leaving the wt - why? (page 2)

bamse

The lack of love was the last straw for me; I ran out of excuses for them....and realized it was emotionally and spiritually abusive to stay around.

That was Blondie's word. Just the way I discovered it.

The straw for me was something I didn't think had anything to do with the religion. I wanted very badly to break a couple of the rules, and was torn up over the fact that by doing do I was going to doom myself, children and husband if I dragged him along with me to die at Armaggedon by the hands of the God that I served my ENTIRE life, and never really got anything back from. I was however promised Paradise, that I JUST might make it into, but knew from a very young age I'd never make it to...see the first sentence. I craved "badness". Of which I won't get into now, but suffice it to say that once I did those things, stopped meetings, remembered the abuse of my sisters and I by my father, realized the congregation covered it over FOR him, DESPITE us for all those years, I grew disgusted. I figured I was already a toasted marshmellow....bird food if you will, that it wouldn't hurt it I at least looked for other people like me, that knew we were *just about to die. Soon. From God.

It became absolutely ridiculous, and the more I read, the more I realized that I was hiding from a fat rosy cheeked insufferable asshole behind the curtain, certainly not any Jehovah God persona, and I was certainly not going to die. Nor my children. Not for that.

Funny thing, once I allowed myself to do whatever was once bad...I didn't really want to do it anymore. I am however grateful it was what led me out of that "truth" and into LIFE.

Out at Last!

Pretty much the same reason as you, the hypocracy and slander that goes through a cong and circuit. That and the nonsense teachings.

keeshondgirl

I had a pile of doubts and unanswered questions pileing up in the back storage closet of my mind. The door was busting open and I had to address these things. The persistent lack of love I saw everywhere and the hypocrisy is what made me ignore the advice from watchtower land to not dig into 'the answering of unprofitable questions'. I finally arrived at this site and others and everything became a clear picture.

chigaimasmaro

I think one of the straws was seeing how people who may just need a little help are treated as evil do-ers and are shunned so heavily. I had a tough time reconciling shunning my older sister even though she hadnt done anything "wrong". I dont see how leaving someone to suffer by themselves cut off from everyone is is considered "loving".

Add to that was the amount of control elders and family members had / still have over my life. The feeling that i was constantly in the wrong for just trying to live a good life and decide things on my own weakened the camels back big time.

The one that broke it, trying to explain to other people my religious stance and sounding like an idiot. None of it made sense when I tried to teach it to someone with just using the bible. You HAD to use a book and stick HEAVILY with what the watchtower says, going outside of that and using what the biblical accounts actually SAYS, none of it sounds right or adds up. When God in the bible proposed something was part of prophecy, thats how it happened.. there wasnt any "Oops we got the wrong date" or "We have to change the information again.. cause the light got 'brighter'".

Hortenzie

I missed my old self...

AllTimeJeff

At first, it was rather selfish, (and I maintain, its not only proper, but right to do this for yourself): To wit, why promote a religion and way of life that has hurt you for senseless, defenseless reasons?

JW's are always fond of pointing out how bitter those who leave are. How convenient! Of course, this is tantamount to condemning the 9/11 widows for being pissed off because of what happened to their partners. (remember that? there was some backlash)

JW's hurt me, destroyed my marriage, and as an elder and missionary, I got to see how they destroyed other people and families as well. I was almost killed in an overseas country that ships young indoctrinated people overseas in groups of 50 twice a year to spread their poisonous propaganda to the ignorant in ill informed. How could I promote that? How could I stay in it?

I firmly believe that the reason to leave must always be personal, whatever personal reason it is for each individual. Without real damage, unfortunately, people will stay around with a dull sense of pain and a dull questioning of why they are in pain, never realizing that the reason is the cult they belong to.

WTWizard

When they tell me to just meet other men, there is no way I am ever going to be loyal to them again--in fact, I left in such a way to maximize their waste of time and resources between two different congregations to find out why.

dissed

Lack of love among the JW's that I witnessed got me thinking, but the actual straw was a visit from the CO.

During an Elders meeting, I had a mild disagreement with him, nothing big, but he lost all self control, stood up to my face, yelling and pointing his finger. My PO had to calm him down.

On Sunday AM, my PO warned me this would be really bad and he was sorry. Then the CO came up to me, dismissed the PO and told me, because of my beligerent attitude, he was removing me of all my priviledges with the RBC, circuit, and I was off the service comittee, would only be allowed to conduct the book study and continue Pioneering.

Remember, he was the one who lost his cool.

This is when it gets good. He threatened me that if I challenged the report. He would remove me as an Elder or worse, have me DF'd for challenging him. Then he made a pointed suggestion, 'why don't you and your wife do us all a favor and just leave the organization?'

I polled the Elders later that evening, we only had 3, and there were divided as to how to handle it, so I just dropped it, went quietly along with the discipline. One year later, when all my priviledges were restored, I quit. I didn't want to do it anymore.

My wife was very happy with the decision and thankfully followed me.

troubled mind

I was tired of always feeling unhappy .Never good enough . I could not do enough to fit in with the super dubs .

When the Elders told me the Society was not a 'social out source ' but only concerned with the Preaching work it dawned on me there was a huge problem .I had asked them to help a newly interested one that was in a very bad situation ,(an 18 yr old orphan out in the middle of winter with nothing ). They could not even show the kindness of the "Good Samaritan " ? Why ? Because of Society procedure ? The only reason they finally came to any type of aid was because I threatened to go to the town Churches for help !

I began to feel I didn't know what I believed anymore because I had become accustomed to just believe what I was told to believe . As my son puts it ...JW don't teach people HOW to think only What to think ... I was following someone else's conscience not my own .

When my elderly faithful JW Mother had life threatening condition in the hospital, Who was there to support me ? My Disassociated brother that I had on and off again shunned for many years ! It wasn't the so called "Spiritual family " I supposedly had at the hall .

The final straw was the magazine that came out with the graphs showing acceptable and non-acceptable blood fractions for transfusion . This was a hard SLAP in the face as a wake up stupid call . I had just been researching because of serious open heart surgeries for my Mom and Sister both JW's . Trying to explain to them these 'new' Watchtower articles and they both kept saying It's over our heads we will do whatever the Brothers say is Okay they know best ! OMG they were putting their very lives in the hands of liars . To me it was a LIE to tell people for years No Blood means No Blood and then subtly start adding articles that allow this part of blood and that part ,but oops No we can't have that little part there ! WTF, Why are not more Witnesses upset about this !

That is when I left ......then I read more on JWD and found out about the UN scandle ,Ray's books ,and the abuse cases .......that's what all confirmed I had made the right decision to leave .

leaving the wt - why?