Walk out, kicked out ,burn out or find out.
Interesting read....
It's great we have the support system here......
How do people get out of High control or Religious cult with their mind intact????
by jam 14 Replies latest watchtower bible
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givemejustalittlemoretime
I just let myself fade away slowly after realising Christ is not in a church or can be found by doing works. No one bothered me and i got on with my life
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jam
This link "Aiding those spirituallly abused by the Worldwide
Church of God". If I didn't know better I would think they
are talking about leaving the borg...LOL
That's the key,"I got on with my life."
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jgnat
All I found at those links was a google page. I think the mind is constantly re-editing itself. So over time you can have a significantly different view of the world.
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jam
Try "How do people get out of Religious cults", Worldwide Church
of God.....
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3rdgen
My mind is not intact
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Giordano
At a certain point, I am sad to say, being a JW may have been my whole life. I knew myself by what others said about me. I was called Brother by hundreds, a description that was sweet to my ears. I knew my place and rank in the organization. We were an army of Christians and everybody in an army has a place and rank. My expectations were limited and so they were always filled. I was comfortable with my beliefs because they were absolute, immutable, never changing with time......... or so I thought. I was content............because I was stupid ...........thankfully you can fix stupid.
I have a sin to confess.....I am a reader. “you read too much.” I was told. But what I read slowly changed me in wondrous ways because I became observant. So there came a time when I had to admit that the ‘truth’ was murky, questionable........... this was different then learning the truth about the truth. I was not by any means an empty vessel............... It was that my vessel was filled to the brim with too many untruths. Looking down at it I couldn’t see the bottom. I did a slow fade (about two years). I was not in a rush as I bailed out one cup of failed truth I poured in a cup of fresh new knowledge. I became more observant about the ‘friends’ and started really looking at ‘worldly’ people who would one day be our new friends. I became More critical about WT rationalizations and how the Society excused old truth by falling back on a stunning misinterpretation of Proverbs 4:18.
I read more............ this was the era well before the internet so reading anything and everything was crucial to building a world view. And in reading I discovered new truths and new concepts most of which did not have to be absolute. Good became good enough and I understood that perfect could be the enemy of good. I studied a bit of science but more about history. I became a time traveler sometimes time leaping through history making the connections I had left blank. The WT has left out just about all historic events they have even started to leave out their early history, their ideas and writings. The WT makes assumptions and most of those are wrong.
Finally there came a time when my vessel was full with real knowledge and I could see the bottom of it which of course meant that I needed to get a bigger vessel. I stopped believing in nonsense And with my wonderful wife we made our exit. Because of my experience and through others on this forum....... I am not a big fan of the dramatic exit. When possible, which is not always the case, I think it's better to get things sorted out first.......... then leave the way one came in........ quietly and withlittle fanfare. I am honored to say I became one of those people that my former JW’s friends would now say.............. whatever happened to brother.....? My answer if they had ever made an attempt to find out would have been “good things happened, we added to our education, lived free thinking creative lives. Applied critical thinking as needed. Treated people the way we wanted to be treated. Brought up a fine son without religious mumbo jumbo. I Survived open heart surgery because blood was available when it was needed. Made a bunch of good friends, got to know and love our non witness side of the family.
I was 23 and my wife and pioneer partner was 20 it was 1965.
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jam
Good read Glordano. Well done in expressing yourself.
Are you a writer????
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Quendi
Thanks for relating your experience, Giordano. I enjoyed reading it and am very happy about its resolution. For me, I would have to say that I did not get out of Jehovah's Witnesses with my mind intact. Instead, I found it was broken and has had to be completely rebuilt. I first had to accept the fact that the WTS and its Governing Body are not in any way tied in to God or possess any divine knowledge. Accepting this led to a period of grieving just as if I had suffered the loss of a close friend or family member. Once I did this I could start on a real life journey which has involved many things.
Accepting the fact that I am a gay man and deserved to have a good and fulfilling life as one was a major step. That meant purging more of the odious WTS theology out of my life but it made it possible for me to find a life partner. I also found a new spiritual community which has opened its arms wide in acceptance. That has led to a rediscovery of my faith in God and what that should mean in my life. Coming to this forum has played a role that cannot be overemphasized for here I found people who have aided me immeasureably and without whom I would have accomplished far, far less than I have these last four years.
The latest development has been how I now relate to the Bible. I still have enormous respect for it, but the fundamentalist theology the WTS has promoted in connection with it is something that I have finally let go. The Bible is useful in many ways to me, and I still have faith in the promises it makes for a better life now and in the future for all humanity. But I also now believe that the bulk of its writings apply to a different time, people and place. That belief has freed me to pursue my spirituality with a different focus and intent than I had as a Witness.
In short, coming out of this high control cult has involved an ongoing development of mind and spirit for me. The rebuilding of my life has at times been painful and difficult, but I believe it has also been well worth it. I am glad that I am "no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses" because that has allowed me to realize the truth of what George Eliot once wrote: "It is never too late to be what you might have been."
Quendi