I was born and raised. Then I decided to stop believing in fairy tales. Once upon a time and happily ever after. Well it's actually more than that, but now that I think about it... talking snakes (and a talking Donkey =-) ). And they think it's ridiculous for our kids to believe in Santa or the tooth fairy? Or the easter bunny... Here comes Jesus... Hide the eggs. All in good fun.
Those raised as JWs-Do you recall the path of doubts that led you to leave?
by ithinkisee 49 Replies latest jw friends
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Mary
For me, ironically, it was the Society's own words and twisting of the scriptures that got me to thinking.
The first time I felt a shock was when I was 12 years old and attending the funeral of a sister who was (supposedly) of the annointed. For the first time I heard 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 that says: "...So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised up in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised up in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised up in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.
I always had my doubts about Jesus returning invisibly, because Matthew 24 clearly states that "every eye will see him". When I revealed my thoughts about this shortly before baptism, I was threatened with a "shepherding visit"----a terrifying prospect when you're 14 years old.
I remember hearing about how someone from the Governing Body had "turned apostate" in 1981 and a bunch of them had been DF'd. When I inquired as to what exactly they had done, I was told that it was "not my business" but that they had "let Satan into their minds". That didn't answer my question and I found it irritating that no one would clearly identify what 'apostates' were saying that could be a threat to "the Truth".
I remember being in a bookstore one day, spotting a book called "The Orweillian World of Jehovah's Witnesses". I started reading it and was shocked at what I was seeing. I wasn't ready yet to accept that this may not be "the Truth" and didn't look any further for several years. I think it was in the late 1990s when I first got the internet and found Crisis of Conscience. I ordered it and was completely stunned. I even tried blocking it out of my mind, but I couldn't. That, coupled with the 'generation' change in 1995, and further investigation as to the Society's history of false date-setting, flip flopping on doctrines, etc. finally did it.
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zack
At Pioneer Service School when the the instructor, my CO, said this: "Can you imagine? At just 37 years of age Nathan Knorr was appointed over Jesus belongings in the
whole Earth! And only 37! Can you just imagine."
At that moment, no I couldn't.
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XBEHERE
Good, thorough list ITIS.
While I am still in technically what lead me to be mentally free of the WT was being an elder for the passed 11 yrs. I got to see firsthand how unloving and pharisaical many elders are. They are power hungry, egotistical, selfish, back stabbing, morons. I saw how the PO would sit and complain to me about this elder, and that elder...then when I'd speak to "this" and "that" elder they would tell me how he would complain about me. Stars in the right hand of christ?!?!!??
The class system in most congregations also caused me to doubt that we were fulfulling John 13:35 to have love, the lack of genuine shepherding calls, I could go on and on but you get the point.
The final straw was watching that dateline on pedophiles and then a bulb went off in my head "what else can they be wrong about if they allow something this serious to go on". Went online, found this site and many others then finally read both of Ray Franz's books last summer and that was it.
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Zico
Good topic! I think the biggest problem for me as a 'youth' was the 'Sovereignty issue' It wasn't that I disagreed with it being in the bible, I couldn't understand how it was fair. I wanted to know why Jehovah didn't give man the chance to rule themselves as perfect humans. It seemed obvious to me that once you introduce death, sickness and imperfection into a world, it would be a struggle. I tried to put this out of my mind though, and felt guilty when I thought about it, because it meant questioning the perfect justice of Jehovah himself. I learnt of a Congregation where an elder had become apostate and took about 20 publishers away with him. I thought 'How could that happen? This is the truth, so what could he say that could possibly affect those publishers?' During a few months before I came to this board, one of my closest friends went from being a liberal JW to a very hardcore one in the space of a few weeks. I don't know what caused the change, but at the same time he went from being a close friend to the bain of my life. He got rid of all films not made by the Society, and all his video games, anything that could possibly be condemned by the Society. That was fine, what he wanted to do was his own prerogative, it became a problem when he tried to force me to follow his conscience choices, which severly restricted my own life for a few months. The problem was, that he could back up everything he stated was wrong with a WT article. I couldn't question it, and I wondered why my life would have to be so miserable and restricted if I followed what the WT was saying, and I thought 'Since nobody else is following things this closely, will they die at Armageddon?' Early paradise was going to have a very small group of people, and I wasn't sure I'd be there, as I learnt that I could never live up to the Society's standards. The first major doubt was 607. I'd recently discovered Wikipedia, I was using it for lots of things, and, out of curiousity, I thought 'I wonder what it says about Jehovah's Witnesses' It hadn't occured to me that apostates might use this site, I wasn't that afraid of apostates anyway, after all, I had 'The truth' so when I seen a section about 'criticisms' It didn't bother me, I didn't feel the need to skip it. I'd already guessed that they'd mention issues like blood, things that didn't concern me, but it was here when I first learned that 607 was not an absolute date. Although it didn't convince me that 607 was wrong, it was enough to tell me to research some more, until I was led here and discovered the real truth.
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mcsemike
This verse puts the "two witness rule" to death once and for all. I quote: Deut. 22:25-27.
This clearly states that the man was guilty but the woman was not because "she screamed but no one could hear her". If a child is being abused out of earshot, then no one can hear them scream. And children don't scream all the time but they scream in their hearts and minds. The point was that there was no one to rescue them, so they were NOT to blame.
Notice, please, that there is no "two witness" scenario here. It's her word against his. The same as an abuse victim. Even the law (Caesar) and all psychology professionals recognize that children rarely make up stories about being abused. People have been sentenced to death or life in prison based on the victims testimony. Where does the WT get off insisting that high school graduates know more than people with Doctorate degrees??
If the WT insists on having 2 witnesses, I now ask: How do you answer Deut.?? If you say the Law in no longer in effect, then STOP QUOTING ROM IT WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE A POINT AND CAN'T FIND A VERSE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT!! You hypocrites!!
I don't give a damn if an angel from Heaven came down and said "two witnesses". Child abuse transcends ANY "rules" you have. It also is more important than the Bible itself. If the Bible never had the verse in Deut. and had one hundred verses requiring 2 witnesses, I still maintain that the child is more important than the Bible. I don't think God wants children raped because people misunderstand the Bible. And if God himself insisted on 2 witnesses and child abuse continued because of it, then God has a problem.
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LongHairGal
I like the one about them saying that "apostates" use logic. So, therefore, JWs shouldn't use logic. What this means is that JWs should check their brains at the door and not think at all. Aren't we created as logical creatures? I also remember the saying that we "shouldn't trust our own judgment". Well then, why would I trust theirs or anybody else's???
They would deceive us into thinking we shouldn't use our brain and ignore all the danger signals that are crying out like sirens. Yeah, we should be caught up in the happy horseshit of creature worship which is quite revolting. The arrogance of these people who have made such presumptuous claims is staggering. I reject any modern day person who walks or crawls who makes any such divine claims - no matter what religion they belong to.
The average JW is so numb they don't realize how taken in they are.
LHG
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mcsemike
To longhairgal:
You can use brains while you are being "reasoned with" as a Bible study. After you get baptized, you turn Japanese, you leave your shoes at the door. Oh, you also leave your brains at the door. The Truth book invites all people to examine their religion. But that's not allowed AFTER you get wet, only before. Seeing that the old books aren't likely to be in the KH library, and most people don't have the time or interest to do Internet research, they aren't likely to find the WT's sordid past history.
We're allowed to use our brains to accept the WT's logic, but not anyone else's. This is classic cult thinking. "My mind is already made up, don't confuse me with the facts." What a sad way to use such a gift. Our brain is what makes us better than the animals, yet many JW's have IQ's lower than a plant. And for those who don't, they enter what I call the "lobotomy" mode whenever thinking about the WT's latest reasonings and flip-flops. Very sad. That would be bad enough, but the JW's then go out and gloat about how stupid the world is because they don't turn off 99% of their brains when they think about religion.
What is ironic is that JW's make such snotty comments at the door after it's been shut in their faces about how stupid or "close-minded" the householder was, when it's the JW's who are brainwashed. The WT has made thousands of statements that have either not come true or been discarded. I cannot fathom how anyone can still defend this cult as the truth and believe certain WT articles about how the slave has "consistently fed its readers reliable and trustworthy spiritual food" for over one hundred years. Yeah, right. If I had a dollar for every mistake or lie that the WT put out, I could buy that baby yacht I have my eye on down here. Only $250,000. I only need a little bit more for gas. Then I'll cruise the rivers in the USA and give out COC and other material for free.
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aarque
Hey Jaguarbass.... at least you were elsewhere for holiday parties in school.... when I was a kid, my mother seriously considered keeping my sibs and me out of school on the day of holiday parties. She spoke to the PO..who said that staying out of school when not sick was like lying and insisted that we attend school and sit through it, just to make a witness by our non-participation. It was really crappy to be sitting in the classroom while all the fun was going on and not doing anything. One girl in my 4th grade class felt so sorry for me that she gift wrapped a little package of kleenex and left it on my desk.
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hopelesslystained
***One girl in my 4th grade class felt so sorry for me that she gift wrapped a little package of kleenex and left it on my desk.***
Oh! that is so sad, made me cry...and remember when a couple of girls and boys in my 3rd or 4th (can't quite remember, it's been a long time) grade class put special valentines in an envelope for me expressing how they knew I did not believe in Valentines but they wanted to be my friends anyway.