So why (page 2)

mindseye

For the people who left out of the blue, What made you leave the organization?

I was born in, thought about getting baptized in my teens but didn't take the dunk. To answer your question, it just never added up, or really resonated with me. In my early 20s I felt that the Witness mentality was preventing me from growing intellectually AND spiritually. Up until about 20, I pretty much though of myself as a witness (even though technically I wasn't, since I wasn't baptized), but by my mid-20s I totally distanced myself from it. I read a lot about the history of the religion, and that completely broke the spell.

So no nightmare scenario in my case, it was a slow realization that it wasn't the 'truth'. I'm still on good terms with my family and most JWs I know, even though there's some tension there if the religion comes up. I'm very happy to be completely out. My heart goes out to those who were baptized, and who left later in life. I can only imagine how hard it must be. peace.

shamus100

Heya! :D

I left because I saw the hypocrosy and could not be a part of it anymore. It took me years, YEARS before I joined an online forum and I really felt bad at the time when I did. I purposely did not seek out others because I did not want it to be about grinding some bloody axe.

I am not DF'd, just faded. Not one call from a witness since I left, not a word. (of course I moved away suddenly) Go figure. ;)

Google pot - kettle - black. That is what the Jehovahs Witnesses are. To a tee.

gubberningbody

Question 1: Did you leave the organization out of the blue or were you first disfellowshipped?

Out of the blue. I was an elder when I left. Field Service Overseer, School Overseer, elder for 15 years, regular pioneer for 15, MS for ten years. In for 25 years. Wife was a regular pioneer and we never missed the meetings.

Question 2: For the people who left out of the blue, What made you leave the organization? For the people who were disfellowshipped, exactly why were you disfellowshipped? (the more detail about the situation, the better)

Several factors, but the straw that broke the camel's back was an attempt to forcibly subvert my wife's conscience. My wife is more direct and honest than me, but she could never fake it. I'd been trying for the last ten years to reconcile inconsistencies with the blood issue among other things, the unloving representation of Jehovah, the lack of serious commitment on the part of the organization to really preach the word (last time they pulled out the stops was in the 1922-1925 days) and the increasing supplanting of Jesus Christ with the Governing Body. This coupled with some unscriptural rabbincal counsel from the GB in the form of letters to the body of elders making minor uncleaness on the part of the individual major issues leading to the suicides of two young men in my congregation were enough.

Neither my wife or I were DF'ed.

We just left, stopped answering the door or phone and they eventually stopped calling.

Honestly anyone who becomes one of JW's today has only him or herself to blame. Had the internet been available 30 years ago neither of us would have taken the plunge.

bushido8000

Desirousofchange I hope you didn't take my comments wrong. This topic isn't a "challenge" to ex-JWs or anything like that. The last topic I posted was only answered by ex-JWs and it was really intended for JWs to answer. by "dominated" I didn't mean that I was irritated by it or anything haha. I just meant that it really appears that MOST of the people on this site are ex-JWs, even though there are a lot of JWs on the site.

Btw thanks to everyone who has responded so far.

shamus100

We are all ex-jw's. Some are still trapped in because they were born into it and had NO CHOICE as to weather they would get baptized or not into a HIGH CONTROL GROUP. (fyi, high control group is the most moderate version that experts have of this group - many call it a cult) Therefore, they must leave very SLOWLY so that they do not arouse suspicion and can have contact with their families still.

Absolutely no real Jehovahs Witnesses post here, because doing so would result in that Jehovahs Witnesses being killed, according to the unbending rules of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.

jamiebowers

Was an abused jw wife...yada, yada, yada, made what was probably a false confession of adultery to my jw mom to rid myself of mentally deranged jw husband, (can't remember details as it was a very stressful time for me, and it was more than 20 years ago.)

It doesn't really matter why someone left, because family shunning family isn't scriptual...period. No wonder so many ex-jws have an ax to grind with those vipers in Brooklyn.

N.drew

According to the rules of Jehovah's Witnesses, it is improper to forum.

That is how I understood the message at convention. I did not attend any assemblies this year,

I don't not know if the rule has been lifted. So everyone that forums here is out or on the way out.

See! Governing Body was right. (I'm kidding).

troubled mind

Walked away suddenly ,not Df'd just couldn't stand feeling so unhappy , empty ,and tired of hypocrisy and gossip......

Four yrs later the Elders came to the door (the one with the Christmas wreath on it ) trying to say they missed us ,loved us , oh and by the way 'we really just want to know if you celebrate holidays now ?" After several weeks of harassment a Police officer was asked to explain cease and desist to them ...Don't know if that led to me being DF'd or not because they are not allowed to contact me anymore ahhhh peace and quiet .

Spectre

I was one of those that drifted away. Got more and more depressed with it, knew I could never live up to the standards they set(meaning that I felt SOOOOO guilty for not being the completely over zealous OCD type that I thought I should have been). When I finally made the decision to leave I still fully believed it but had to get away or I would have killed myself. I knew I was going to die at Armageddon within a few years(this was 1994)but I had to get out. To this day I still find out things about my upbringing and how it has affected my whole life that make me say, "Wow! now that was f^(%ed up!"

DesirousOfChange

Desirousofchange I hope you didn't take my comments wrong. This topic isn't a "challenge" to ex-JWs or anything like that. The last topic I posted was only answered by ex-JWs and it was really intended for JWs to answer. by "dominated" I didn't mean that I was irritated by it or anything haha. I just meant that it really appears that MOST of the people on this site are ex-JWs, even though there are a lot of JWs on the site.

Au contraire, Bushido, not at all! I was just astounded at all the current JWs here. Faders. Curious free thinkers. Concerned. Etc.

So why

Share this