Was Your Leaving The Witnesses A Very Gradual Process Or A Quick One? (page 2)

Glander

From the time I sent Mother my elder resignation letter to the day I was DF'd was a bit over 2 years.

SAHS

Left it in my mind and figurative heart: At least a decade ago.

Left it physically and permanently: Still a “work in progress.” (I’ve just got about $2000 debt left to pay off on my credit line, and then I’m looking for a geared-to-income apartment which can accommodate someone like myself who is currently on disability for depression and anxiety issues . . . wherever THAT came from.)

truthseekeriam

Was pretty quick. Until I eventually dissaccociate, I think it will always have a little hold on me.

FirstLastName

Gradual. My first thoughts was that I was being told all of gods people are the happiest people on earth. So why I am I so miserable ? Whats wrong with me?

Then it became the goal of " how do I make myself happy." I made myself happy when I was not at meetings or feeling pressure to do something as un natural as field service (painfully shy).

When the elders gathered me into a meeting to tell me I needed to stay with my )(ex)husband even though he was physcially and mentally abusive, dealt drugs out of our garage, and smoked weed: because that was gods will (no scriptual grounds) - I drew the line.

I never went to another meeting after that day. Process of about 6 years.

Comatose

Started out supposed to be slow. But, I couldn't do the meetings... I found myself snorting or huffing. Then we got pummeled with calls and shepherding requests and pop ins for weeks during the initial fade. (I see now we started too quick missing a meeting a week or sometimes both) we weathered the storm of the constant texts and calls and visits, then my wife said, if we go back now it will all start over. Maybe we should just make this our end. It was an easy choice. It was harder on family and friends but better for us.

shopaholic

I knew something wasn't right for many years and tried to wait it out in case I was wrong. When I decided to leave, I faded within a few months.

blondie

Mentally my search started in 1993 with these 2 opposing statements in the WT and the Proclaimers book. I started doing research using my new computer and extensive library of older WTS publications. Things sped up when my husband was made an elder and we saw the cruelty and lying, even protecting a confessed pedophile because they were deep into business with him. The last congregation and bold lying even with eyewitnesses, made us leave completely in a few months.

*** w93 1/15 p. 5 ‘Caught Away to Meet the Lord’—How? ***

The Watchtower has consistently presented evidence to honesthearted students of Bible prophecy that Jesus’ presence in heavenly Kingdom power began in 1914. Events since that year testify to Jesus’ invisible presence. (Matthew 24:3-14) So by saying that certain Christians living during the Lord’s presence would be “caught away in clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” Paul meant that those survivors would be meeting Christ, not in earth’s atmosphere, but in the invisible heavenly realm where Jesus sits at God’s right hand. (Hebrews 1:1-3)

*** jv chap. 28 pp. 631-632 Testing and Sifting From Within ***

Something else that was seen as a possible time indicator involved the arrangement that God instituted in ancient Israel for a Jubilee, a year of release, every 50th year. This came after a series of seven 7-year periods, each of which ended with a sabbath year. During the Jubilee year, Hebrew slaves were freed and hereditary land possessions that had been sold were restored. (Lev. 25:8-10) Calculations based on this cycle of years led to the conclusion that perhaps a greater Jubilee for all the earth had begun in the autumn of 1874, that evidently the Lord had returned in that year and was invisibly present, and that “the times of restitution of all things” had arrived.—Acts 3:19-21, KJ.then his riding into Jerusalem as King in the spring of 33 C.E. would point to the spring of 1878 as the time when he would assume his power as heavenly King. They also thought they would be given their heavenly reward at that time.

Based on the premise that events of the first century might find parallels in related events later, they also concluded that if Jesus’ baptism and anointing in the autumn of 29 C.E. paralleled the beginning of an invisible presence in 1874,

insearchoftruth4

Up and Dirty. Told the local BOE they are a bunch of 2 faced self-righteous Basturds and only qualified to lick the toilets, when CO came around I had to work with him in F/S..Then he came with the questions, whats UP ect ? I tried to be cool, butt I said..... These elders here in the congo, they're assholes man! He said can you work it out, try to get along? I told him I can't stand looking at most these basturds, He said, do you have to cuss? Well it didn't go over well with this company man either, I already knew that it wouldn't...I was done, knew the whole thing was a scam, just had to get the family out.

P.S. My only friend in the congo (an elder) quit that shit too...and we are so way happier now, than we could have imagined...

insot4

Gayle

10 years (starting from about '75) ,, in phases,, a series of location moves helped getting out of radar,,never df'd or da'd,,I knew enough of their methodology control to just leave without being vocal to anyone.

Was Your Leaving The Witnesses A Very Gradual Process Or A Quick One?