonterated by the congr as I moved on with my life and new wife with my daughter, 8 months after her divorcing Jehovah God and her faithful non-violent husband of 20 years, who never asked her to work one day and pay one bill, but who supported her in the pioneer work as she lived in three brand new houses and drove luxery cars, had over 25K of jewerly on 5 rings, expensive vacations, (BUT WHO JUST WOULDN"T GO ALONG WITH THE WITNESSES ANYMORE). The witnesses ruined my faith in God for about two years as I realized I put my faith in an organization instead of God and His Son. My daughter suffered for years for the abandonment by her family and mother, needed counceling, she is doing much better even though she has good and bad days. It has taken time but now I have a loving family who love me for who I am, and my faith is now restored stonger than ever in Jah and His Son where is should have been all along. I try to read the Bible about 2-3 times a year, with deep heartfelt prayer and asking for His guidance as I read to draw close to God. The way I look at it, the org has it's own rules it applies to its members which are not God given rules. I have come to peace with it and have asked God to forgive them as I feel that Romans 3:4 applies to all us us which says, Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about him,
“You will be proved right in what you say,
and you will win your case in court.”
None of us are right with God and I beleive that in the end, God will prove all of us liars, hopefully we can have enough humility instead of the arrogance that is associated with this religion in its condemnation of the everyone that is not a Witness. If not going to the meetings ruins your marriage, may it not ruin your most prized relationship with our Creator and His Son. When eventually He will satisfy everyone of our desires, whether in this life of the next, where the real life lies. I wish you well my brother and as the Ps put it in 27:10-14 says
10 Even if my father and mother abandon me,
the L ord will hold me close.
11 Teach me how to live, O L ord .
Lead me along the right path,
for my enemies are waiting for me.
12 Do not let me fall into their hands.
For they accuse me of things I’ve never done;
with every breath they threaten me with violence.
13 Yet I am confident I will see the L ord ’s goodness
while I am here in the land of the living.
14 Wait patiently for the L ord .
Be brave and courageous.
Yes, wait patiently for the L ord .
He will lead you in the right path no matter what others may condemn you of or leave you, He is always faithful and knows all things, as Paul put it best in 1 Cor 4: 2-5 says
2 Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 As for me, it matters very little how I might be evaluated by you or by any human authority. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide. 5 So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.
You cannot stop what is going to happen, but you can change how you will handle it, how you will deal with it, how it will affect your relationship with your Creator and His Son, as Is 41 says, he will take hold of you with His right hand and he will not let the righteous fall or totter. Have faith in what you know is true, as Jesus said the truth is God's Word, the Light is His Son, the Way is through Him. It is not man made teachings that are claimed the truth, the light or the way. The way I look at it, if I am going to err, I am going to err on the side of reading and trusting the Bible not man made teachings or writings, I don't believe you can go wrong with that. Throw it on God and He will sustain you. I hope this helps in just a little way as our only and pure comfort lies with God and His Son with the promised HS,
