What Made You Question "The Truth"?

by minimus 53 Replies latest jw friends

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  Chariklo

  Several of these comments set me thinking and musing further.

  Into my mind came a remark from the brother who was instrumental in converting me. I want to be careful here not to give too many details, because I don't particularly want to be too publicly identifiable, although it may already be too late for that! One day during the "study" session with him and his wife I'd argued over a point, and he said "oh, we all have doubts".

  now, this was interesting to me. He was a convert from my own religious background, and had been brought up as part of a large churchgoing family who still struggle with him as a JW. He'd married the JW woman who brought him into the "truth" (lie). I often wondered if he'd have become a JW if he hadn't fallen in love with her after the breakup of his own marriage.

  It seems to me, after eighteen months or so on here, that people reach an individual tipping point, when suddenly enough is enough.
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  QuestioningEverything

  The NBC show on pedophelia within the WTBS caused a 'slight' crack in my spiritual armor. There was a male-can't call him a man-at our congregation that benefited immensely from their weak policy on child sexual abuse. He had many victims and one of them committed suicide. So, i knew firsthand that what the people on the Dateline show were saying was true.

  Then several years later, I was looking at the evil internet and looked up JW's and 1975. That opened my eyes and I did more research, found JWD, read Crisis of Conscious and never looked back.

  My life has improved more than i had ever imagined or hoped for. It's wonderful to be free of those WTBS lies.
• 

  DarioKehl

  Meeting Lett.

  That did. That started it all for me. See the "getting to know" thread.
• 

  berryqueen
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  Fernando

  There were many things that troubled me and that I spoke out against, but then one day...

  I was asked to explain what the gospel is in one word.

  I was intrigued by my ignorance of something so basic.

  I began pursuing the gospel - in the wt library.

  It lead me away from religion.

  Our whole family walked out after 3½ years.

  We formally resigned six months later.
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  minimus

  Very revealing comments!
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  144001

  1975. I was a kid who was scared to death that I wasn't "good enough" to survive the Armageddon that was openly predicted at our hall to occur in October of 1975. I thought for sure that viewing Playboys that I obtained from neighborhood kids would make me unfit to make it into the "new system."

  When it didn't happen, even though I was very young, I stopped believing. At the age of 14, I left the so-called "truth" and never came back to it.
• 

  OUTLAW

  When I go to the Kingdom Hall..

  

  ........................ .. .OUTLAW
• 

  Heaven

  My very first beginnings of the 'splinter in my mind' that I can recall was between the ages of 10 and 12 when I asked my Mom why God allows suffering and evil. That was close to 40 years ago.

  Her reponse was 'Because mankind could not stop sinning so he turned his back on us.'

  I thought 'Wow. This Jehovah guy is a real knob. I wasn't even born yet and he's already judged me and turned his back on me. So this means even if he exists, he isn't present with us. Well, then my life is mine to decide who I am going to be and what I am going to do with it. He's not even part of the equation.'

  As I moved into the teen years, I began disagreeing more and more with WTS interpretation of scripture, that 'wives must subjugate themselves to their husbands' BS, the no blood policy, going door-to-door is the definition of works and will ensure my salvation, JWs are preaching to all the inhabitted Earth (I did the math and it did not and still does not compute), that only JWs will be saved, that I would never have to go to high school or need a job, and somebody asking me a question about where is the proof that God exists. I was having my issues with the Bible and other religions too, especially all the bad press about pedophilia in the Catholic religion.

  It never sat well with me to try and force religion or my beliefs down other peoples' throats, especially since I had all sorts of issues with it.
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  pontoon

  I'll tell when I mentally tuned completely out. It was during a Wat study at the hall and the article was comparing Jeh to the traits of a rock badger, an ant I think and one other critter I can't remember. Dr. Suess would have enjoyed this one. Guessing it was 6-10 years ago, memory is getting foggy. I remember thinking I woke up on my day off, showered, shaved, dressed, came to the hall to listen to this crap. This is it, the best education in the world? From that time on I don't believe I ever gave another comment or talk. I had already stepped down as an elder. Wish I could remember that article, it was a Wat. classic.