What made you look behind the jw curtain?

by Touchofgrey 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Dagney

  I'm a born in second generation, my parents were baptized in 1938. For the most part I just accepted it as it was my life, and the congregations I was in had lots of teens and gatherings, and we had a lot of freedom.

  In around 1978 I started a long term relationship with a non JW, UCLA grad. I stood on my JW soapbox, made him study and come to meetings. We continued to discuss everything. One day on the way to his house, I remember the time and the place, it just came to me, "it's all bulls**t." The crazy prophecies, the out of context quotes rules were made on, the dates...oy the dates... I kept driving and convinced myself the "brotherhood" was special even tho...

  I stayed because of family and friends. The 1995 generation change was the final straw. I knew it was all made up from FF and prior dogma. The summer of 2000 I was at the meeting and just felt I didn't belong there. I felt like I was on the outside observing the comments and discussion, and knew it was my last meeting and it was.

  I used to pray and thank J I was raised in the "truth" because I never would have believed it if introduced to it. It's been a complicated journey but never regretted leaving.
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  cofty

  It was after they came out with the 1995 changed teaching on Generation - LHG

  Me too. But it wasn't just that they had made a huge u-turn on doctrine it was the way they tried to sneak it past our attention and treat us like infants. I can forgive genuine error but I will not be talked to like an idiot.
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  Riley

  -The endless adoration of the Governing body. I swear it is the North Korea of religion.
  

  -The things that were obviously " Identity markers " ( Christmas, Birthdays, Blood transfusions ) which really had no biblical restrictions. Look at us, we are different.

  - The core foundation of the religion is eschatology based nonsense, not really the gospel message.
  
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  OnTheWayOut

  I was "all the way in." While I attended meetings as a child with my mother, I left before I was a teen and returned in my early 20's due to allowing my life path to take some terrible bumpy roads.
  
  I was a brand new elder in 1995 when the GB announced that the meaning of THIS GENERATION changed. This was not the overlapping generation but a change prior to that. They left the generation as vague and undefined.
  
  I had trouble with GENERATION and had already been bothered by what they said about 1975, so I researched these for years using only WT material. I was not satisfied, and then they added in some rulings on how an elder could be forgiven for admitting to viewing pornography, while I knew the average publisher would have to face a committee and some form of discipline. The cherry on top of my Sundae was when they used Hurricane Katrina as a way to make money by asking for just money donations, and not to earmark them for the disaster. I had worked with two other hurricane relief efforts where good people did good things for each other and now Watchtower had to butt in there and control it, telling people not to donate cars, clothes, goods.
  
  I turned to the internet, knowing I was strong enough to face whatever Satan threw at me. My decision that I was in a dangerous cult took place almost immediately upon learning so much about Ray Franz, the United Nations, flip-flopping.
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  LongHairGal

  COFTY:

  Yes, I remember that exactly. Instead of having a special title alerting people to the upcoming change - they slipped it into the article like the sneaks they are.

  Were they hoping nobody would notice? Who knows? But, I was sitting there at the meeting and felt like I got punched in the gut. They were just stringing everybody along.. It dawned on me right then that I had to make plans to get out of the religion.

  When I got my life in order, I began a ‘Fade’.
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  Beth Sarim

  When you look online like LHG and others do you are completely awakened by the Borgs deceit.

  You are infantilized by the Borg. Generational changes slipped in with the intent to gaslight & mislead. Like others have said.

  No. The Borganization wasn't meant to survive in the 21st century.
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  greenhornet

  I was 2nd gen JW. Myself and my daughter were treated poorly. My light bulb moment was the UN membership that Watchtower had. I also know of the guy that signed them up personally.
• 

  Balaamsass2

  One issue? NO, it was the accumulation of the problems.

  " By their fruits, you shall know them..."

  A 3rd generation JW, I was at Bethel in 1975. It wasn't just the accumulation of failed prophecies; it was the lack of Christian qualities and bald-faced lies at HEADQUARTERS. The two faced abuse of the rank and file, telling them, "The end is any day now," while buying and selling real estate and making long-term plans. Letting them believe they had "angelic protection" in "the Lord's work" and actively hiding the dangers sisters were exposed to in field service (rapes and kidnappings). The study and keeping of Witchcraft books in the Bethel Library. Rampant fornication and Homosexuality AT BETHEL. And the hiding of unqualified (some serial fornicators) men being appointed to positions of power as Elders and Governing Body positions. Zero evidence of Holy Spirit.

  At first I chalked it up to "imperfect men", but after the 2000s it was obvious NOT ONE WATCHTOWER PROPHECY HAD EVER COME TRUE. It became obvious CHILD MOLESTERS were actively hid. And the flock was regularly lied to at every convention about the accounts report.

  As an Elder, getting "HEAT" from Having to take a stand against hiding a notorious child molester from being appointed (and having to go to the police), having to write letters to the service desk and GB members I knew PERSONALLY about OBVIOUS SLAM DUNK CRIMES, like Domestic violence, child molesting, convention faked accounts, and financial abuse of seniors, was the last straw. Like my little overloaded Donkey photo...it became obvious there was nothing "Godly about the Watchtower and the Governing Body" and their LIES ie: "Theocratic Strategies". Satan is the "father of the lie"...there is nothing Christian about "Theocratic Strategy".

  The fruits were rotten, even illiterate felons in prison know Child molesters are trash. It wasn't 607, 1975, or some obscure theological difference, it was simple basic moral ROT, from the top... down....and I no longer could stomach being any part of it.
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  Phizzy

  I was born in as well, but what got me started on my journey to find Truth, and hence on my road out, was the same as " notsurewheretogo" said :

  " 607 BCE is not the destruction of Jerusalem. Once I researched it and fully debunked the nonsense the WT believes the whole house of cards falls down."

  I was an actual student of the Bible, and interested in what it really said, one day I sat down and thought "Today I will sit and read the Book of Daniel, but as though I had been told nothing of what it meant, I'll read it as it is".

  When I got to Chapter 4, I read the "prophecy" about the 7 times, and whoa ! there at the end of the Chapter was the Fulfillment !

  It struck me immediately that you had to be a bit crazy to extrapolate from that a period of 2,520 years, so I researched 607 BCE, and found, guess what of significance happened in that year .......... Nothing ! Also King Neb. did not come to the throne until 605 BCE, and he really destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BCE.

  Indeed the whole House of Cards fell down !

  I gave an Elder a year to return to me as he had promised, to prove 1914 to me, he never called back.

  I walked away about 18 months after the above Epiphany.

  I found truth, which is only that which has irrefutable Evidence, I had Freedom of Mind, I could be the real me, and for the very first time in my life, I became lastingly Happy !

  May all who are journeying away from the lies and Mind Control, reach the same Happy Place that I have !
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  Bribie

  Great post Phizzy - Can you please provide the hard evidence and facts that 607 BCE was not the year of Jerusalems destruction when Zedekiah was King.

  Thanks!