by minimus 102 Replies latest jw friends
Yo, Minimus!
You mean THE defining moment?
8.35 pm. Tuesday, March, 1972.
Book study. Were reading about wheels with eyes in the rims and funny spokes. We have explanations in a society book, the name of which escapes me.
Thoughts: This is barmy! My whole life revolves around interpretations of this sort of stuff being accurate. Gosh.
So I left. I also did all the terrible things that worldly people do and thoroughly enjoyed all of it!
Englishman.
Hey, Minimus,
Just wondering, what was the first thing that made YOU question?
Spanner
Oh yes, The Nations Shall Know Book . See, the meetings are effective! .....My situation was that many different things at different times made me wonder more, especially after going to elder's schools or sitting in on meetings with the CO so we could learn more of what the Society REALLY meant when they put something in print.There's so much double-talk. And the end isn't around the corner.
Edited by - minimus on 6 November 2002 10:16:14
The first thing that made me question was I believe some aspects of the creation account, particularly with respect to evolution. In truth I had problems with some of this account from the beginning. I suppressed these doubts knowing (hoping) they would be answered in due course, they werent. The final straw came when I was told I had to choose between meetings or my job.
I decided to provide for my family rather then listen to the dictates of window washers.
I believe I made the correct choice, what do you think?
Freeman
And the end isn't around the cornerMy biggest concern was this: Would Portsmouth be promoted to the Premier Division before Jehovah destroyed Fratton Park?
They were (for 1 season), and he didn't.
Now if it had been Manchester City's ground I could have coped with that.
(Sorry Simon, see you in the premier next season)
Englishman.
Lack of Christian love.
I second that dsgal.
Blondie
I started having panic attacks out of the clear blue. Here I was, I felt, doing everything conceivable to live a good, clean life, serving God *whole souled*, and I start slipping psycologically. I began to seriously look within and question why would this start happening now? And for the first time, I asked my unbelieving mate to take a look at my life and give me his honest opinion about my religion. He did and thus began the brain thaw.
I began to take note of how things really were at the hall. Several, once sane individuals, were having major mental problems, all of the backstabbing and lack of love and true friendships, the harsh elders, etc. Much of what came out of the mouths of JW's was venomous and judgemental and I saw that so many were just plain miserable, including myself. Years earlier, my oldest childs teacher called and wanted to talk to me about a problem with my child. I remember walking up to the school and seeing her class outside at recess. The kids were all playing and laughing as kids do. But, I noticed that my daughter was off to herself, all alone, sitting on the jungle gym.....away from "the world" as I had taught her. It broke my heart. This just can't be right, I thought and I continued to ponder and observe.
I picked up on the constant referencing and group worship of "the organization" and it just didn't sit right. The constant belittling and guilt tripping from headquarters thru the mags and talks. Here a mere handfull of people come into this asphixiating religion, trying to serve God in an acceptable way and with good motive and this is the way the sheep should be treated by the F&D slave/God? I could not see how God was supporting such a horrible religion and I could no longer recommend it publicly to anyone. The whole fruitage thing just seemed too rotten.
My doubts all started from emotional pain but when I got on the internet and discovered the myriads of doctrinal screw ups, it all came together and I was outta there.
CC
First there was the lack of agape - real, unconditional, other-oriented love.
Then there was "Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose" book. 1959. I would have been 14. Their grandiose claims that little nit-picking things they had done were in direct, anti-typical fullfilment of this or that prophecy. One of the things they lauded loudly was how Rutherford challenged any and all members of the clergy to come out and debate him. None showed. And this was a sign that the clergy knew it was wrong and that Rutherford was right.
I have challenged the GB to a public debate at any reasonable time, in any reasonable place, the GB and ALL their attorneys. They have refused to debate me. This proves that the GB knows I'm right and they're wrong - using their own logic.
Screw 'em. If they're led by God, I'm the Virgin Mary.
francois
I started to truly question when I began to read the Bible without the aide of a WTS publication.
