For born ins- what tipped you off it was wrong (page 5)

Quillsky

A few years ago when we still had the bookstudy in a small group at the K.H. a man that stood about 6ft. 6in. weighing about 350lbs. walked in to the hall. Upon noticing him I got up and walked to the back and directed him to the foyer so that we could talk (really I wanted to get him far enough away from my wife and kids just in case he was up to no good). He was dressed in ripped up clothing, was smelly, and dirty. I asked if I could help him. He said that he could use a donation from our "church" so that he could get some clean clothes and a hotel room. I told him that our organization did not have a program to care for those in need. As the words were coming out of my mouth I felt sheepish. He said that he had received money from many other churches over the years when he asked. I apologized to him and said that I would ask those in attendence at the study if anyone could help, as it was just ending. I went into the main hall to let my wife know where I had been. When I went back to the foyer the conductor was telling this man that this was no a charity organization and that he would not be given any money and that he would have to leave. I hadn't even had a chance to ask anyone about money yet when I walked up on this conversation. I asked another couple if they could take my wife and kids home, they said yes. So I told this man to go to my car and I would take him to get something to eat buy some clothes and get a hotel for two nights, but that was all I could afford. The conductor started to object. I told him to mind his own business, Jesus would do it too. As we were leaving a single brother jumped in the car and said he wated to split the cost with me. We bought two pants shirt combo,fed him, and put him up. The conversations with the big man, the single brother, my wife, and the coductor will have to wait for another time.

70-Years, what a heart-warming story. Good for you.

For me it was so many things, but primarily the basic doctrine that "Jehovah" is about to kill so many good people. Oh and reporting field service time. That just felt wrong on so many levels.

@Quillsky- It felt good too. The single brother and myself sat with this man for about an hour in the room at the hotel that he wanted to stay in (a little scary but that is what he wanted). We apologized for the way that our conductor had spoken to him. The big guy said he was happy that we didn't just give him cash and send him on the bus.

Then he asked me if all the people in our church acted like conductor. I had to honestly tell him yes, most. Then he asked me a question I'll never forget. "Why do you stay? You seem better than that." This conversation changed my life forever. I decided that I needed to make the truth my own. Not according to FDS, but according to any and all scripture and commentary I could get my hands on.

After making it clear to myself that I never had the truth I decided to hit the evil internet to really dig into the shady hypocracy of the FDS. What an eye opening experience!

The night of that study my wife and I discussed all the little things that bugged us, but she said she would wait on the "slave." After the Memorial a couple of days age I told her everything that I've learned. She hasn't been able to process it all yet, but to my relief she didn't brush it all aside she wants to know what I found.

I wish I could see the big guy again and thank him. I'm a 4th gen JW. I have a huge close knit family and extended family all in the "truth". I'm not sure how this is going to go, but it is something that I can't ignore anymore.

70

Georgiegirl

Born in. True believer in the doctrine.

607 --> 1914. Found out that wasn't true and my world came tumbling down. In the same night, found out about JWs being an NGO/UN connection.

That was it. Of course, then it took a couple of years to finally sever all ties and go through therapy to get my head screwed back on straight.

sooner7nc

For as far back as I can remember, pretty far, I suspected that something was fundamentally flawed with this religion. I can remember as a child of 8 or 9 thinking that "this doesn't make sense". But I guess that you can supress any thought with the right training.

AllTimeJeff

After the suicide of my disfellowshiped brother, I barely showed any emotion, because I didn't know if I was allowed, and was told that I would cry once and get over it. After a couple of weeks, I reflected on the life of my brother that barely got started, and why I wasn't allowed to help him in his time of need. It wasn't right, and it never set well with me.

Watching the events of 9/11/2001, and coming to the realization that THIS really was just like the GB painted Armageddon to be. And I would be happy watching 7 billion people go through what those thousands of people did, all getting their just punishment of death because they didn't accept that Watchtower magazine from that 8 year old girl and as a result, never became a lucky JW like me?

Having to deal with sleazy pedophiles. Having to disfellowship people and watch them suffer, along with their families. Seeing how truly UNHAPPY the majority of JW's really were, not because of life, but because of their JW obligations.

nelly136

do as we say not as we do. apearance sake was paramount, the reality was something else.

designs

Ran into a couple of old Witness friends and actually had dinner with them, funny hearing them talk about The Great Tribulation and Armageddon and coming persecution, very detached from this life. One of the two guys I don't think could function very well without a high control group telling him his every move. The other one just wanted out of this 'system'.

Ah the good ol days...........

'Do a little good each day'

eyesthatsee

Top 10 JW Issues as a 'Born-in'

(1) Writing their own Bible

(2) Hypocrisy of 'question your religious heritage' - unless it's us

(3) Laughable mis-quotes of scientists to support their own story of creation

(4) Killing men, women and children with a man-made set of rules on blood

(5) False prophet and then spinning their own theocratic history - dishonesty and more lies

(6) The shame of chairing judicial commitees that ruined peoples' lives, using man's rules and forgetting about the love of Jesus

(7) Mushroom religion - keep the dubs in the dark (on pain of DF) and sh*t on them (generation changes etc.........)

(8) Deprive children of the basic human right of an education

(9) Brainwashing techniques, including baptism of children (it is a lie when they say they don't)

(10) Protect the organisation first and foremost (paedophiles, instruction to contact Society 1st if accident on ministry etc etc)

ETS

Crisis of Conscience

I'm what I consider 'somewhat' of a born in. I remember celebrating some holidays. But up until age seven, those declined more and more until they fizzled out since my parents had already been studying for a number of years.

Anyhow, what tipped me off was the double standards that I have seen in different situations.

I really started to notice it when I served at the "House of God", Bethel. I definitely did not expect to see that there, since it was always given the impression of holier than thou. But it made such a strong impression in my young mind that at this stage in my life, I can no longer ignore it. Not to mention that the double standards list has grown longer as I've gotten older and became more "active" in the org.

Now I'm on a steady decline, yet rather content. But the JW's will never believe that. Whatever.

CoC

StAnn

For me, after I was DF'd, I sincerely thought I would try to get reinstated. I still believed it! But the very moment I was DF'd, all of my coworkers who had kept their mouths shut for years started telling me what they really thought about the WTS. I was shocked but it helped me to see the Borg through a different lens. I started to read "forbidden" books, i.e., commentaries written by people of various religions to see what they really taught, and then I went to college. First week in history class, I learned 607 BCE was the wrong date! I was very surprised to learn that everything the WTS had told me about all of the other religions in the world was a lie.

I wonder now if anything they've ever taught about anything had even a grain of truth in it.

For born ins- what tipped you off it was wrong