Hi Guys & Gals
I’ve been watching the Forum for a few weeks and think it’s about time I joined and jumped in with both feet. “Faint heart…….." and all that! My JW history as follows:
My parents caught the ‘truth’ when me ole man was in the army, he bought himself out then I arrived on the scene. That was May 1965.
We moved back to the
1973, unbeknownst to me aged 8, my parents took the 1975 prediction as reality and decided to go where the need was great. We upped sticks and moved to the wilds of , (for the US & Canadian forum members is different country on the left hand side of mainland, very small indeed, about the size of a Texan backyard). We were an English JW family in a closed Welsh community, knew no one, couldn’t speak the language. School was a nightmare. My sister and I were left isolated and bullied by both teachers and pupils alike. It took years for us even to be partially accepted.
As the years went by I never took on board the “truth”. I’m not sure why, it never seemed important to me. My parents were persistent with bible studies and dragging me to the Kingdom Hall, Assemblies etc. All I wanted to do was meet girls (more enthusiasm than success), program computers (Video Genie – 1981) and read, Sci Fi mainly. I kept my head down and did the minimum (Field Service was my hate, frightened of meeting people from school – at age 12, I remember I said to my father while on FS that I didn’t want to do this anymore, his reply was that when we got back home we’d pack my stuff into a bag and I’d move out. We went home early because I wouldn’t stop crying).
I was never pushed into baptism, though my sister was keen for a time but she never got to the pool. I was DA’d aged 17 for smoking, drinking and being a human being, shopped by a brother I used to work with and I thought was a friend. I got no warning of the hearing at all. My parents put me in the car on the Saturday morning and we arrived at the hall. I can’t remember anything about it - I was in shock. My sister was DA’d 6 months later, for a worldly boyfriend – she told them to all to f**k off – good on you girl!!
My attitude was I would rather die a happy worldly person than live forever as an unhappy JW. So for a long time I was content just getting on with life, thankful that Armageddon hadn’t come yet, if it ever was going to.
Now after much searching and research etc, I know there is no Jehovah, no Satan, JC was an invention and Armageddon is based on unrelated Bible passages which contain numbers that are made to add up to anything they want them to. I get strength from knowing that we are just here, a product of an ecosystem on a planet spinning around our sun – we just are – fact!
My parents are still staunch and arrogant. My mother gives me the magazines which I accept. But they are not going to leave and accept that the last 40 yrs were a waste of time. Where would they go – they know nothing else. My sister still believes though has never been to the KH since being DA’d. She ridicules it. I think she is frightened that it might be true if she looks too hard, so her head remains firmly in the sand.
I have enough material for a book, but that will have to wait until I do something world changing and I can write my autobiography – fat chance – (lol). Anyone from the , Alcester congregations of the 70’s or the congregation or the North Wales Circuit until the late 80’s, I’d love to hear from you.
Everyone else, we all have the JW cult in common and regardless of your experiences it should be viewed as a positive experience otherwise the Society won. It has made you what you are, for better or worse and the simple fact you are reading this means you’ve either left or have doubts – it can only make you stronger.
Giga