How To Leave Jehovah's Witnesses Easily and Painlessly

by Daniel Metz 62 Replies latest jw friends

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  freeflyingfaerie

  Please do not be offended at what I have written, it is done out of love, I do not wish to see you waste your life and talents in the service of false religion.~wobble

  I want to say that I feel that same way about what I wrote~
• 

  diamondiiz

  godrulez meet Daniel Metz :)

  These two need a table to discuss their crazy delusional beliefs. LOL None would listen to the other but would keep going in circles about how right they are but how wrong the other one is.

  Daniel, FB wasn't kind to you so you decided to sign up to the biggest apostate forum on the net? I bet, this move on your part was GB approved :)
• 

  willyloman

  the Governing Body wants only completely honest publishers, those who have faith in the "good news", as they do.

  The only "completely honest publishers" are those of us who followed their god-given conscience and left a corrupt, hypocritical organization. At great cost, in most cases.

  That said, you are correct that the GB wants only "those who have faith...as they do." In their narrow view, you either put on their one-size-fits-all faith or go naked. But in fact, there are many garments (faiths) in any number of different sizes and one of them fits you perfectly. They know this. But they don't want you to know it.

  Your naive take on the WTS is that they hold a lofty view and wouldn't want to see anyone serve if they truly did not want to. You seem to have convinced yourself that actions taken by the Society are designed to give unhappy publishers a way out. But if that's true, why do they extract such a heavy cost from those who wish to leave? Why do they burn their houses and kill their families, figuratively speaking? Why do they demonize the departed, if not to strike fear into the hearts of those without the courage or strength, or the circumstances, to walk away?
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  freeflyingfaerie

  Now I feel bad about what I wrote. It was not meant as an attack on you, personally. Really what gets me fired up is that the religion does this over and over again to good people..it has people defending it at all costs. Those in the religion have so many messages thrown at them from the platform, from the literature...it's endless. And all of those messages prey upon people's soft hearts. The WT manipulates. I will say from my personal experience, I defended that "truth" will all my energy, as I believed with all my heart that it was the path to true peace and security. I wanted so bad for everyone to be loving and live forever...

  But, in reality, the Jehovah's Witnesses do not have the market cornered on 'truth'. They are in the business of keeping a person wrapped up in 'serving Jehovah' ..so even the most honest-hearted person cannot see the forest through the trees.

  I hope you will find this out.

  Best wishes for you~
• 

  ABibleStudent

  Daniel Metz - I am happy with my religion.

  I have several ideas for improvements to it and wrote a letter to the Canadian Branch (my former branch) so that these can be considered, and some or all of them referred to the Governing Body. . . .

  I am encouraged how our faith has advanced over the years as the Governing Body listens to suggestions from the publishers, in letters received by the Writing Correspondence Desk. . . .

  I examined the history of Jehovah's Witnesses before I got baptized. My grandmother Metz in France got baptized in 1922, and, as far as I can tell, was faithful to Jehovah all her life and is now in heaven next to her Lord and mine, and before her God and mine. My grandparents Ehm also became Witnesses in Austria and Germany (before their marriage in 1925) in the 1920s. For that reason, my dad had in our home library several of Brother Russell's and many of Brother Rutherford's books, where I learned all about the previous chronology (1799, 1874,1878,1881). I lived through the 1975 crisis, and both of my parents told me beforehand that it was not definite that Armageddon would be coming that year, even though one of our elders, Brother Widawski, was certain of it and taught so from the platform.

  It took a period of three years of doubt regarding the truth of the religion that I was brought up in to conclude that Jehovah personally helped me to see how logical, and intellectually and emotionally satisfying it was, and, at least for me, still is . . .

  Hi Daniel Metz. I have a several questions that I would like you to consider. You wrote that you were trained as an engineer. I am also an engineer. As an engineer, I was taught critical thinking to read different investigators’ works, because humans are fallible and personal biases may taint experimental results and the resulting conclusions. You wrote that you are happy with your religion and that for three years you had doubts about your religion. Have you read Steve Hassan's books (i.e., "Combatting Cult Mind Control") and Raymond Franz's books (i.e., "Crisis of Conscience")? When you investigated your religion, did you read books that were not approved by the WTBTS? Did you read any of Russell’s writings that were in your Dad’s library? Does the WTBTS recommend that JWs read Russell’s writings or does the GB only write about following the latest WTBTS’s doctrines? What improvements would you like the WTBTS to approve? Is not shunning ex-JWs, who no longer believe in the WTBTS’s doctrines, one of your improvements? Do you know of any improvements that the WTBTS has approved that were not superficial like changing the name of "presiding overseer" to "coordinator of the body of elders"?

  Thank you Daniel for reading my post.

  Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,

  ABibleStudent
• 

  Daniel Metz

  I decided today to see what posts came after my last one. They are all very interesting. Some are worried I will be offended, but there is no need to worry. I respect people who tell me what they really think.

  I have been very busy. I broke a bone in my foot June 19, had an operation and then developed a foot infection. The budget of my provincial office of education has been cut so so has my job. I am looking for a new one now. When I have the time, I think I will post something again.
• 

  00DAD

  Dan has a plan, but you can't reason with an unreasonable man!

  Also, no pain, no gain!
• 

  00DAD

  Ok, so I came upon this post only today. I'm confused!?!?!?

  First Mr. Metz suggests a plan to "Easily and Painlessly" leave JWs, kind of a "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" but with less steps.

  Then by page three he writes this massive missive defending the WTBTS.

  What the heck gives?

  Oh, I get it: Flip-flopping New Light!
• 

  Theredeemer

  sounds logical...the problem is that the elders are basically forbidden to act with true logic and reasoning, therefore, it will not work.

  I used the "Im depressed" move with the elders..In a short while i had everyone calling making sure i wasnt going to kill myself. Someone even brought me herbs that woulld cure my depression. What happened to confidentiality?? Finally, i had to move, change my number and slowly withdraw from my jdub friends which, by now, was easy cuz they thought I was nuts!! Kind of sad that even if you do it this way you are still branded "mentally diseased".
• 

  Daniel Metz

  I have read "Crisis of Concsience". I have not read Steve Hassan's book. When I was investigating my faith, I read a book defending evolution, a booklet defending the Trinity, another brochure attacking Witness beliefs. I wrote a letter to the branch office with questions about arguments I had never seen before from the booklet on the Trinity. I read many passages from Brother Russell's and Brother Rutherford's books, including The Finished Mystery. Reading them strengthened my faith because I see the same basic message that they preach, we preach today. The differences are minor and the style of language is different, but the same faith in the Bible's inspiration was evident then as it is today.
  
  I have never read anything in the publications discouraging reading of any of the Society's publications. On the contrary, there are often quotes from very old Watchtowers in recent Watchtowers, and sometimes references to older books.

  One improvement I suggest is that the office of elder and ministerial servant have a time limit, say, 5 years. That way, every elder would have to be reevaluated to see if he is qualified, because I have seen many elders who are not. If a brother wants to serve more, then he would have to be reevaluated by the other elders and the circuit overseer. This would improve the quality of elders that we have.

  I also suggest to officially put the elder's manual on the Society's website, so that all the brothers and sisters have access to it. This will be an incentive for elders to follow it carefully. Right now, the book (the new version and the older one) are online anyway on other sites. When I was an elder, reading the Pay Attention book (the old version) was one of the most faith-strengthening readings I ever did. It is just too bad that some elders don't let that instruction mold them and modify their conduct.

  I see no need to change the policy regarding disfellowshipped and disassociated persons. When one gets baptized, one tells the elders, and says yes to a question in front of an audience that one has dedicated one's life to Jehovah God. I realize that many have gotten baptized, but never dedicated their lives to Jehovah, and it shows. But deciding later to leave Jehovah's Witnesses is a disloyalty to Jehovah. I cannot be friends or treat as before someone who rejects Jehovah, who no longer believes in the Bible's inspiration and now refuses to serve him fully as those Scriptures teach. The command in 2 John 9 is very clear, not to greet such people or to receive them into our homes and I follow that. It makes sense to me.

  I just sent my proposals a few months ago. I don't expect immediate results.

  I am on Facebook. I regularly contribute to Dedicated Jehovah's Witnesses. On that site, I have met many who left the truth in their teens or early adulthood, tried to be happy living without Jehovah, and finally decided that they needed him and either are returning or have returned for a number of years, now stronger in faith in Jehovah and his organization. They needed to leave Jehovah's Witnesses, their parents and Witness friends, make lots of non-Witness friends and try out what they do in their lives, to realize what the needed was with Jehovah and him only.
  
  Most likely their initial faith was destroyed by the abuse of power of an elder or ministerial servant or pioneer, the main cause of lack of faith in Jehovah. Many of them had a relationship with an organization but not with the person of Jehovah. Now they have returned and for the first time they are "drawing close to God".

  What I find interesting on this website is how so many presume that the Governing Body members are really unbelievers trying to perpetuate a system that benefits them. That would be true if they were living a double life, as Raymond Franz did for so long, and as many who post here did for such a long time. But I don't think that this analysis is accurate. I think that they are like me. They are BELIEVERS. They have faith, not just a set of intellectual arguments to uphold their point of view. They believe that Jehovah "is and is the rewarder of those earnestly seeking him." They, like me, pray to Jehovah, and see him act in their behalf, as I have seen him act in mine.
  
  I believe that those who post here who are still going to meetings should leave as soon as possible, because I believe that their presence leads to Jehovah removing his spirit from that congregation, until they leave. That is why I posted my suggestion on how to leave painlessly.
  
  Leaving will help some of them experience freedom from Jehovah, what Satan promised Eve, and every pleasure that Satan's world can offer them, the headiness of the freedom to decide for themselves "what is good and bad", to do "what is right in their own eyes." Maybe that is the only way that they can be happy, and I hope that they enjoy their life that way, because they obviously wouldn't be happy in a New World directed by Jesus which would not tolerate living a double life and open rebellion against Bible standards. In the New World, only those who love Jehovah and his sovereignty will be happy, and will be sustained by Jesus to be able to live a thousand years. All others will die out or be killed earlier, so that the torture of their existence in a world where Jehovah's laws will be followed carefully and finally perfectly by those who love Jehovah, and where the laissez-faire attitude of this world will be gone. Brother Russell called it "The Iron Rule", based on the verse that says that Jesus will shepherd the nations with an iron rod. Jesus and the 144000 will not allow what Jehovah is allowing in Satan's world today.

  I do appreciate that at least some on this site is so respectful of minority views.