I disassociated but was disfellowshipped anyway afterwards. Yes, i know it doesn't make sense, they wanted to "chat" to me about my decision and during that chat disfellowshipped me.
I have a 3yo daughter and am now separated from my wife.
Do
some witnesses still come to your house for association with your still
in spouse? Or do all of them avoid your home like the plague?
Nope. They treat me the same way the pharisee's treated lepers. They literally jump out of their skin and look the other way in the street.
Do some of the more down to earth...keeping it real ones still talk to you as normal when they come to visit your spouse etc?
As above. No. My spouse lives with her parents. Im told that the cliques in the congregation included her for about 2 weeks and worked with her in service, but we now know that this was just the get the details, the gossip. They dont bother with her anymore.
Do they allow their kids over for sleep overs and association and carry on as normal?
My daughter has one little friend her age in the KH. There's no sleepovers but she does do little days out every now and then with JW kids. My ex takes her on these though.
Did
you write to relatives who are JW's and respectfully say they need not
worry; that they could still come over, but that you would respectfully
refrain from discussing anything spiritual out of respect for their
beliefs?
I used to. I made it very clear that i have no interest in drawing them away from their religion if they're happy with it. They dont reply. Or on the rare occasion that my sister does it's to tell me im going to die in armageddon. My mum tells people im dead. My other sister stalks my Facebook and makes up stories about me to the rest of the family.
Do any or even all of your JW relatives avoid visiting your home despite the fact your spouse and children are still attending?
No one even knows where i live, let alone try to visit. My mum does sometimes ask my ex to bring my daughter over to visit.
Did your dissacociation cause a lot of stress between you and your spouse and children?
Not at first. When i told my then-wife that i no longer believed it, she was troubled but ok about it. Only when i actually DA'd did she leave me. Her elder father helped with that.
Did your experience affect your mental health?
No. But it could have. I was fortunate to have people on here and Ex-JW Facebook group to help me through it. I refused to sit at home and think of all the bad stuff. It has changed me though. Im a lot more abrupt when JWs on their carts try to convert me back.
Was it worth it? Or do you wish you had simply faded?
Yes! Vert worth it. Fading means they still have some hold on you. Now everyone knows where i stand.
