How Long has it Been since you Last Attended Meetings and What Caused...

flipper

..... you to stop attending ? Injustices ? Disagree with the teachings ? Some of both ? Or other reasons ? Are you happier now that you don't attend ?

Personally I stopped attending meetings over 9 years ago and at first it was because I suffered unjust treatment from the elders and saw others receiving such treatment as well. But several years AFTER I stopped ttending I learned about the false teachings when reading Crisis of Conscience and In Search of Christian Freedom from Ray Franz and read Steve Hassan's books thus solidifying my theory that the Jehovahs Witnesses were a mind control cult. These last 9 years have been the happiest of my life ! I can sleep in on Saturday and Sunday mornings and stay home at night during the week ! I've developed lots of interests and hobbies also that enrich my life !

So tell us about yourselves ! What caused you to stop attending ? And how is your life going now ? This thread may help other newly exiting JW's to see that once you STOP attending, your world doesn't END, your world is just BEGINNING in a positive way ! As always I look forward to your comments and takes. Peace out to all of you. Mr. Flipper

Honesty

2004 Memorial Reject Jesus Party.

Disagreed with their false doctrines that morph into more false doctrines.

I didn't know what happiness was until I left the cult.

jookbeard

the DC of 1996, previous to that only the Memorial of 1994, and it was only a couple of hours at the DC and bang my lot! I'd been through the stress and grief of 2 JC's late in 1991 and just couldn't put up the charade anymore, my marriage was in the doghouse life wasn't great. 1995 was a huge turning point in my life when things started to look up after my divorce from the JW wife.

Woody22

33years this month they kicked me out. 100% happier

woody

WTWizard

I went to the REJECT Astaroth Party 2005, and never went back to a boasting session since. I did field circus until June 2005 (I never bothered to turn in my time for that month). Hey, if they want to promise me the opposite sex and then deliver nothing but men, how am I going to trust joke-hova to deliver anything in its new Dark Ages?

And no, it wasn't the end of the world for me. I don't miss that religion any more than you would miss having the flu. No more do I have to worry about everything I do stumbling anyone else. Later, I got my first computer that goes online (I still have it, albeit with a few upgrades)--and visited apostate sites on purpose. No worms, no viruses, no having my computer acting up and then having what they take as Demon attacks (which I now realize are fake, since Demons do not attack us). And no getting in trouble to where I was desperate to go back to joke-hova. True, there is still damage because of the time I was in the cancer. My spiritual ability (real spiritual ability, not the fake version) is still seriously impaired from being stifled within that religion, and I know not whether I will ever regain it (or, if it has reached the point of no return where I return as a devout witless in a devout family, with no way out--worse than hellfire and far worse than Gehenna). Joke-hova successfully ruined my ability to attract the opposite sex before I joined the cancer, which probably led me in that religion in the first place--and that is still there. I lost opportunities to possibly make lots more money or develop a talent (or both) while in the cancer. But, I don't want to waste even more time back there.

And I don't want to make a "I have to worry about returning in the next life as a devout joke-hova witless" become "I am certain I am returning in the next life as a devout joke-hova witless and I made SURE of it".

I quit!

I'm really not sure why. There were so many reasons. Some of them weren't fully developed yet but were simmering in the back of my mind for years before I walked out. I think I left mentally at least several years before I actually threw in the towel.

There were things they taught that no longer made sense to me but that was only part of it. I was tired of bothering my neighbors on Saturday mornings with beliefs that were begining to seem old and stale. I wanted to go to the beach and enjoy nature on Saturday mornings. On Sundays I wanted to go for a run, relax and read a newspaper. Anything but to to the Kingdom Hall.

I wanted to celebrate the holidays and share in the joy others were having instead of always being a freak for what I felt was no good reason.

I could go on about haircuts, beards, reading books rather than WT publication and a zillion other things but I short I think I just felt trapped. I couldn't take it anymore and remain sane so I left and never went back. I have never regretted my decision.

mrsjones5

The last meeting meeting I attended was in 1988 at the request (nagging) of my mother. It was a set up. She had arranged for a young sister to meet me in hopes of setting up a study. I shot that down quick in the hall in front of the young sister. Mother hasn't tried that again.

The last memorial I attended was in in 1989 with my half drunk df'd boyfriend. I think he had to have a few just to go. My eyes were opened a little more to what I wasn't missing.

The last time I stepped into a hall was in 2001 for my grandfather's memorial. My how time flies.

trujw

Hello Flipper JP here thanks for the call several weeks ago. You are on a rampage today!!!!!! OK I worked for a JW elder and I was the one who found out he was stealing from the owner. Now that is bad but I found out he was stealing before he became an elder. I guess the Holy Spirit was on vacation. So I guess that gave me some pause. Now I was in a library and what did I see David Reeds book Jehovahs witnesses answered verse by verse. That was it never stopped reading after that then found CC and ISCF and I was fired up. Went to the elders to tell them the TTATT and well we know how that goes. It showed me how shallow and just plain stupid they were in regard to the bible so I DA myself. Problem was my poor wife had nothing to do with it and they called her to a Judical meeting. I said you will NOT go I am your husband, sorry kinda sexist but she followed my rules. SO she was DF for not showing up and get this she did nothing WRONG but not show up. I hate these people. A bunch of Janitors with power.

LisaRose

I left 12 years ago. I had been struggling for years, mostly just attending the Sunday meetings, due to health problems and being discouaged. I had virtually no friends at the hall, a disfellowshipped husband, neither of my children were interested. I was lonely. I was in a bad marriage, and I had decided I had to leave, my mental and physical health were suffering. At first I thought I would stay in the religion, but one day I had an aha moment. I realized I had stayedbecause the Watchtower said it was ALWAYS better to stay married, no matter what. I realized that that was bad advice, that we would have been better off if I had left years ago. That epiphany was the what I needed to break free. I left my loser husband and the religion and I am so glad I did. I am happily married now and my life is great, I have never regreted my decision, never.

If you are struggling with this decision, to stay or go, realize that there is life after leaving. It is hard at first, being in this religion has altered your thinking in ways that is hard for you to know right now and they do not make it easy to leave. Know that it gets better and better, and you can have a great life. I was a JW for over 30 years, It is never too late.

minimus

I don't know. Maybe 10 years??

I left because I just couldn't swill out the BS any longer.

It's such a stupid religion.

How Long has it Been since you Last Attended Meetings and What Caused...

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