by cappytan 35 Replies latest jw experiences
Thanks for sharing your story, its really encouraging to see people still paying attention to how the world is in reality and compare it to the org version of it (be it science, history, theology..). I' m intending too to share my story soon, hoping it will help others see the real face of this relgion.
p.s JWfacts is really awsome! I think if we gather all the people that get to know the REAL truth because if it every year we could easily fill an average assembly hall, or two.
Tornintwo: Where are you now? Are you fading/faded, do you still attend? How have your parents been? Sorry perhaps everyone else knows this. Any helpful tips about leaving quietly?
First off, thanks for the kind words!
I'm currently fading pretty quickly, but still attending sporadically to keep elders and the in-laws that happen to attend our congregation off the scent.
Thankfully, I have been able to wake my wife up. I had a much easier time of waking her up than other people have experienced. I am a very fortunate and lucky man. I actually moved too fast with her. Most faders that move as fast as I did with my wife end up having a lot of conflict with their wife or divorced and disfellowshipped within weeks.
From the time I shared my first doubts with my wife to the time she told me she didn't want to be a Jehovah's Witness anymore, it was about 6 weeks.
My parents have no idea we're fading. Although they live close by, they're in a completely different town and circuit. I'm finding it hard, though, to stay close to them. I'm recognizing narcissistic selfish behavior in my mother, and it's leading me to resent her. My dad, who was my best friend for most of my adult life, I just can't be genuine with anymore. There's this big elephant in the room, and I can't talk about it because I don't want to be shunned.
I'm taking it day by day, though. Trying not to let the negatives get me down and just be thankful I'm gaining true freedom!
I decided to study the book with a passion, confirming everything from independent sources so I could inculcate the teachings with conviction to my student.
At one time the Watchtower organization instructed its appointed elders they should not only know answers to the "study questions" but should know the reasons for the answers.
That cause problems when elders started attempting to do that and found what you found.
Watchtower subsequently stopped giving the instruction to elders that they should know the reasons for the answers.
Excellent point pixel.
They try to set up a false dichotomy , Science/History vs Bible, when in fact the divide is more accurately described as Science/History vs Their particular Interpretation of the Bible (at this time).
I would change details or make up certain details about my life because I was extremely paranoid of some imagined elder spy network that monitored this site. So, some of my early posts may conflict with what some of you may now know about me. Sorry about that! I feel bad for lying to a group of people that have helped me so much.***.....Cappytan
Meh..
You were afraid of the WBT$,nobody`s going to hold that against you..
Your here now,that`s all that matters..
I talked to my Dad about what I had found. He said, "Son, we have to ask ourselves, do we have faith that what the Bible says is true? If archeology conflicts with the Bible, we have to side with the scriptures."
More often than not that bit of advice represents a false bifurcation. In the case of Watchtower's chronology it's not as simple as either we accept the Bible or archaeology because Watchtower's interpretation of biblical text could also be wrong. The 607 notion is based on a biblical statement about 70 years, yet when Watchtower wants it asserts that stated periods (e.g., 70 years) are general and not intended to be precise when in text and context the period is presented as though precise.
You know this already from your research I'm sure, but I see this false piece of reasoning offered all the time to JWs doing the hard work of research so I was compelled once again to keyboard it out.
Cappytan: Dominos started falling ...
Thanks for sharing your bio. It's interesting that there are so many different issues that can start a person questioning and doubting. What starts one of us down that path might be different than what gets another person to start waking up. But, whatever it is that starts the process, once it begins, the dominoes do begin to fall.
You pull on one thread and the whole thing unravels.
This is what was so shocking to me when I began to realize I was in a false religion: it wasn't just that there were one or two minor flaws, it was that pretty much EVERYTHING about it was wrong.
Then you go through a process of confusion, anger, rage and even embarrassment. Yes, it is humiliating to acknowledge that you've been duped.
The good news is that we have woken up.
It gets better.
Cappytan: There's this big elephant in the room, and I can't talk about it because I don't want to be shunned.
Proceed with extreme caution!
I hesitate to use the words betrayed or conned because I'm not convinced there is an evil motive, yet.
I felt betrayed. Here's why: I realized that the ONLY reason they were sticking to their guns on 607 BCE was because they needed that date to justify their authority.
To me, that is a selfish motive...and a betrayal.
Conned? No. I don't feel conned.
Duped is a good word. But I would also say betrayed. They betrayed the concept of truth.
I told my wife the other day that I probably could have gotten over my doubts if the Society didn't put so much emphasis on calling the organization "the Truth." Equating the organization with that word "truth" was something I couldn't get over when I found things that were obviously NOT true.
