@Hopeless,
My heart goes out to you. No child should have to go through what you experienced. How did you break away from the religion and at what further cost?
How did you find Jehovah's Witness meetings?
by Vanderhoven7 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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polish clarinet
boring, empty, nothing to sell...
In the 80's, when I became a JW, there was something to learn about the bible, about christian doctrine. There was something to argue with catholics ou non believers.
40 years later, it's just "obey and be blessed". Nothing to learn, just repeating more and more what was told years before.
Just a loss of time and money to go there.
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Hellothere
I remember beginning of 90s there's was some joy in congregation. Plus lots of young people. Lot's of congregation gatherings and fun. Then end of 90s everything changed. Like a creepy dark shadow came over congregations.
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Fisherman
Before computers and the internet it was the learning center for JW.
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Hopeless1
Vanderhoven7,
thank you for your kind thoughts, like most people here I do have a ‘tale to tell’, but a long one, (perhaps one day it will be written down.) Things never improved for me, but at last, about 2012/3 I began to realise Christianity has nothing to do with organisations or churches like Watchtower.
Initially was looking at a website discussing watchtower doctrine from an alternative viewpoint (apostate, so-called) with a view to defending Witnesses, but since I had a voracious appetite for digging out the truth, l was also reading very early Bible Student literature, and discovering the truth about the Rutherford years.
There was no sudden realisation of being duped, no flash of lightening or major waking up. I just came to the conclusion that since Watchtower was behaving and calling itself a religion, it was just the same as all the other churches of Christendom.
The internet has been most helpful to me, but the cost of staying so long is devastating. At times I feel totally isolated, really miss the discussions we had back in the 60’s, but never really found the kind of relationships that lasted forever.
Now in my mid- seventies, my health is ruined, my elderly PIMI husband hardly ever talks to me, (not that he ever did) my daughter, who left the same time as myself, struggles with low self-esteem and depression, both brought on by Watchtower policy and doctrine.
But my experiences have made me very understanding of the many kinds of problems that other Witnesses and ex-Witnesses have which result from the influence of having been in a high-control group. There have been a few suicides in recent years, both in my husband’s family and the local congregation, just regret I was not in a position to support any of them before they gave up. So sad to see people get into such a state of mind.
Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders speak softly and carry a big stick.
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Vanderhoven7
@Hopeless
I see that the effects of the organization in your situation are ongoing and inescapable. I suppose that is why you selected the "Hopeless1" moniker. As a Christian, I see Christ as the Hope of the Hopeless and like you do not view any religious organization as being the unique expression of God and His Christ. I believe Jesus saves and sanctifies independent of men who claim to be God's sole spokesmen on earth.
Have you read Crisis of Conscience or In Search of Christian Freedom? You mentioned the Rutherford era. A really good Watchtower apostate in my books, Meleti Vivlon, has dealt with this part of Watchtower history including the presidencies of Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz, through interviews with James Penton. Check these out if you have time and interest.
I wish you God's best in 2023,
Rick
https://youtu.be/20dNBzpgRNc (part 1)
https://youtu.be/NHMGyC_h1LM (part 2)
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Hopeless1
Vanderhoven,
yes, yes,…..
Have read so much, all Eric Wilson’s articles, C.O.C., Penton, and so many others.. they are all encouraging in their way…
the local congregation may see me as ‘hopeless’, but the only reason I have survived the last 70 of my 74years is the hope Christ and his Father give!
Was a Christian before they started calling on my mother, mainly from Bible reading and John Bunyan’s allegorical books. Could see Christendom’s churches had failed and when Jehovah’s Witnesses called, seemed like they had the answers. However, somehow the things they said and the things they actually did, didn’t add up?
If it weren’t for my daughter I would be happy to go to sleep and leave this body behind, but she needs my support and I am gladly there for her. (Plus my husband needs caring for)
There may be many who will read this comment and think me nuts, so I have no wish to offend their sensitivities, but I do hope and wish the best for them, that all may find real peace of heart and mind, however difficult that may seem.
If anyone would wish to send me a p.m., I would welcome that and think it no imposition,
many thanks to you Rick, for your kindness, wishing you the best for the future too
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Beth Sarim
I can't say anything more about Ray Franz' Crisis of Conscience. It was a 'clincher',,eye-opener.
But to cap it off, it was Ray Franz' In Search of Christian Freedom. Now that was the icing on the cake. It's like cake, you have to have the icing on the cake to top it off. Many comment on Crisis of Conscience how influencial that was, but to me it was In Search of Christian Freedom that really cleared things up for me. Luckily, I was able to track a copy of ISOCF on Amazon for a reasonable price before the pandemic in 2019.
Mr. Penton's books ''Apocalypse Delayed' and ''The Third Reich'',,, also extremely eye-opening and instrumental books,,, masterpieces.
The JW's literature you then realize is ''extremely slanted' in portraying the JW's only as being ''so called loyal'' in their propaganda. Mr Penton relates how many JW's unfortunatly succummed to Nazi pressure,,and gave into pressure.. He relates how other Christian groups besides JW's faced unrelenting persecution and how JWs are no way unique in their claims that they are the 'only' group in facing persecution.