Walk Away (page 4)

crazycate

As a born in, 3rd generation witness, I, along with my husband and 2 children "walked away." We belonged to a family considered a pillar in the congregation. I pioneered right out of highschool (although I quit when it tried to kill me), my husband was an elder, the children good examples. Now, despite the fact that we haven't preached against the organization (except on this website), we are semi-shunned by all of my husband's family and all of our former friends. By semi-shunned I mean that most people will say hello to us if they run into us (although some turn tail and run and a few glare and turn away), but no one invites us anywhere or will accept an invitation from us.

We are gossipped about (one rumor we heard is that we had started out own religion). Because the organization teaches that there is no right reason to leave, anyone who does leave must be guilty of something. Therefore, when someone leaves, there is speculation. Is he secretly immoral, dishonest, apostate, deceived by Satan, too weak to live up to what he knows is the truth, or perhaps just crazy. And then they are puzzled when someone who leaves is bitter. After all, he chose his course, he knew what would happen, and if he wants his life back, he knows what he has to do.

Anony Mous

Actually crazycate, the apostacy is a result of your immoral lifestyle. I'm dealing with it myself now too, family and friends keep asking: Did you do something wrong? We can work on that you know, but don't stay away and some straight up ask me if I have an affair or am I in trouble with the law etc. etc..

I didn't do anything immoral, I chose the best course for me and my child I believe and hopefully my wife will see that I'm not 'an evil apostate', just somebody who disagrees with their viewpoints.

They can't understand that somebody doesn't agree that it's da troof. Once you're in you're supposed to be enlightened and nothing will be able to change your mind unless you sin and God doesn't support you anymore, only then can you change your mind. That's at least what a lot of religions interpret Paul saying in his letters but they don't understand that no current religion follows the same guidelines Jesus or Paul used.

factfinder

Crazycate and anthony mouse- the situation you describe is sad but true. My brother said that if anyone leaves Jehovah (the org) it is their doing and they don't have god's spirit so they leave. and if they don't have God's spirit which would keep them in the truth, they therefore have satan's spirit and are under his control. He sees no justification for leaving at all and anyone who leaves has turned their back, not on an org, but on Jehovah. There is no reasoning with him. He is completly under the control of the gb.

I left the meetings and did nothing wrong. But ever since then, no-one from the cong bothers with me.They avoid me altogether when they see me at the mall. No elders ever call on me or come by to see me- no one from the cong has or does. When I wrote to an elder to inquire about this, after all Jesus said the shepherd left the 99 to search for the one lost sheep, he wrote that I "am not a sheep, not a brother and not a good friend". He justified the cong being cold to me while I was going to meetings there (from 1987-2005) by saying I am too different, I come from a Jewish background (he and his wife made anti semitic remarks in my presence and thought nothing of it), unlike the rest of the cong I have no family there (how faithful could I have been since I did not bring my Jewish family into the truth? he wondered. I have a brother who is a jw- studied before me and moved to La). Also we moved here from another county, (not country!) those in the cong have known each other for decades- I was an outsider- why should it upset me that I'm viewed as one instead of as a brother? When I mentioned to another elder I had a number of friends in the cong I was in prior to this one he said:" I don't see how that was possible.'

The cong is a frozen wasteland of self righteous families and cliques. The total opposite of the one I was in when" I first came in the truth."

I know they must have said things against me after I left because they did this regarding a brother I was friends with in the cong who moved and gave up meetings years before I did.

It is sad and a shame that it is like this.

ziddina

Excellent excellent EXCELLENT post, Scully!!

And Shamus...

Yes, you're right. Apostates AREN'T "well-organized"...

Yet look at how much impact apostates - WE apostates - are having on the Watchtower Corporation, with the minimal amount of effort we're putting in, right now...

breakfast of champions

"Because the organization teaches that there is no right reason to leave, anyone who does leave must be guilty of something. Therefore, when someone leaves, there is speculation. "-CRAZYCATE

This is so true. This is the kind of totalism the society preaches; either you're with us, or against us. That's why just trying to quietly slink out the bank door doesn't cut it. They want all or nothing.

I was ready to walk away this afternoon.

EmptyInside

I can't imagine just walking away,without at least,some emotional drama,and that is the very least.

They also want to know why you no longer go to meetings or out in service. But,if you tell them,you no longer believe it's the truth,you're an apostate. It's best not to say anything at all. It isn't easy at all.

Quarterback

I remember that the Organization Book had a section in it that allowed Elders to walk away, and step down from their Elder position on a personal decision. This later on got removed. I asked a CO about it during the time, and he acted like I was crazy, and it just wasn't there when the ORG bk got revised. Since then the ORG bk got revised again, and there it magically reappeared.

That is really hopeful for the ORG to allow this gentle breakaway. Their is this fading out that appears in the new Elders Manual, but it also states that family can't have dealings with such ones.

The ORG is afraid of loosing control over their people, and will never give this up unless, we have a protest such as a magnitude of Wall St, or in Egypt. That won't be in my lifetime, unfortunately.

Walk Away