Welcome doubtful 1799. Better late than never. I served as an elder for 25 years. I was the PO when I woke up. The last meeting I went to was in Jan. 2011. I say all this because I was 56 at the time. Like me you may be wondering what took me so long? This should show us we are all different when it comes to waking up. And what is interesting is what things cause us to wake up. Yours was teachings, mind was why did the wt have so many buildings in Brooklyn and was just maintaining them. I know the answer to that question now but then I did not think of the wt as a money making religion. All I am saying is don't beat yourself up over waking up later in life. Enjoyed your story and looking forward to more of your story. Take care. Still Totally ADD
My Introduction - An ex-elder's story of waking up later in life.
by doubtfull1799 65 Replies latest jw experiences
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dubstepped
Welcome 1799! Thanks for sharing your story.
Take your time, be kind to yourself, and realize that once you got new information you took action, so you don't need to blame yourself for anything.
Only you know if you want to disassociate or not. My wife and I did and it is NOT playing by their rules. That's often the verbiage used by those who end up trying to fade on here for years and who actually have to jump through hoops to keep their fade alive. Faders play their game, disassociating ends it once and for all. That closure for us was worth anything. We took a stand when we joined, and we took one when we left. If you need to do it for you, more power to you. If you need to fade, that's cool too, but do what YOU want, not what others on here tell you to do. I'm so glad I didn't listen because I can be anyone I want now without fear of breaking a fade. Some others fade and can do the same if the circumstances play out right. It all depends on the situation. For me though, fading was an option until a predetermined point that we agreed upon, and once we hit that point because elders started calling, we decided not to play their games and to blow it all up by disassociating, and it was so liberating.
Take care of yourself. Use your years left to the full!
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Tenacious
Welcome 1799!
I wish you the best in all you do.
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Half banana
I want to say congratulations doubtful1799........you have escaped the brain washing!
There is still more work to do and you can take it slowly. Your wife will notice that you haven't become a drug addict or turned to satanism and I hope she will join you in the future.
It is a shock to realize you were conned, it is hurtful to know that the JW org continues to bamboozle their flock with unsubstantiated rhetoric demanding obedience but not worthy of it. As for eternal life in paradise........... was it not always too good to be true?
I hope your depression lifts and that your family accepts that you have a solid reason to leave the old religion. Well done for seeing the real light.
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mrquik
Welcome as well 1799. Always good to see another leave. Live Well.....Enjoy Life.....
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All or nothing
"This was my turning point. I now realised I had been conned. I had believed in a lie. And the implications were devastating to say the least. I cried for days. For my lost hope of everlasting life. For the harsh reality of my mortality."
this is exactly what happened to me. We were raised in this thing called the truth- we weren't raised to believe and accept we were going to die... I struggle still 3 years later... Welcome - glad u are here 😊
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OnTheWayOut
Welcome. My story, while completely different in specifics, is strangely the same. I woke up as an elder, seeing doctrinal problems and hypocrisy, I researched. I faded away fast and I have an active JW wife who couldn't see it my way.
I think we differ in that I do not plan to disassociate because of a JW mother and the in-law family. I have been out more than 10 years. I look forward to reading more from you.
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Listener
Welcome Doubtful1799, I hope things continue to go relatively smoothly. It's still early days and your other Elders may have a change of heart for one reason or another.
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yoko N
Hi, doubtful 1799
Thank you for posting your story.
I shared it with Japanese ex-JW website and it got 100 and more
likes. Many people here appreciate your experience.
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LV101
Welcome doubtful1799 and thanks for sharing.