State your "epiphany moment " for leaving the WT

by caliber 51 Replies latest jw friends

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  Was New Boy
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  caliber

  P.S. palmtree67

  I've missed you, Caliber. Say "hi" to Hope, too.

  awww... you are so sweet Palmtree .... thanks so much for your expressions & yes I will say hi to hope

  Kind words surely do boost the heart and make ones day !!! thanks
• 

  SirNose586

  There were a few things that put me over the edge, but I think it was seeing my sister get hugs from all of her "friends" once she was reinstated. I thought, "You hypocrites, just last week she was dead to you, and now she's your friend?"

  I held onto that anger, and it gave me the resolve to have nothing to do with those people.
• 

  TheJigsUp

  i had lived a life of debauchery, i knew it was in my best interests to get away from it, so i decided to go back to the bible i once knew.

  i quit the crap i was involved with, and i started to read my bible again.

  i had been given a very old bible, i dont know where it came from.

  and i used it for reference. this was just before the internet in fact. maybe about the same time as it took off, about 91.

  it turned out the bible was an old bible students bible or something. it had 1914 as the end of the world and russels name in it no less.

  that started an awakening, and even a mental breakdown after finding out my whole world was false.

  i looked through the pc watchtower library and found things that upset me.

  then i found more in the 'big' reference bible

  i had a total breakdown.

  looooong story that i cant be bothered to type. along with everything else that went with it.

  really, i cant be bothered. but i found out the old fashioned way.

  and many years later.. and many many thing i also truthfully cannot be bothered to type,

  here i am now.

  life is lonely in my understanding of things.

  thats just the way it is. boo hoo.

  but i sincerely wish the best on those exiting.

  it is, an unbelievably painful experience having your whole world and understanding of absolutely everything

  pulled out, like a rug, from beneath you.

  and to endure it alone without this, that we have here, the meeting up on this internet.

  and all that comes with it. im sorry for those that have the experience,

  yet im gratified and proud of those that saw through the lies.

  i cant be bothered to say anymore. but i wish you the best.
• 

  TheJigsUp

  truth be told, its a very complicated and curious story, hahaha, but really i cant be bothered to type it at all. hahaha
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  DagothUr

  I had more that one epiphany. One of them was the reading of those 2 brochures about life and how it appeared, through Evolution or through Creation. I'm no stranger to the field of biology and they could not bull...it me. Then I realized all the Christian teachings are s...t. Another epiphany was when I once read my blood directive, that infamous little paper. I asked myself "if you would have a car accident, would you be willing to refuse blood and die?" and I answered "Hell, no, where was I thinking these years?!".
• 

  MrFreeze

  I haven't really had my heart in it for years. I went through the motions, mainly to please my mom. I told the elders I couldn't reg pioneer anymore. Before one meeting they said "can you stay after the meeting so we can talk about you coming off the pioneer list". I realized that those people didn't care about my circumstances. I worked full time. I could not pioneer. I couldn't reasonably get the hours. I had been putting in maybe 2 hours per month. I put maybe 10 or 12 on my slip. They still wanted me to pioneer. It was all for appearances in the congregation. During the meeting, I pondered over the talk I would have with the elders about me coming off the list during that meeting. I started to feel sick to my stomach. I decided to let it all out to them. I did and I have not been back to the Kingdom Hall since.

  I thank them for not leaving well enough alone. It prompted me to action. I am so glad I left. Towards the end of my JW tenure, it would make me sick to my stomach to be at the meetings. I grew to hate the meetings and myself for living this lie and wasted life. I hate this religion.
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  GOrwell

  It's somewhat hard to say. I was seriously depressed and decided to go on a trip. All that time alone gave me time to think about most things WTS-related. At this point, I wasn't even looking @ 'apostate' websites or anything of that 'sort,' so it my was own brain working at this point. I went to the summer convention, and after that, completely disappeared from the congregation. I didn't see anyone or talk to anyone in the congregation for 3 entire months. No one called or visited. One day, when praying in tears, I realized that there was no one on the other 'end' of the call, so to speak. That was the start of reading lots of information about religion and God in general etc..
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  chigaimasmaro

  It was a chilly sunday in January, prior to that I had been preaching pretty strongly for a little over a year trying to build up pioneer hours, but the months leading up to that sunday, I hadnt be preaching or coming to the meetings as much because of health issues that get worse in the winter and almost everyone in the hall said they knew and understood my issues, although they would always say I should still be present at the hall. It was that ONE chilly sunday... I was finally well enough to go to a meeting and an elder pulled me aside.

  "You haven't been making the same progress as you've been over the past couple of months. Is there anything wrong?"

  "Not anything unusual, just my skin issues and pain. But I'm sure things will get better in the spring. thats what I'm waiting for."

  (I had a bible study during this time, and someone was subbing for me because I was sick)

  "Well, your bible study has made fine progress. We hope you continue to make fine progress as well. We understand your health issues and how you like to associate with the friends at the hall. But if you don't have your spiritual program together and aren't making progress towards Ministerial servant or MTS school, you're just here 'hanging out' like the other ones that visit and dont get baptized for years."

  I just remember feeling punched in the face; I managed to utter some kind of positive response that I will try harder. All those years of me trying to overcome my health issues to pioneer, to just show up at the hall, to encourage friends, or just make sure others were just "OK"... all that time and effort didn't matter. I, even though I was preaching as best as I could with my health being what it was and had a bible study, I still wasn't doing things to the "properly". Days after.... piece after piece after piece just clicked into place...till I just stopped going.
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  Mad Sweeney

  The turning point for many, I notice, is not always the last straw. It is the moment you realize the load is even there in the first place and that you better start doing something about it.

  Mine was when I was "counseled" about "questioning" a decision of the body of elders. I didn't "question," I told a couple elder "friends" that the body's decision was wrong and was going to hurt a lot of people. My biggest "mistake" in retrospect was quoting them scriptures. Turns out that is a HUGE no-no. A MS can NOT quote scripture to an elder. Insubordination, pride, rebellion. Of course my "friends" reported it at the next elders meeting where the body decided I needed a talking-to.

  When they brought me in the back room I honestly still thought they were going to address the problem I had complained about. They never tell you ahead of time what they want to meet with you about. I actually thought my "friends" had gotten them to see my side of things. LOL, what a naive sap I was.

  So they started right out hitting me with scriptures about pride and respecting authority. For a minute I had no idea what their point was. It took a few moments to realize they were not helping me, they were counseling me about my attitude. When they got to the point where they told me that they were the stars in Christ's hand from the book of Revelation and that to question them is to challenge Christ's authority, I knew it was ALL bullshit. Pardon my Irish but there's no better way to describe the hubris of the Borg hierarchy.

  I smiled and pretended I had newfound respect for their authority but inside I was torn apart. I KNEW they were wrong. Several of the dopiest goobers in the congregation were on that body of elders and it was reflected in the way things were run. God's organization? Seriously? Holy spirit tells you guys what to decide back in your little room? You expect me to believe that and base my life's decisions on that?

  That was the turning point for me. From that point on I was reading, researching, and digging to find the truth about "the truth." I detoured through e-watchman's stuff for awhile, and met some really good people on the forum his site hosted. Then I landed here.

  From the turning point to the last straw was not quick for me. I still believed and hoped for reform for some time while I was reading and researching. It ended up being around four years before I said goodbye to a KH for the last time.