Just got back from the Public Talk/WT study......very disappointed

by R.F. 43 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  JWdaughter

  Thanks for the timely reminder as to why we all left. . .I know , and I would never go back, but absence makes one forget the reality of the everyday ugliness-such as those lies about how JWs are the only ones who really come through in a crisis, how everyday pleasures are not necessary, and how that putting off joy will be richly repaid in the new system (after the carrion are sated with the rotting human flesh of our loved ones, neighbors and that cute little baby who smiled at us in the grocery).

  Thank you for the effective booster of BS repellant.
• 

  AK - Jeff

  RF -

  Thanx for the posting of this. May I be so bold as to interject here?

  The unfortunate fact is this; any effort to leave Jehovah's Witnesses has no graceful exit in it's title! Those who purport to 'love you', only do so conditionally. I don't blame them - they are controlled to think that way, as we once were. Unfortunately, the end of the matter is usually the same - they feel vindicated in your exit, as 'you were not of their sort' to begin with they say, and they cut off association with you whether disfellowshipped or not.

  It sounds as if [by your post] you are single. No mate makes an exit easier by far unless you are jointly in agreement with leaving. I do not berate those who 'fade' - my wife has basically pulled it off [though perhaps she is successful due to her having no interest in association with Jw's outside of her mom, and falling under my headship the elders don't come after her]. That said - the double life was not for me. I thought for a while that I could maintain the image of just 'falling to spiritual weakness', but my character would not allow that. So I went down in flame.

  In the end - you must decide. But likely, the outcome will just be delayed, as the Jw's cannot tolerate a dissident, even one who is far away. They like to put their hands to the stones and watch the blood spatter as they pelt you.

  Jeff
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  any effort to leave Jehovah's Witnesses has no graceful exit in it's title!

  Sort of agreeing with Jeff, fading is not usually going to give a graceful exit.
  Fading doesn't usually work out for friends and not as wonderful as hoped for family.

  Fading is primarily just a way to allow family members to keep associating with you
  without their JW alarms going off. They can eat with you, and visit your children or
  allow you to see theirs (in the case of grandparent and aunt/uncles) and they don't
  need to avoid you.

  Some have success more than that, but many have success less than that.

  I don't really see the harm in trying to fade successfully for any personal reasons,
  but be ready for it to hit the fan and fail. Enjoy relations to the best of your ability.
• 

  Terry

  How many of us could endure listening to explanations of why the earth is flat or why the sun goes round it?

  How many of us could stifle a laugh when the leeches were passed round to relieve a fever or the blood-letting to cure the cough?

  This IS the Kingdom Hall!

  Heads stuck up tight asses. Medeival distortions passed off as wisdom. Deranged self-congratulations for uncharitable tightwads.

  This is a vat of Kool-Aid tainted with flavor of sputum hacked up by rickety old men in Brooklyn delusional to the point of hallucination!

  And you took a big gulp!

  Lordy! Lordy!

  What do you think you will accomplish???
• 

  saywhat29

  Yes, I've always felt that was so effing weird, you know. It's this emphasis on the world being this scary, dark place where your children are snatched form your homes and people are dying left and right. And that's not to say that doesn't hapen, but other things happen, stuff thats not so bad, stuff that isn't either good or bad, things that are really, good and so on. That's life! If anything, and I think we can all attest to- by making the world a scary, dismal, and dark place they will make it hard for you to even consider going into or back to it because it's scary and/or there is nothing out there. Because I know when i was at first facing the idea of leaving it- to me it didn't matter (at first) whether it was true or not, it was the fact that "there is nothing out there!" in 'the world.' I mean imagine that- it doesn't matter of it is the truth, the world itself is a horrible place to be in.

  And I think that's why a lot of people stay. I mean, at times I ask my grandmother about scriptures and policies and ways and she is always pulling stuff out of her ass almost. She doesn't read all the time and couldn't give a single name of those on the Governing body, past or present.. but "this world is surely wicked and Jehovah has to come through and clean it up!" in her eyes and I bet thats the viewpoint of so many. Why even chalenge the WTBS when the world itself is so disgusting and evil.. why ruin the "only" good thing in the world for yourself?

  To me, I think its a silly perspective to have. "the world?" You are always going to be part of the world- you absorbed the culture, the language, the customs, the ethics... you can claim to be different all you want to, but the fact remains that everybody is a part of 'the world' whether they are watching R rated movies or not, throwing away evil smurf dolls or not, and so on.
• 

  keyser soze

  The thing that made me very disappointed was the fact that he mentioned disasters that happen and how JWs are the only ones there for people when disaster happens.

  They show up when other JWs are affected, or when kingdom halls are destroyed, but they don't care about anyone else. Did any of them lift a finger after 9/11?
• 

  tan

  That was such a good eye opener and made me feel good that I no longer believe that way. Live now and do as much as you can NOW. And to think that so many fall for that crap and do nothing with their pathetic lives.
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  Amber Rose

  It saddened me to hear of so many that put off things, many of the things that really aren't that costly either, to wait and do it in the "new system" because of being so busy with the door-to-door work.

  Yeah, you hear crap like that and it does sound pretty pathetic but I wouldn't feel too bad about it. Most of them were probably lying or just making excuses for being lazy or procrastinating about persuing their interests.
• 

  R.F.

  I'm glad this thread helps many of you.

  To AK- Jeff and OnTheWayOut:

  I think you're both right about the fading issue, however i've gotten to the point now, heck even a few minutes ago, that I don't care how it goes. I've stated lately that i'm only staying in now because of parents. Well my mom kept being friends with a disfellowshipped sister, so I know she wouldn't shun me. She doesn't really go to meetings much herself. Up until a couple of years ago she didn't go to meetings for years, but she's told others she goes now because of the stand I took for the "truth". That was when I was a company man all the way.

  My father is the one that tries to keep me on my toes. I love him, but alot of times I can't stand to be around him. I don't want him to stop talking to me just because of the org though. I must admit I still don't know where he stands on the issue though.

  So for me, fading is almost like temporary medicine until I find the cure. I need a little time to figure some things out, such as my father's thoughts, and what kind of situation it would put my mother in for me to just walk away from it. At the same time i'm now determined not to let the elders, the "friends", or the entire org to run my life anymore. If it comes to where the congo thinks i'm a dissenter then let them think that. I'm not so worried about how things work out anymore. Life is too short.

  R.F.
• 

  dontomas

  I acutally went to the KH yesterday and heard the talk - we actually had a good speaker. WT study was actually pretty good as there are some smart people in this congregation.

  You know, I try and try - I like most of the teachings, agree with many of them, but the love is just not there and I don' t need one more prying authoritarian institution in my life.

  DT