I have been reading the threads for about a year now and thought its time to post my story.
I can’t remember much up until I was ten except the usual no birthdays, no worldly friends or bad associates. Then it was a series of arguments of why I didn’t what to go to church. (I always refused to call it the truth) When physical violence was threatened I threatened to call Child Welfare and bring JW in to disrepute. I compared the younger members on the stage giving talks to Hitler’s youth movement. So as you can guess I had no friends in the congration. I was never a spritall person just a practical one like if the J Dubs where so loving and caring why did I never see them on TV in war zones or famines giving aid like the red cross. When I started saying this out loud in the congregation the elders requested to see me. Unfortunately they had just dealt with a major (I don’t think) problem of someone had had been engaged for a year having her breasts touched by her fiancé. So my reply was why what I want to see a bunch of dirty old men that get there thrills form listing to these details. Last I heard from them. About 16 or 17 finding that Jehovah doesn’t strike you down for sinning, I did just about everything sex, drugs rock & roll all of which where very enjoyable. My parents still associated with me, as all the other kids (3) where older and had already left the church. Mum and dad had got into the cult just after WW2 so there own familles were not J Dubs. This was about 30 years ago. But recent events and spurred me to re-examine my past. My father past away and I was approached by someone in the church to help them leave. They had made three attempts, had a nervous breakdown. It made me realise what affect the church had on my life. My life is great now Happily married for 10 years, great job, half way through a degree. And for all of you when you hear how things go bad for J Dubs where they leave the loving organisation, after a couple of years leaving I won a first prize in a major raffle ha ha ha (for New Zealand) and travelled the world for two years having a ball.