What Made You Decide To Finally Leave The Organization?

by minimus 52 Replies latest jw friends

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  minimus

  Was there one certain event or was it more a cumulative thing?
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  floridaborn

  The final straw for me was realizing men thought the could control my relationship with god.
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  OnTheWayOut

  Definitely a cumulative thing. I lingered on for a decade past my first huge doubts about the truth.
  In 1995, they changed their doctrine about "generation." For my short time in the religion, coming in at 1988, they had changed very little up until then. I was past the crazy days of 1975 and the fallout of Ray Franz so I knew nothing about all that.
  
  The change bothered me hugely, but I learned to live with it. Afterall, this was "the truth."
  
  But I was a brand new elder at that point. I continued to see problems. There was the double standards of overlooking the "sins" of elders where other members would be required to have restrictions from a judicial committee put upon them.
  
  There were judicial decisions that seemed different for those that had "elder" relatives and those that did not.
  
  There was a huge amount of money problems, primarily for me- the way they figured out how to make money on natural disasters, but also the way funding was done at the circuit level for assemblies.
  
  So 10 years past 1995, 10 years after becoming an elder, I realized I was afraid to simply google "Jehovah's Witnesses" and read what outsiders said, so I decided to do just that. I was strong, I would be able to read whatever I found and it would not hurt my spirituality. I was floored by things I did not know- joining the United Nations for the library card, disfellowshipping a former Governing Body member and having changed their shunning policy before I joined to keep these people silent, so many things in their past that involved failed prophecy and certainly their never really accepting responsibility for the failed 1975 sayings.
  
  I was shortly later outta there.
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  Sunworshipper805

  Both, but with the tipping point being the generation thing in the 90's. Once they pulled that thread the whole picture fell apart for me. New light my @$$! It was so obvious to me. I even asked the CO about it, all he did was acknowledge that I wasn't alone with my feelings. I always wonder if HE had those feelings as well.
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  Finkelstein

  Lying corrupt commercialism by the Watchtower Corporation.

  Overly oppressiveness , lack of true Christian values as being a JWS.

  or as a designated sales representative for the WTS .
  
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  ctrwtf

  I remember going over the "questions" in the Lamp Book.at the age of 12. After all, armageddon was nigh.

  Later on, I felt bad because I just got dunked, never having gone to JG in prayer and dedicating my life to do his will. Who knows, maybe this is my loophole? At 16 I recall telling my dad, the PO at the time, that I didn't agree with all the wacky teachings, (the UN, the numerology, the shifting dates, the blood doctrine) but thought it was the "best way of living." Oddly enough that didn't even phase him. I think he agreed. Toward the end of his life, although we never spoke of it, I could see his doubts.

  In adulthood, I really grappled with the murder of billions so JG could prove himself right. Serving as an elder, I had a front row seat to the backstabbing, self serving, even criminal behavior of fellow elders. I began to see how my kids were being forced to do something they didn't want and that was pretty much the last straw.

  In answer to your question, it was definitely cumulative and took decades. Thanks to the internet, now people can find out immediately that their doubts and concerns are valid. Perhaps this will embolden some to leave more quickly.
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  jp1692

  I was going to write something, but OTWO told my story too.

  There was a gradual accumulation of just too many things that weren’t quite right which culminated in learning about the UN/NGO scandal. That put it over the top for me.
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  oppostate

  Learning the WT taught Jesus was not the mediator for all believers and claimed they are the only channel 😈 to God instead.
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  minimus

  It was definitely a cumulative thing for me. A lot of things I would put on the back burner but I know deep in my heart that much of the teachings we’re just bs.
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  Anders Andersen

  Research.

  In 6 weeks time I thoroughly researched the evidence on which my faith was based.

  I found none.

  Only evidence that shows key beliefs wrong.

  I also found Watchtower to be very dishonest when presenting their case.

  As a new atheist without faith, I cold turkey quit that dishonest religion I grew up in.