I think next to knowing everyone's friendship is condititional , would be the loneliness of living a very superficial life. Life out of the borg is certainly lonely at times, but not nearly as lonely as feeling more alone in a group of people because you can't share you most indepth thoughts and feelings. Think back to the times before you knew TTAT. Remember what it was like to have to be very superficial with EVERYONE? Always afraid you had said something wrong or offended someone?
Are there people who have returned
by His Excellency 33 Replies latest jw friends
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DesirousOfChange
But if you are unsuccessful at doing this, the only option available is to just hang around in the lie. Is though very very difficult, but there seems to be no other option than to lead the double life.
I have a close friend who is very clear on TTATT, but he tells me he continues to FAKE IT for the sake of his wife, children, grandchildren, and host of "friends".
Personally, I had a hard time doing that. You simply cannot go back and take the Blue Pill.
Doc
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label licker
I get where your coming from. But remember the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one. There is not one religion on this earth that knows the bible completely. However, what if there was something closer to the bible than what you were ever taught. Would you be willing to learn and share it through questioning your family and friends? If your going back because of family and friends then your going back to please them and not yourself. But if your going back because of the religion then your committing a grave sin knowing TTATT. Maybe our technique of telling our loved ones about what we've learned about their religion was done wrong. You know they will take offence if you show them things like misquotes but what if you could challenge them by questioning their knowledge of the bible? Teachings society never taught like why did Jesus keep all the feasts, festivals and Sabbaths right up to when he was killed. If it were to be done away with then why did Mary and the others have to get ready for the Sabbath after he died? Why was Paul keeping them? We've learned a lot through studying other topics that society doesn't want to teach. Did you ever think that Yehovah is guiding you in another direction to getting to know him. Doors will open if your willing to knock. And just maybe you can open up your family and friends minds as well. Leave what you've learned about TTATT for a much later date to tell them. Start reading your bible. Look up some really good teachers on the internet. Test to see if their teachings originate with Yehovah's. We found some really good teachers to listen to that would blow society's teachings right out of the waters. It was becoming easier and easier to never look back when we have so much to look forward to and yes what we listen to agrees with almost everything society teaches but didn't know there was way more to learn that society doesn't teach. It's your choice if you want to go back but will you really be happy? How sad to be hanging out with friends and having to agree with them on whatever they say about their golden calf, the governing body. For witnesses never talk the bible when they are together hanging out or in a car group. This religion venerates creature worship and a whole lot of label licking. Jesus taught against that kind of worship. PM me if you want a list of what we listen to. You will learn new things and will be exited to tell others what they were never taught. And it's all really good. Take from it what you want as long as it comes from the bible which it does. And these men don't pluck a scripture and twist it into their doctrine. They take in the WHOLE context(scriptures before and after) of a scripture, meanings and the cultures back then. Nothing like what we've ever been taught before. Scriptures are a lot easier to understand when you've learned some of the cultural roots back then. Only then you start to understand the knowledge of Yehovah's wisdom:) Don't knock it until you've tried it. You won't go hungry that's for sure and then you be the judge and match what you've learned to the JWs. It will disgust you on how society dummied us all down. Any scripture they use is towards themselves. They'll even take the old testament and every scripture seems to be about them. Too bad they didn't follow the way a judicial committee was set up back then and too bad they don't follow even the new testaments rules on how NOT to form a tribunal against someone but to leave the judging to Jesus when he comes again.(I looked up tribunals in other bibles and it's not there. Human courts is so these guys felt it was ok to add that. Back in OT the people were gathered at the gates of the community along with the older men. They were allowed to have their accusers there as well. The community would listen to both sides and decide who was lying) There's just so many things wrong scripturally with the way society has set things up that goes against my conscience. Along with what we've learned here we know now we're on the narrow road. Religion is the broad road! Religion is just an excuse to abuse people. Wishing you the best on your journey. Hope things go well for you and your family.
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fresh prince of ohio
label licker, paragraphs would really help. 0.00001% of people who see your post will struggle through all that, need to give us some white space.
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Old Goat
I attend very irregularly. I have the excuse of bad health and old age. My family are all active except for a brother who walked away decades ago. I keep a low profile. I don't upset my family, especailly my wife. I also don't believe a significant part of Watchtower nonsense. I don't know what to tell you.
People were upset when I resigned as an elder. I had declining health as a ready made reason. And it was partly the reason. I avoid comments on doctrine, except those I believe. I don't express opinions. I don't answer at meetings much. I have a large extended family to preserve. I occasionally, rather bluntly, tell an elder he's being stupid. But then I've always done that. So they aren't usually shocked by a cranky old man.
Not everything the Watchtower teaches is wrong. Some is. but not everything. What disturbs me has nothing to do with high behavioral expectations, or past history. I think much of what's said here about Russell's past is wrong. I taught history at the university level. What's said here would get a huge red-letter F. (not always, but often). I'm disturbed by abuse of power. I'm distrubed by a tendency to put personal opinion in place of scripture. I don't like bad research or poor writing. The Watchtower had been guilty of both since before I was exposed to it.
We don't teach Logic in lower grades anymore. We should. The governing body should be made to take a course in Logic. I often link to the truth history blog. They're really competent historians. One of the owners sent me off to research Isaac Watts view of the trinity. It was interesting. But more interesting to me was his book on logic. Logic is rare in Watchtower culture.
I wish i had a solution for you. I don't.
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label licker
Fresh prince of ohio
It was all set up for paragraphs and it did this. It's happened afew times. It's happened to others as well. Sorry
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Mum
I feel for you. Do you have minor children at home? If you become a dub again, be sure to provide them with some activity that is not depressing or hopeless, and help them to understand that "worldly" people are good people, but with different beliefs.
Letting go was one of the hardest thing I ever did. I resisted, but after about 2 years, everything came together, and I was mentally free as well as free in any other way.
Make a list of pros and cons. Talk with a psychologist, especially on what to teach your children if there are any.
If you do go back, try to move to another town where the JW's don't know you. Miss as many meetings as you can. Find excuses to get away and be with other people. Find the meetup group in your town and keep in touch with ex-JW's for support.
Remember that even if you do go back, you can still change your mind. Learn ways to cope with depression and despondency.
Best wishes with your decision.
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Kensho
I have mixed feelings on this,
I escaped the prison in 88 went "worldly" crazy drugs & rock n Roll, you get the picture.
Read CoC twice, thought no big deal, went running back to JW rehab after hitting the bottom.Became super Bro. Studied in depth,Pioneer,married a pioneer, MS, Elder, apostate hater super hardcore.
Then the things I read in Franz's book came up from my now drug free memory banks when the "new light" on sheep & goats, overlapping Gen., blood fractions, NGO, what type porno is bad enough to remove servant and on and on up to after 95 years, the discovery about the GB/FDS. (Franz predicted that many of these would take place as time went on and the WT. Fixed dates)
The awakening and fade begins, got myself removed as elder but stayed in good standing (that was a trick) no school, volunteering and just showing up once in a blue moon and writing some numbers on a slip to keep the "shepherds" police at bay.
Why stay in you ask?
If all the above never took place I would not have met the wonderful woman I am married to and she is the only reason I choose to live in this prison, hoping one day she will wake up.( no sacrifice is to great for her)
I also have some great 40 yr. Conditional based friends, that would drop me again as before! WTF?So I say if you can get out stay out, because living a dbl life is extremely difficult (one life is hard enough) and I suppose it will be the mental end of me.
I read a quote daily ( replaces daily text) from a fellow Deist , Thomas Paine, that I hope one day I can apply to myself.
" it is necessary for the happiness of man to be mentally faithful to himself, for infidelity does not consist in believing, but consist in professing to believe what he does not."
Break out and Stay out if you can!
Kensho
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Old Goat
Label, it happens to me sometimes if I write my comment in Word and past it here. If i use WordPerfect, it never happens. I don't know why this is.
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Phizzy
I walked away knowing I would never go back, but not knowing how my born-in wife would take it. I was lucky, she accepted the decision and has been supportive ever since.
But, if she had loved the religion more than me, I would still not go back, even if it meant totally losing her, which would have torn me apart and probably ended my life.
I am what I am, a lover of truth, and a believer in integrity, especially my personal integrity.
To go back I would have to deny what and who I am.
If you can, then make a courageous stand for Truth and Freedom, and what is Right.
If you cannot, then, like a freed slave who has travelled so far down the Underground Railroad, you must go back to be abused on the Plantation, where the owner will probably cut off one of your feet so you cannot run again.
Some choice.