What REALLY Convinced You To Leave/Lose Faith in JWs?

by Recovery 106 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  tornapart

  There's a few things for me.

  1) 607BCE as the fall of Jerusalem just doesn't add up and as a result neither does 1914.

  2) The 'generation' should all be dead now, resulting in a change of doctrine to an 'overlapping generation' (this is in fact 2 generations).

  3) The great crowd. They say the great crowd is on earth. However the verses in Rev 7:9-11 show that the great crowd are in the same place as the angels, the elders and the 4 living creatures. Rev 19:1 tells us that the great crowd are in heaven.

  4) Jesus is the mediator for ALL mankind not just a select few.

  5) The memorial is a practice of rejecting the body and blood of Christ.

  6) The GB have assumed the leadership of Christ.

  7) The WTS are false prophets and have gone on to deny it. (End of the system 1799, Christ's invisible presence 1874, Armageddon 1914).

  8) Truth NEVER changes.

  9) Denying members the right to study the srciptures on their own without WT publications.

  10) Disfellowshipping someone for holding different views. Resulting in total shunning by family and lifelong friends.

  11) Control of everything you say and everything you do. Leaving very little to individual conscience

  Finally Jesus said 'You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Well, I feel trapped and imprisoned, so it can't be HIS truth!

  Please don't attempt to argue against any of these points.. they are just my own personal views on what has convinced me to get 'mentally and emotionally' out. I am a born-in of over 50 years and baptised almost 40 years, I've been a pioneer and elder's wife. This is just a culmination of all those doubts building up over all those years. Like many others here I've discovered the 'Man behind the curtain'.
• 

  Muddy Waters

  I wish the bickering comments weren't interfering with what is otherwise a great thread.

  For me, there were a few things that built up over time:

  - the generation "re-adjustment"

  - the blood fractions thing (this REALLY made no sense to me!)

  - the unloving way the elders treated my family following a judicial committee, and how their edicts went way beyond the things written

  But somehow I submerged all this… it was only when I was going to give my little grandchildren "MY BOOK OF BIBLE STORIES" that the blinders really fell off.

  I looked at that book through their little eyes (they don't even know how to read yet) and was horrified. (If only I'd seen it that way when my own children were little!)

  The pictures and images in that book are absolutely TERRIBLE and terrifying for young children. It started me thinking about the men who would produce such a book for little children... that they didn't have much sensitivity or insight into children. I could see how it was a book which used FEAR to instill "bible teachings".

  After I lost faith in the GB, it was like a house of cards which crumbled and toppled to the ground. I suddenly saw that this was a man-made religion whose leaders could be absolutely CLUELESS and that their literature promulgated FEAR (and guilt and hate).

  And after that, I discovered websites and Ray Franz's books. CoC really blew it out of the water. I read that book with tears rolling down my face. I knew the JW religion was not the truth.

  - Muddy
• 

  Finkelstein

  In addition to what I previously said Recovery ....... the Gospel as taught and professed by the

  Watchtower publish house is not the Gospel of the bible, its a maligned and corrupt commercialized version created

  exclusively by the WTS. to supports its literature distribution agenda.

  As many have realized the Truth about the "Truth" is the real reason so many people leave this man made corrupt religion

  which created a dubious amount of power and money for a few indulgently self inspired men.
• 

  sd-7

  I think how they treat people was the first thing that got me to thinking something was wrong. The concept of expelling people from the religion and then treating them as if they're still 'dirty' even after they repent--it seemed very unloving and contrary to Jesus' example. I mean, what could be worse than running out on the Son of God? And yet, Jesus didn't hold committee and give his disciples some kind of probationary period.

  I think seeing in print what was said before 1975 and what was said afterwards impressed upon me first that something was really wrong. They'll deny it to this day, but it's right there, them praising people who sold their property before 1975 and then browbeating them shortly afterwards. The closest thing to an apology I ever found was 'hey, we were just as disappointed as you were', which is not the case, as they knew this was a bad idea to keep talking about this date.

  The UN issue was significant, because of the timing, with an Awake! article around the same time they applied to be an NGO, that basically disseminated information about UN activities--the very thing that should logically be the opposite of what we ought to be doing if the UN is the 'wild beast'. That broke a bit of the ice for me.

  I don't know that, beyond the DF'ing issue, there was one big thing that REALLY convinced me. That was the beginning and it became, not one thing, but an accumulation of things that when put together, said to me that this cannot be the true religion. The Bible itself helped in that I began to realize many scriptures were being taken out of context and given a meaning that the authors probably didn't intend.

  Learning about how high control groups operate, propaganda techniques--that helped me to see even further what was going on and made me realize it was time to get out. I think Ray Franz' books were a huge impact, but really, they only organized and put down what I had already suspected on my own, and provided tangible proof from the literature in that regard. It was only after doing quite a lot of research on my own that I even dared attempt reading Ray Franz' books, because by that time I had already determined that dishonest scholarship was going on and something was really not right.

  For awhile I continued to believe in God but just didn't know what to do about it. I think I just started to become more skeptical as I pondered things more objectively and realized, well, the universe is quiet. We know so little and think we know so much. There may well be such a divine being out there, but it may be that his true nature is one we may not really know and isn't accurately described in ancient books such as the Bible. Even so, I think there are still valid uses of scripture and faith, but I think it best to let go of absolutes and be open-minded.

  --sd-7
• 

  Recovery

  I dont see why Im deemed a troll. I have tried to engage in serious debates before but all I get are gigantic cut and pastes and antiWatchtower cartoons. I also dont see how Im mentally ill for pointing out the questionable blunders made by Ms. Conti. I bet if I pointed out the WTs blunders the thread wouldnt have been locked. Outlaw save the back and forth for future discussions on Ray Franz.

  Thanks to all who are contributing. By all means continue.
• 

  Finkelstein

  I don't see why I'm deemed a troll. I have tried to engage in serious debates before

  Now you've just come out with a deviously constructed lie for you started a thread about Ray Franz

  and the contents of his books, then left it without engaged anything . Hence your labeled a Troll

  Were you assuming that people would forget about that ?

  People here are intuitively smart Recovery, if you've assumed they are stupid you've made a wrong assumption.
• 

  perfect1

  recovery you got off to a terrible start with the Conti post.

  but despite that:

  You know something is wrong when:

  When people pretend to be one way and you know they are not who they pretend to be.

  When women are treated as lesser.

  When people respond with fear and memorized answers.

  When people are spying on each other.

  When a perfectly reasonable question is shot down with personal attacks and emotion

  Are you allowed to ask questions, really. In the WTS, the answer is no.

  The quickest way to get out mentally:

  Allow yourself to imagine other realities in the form of what if questions

  What if there is no God

  What if the world doesnt end in my lifetime

  What if I can be a happier, kinder person and enjoy life

  What if other people are not so bad and not doomed to destruction after all

  what can I become (the power of questioning your own potential)
• 

  cobaltcupcake

  Finding out about the child sexual abuse in the organization and that nothing could be done about it judicially because of the 2-witness rule.

  The 1995 generation "new light." Made me think the GB were grasping at straws.

  The lack of love in the congregation and lack of spirituality among the body of elders.

  The constant "hurray for us" harangue in the WT.

  http://scottleblog.wordpress.com

  The Odd Life of Jehovah's Witnesses
• 

  mrsjones5

  " I also dont see how Im mentally ill for pointing out the questionable blunders made by Ms. Conti."

  There you go again blaming the victim who was a child when she was sexually assaulted. Oh I'm sorry you just don't get it. Yeah still a troll.
• 

  OUTLAW

  I dont see why Im deemed a troll. I have tried to engage in serious debates before but all I get are gigantic cut and pastes and antiWatchtower cartoons. I also dont see how Im mentally ill for pointing out the questionable blunders made by Ms. Conti. I bet if I pointed out the WTs blunders the thread wouldnt have been locked. Outlaw save the back and forth for future discussions on Ray Franz.

  You start a decent thread..But..

  Have no disire to be serious about it..

  You brought up Ray Franz on this thread..(Your thread)..

  That makes it fair game..

  And..

  The WBT$ lost the Condi case because they were Guilty..

  Candace is a Sexual Abuse Victim you would like to Discredit..

  That makes you a sickO..

  I left the WBT$ because of people like you..

  Your who the WBT$ attracts..

  Intellectually dishonest..

  100% WBT$ Loyal no matter how corrupt it is..

  Are you happy I got your thread Back on Track?..

  ...................... ...OUTLAW