What made you think?

by greenie 26 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  GLTirebiter

  I married one. Living under the watchful Watchtower eyes was enough to convince me!
• 

  asilentone

  This board did make me think! but I have been inactive for years before that, I was thinking about coming back to the org before I joined here, long story, but anyway, here I am.
• 

  shopaholic
• 

  Lillith26

  Studing alone, and skipping from book to book (WT issued) I notice discrepencies/contradictions between what was being taught.... then I noticed the story of the disciple Stephen had been altered in the NWT to read that he cryed out to Jehovah- In my NIV, it reads that he cryed out to Jesus..... I smelled a big fat rat! I questioned, got online, and all in one afternoon.... so for me it was like a lightning bolt! (a lightning bolt that could have struck 18months earlier- But I digress- it's over now:)).
• 

  The Oracle

  It was gradual for me.

  When you are born in to it - you the brainwashing runs very deep. So deep that even the most blatant and shocking evidence is dulled to the point where it barely sparks a doubt or question. Your brain dismisses anything anti-Jehovah's Witness as a product of the devil designed to discourage me...so you quickly suppress those questioning thoughts since you don't want the devil to get the better of you.

  Over time all those dulled sparks begin to mount and you can no longer dismiss the evidence.

  There were a couple of big ones that registered a little heavier than others for me if I think about it

  1) changing the generation teaching... it was a core doctrine. In my mind it shouldn't have changed if we had the truth

  2) Jehovah killing billions of people, and also being a god of love who hates violence. I had an epiphany over this one when I was old enough to develop my own moral compass. So much so, the only way I could carry on as a Witness was to quietly conclude that the governing body was wrong about this, and that eventually this teaching would change.

  3) The pedophile policy really shook me up. I got to see it at work first hand as an elder.

  The Oracle
• 

  greenie

  Thanks everyone! I wish my JW would start thinking. Sigh.

  The Oracle - I can see that at work in him - the born in brainwashing. It's painful to see because he is otherwise so incredibly intelligent.
• 

  Heaven

  In around age 15 to 16, several things occurred within a short time period that led me to the conclusion that I could never be a JW.

  1) Reading the "Your Youth" book where there were 2 paragraphs for the boys on sexual properness and 4 pages for the girls. Definitely sexist.

  2) At about the same time there was an article in a magazine or book (don't remember which ...yay!) that said I had to live in subjection/subjugation of my husband. I knew I could never do that as it didn't fit in with who I was as a person and what my life plans were.

  3) My mother announced around that same time that, after 15 to 16 years of drilling into my head that Darwin was wrong and that we were all Created, that there may actually be some truth to Evolution.

  Over the years, more and more crap happened within our family that just added to my gut feeling that the WTS and JWs were not of God or Jesus and were just as messed up as any other religion, maybe even more so.
• 

  wobble

  I was born in, so the kind of Cognitive Dissonance that The Oracle mentioned occurred with me.

  I was convinced from a young age that a lot of their stuff was wrong, especially the wacky stuff like great Bible prophecies being fulfilled by a little convention held at Cedar Point ( "bumblefuck ") Ohio in 1920's. etc.

  I continued to stay in ,foolishly feeling that as god had his name on the religion he must approve of it, even if they were slightly mad.

  I stopped preaching in early 2007 as I could no longer teach what was not in the Bible, namely the 1914 doctrine, which has no scriptural support.

  I waited for the Elders to come back to me with proof of this doctrine, none did.

  Then in early 2008 it struck me that the GB/FDS were blasphemously claiming for themselves the position that Jesus holds.

  I walked away after one meeting that came after the Memorial in 2008, never to return.

  Of course I have discovered much more since, mainly on here, but the above came to me while in, with no research on-line, when I did come on here and other sites I was so surprised, and relieved, to find others who had come to the same conclusions.

  Love

  Wobble

  p.s Oracle you have a PM !
• 

  iceguy

  I was trying to get re-instated and could'nt understand how they could reject my heartfelt letter of re-instatement. I was not sinning and felt my relationship with God was very strong and it made me question these men that think they control my salvation. I then looked at this site and others and was shocked at the history of the religion! Russell and the Pyramids just floored me and of course I knew the 1914 date was wrong!
• 

  sooner7nc

  I had a nagging doubt for as long as I can remember. You know, the kind that's just out of reach of your conscience thought, but there nevertheless. It took it's sweet time rising to the top.