How many DF'd and DA'd ex-JWs still believe it's the truth? (page 3)

agapa37

I Disassociated myself years ago but I still believe it is the truth. I have no guilt of not going to the meetings anymore or out in service but I do have a struggle with it. I wanna go but I CANNOT stand the people................I am depending on Jesus to be understanding in my case.

sacolton

I imagine they would enforce a "3 times and you're out for good" to DF'd members, but then they'd lose half their members.

I Disassociated myself years ago but I still believe it is the truth.

Are you serious? Even with all the facts being stated on this forum? 1914? 1925 "Resurrection of the Ancient Worthies"? 1975?

To just disassociate because you can't stand the people in your congregation must have been difficult to admit to the Elders, but I would
think you could have just went to a different KH. I don't mean to sound harsh, but if you're gonna disassociate - it should be because you
don't believe in their version of the "truth" or their doctrines.

I guess you'd be a good candidate to return if you wish.

anewme

I see the Watchtower now as a business. I worked for them for a while. I broke some conduct rules and was fired. I left. I cried. Then I realized it was just a business organization I worked for for 35 years for free. My stupid mistake! My tears stopped and I started living again!

Hey, we worked for a huge conglomeration for free for years! Whose fault is that?

When you go to work for somebody and you see the work, you hear the pay, and you accept the terms,
whose fault is it? When others are working for somebody else and getting more pay and more perks and happier than you, what should you do? If you stay for years in a job despite being miserable, whose fault is that? I know I know, it is hard to extricate ourselves from the jws. Families must separate and say goodbye forever. Friendships are ruined etc. But having gone through it myself I can definitely say
IT IS ALL WORTH IT!!!!! YESSIREEE!!! FREEDOM FROM THAT DAMN GROUP IS SWEEEEEET!

Everyone is naive at some point in their lives. We were naive and trusting. Ok, so we spent a little too much time and gave too much money to a false religion. There are worse things in the world.

It does no good to moan about the losses and lost past.

Lets look to tomorrow and the future!

SWEET FREEDOM FROM FALSE HOPES AND FALSE GUILT! TIME TO EMBRACE THE WORLD AGAIN WITH ALL ITS TROUBLES AND TRY TO CONTRIBUTE AND HELP IT IN SOME WAY. THIS IS OUR DUTY AND COMMISSION AS CARING HUMANS.

Anewme

Nellie

TIME TO EMBRACE THE WORLD AGAIN WITH ALL ITS TROUBLES AND TRY TO CONTRIBUTE AND HELP IT IN SOME WAY. THIS IS OUR DUTY AND COMMISSION AS CARING HUMANS.

Now THAT is a powerful statement and one that I wholeheartedly agree with! I have 2 goals in life . . . 1 - to raise my children to be kind, loving, spiritual, upstanding members of society and 2 - to try to make my world a better place. I'm not trying to save the world . . . just make my little portion of it a little bit better. I wasn't being true to those goals as a witness. I absolutely did not want to pass on the hangups and prejudices I saw other witness parents instilling in their children! And I didn't believe that the future new system negated our responsibility to be proactive in helping our current world. After all - none of us were guaranteed survival or resurrection, right? Why not do your best now, while hoping for the future.

Anyway that's all behind me now. I've left. And I grieve for those others who've left and yet haven't really. There's an old saying: "Shit or get off the bowl" . . . well if you've gotten off the bowl, why are you still squatting? You owe it to yourself to stand up and walk away!

LouBelle

agape - are you serious??? You still believe it's the truth? I'm shaking my head in total disbelief. Shew I'm sorry but if you don't mind me asking - HOW and WHY do you still believe that.

drew sagan

It is very common.

I think the biggest thing that effects people that leave is that they never realize that the image and ideals the Watchtower Society makes you blelieve are there are nothing more than a facade.

There is no "unity" as they like to claim. It is all a form of strict conformity. People do things (and refrain from doing things) many times out of fear, not because deep down in their heart they want to. There is a very strong sense of "believe this or die".

I would often wonder how you could really know if people where doing things in the Watchtower because it came from the heart, when there was always harsh social and psychological pressures (not to mention potential punishments) for them to do things.

The Watchtowers image of a global, unified, moral organization that is perfectly streamlined to accomplish the work of god is a false image. Not only does it not exist, it is totally impossible for something of that sort to honestly exist at all. The only way an organization can meet all those ideals is if they find ways to make it appear as if they are there, but not actually meet them.

So many people that leave still believe it was a legitimate thing and continue to blame themselves. Its a real shame.

Nellie

Drew, I agree. After you truly decide to move on, it's kind of scary. You have to start making your own choices about what you will or won't do! The safety net is gone. I remember the first October I considered letting my kids go out on Halloween. Before I made the decision I did research on it - What really is Halloween all about? I asked neighbors and friends who were Christians (of various faiths) how they thought about it and why. Then I decided that I wanted to do it. I decided that the image and "truth" about what I had been taught, wasn't in fact factual.

I now make a conscience effort to examine every decision to make sure that I'm not super-imposing what I "thought I knew" with the reality. It takes a while, but it's nice being able to explore who I really am and who I want to be.

Gayle

We read and listened hours a week for years/decades at least 95% WT interpretation, read so much into WT think. Ones after leaving have to "read, read, read" the facts about the WT organization to clear out and re-open our broken mind thought processes. The Watchtower organization put up man-made doctrination walls in our head. So many get 'stuck' there. It is baffling to me.

Faraon

Hi, Nellie:

I just got off the phone with my sister-in-law. We don't talk regularly at all - but today the discussion turned to our beliefs. She's DA'd herself 15 years ago, but she is still filled with guilt over not being able to live up to the standards of the witnesses. I left because I no longer believe - I have no guilt. It made me start thinking about this. How many others are like her out there? Do you have guilt? Has this forum helped you deal with it?

The only guilt I feel is about the people I might have led astray when I was a JW.
I used to blame the JWs, but in reality the root of their evil is the bible. I was lucky enough to read the first H2O before it turned pro WT. I was advised in a private email to read "Is It God's Word?" by Joseph Wheless. That opened enough my eyes to see the immorality contained in it.

I am an agnostic, but if I were to believe that the mythological Hebrew god exists, I would definitely not obey him. He acts more like a devil than a loving father. I would turn against a being like him. That goes for the Koran, and the Book of Mormon, which can be examined here:

http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com

Faraon

How many DF'd and DA'd ex-JWs still believe it's the truth?

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