What made you leave the "truth"?? (page 2)

DanTheMan

Did any of you (intially) leave not because you disbelieved anything, but simply becasue it was incredibly boring? I love reading, I read all the time, but I think the bible is an incredibly boring book.

Yes, I got really bored with the JW routine, burnt-out best describes it. I enjoy reading too, but as a JW all I could take (besides the boring Bible which I almost never read and the borg pubs with so many subtle and not-so-subtle mind control tactics that really started to annoy me my last year in) was Grisham novels and fluffy sh*t like that because anything deep or thought provoking created too much cognitive dissonance, was too disruptive to my simplistic WT world view.

There were a lot of reasons why I left, some petty and personal, others more profound. A situation that really worked on my mind during my final JW days:

2 guys I knew, raised in the troof dubs, both come out of the closet as being gay in their late teens/early twenties.

One - never baptized, gets some cool treatment from the "friends" but otherwise his family socializes with him regularly without any problems or elder harrassment.

The other - baptized at 13 even though at 5 years old you knew he was gay. DF'd and shunned for life.

Senseless.

arancia

Everythings,,I was in the wrong place,I could not stand any longer,most of all the, child abuse.THey lies,and when somebody lies all dipends on the individual attitude,you stay or as I did leave for good.I never have had to ponder on my decision to leave. I am not belong to THOSE sectarin people. I am a christian.

blaid

Everything, the lies, the clicks, the gossip. And for gods sake its was boring as hell! I remember actually crawling through to the computer room and playing solitare to pass the time! Every now and then I will take a book with me to meeting, pick up my nig ol'e refrence bible (the huge one) and hide my book while I sit at the back reading the latest novel I saw at the library, hell, I even do HW sometimes, plan websites to make anything to keep my mind off the gobley gook being spit out at me.

The elders and the hypocrisy mostly. "do as I say not as I do" heh.

Poztate

The main reason I left the "truth" was the demand that I conform to an ever changing DFing policy with regards to my family.Blind,dumb,loyalty to the shunning policy was and is what is demanded of all "loyal dubs"

A secondary feeling was that I was on an endless treadmill going nowhere.Endless meetings,endless service and constantly changing new light when the old light proved to be nothing but a bunch of mindless crap.

Looking back from the outside I wonder how anyone cannot see this garbage for what it is.The "truth" of the matter is you have to check your brains at the door to make any of it work for you.

talesin

I left because I was disillusioned - elders cheating people in business, people leading double lives, drinking and partying by my fellow pioneers, and a friend of mine suicided because he was gay and couldn't face DF.

I thought - 'this can't be the truth' 'my whole life has been a lie'

It was a rough go - but glad I left.

stacy,

Very creeped out.

That was one of my reasons as well. Right on, sister. We may not always agree on politics, but we do on this. nuff said.

btw, I think XJW_B12 was right on about your avitar. I'm not offended, but let's see the same with two guys and see what happens!

I agree because such a sight would indeed be hideous unlike the visually pleasing picture of the 2 women.

Irongland,

thanks for educating me - for some reason (DOH) I thought this would be a place where I would not have to face blatant sexism. I thought other recovering JWs would be more 'humanistic'.

welcome to the real world, tal! (not trying to be mean, just saying how I feel)

tal

shera

So many reasons....

Felt controled
Doubts
child abuse
depression
"Guilt" because of doubts

freein89

What made me leave "the truth"? The fact that it is actually "the lie". That's the short answer. The long one is basically the realization that the whole thing is just plain made up. The publication that came out in the late 80's to explain the book of Revelation is what finally pushed me over the edge. As I read it I realized that the explanations put forth in the book just simply could not be backed up or verified in any way.

Read the article by Stephan Cox that analyzes the concept of truth. You will have to go back into some old threads to find out the name of the journal it is in, I can't find my copy right now and I have to get ready for work soon. I've been meaning to start a thread about that. The basic idea, at least to me is that you have to define "truth" before you can decide what truth is.

The definition of truth is that it must be verifiable. Pretty simple, yes? That being the case, how in bloody hell can the WT possibly call their version of reality "the truth". Their convulted line of reasoning (it's a stretch to call it a line of reasoning) just simply doesn't hold up. Of course any religion based on a god you cannot see takes a leap of faith, but the WT requires more of a leap than many, including me can take.

There is so much to say here. The WT speaks against "interpretation" of scripture, but they do it. The WT speaks against "religion" but they are one.

Of all things to say about themselves, calling their religion "the truth" is most regretable. It is regretable for many reasons. When you say something is the truth you are implying that:

1. EVERTHING else if false. (I use the word everything because they try to encompass all aspects of faith, life and culture.)

2. What you say can be verified

Another problem is that truth doesn't change. If it's an apple today it will be an apple tomorrow. That is truth. But the WT has invented an entire culture, encompassing everything that is a part of culture. Included in that are: language, dress, food, social norms, child rearing practice and many more. In calling their belief system "the truth" they leave no margin for error. Example: In the early days of U.S. culture, slavery was practiced and deemed a good social and economic system. It got things done and built a nation. But there was a back door. Slavery was not part of the almighty "truth". It was bad and was gotten rid of.

The WT can and will not root out the bad because it is "truth".

For Dr. Cox, I have quoted and paraphrased you and my thanks to you. Your writing has helped me to more fully understand myself and my beliefs.

Deb

czarofmischief

Well,

Imagine it is the late Clinton era - and you are alone at college. If Naru's avatar invited you (a 20 something male) to join in their "digusting" display of affection - how much longer would YOU remain in "the truth"??? Not too damn long, eh?

The "truth" had a good grip on my brain, but it couldn't keep ahold of my willy! (although those girls did, yum!)

I was finally freed in my mind when I realized that the elders didn't really care about me, and enjoyed powertripping in the JC over helping me - and then I began to read about where the Bible really came from. That was two years AFTER I was diffed. Up until then, I kept going to meetings and sitting in the back, and preparing for the studies, and all that crap. I finally decided I wasn't going to spend my life trying to meet some ill-defined standard set by people who I didn't like and didn't like me.

Now I cherish my freedom, and my independence, and my open mind, and my free speech, and my ability to swear when I'm cranky and sleep in when I'm tired, and own guns, and watch porn, and drink too much sometimes and hit the bong occasionally, maybe pop a couple painkillers and a glass of wine on SPECIAL occasions - go to rock shows and marry a girl (for other reasons than regular meeting attendance and collection of floor length floral print skirts) you know what? I'm going to learn to play guitar.

I dunno. My experience made me proud to be an American. That's why I get so touchy when I get the feeling that people want to take my rights away. I'd rather die than go back to that kind of control, which is why I'm a little paranoid about social engineering.

CZAR

gumby

The pic above is not cool for this site.

The nail in the coffin for me was reading COC. There were other factors.......but reading COC validated everything for me.

Gumby...( did I say the pic above is not a good thing for this site?) Lurkers and first impressions are my reasons

What made you leave the "truth"??

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