For me was the 1995 'overlapping generations'. I remember thinking: "These people are making it up as they go along!"
My spiritual downhill descent began then.
DY
A WTF Moment While In the WTS
by Searching 44 Replies latest jw experiences
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pale.emperor
I think this scene sums Watchtower up perfectly.
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scratchme1010
I grew up experiencing WTF moments left and right.
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under the radar
smiddy, I had exactly the same WTF!!! moment you did! And like you, it was several more years before I completely and finally broke free, but that was the first real crack in the dam.
I never was all that gung-ho, but I did believe the Bible was God's Word and that the Society had the Truth™ (in most areas, anyway) well into adulthood. Then that patently ridiculous and self-serving bullcrap about early Bible Student conventions fulfilling certain Revelation prophecies woke me up. I started doing a little clandestine research on the nascent internet, and Voila!, my eyes were opened. The first site I found was Randall Watters' FreeMinds.org. I especially enjoyed his Net Soup. That eventually led me here (well, one of JWN's earlier iterations) and the rest is history.
I have never been DA or DF, though to be truthful, there would have been grounds if they had chosen to pursue it. The loophole in the latest Flocking the Sheep (double super-secret elder's manual) gave them an out. I now live far away, don't represent myself as a JW (oh, hell no!), and no one up here thinks of me as a JW. I'm sure the fact that I know where many "skeletons are buried" was not a factor in their decision to leave me alone. I know stuff that could peel the paint off the walls...
I am shunned by some relatives (to varying degrees), but by no means all. None of the active JWs will discuss the reasons I left or any other "spiritual" topic. They don't want to know what my issues are. I believe they're afraid they too will see behind the curtain and have their precious bubble popped. Any discussion with me might "undermine their faith." They know they simply cannot hold their own in the light of calm reasoning backed up by verifiable facts and unassailable logic. The only thing they have to fall back on is "Where else would you go?" or "Those were just mistakes by imperfect men" or "We've had family in the Truth™ for almost 100 years. How could all of them have been wrong?" None of which has the slightest bearing on whether the Society's teachings are true or not, or whether their practices show any indication of "divine guidance" or not.
It's amusing that they are so scandalized and appalled that, thanks to this site and a couple of others, I usually know about confidential stuff, even super special boys-only BOE letters, well before they do, sometimes even before my Elder relatives. That irks them no end. I have to admit I enjoy a certain satisfaction in their discomfort and resentment. Oh well, no one's perfect. I am a bad boy...
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OUTLAW
It was announced at the beginning of the convention that there was going to be a special announcement at the end
Special Meetings /Special Talks /Special Announcements...
Are always a huge disappointment.
JW`s never learn, they fall for the same WBT$ BullSh*t every time.
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Vidiot
Let's be honest, folks.
Looking, back, ALL of our WTS moments were really WTF moments.
Honest mistake, really...
..."S" and "F" do sound alike, after all.
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Skepsis
I had that kind of moment when they delivered stickers to study the Revelation Book in the Book Study. It was so embarrasing. You could see all the changes they did by having to stick these pieces of papers to the book.
Another moment was when I was serving in the Regional Convention Accounts. I entered the room and the elder in charge of the department was humilliating a brother to coming late. Another year, he was asking a brother I know: "Look! Sisters have to be put near the contribution boxes. It's embarrasing! Women! Aren't you ashamed of not volunteering?"
That kind of behavior is what you expect in a business environment, not in a religion!
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Vidiot
@ Skepsis...
Dude, it IS a business environment (albeit in religious drag).
Haven't you been paying attention?
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NewYork44M
I have never seen a special announcement that was more than anticlimactic.
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flipper
I had so many WTF ? moments it's amazing I didn't exit the organization years before I finally did. But fear of losing family does strange things to your reasoning capacity and pulling the trigger on actually jumping to the freedom side of the fence.
But personally- it was the abuse of power by the elders that led me to many of my WTF ? moments. I saw so many of my fellow JW's abused mentally and emotionally as well as myself - that I reached my breaking point and walked out of the kingdom hall cold turkey- never to return again. Best decision I ever made
