by s0rt3d 25 Replies latest jw friends
I was absorbed the year I graduated from college. They presented themselves as having done an independent study of the bible to reach a better understanding of what it said. They claimed not to have a clergy, they didn't believe in the trinity or hell, they were opposed to war (a big one for me) and it gave me a group to belong to. I also liked the idea of living forever on earth.
I left when I realized that all of the above was bullshit.
Didn't have a choice, parents, grandparents, etc. My mom was physically abused by my father as was my sister and myself. For some reason I didn't think it was right that the elders told my mom she had to stay with her disfellowshipped husband because even though he hit her, he hadn't cheated on her, so we were stuck. Too many other examples of women being treated as second class citizens. I just started to fade and then the elders visited, so I quit, disassocciated myself before I did anything to get disfellowshiped for. That was 20 years ago.
My parents joined when I was a young child. I never questioned the teachings since I was a relatively happy and busy JW. Research while preparing a public talk raised some doubts on the WTS honesty. I found many instances where secular sources were misquoted to support WT arguments. The changes in the blood policy, the new light on the overlapping generations and the fact that all of these changes are accepted by everyone without scriptural evidence made me realize I was in a cult. Plus the fact that the end has been so close for the last 130 years...I am fading and hope to help close family members to come to the same realization.
WHAT GOT ME HOOKED:
A classmate gave me the book "Did Man Get Here by Evolution or by Creation?". We debated for a long time as I at the time believed in evolution. After I read her book I became convinced that creation was right. I was about 14 or 15. I read some pro evolution books trying to disprove what she was telling me. Because in the science texts at the time (mid sixties) there were many gaps in the fossil record and Piltdown Man had been shown to be a hoax, her arguments sounded convincing. So I began to change my beliefs. She then invited me to the Kingdom Hall and introduced me to the new publication "The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life" which she studied with me. My parents opposed the study but by then their persecution was "proof" of God's approval.
WHAT MADE ME LEAVE:
Fast forward to 2007, 40 years later. I read an article in our local newspaper referencing Kerry Louderback-Wood and her opposition to the JW teaching regarding refusal of blood transfusions. In the article was a link to www.ajwrb.org. I investigated. Not only did I read everything on that site, but I followed the links and kept reading and reading. A big part of that reading was lurking here on JWN. Everything I had been taught from the WT began to unravel. But I had a problem. My husband was the PO. And he was a born in. How could I start telling him that I no longer thought the Society was God's channel? I kept it strictly to myself for awhile. Then he started bringing up how he couldn't accept the story of a global flood. So I started researching information on the Biblical flood. Soon I felt comfortable enough to bring up other concerns as did he. While we have not officially left the organization we are planning our fade.
Reopened Mind
born in... I jsut thought there was nothing else ou there. They may not be perfect but somehow I was convinced they were god's chosen people.
What made me leave? Oh lots of things it was a process. 1st lack of love - 2nd the control elders think they had over me - 3rd reading Raymond Franz's books
Ditto, born in, many things did not add up over the years, 1914 was obviously a faulty doctrine, and many other things.
I still trusted though that God had an interest in the Organization, until the blatant demands for worship of the FDS/GB got so bad I left, at that point quite fearful for those left in that they may suffer Jehovah's rage for following the blasphemous GB.
Since I walked away in early 2008 the GB worship has got even more overt.
