Do you have a 'turning point' memory that started you to question?

by Steve Lowry 27 Replies latest jw friends

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  Steve Lowry

  yxI1,

  I'm sorry your brother had to endured that treatment.

  I remember a girl in my congregation who was 'publicly reproved'. It was a great shame for her entire family, and they never returned to our Kingdom Hall after that night. I felt outraged that such mistreament and abuse toward someone I knew could occur in such a shameful fashion. When I questioned why they would go about doing such a thing, I was informed that she must have done something sufficiently wrong that at least some JW's must have known about it and therefore "some action" had to be taken to set an example for the congregation. What bunch of crap!

  I wonder how she is doing now?

  Steve
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  sunshineToo

  Welcome, Steve!

  My turning point was when they silently OK'd going college. I started the bible study with jws in my 1st year of college. I remember how negative they were about getting higher education. And then after 5 years, everything was OK. They said that it was because the GB was imperfect human beings that they had a such thoughts. Geesh! Even a little kid knew that going college was OK as a christian.

  Another point was when I found about "not taking the brother to court". You can't sue another jw even though you were vitimized. I thought that was not fair since the WTS seem to scream "constitutional rights" at the U.S. Supreme Court. Why take away one's right to pursue the justice? And there was the 1975 thing. When I asked the jws, they all denied. Later I found out that they were lying to me. I was upset. And I watched Dateline on the Silent Lambs. I also saw how the jws react toward the Silent Lambs as well. That was it for me. 12 1/2 years - it took me that long to make the decision. I read Ray's book before I wrote my DA letter. I couldn't stop crying when I read the part where he and others got DF'd.

  I used to visit my brother in Atlanta. I could have met Ray if I've known that he was there. Now my brother has moved back to CA. I wish to meet all the important people who influenced my life: Ray Franz, Bill Bowen and all of you in this board.
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  sunshineToo

  OICU8it2 (did I spell your screen name right?)

  Your post reminded me of something. I was a music major in n I began studying. At the assembly one time I was so bored that I began to analyze our songs in the song boook. I was so shocked how ignorant they were - not to mention their nerve to publish those songs with so many errors in their chord indications!!!! Forget the progressions. Some of them just didn't fit. It was so embarrassing.

  Recently I found out that some of their songs were actually a copy of other religious songs. How embarrassing to call evil upon other people when they themselves steal their music and do not even know how to analyze!
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  DJ

  Hi Steve and WELCOME,

  My turning point away from the jw teachings was after a series of times when I asked questions about Christ and repeatedly got the same glare and "Yes, he was a great and perfect man"...... I was asking to learn more about Him because I wanted to know Him....but they showed annoyance with my curiousity. Inevitably, I was always pointed to some obscure verse in the OT that pointed out the name Jehovah as if I had done something awful by asking about Jesus. Then one night I read the book of Romans straight thru and I knew then that I had not been taught the gospel of Christ but of man. I also realized that by the simple fact of our love for Christ we are loved by the Father (John).....blew me away......I never heard that before.... It made me think that maybe those "Christians" who love Christ Jesus really are loved by God the Father???? That freaked me because they taught the opposite. I felt that they taught me about love for the Father being demanded by obedience to the wt rules. This was not what I read when I read the bible alone and prayed. It was like a thick, slimy film was washed from my eyes. love, dj
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  JT

  I started on my way out during the summer of 1987. At the time I was a very frustrated engineer who was unable to use his engineering skills because in my locality most engineering jobs involved defense or classified government work. As a result I had to settle for being a TV repairman, a part time security guard (I babysat mansions in my area that were under construction), and a janitor (I did some office cleaning with my wife).

  FREEMAN got the shaft, i feel for you buddy

  here in Wash DC everything almost esp the top$$ are for DOD or defense contractor

  since leaving wt and going into the High Tech industry, my income has double, my wife too her income has double and folks now (JW) call us materialistic, but we are just trying to play CATCHUP
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  yxl1

  Thanks Steve Lowry. The really sad thing is that even after my sister was diss'ed for marrying a non-believer, my other sister left the country to get away from the Org, and I was diss'ed on the testimony of ONE eyewitness who during my Judical commitee retracted her statement, my mother still attends and still pioneers and still contributes £20 a month from her pension. I pray for her "turning point"
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  free will

  when the daytime bookstudy conductor (elder) chastised my 18 month old son in the middle of the bookstudy. he actually stopped the study called out his name and chastised him. he was crawling around my chair and flipping through the bible.
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  free will

  now, i can't believe that i justified his actions by saying he must have been trying to give my son a scriptural father figure. (since i had an unbelieving mate).