Is saying "I don't want to be a Jehovah's Witness anymore" enough?

by DuvanMuvan 24 Replies latest jw friends

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  DuvanMuvan

  I was just wondering. Say you were baptised and stopped going to the meetings, when the elders and people ask why can you just say you don't want to be a jw anymore without giving a reason? I mean it's not like they can force it out of you and you aren't necessarily spreading lies or whatever they say apostates do.

  If anything they'll have to keep talking to you to find an actual reason to df you so if you're literally as vague as possible then what basis do they have? i was just wondering if this would work.
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  LostGeneration

  In the normal world, yes. Normally you can quit your job, and its all ok.

  The fact that its not ok to an active JW shows the cult like nature of the religion.

  To them, there is no valid reason to leave. Its the same as denying God himself.
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  DuvanMuvan

  Well that's another thing, why does your reason for "denying god" really matter. Either you are or you aren't. And I don't see why the elders even need to know anything else.
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  LostGeneration

  Just read your other thread so I know where you are coming from. If you simply say it over and over, then it will probably be ok, you are younger and they will simply write you off for now with the hope of you coming around later in life. It can be incredibly frustrating to not unleash the real truth about the truth on them in these situations, but if you are calm and collected, it will work.

  I was an elder when I tried to simply slip away. They don't allow that without an explanation, and if it doesn't come from you they will interrogate those around you to get their answers.
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  clarity

  Right on Duvan!
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  Syme

  DuvanMuvan, if you say "I don't want to be a Jehovah's Witness anymore", you'll be asked to put this in writing, and when you do, it will be considered a letter of disassociation. So you'be DA'd, not DF'ed. But the result will still be the same: complete shunning.

  So, you'd better not say this phrase unless, of course, you have decided to actually DA.

  If you don't want to be DA'd or DF'd at that moment, you can simply not give an explanation at all. They can't physically force you, we're not in the Middle Ages. Play by your rules, not theirs. You can also give an inaccurate or incomplete reason, such as, "I'm depressed, I've been very busy", that sort of stuff. It may sound as a lie, but hey, the WTS is constantly lying on topics such as evolution and everything else. You can also deny meeting with 2 elders, while accepting meeting with one. Simple safety measures.
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  LostGeneration

  As to your other point, they consider themselves to be "shepherds" or "soul savers". Its part of the job description to hound those who are leaving.
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  Giordano

  I don't see any reason why it would not work. Your not giving anything away and they can't see or find anything negative.

  I think you could have a little fun though if you pulled one of them a side when asked and told him your not attending because one of the other Elders stumbled you so badly that you can't return. When your asked who it was. Tell him you can't say because you didn't have a second eye witness so scripture forbids you from revealing that information. Leave it there. I imagine as the word spread the elders will be looking at one another trying to guess which one of them is the bad elder.
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  Apognophos

  Keep in mind that they will ask you more specific, probing questions, like, "Do you believe it's the truth? Do you believe the organization is God's channel?"
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  jgnat

  You're not baptized, right? So they can't DF you. That doesn't mean they won't try, especially if your mother asks for the elder's help to change your mind.

  In all the (non-JW churches) I have ever attended, all I had to do to quit is stop going. That is what I suggest. What are they, the gestapo, that they must have a reason?