Should I contact the Society and tell them I want out? (page 3)

Billen76

btw.

I send a letter to revoke my baptism, arguing I was legally a minor and could not make the binding vow's of the ritual membership, JW's baptism really are. The only response I have gotten is a letter from Bethel (in Denmark) where they wrote (my translation):

Dear XXX

We have recieved your letter of [date] where you ask us for annulment of your baptism.

The baptism is a deeply personal step the individual takes in relationsship to God. We therefore have no authority or possibility to annul that step.

In regard to your relationship to the assembly of Jehovahs Witnesses it has allready been terminated. We can confirm that you are not considered as one of Jehovahs Witnesses.

With Regards

Jorgen Larsen

Jehovahs Witnesses

(I asked my father, who is tied to my last congregation I went to, and he told me I had never been DF'd)

The Danish Branch Office

VM44

I recommend that you do NOT contact them.

Right now they very likely don't know anything about you, don't know where you are, and have no paperwork on you.

Writing to them will cause them to start a file on you.

Why do that? The Watchtower really doesn't care about the individual person, especially when the person wants to leave them.

All that The Watchtower Organization is concerned about is itself!

Scully

Essentially, you are free of the Organization™. You have escaped and are living life on your own terms now.

Maybe it's just me, but to go back and tell them you want out is signalling them that they still have authority over you. Why on earth would you want to give them that? You owe them NOTHING. Why go looking for trouble? Your life can't possibly be so boring and dull that you need a run-in with JW Elders™ to spice things up a bit.

It would be like avoiding a hornet's nest successfully for 8 years and then going over with a stick and start poking and jabbing at it. Or like tiptoeing past a sleeping bull only to run back a while later and stomp on its tail.

Band on the Run

I think people who encourage people to sunder family ties in antiWitness zeal are not realistic. Humans need other humans - and dogs but not cats. I feared rejection so keenly. My family has been active since Russell. Several Bethelites. Maybe it was b/c of what they saw at Bethel. Time and time again Jehovah fearing achievers were derided for some snazzy personality not based on merit. In fact, with Knorr and Rutherford, popularity meant your death warrant. My uncle once told Knorr to find his own stool pigeon. e was such a meek Christian. Not Witness, Christian. I chose college, voting, dancing, dating, etc. They just looked the other way. Even at a Christmas tree. I never would have predicted it.

I am now an Anglican. Why tell the Witnesses when I change parishes? They will n ot engage with you on the merits or not without 60 brothers in attendance and one sister to prevent sex. Deny their legitimacy. I adore the rosary beads on the KH door handle. God, I'd do it randomly for a while. Of course, then they would know my hatred. The absence of love is not hatred. Hatred binds more strongly than love. The true absence of love is indifference. Would you notify the Pope? W peould you get a fatwa from the Taliban? I say go with cheap rosary beads. If you see no security cams? Revel in your freedom. I burned my New World Translation in an Andy Warhol soup can! I thought it was fireproof. It was not. Fire is scary. It refines and purifies.

Oh, the priest says baptism days should be celebrated with ice cream and parties and toys. Make a joyful noise to the Lord who is not Jehovah, never was and never will be. Jehovah is Satan purified. Only a few ignorant people use Jehovah.

Billen76

VM44 wrote: "Why do that?"

I did it, because wanted to file my personal protest against the baptism and bondage of minors and because I wished to put an end to the concerns about if I was a JW or not. I also wished to make it clear to my family, that they should make themselves any hope for me getting back into JW and if relationsship was broken (it allready was after I stopped attending meetings) it was because they chose the Org. over me. I would not live with, getting a good relationship with my family again, only to live in fear of loosing it again, if I did not behave according to WTS rules. Now they will have to decide if they will have a relationship with me in spite of me publicly denouncing my membership in JW.

VM44 wrote: "Right now they very likely don't know anything about you, don't know where you are, and have no paperwork on you."

Untrue (probably). They keep the records in the last congregation one were active in, if they follow the instructions. They are even to visit one once every year to try and convince you to go back.

VM44 wrote: "The Watchtower really doesn't care about the individual person, especially when the person wants to leave them."

That depends wether you are regarded as "dangerous". Meaning, that if you are known to converse with "apostates" and witnesses at the same time, elders are instructed to take action to ensue the "spiritual safety" of the congregation. Meaning, they will seek an excuse to DF you and warn the congregation against you. This also may happen, if one witnesses "conscience" is "disturbed" after watching you doing something you by WTS rules are ot supposed to do (ex. smoking). If you associate with witnesses (family or friends) they may take action to "protect" the congregation against your "bad influence". Also, if you have criticism, you need to be incognito, else....

I'd rather liberate myself from that concern and write them off all together. I don't care if they have any paperwork on me now. I'm not going to get myself involved with them again anyway.

A question, VM44: Who is the Org.? Which people make out the Org.?

VM44

Hi Billin76,

I agree with you mostly.

It all depends upon what an individual wants to do.

If a person has been away for years, has no friends or family in the Organization, and has had no contact with the elders or JWs for years, AND the person desires no further contact with The Watchtower, then certaintly they would not want to write to the local congregation or the branch office to annouce that they "want out". Writing a letter might well result in elders paying a visit to the person's home!

Eight years of being away would constitute being "out" of the Organization in my opinion. No letter is required.

Billen76

@VM44

I know it depends, but sinis would not ask this, if he/she did not feel a need for it. No matter if it is sinis' surroundings that wonder or it is an inner need to break ties finally, as soon as one starts asking oneself that question, I think one should do it.

Also, when talking about the baptism vows taken when a minor, I firmly believe such vows should not be taken by minors. The JW baptism is nothing more than an ritual membership, which minors should not be able to make valid vows (public witnessed = signed contract). There should be a protest against this practice.

Curiously I did not get DF'd with my letter. I did not state I wished out, but that I did not consider my vows taken as a minor valid (and I therefore was not a member of JW). I requested they'd respect my viewpoint and annulled the baptism on my request and according to my wishes.

I do not know if they have made attempts to contact me since, but I do not care if they try to nor if I get/have gotten DF'd. They got no hold on me.

With that said, be aware about them making rumors. They can be quite nasty.

itsbeenalongtime

I think if it bothers you to still be apart of the org, I would mail the letter......................However for me out of sight out of mind.....And why give them anything to say about you. You do not owe them anything, and if your family member chose to shun you then that is her choice, not your fault. You can not feel guility for what another chose to do.

I personally would not waste my time after being out so long anyway.....They aren't worth the stamp its going to cost you to mail the letter...

Snoozy

Sinus, I did it for the same reason..I wanted them to know that I no longer wanted to be associated with them. I no longer agreed with their teachings or the way they treated their members..

I wrote them a letter to disassociate myself. At the time it was what I needed. now I see it as why even bother? They have no power over me that I would have to tell them what I am doing..

I would just quit going and leave it at that, especially if I had relatives in the religion.

But if someone had told me that back then, I probably still would have wrote the letter..

I also thought in doing so I could regain my earlier baptism of being a Catholic (being taken off the JW books so to speak)...

Snoozy

ps..I edited this to add that I had incriminating evidence against the local congregation at the time and wrote the info in my letter. Showing one reason why I was leaving. I wanted to add that NO ONE ever called on me after that. They didn' t want to stir the pot so to speak..

A few years ago my JW MIL asked the brothers in her congegation if it was OK to associate with me and they supposedly sent away for a copy of my letter. Upon receiving it they told her I had NOT been disfellowshipped but to not talk about religion with me.

Years later I wrote and asked for a copy of my letter ( Since the brothers had gotten a copy and I had forgotten to make a copy at the time).
My request was denied. (They didin't want me to have the evidence)..they said it was now their personal posession. I have been told I could probably get a lawyer and he could get me a copy but I figured it wasn't worth my money or my time.

Anony Mous

If you've been gone long enough and are no longer considered 'one of them' and nobody talks about you (you have no family in the KH) they won't even announce it. You must put in that you refuse all contact though otherwise they'll be on your doorstep every year.

Should I contact the Society and tell them I want out?

Share this