My husband and I told our families we want to disassociate

by erinee 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • SnakesInTheTower
    SnakesInTheTower

    Welcome to the forum.

    I simply walked away in 2007, about 6 months after being removed as an elder. I had the ability to fight the decision and win. (Long story, find it under my user name in my early posts). I just decided I had enough. I don't DA because a) I will not play by their rules, b) my mom is 76 and still a JW in her 50th year in the cult and recently widowed (my stepdad was not a JW) and I don't want to cause her any unnecessary grief. And c) I told the local elduhs that if my name were ever mentioned from the platform or I got wind of any "marking", I would make their ministry impossible. Guess who is not being bothered. LOL.

    Snakes (Rich)

  • Jehalapeno
    Jehalapeno

    You could just disassociate by life, rather than by letter.

    Live your lives as you see fit, block every elder's phone number that tries to call you, tell them to get the hell off your property and shut the door on them when they try to come by your house, and refuse delivery of any certified letter they try to send you.

    That's what we did.

    We're still not officially disassociated or disfellowshipped (as far as we know). But word has gotten out we're apostate, so no JW talks to us anyways. The elders never got to the certified letter level, but we did block all their numbers and the one time some elders came by, they were elders that had never known us and I told them, "You must have the wrong house. No one lives here by that name." They knew I was bullsh!tting from the look on their faces, but they couldn't prove it.

    If it comes down to it, they'll disassociate you or disfellowship you in absentia. But that doesn't even matter anymore, becuase it's just a bunch of Karens thinking they're doing something against you, when in reality it's nothing more consequential than a jerkhole former employer trying to fire you after you stopped showing up and moved on to another job and just stopped showing up.

    Write the letter, if you feel it will be cathartic. But turning it in isn't really going to do anything for you other than acknowledge that you're still following their procedures.

    It's been 5 years since we woke up, and it's all behind us. I consider myself an ex-exjw now...I like coming on here to give support to others, but that's the extent of my continued involvement with the cult. Now, it's just an interesting conversation starter at parties when religion comes up. Much less awkward to talk about your former cult with religious people than to talk about how you're an atheist. And usually, if your atheism comes up, they many times understand because of the cult background.

  • punkofnice
    punkofnice

    Hello E-person.

    Anyway, the thing that pisses me off the most, is that they want us to just be inactive so they can keep talking to us.

    I agree. They should talk to you whatever your religious or non religious choices are.

    After all the watchtower corporation hides paedos in the congregations and the other jobos can still talk to them; scum of the earth

  • redvip2000
    redvip2000
    7 uber, suuuper indoctrinated dubwubs in a room together

    Yeah this was the first mistake. Why have this format, where you gather several JWs in a room to engage on what will likely be a debate? Even if you were making sense on those points, they will not want to concede in front of their peers. You should have a more casual one on one with them.

    Anyway, the thing that pisses me off the most, is that they want us to just be inactive so they can keep talking to us.

    Yes and they are probably right about this. What is the value of disassociating? By doing that, you are just validating their own governance policy and their rules. You should recognize that their process for disassociating is as ridiculous as everything else about their religion. Just walk away and be done with it.


  • Emma
    Emma

    Just make the clean break. If not, there will still be ways you're connected that you don't want to be. I can remember the time I realized I was never going back to KH. It was like the sky opened and my life began.

  • Pete Zahut
    Pete Zahut
    My husband and I don't want to be recognized as Jehovah's Witnesses anymore.
    insist

    I understand this but really it’s an ego thing and it’s about you getting to have the last word and all the drama that follows. In reality no one really gives a rip. Non JWs don’t even know who JWs are and the JWs you know, don’t really care until you insist on getting up in their face about it.

    Put your ego aside and get on with your life. Don’t burn any bridges... they’ve made it clear, you don’t have to.

  • dubstepped
    dubstepped

    Just FYI, by disassociating you're not burning bridges. You're choosing a path with the organization. If people shun you, they are the ones burning bridges. That's on them.

  • DesirousOfChange
    DesirousOfChange

    As a former Elder, I think a DA letter make it all neat and tidy for them. No explaining things when the CO comes to town and asks about "inactive" ones. But they still have to worry about the fact you might sow seeds of discontent among those who still speak to you out of polite necessity when they see you in public.

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