Comgrats! Another sheep broke the pen, ran away and learned how awesome life was without a sheep dog bullying it! Essentially you've graduated to a gazelle.
As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses
by Sail Away 83 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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gda
Don't I wish there was a landslide repercussion from the RC's investigating Borg member and response? Not to mention (“I do not answer to Watchtower” – Stunning Gerrit Lösch declaration revealed )
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Crisis of Conscience
This is an awesome thread.
Thanks for sharing Sail Away!
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kairos
I wish I did this.
So much more fun than the way I did it...
Has anyone contacted you?
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maksutov
Nice. I hope they respect your wishes SailAway, although I would not be at all surprised if they still make an announcement that you are no longer a member. That's great that the solicitor didn't charge you! I got a solicitor to write a similar letter when I was being harrassed by elders 5 years ago, and it cost me £250 for just the one letter (which had no effect, other than to mean that they made an announcement that I was no longer a JW without telling me - they would've told me if I hadn't sent the letter apparently). -
Sail Away
At this point, I honestly don't think they announced anything. I didn't really fade. I simply walked away over four years ago and have had nothing other than brief, casual contact with the locals when I am out and about. I think the elders decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
Yesterday, a 30-year JW 'friend' called me to catch up. She is a total gossip. If any rank and file member knew, it would be her. We made plans to cook some organic, healing foods together. She just got back from a stay at the Kushi Institute in New York City. She vacillates between exploring her interests and talents and pioneering-- major cognitive dissonance there.
There is one particular congregation member that I see fairly frequently. She will be the litmus test as she is in one of the congregations I sent the letters to. I will keep you all posted.
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SnakesInTheTower
Whatever happened? Paul Harvey used to say "...the rest of the story."
Edited to add... I see you posted on another thread.
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Sail Away
Snakes, thanks for asking. I’ve been thinking about updating this thread. Things have been busy lately. Our family met up in Washington, D.C. for Father’s Day weekend and then my daughter, her fiancee and our grandson came back to Connecticut with us for an extended visit. They live and work in Guatemala City and were having trouble getting the paperwork straight to get married down there, so we had a whirlwind wedding here. It was fantastic! They were already a family, but this made it official. Her husband is Irish-born retired special forces and is a really great guy.
I hesitated to give an update before now because I had only had contact with fringe witnesses—either the mostly-inactive-over-the-years type who might not know about an announcement or the do-your-own-thing sort of JW. The one sister that I still see socially knows I am “inactive” with no plans of going back. She believes I am committing spiritual suicide by associating with my disfellowshipped son, but that it’s my choice. She says she has plenty of friends that aren’t witnesses. She suffers extreme cognitive dissonance, but that’s a whole other topic.
After a conversation I had a couple of weeks ago, I can definitively say that they did not announce my name from the platform. I spoke at length with a born-in full-time pioneer. (Actually, she is the one that turned my son in to the elders which led to his being DF'd!) She pleaded with me to “come back to Jehovah.” She thought I had been “stumbled.” I told her my decision to leave was an ethical one and that I disagree with certain organizational policies and procedures, both locally and at the Branch. I told her I didn’t want to go into that and risk damaging her faith in some way. (I honestly don’t think it is my place to openly “un-witness” to a staunch, believing witness. Unless they have doubts and are searching for answers, it won’t likely do any good and will only serve to reinforce their belief. This is not to say that I don’t try to plant seeds of doubt when appropriate.) Of course, she gave me the line that “men are imperfect” and pleaded some more. I told her that I love and miss “the friends”, but I am happy with my decision and my life and changed the topic to catching up like old friends.
It was interesting to me that this pioneer had been to her R.C. and didn’t feel a need to shun me because I’m “inactive.” We have only celebrated Christmas in Guatemala so far, and I have blocked all known JWs from my Facebook page, so maybe I haven’t been outed as an unbelieving “apostate” yet. No need to break the uneasy detente that is in place. I say uneasy, because even though I’m glad that I severed ties with the organization, I still get a kick in the gut when I have any interaction with former “friends.”
Last weekend I ran into a couple that my son and I were close to. In fact, they gave my son and then DIL their engagement party in their home. The husband is a long-time faded JW. His Dad and step mother walked away first, and then he faded. This all had happened before I walked away. The wife was quite cool to me when we first started chatting, but she warmed up by the end of the conversation. I did a little Facebook stalking and found out that she plays drums in a band with her hubby who is the lead singer. They play at local bars, fairs and farmers’ markets. I hoped that maybe she was out too, but she is still Facebook friends with elders, ministerial servants and pioneers, so she’s probably still in, but living her life the way she chooses. This couple is in their mid-thirties.
So that’s my update. It will be interesting to see how the local elders react should we meet. That hasn’t happened yet. Fortunately, all but one or two don’t live in the local “territory.” They have been imported to “assist” the local congregations. Ours is a small New England rural town with no real jobs, high housing costs and high taxes—not the sort of place that draws the average JW. Everyone is related to everyone else, and there is a lot of nepotism and in-fighting in and between the two local congregations, so the C.O.s are always sending in new blood. They have installed a revolving door at the KH! Fun times I so don’t miss!
Diane, aka Sail Away
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Xanthippe
Sounds like you're enjoying your family and your life away from the cult Diane. Good for you.
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rebel8
I would appreciate any constructive suggestions from this community
Here are mine. This has the potential to spare innocent non-jws from the pain of ever joining in the first place.
You could modify it to suit your needs, of course. For example, you could change the reason for you not understanding the baptism, like, "I did not understand the organization's stance on child abuse, and I would have never gotten baptized had I known it."
Baptism Nullification #unJW
Announcing a Mass Baptism Nullification of Jehovah's Witnesses on 10/2/2016
The Letter
October 2, 2016
To Leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society:
On the 102nd anniversary of the prophesied End of This System of Things (Zion's Watch Tower 1894 Jul 15 p.226), it is fitting that I end the incorrect information in records about me kept by the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watchtower Society (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
I participated in the baptism ritual of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but I did not fully understand...