An open letter to all Jehovah's Witnesses.
Dear Friend,
Why are you here? What caused you to come and read the posts of so many of your former brothers and sisters who have either been disfellowshipped or have chosen to walk away from the Society and the 'Truth'? You know as well as any of us that the Society condemns this sort of association so I'm sure it will have been a very difficult decision for you to go against such clear advice and come here to read messages from 'apostates'. So why do you do it?
In fairness, only you can give an answer. However if your experience is anything like the rest of us you've maybe reached the point where you no longer feel you belong. Do you have questions you feel uncomfortable discussing with your family or with the brothers? At the Kingdom Hall, do you hear things said from the platform - things you've maybe heard a hundred times before - that now seem to disturb your growing awareness of reality? Have you found your sense of logic, or common sense, rattled at certain dogmatic explanations of truths you'd always accepted without question? Has your own reading of the Scriptures lead you to a much simpler understanding of the Bible?
On Sunday, following the Public Talk and Watchtower Study do you get a rather empty feeling when you say "amen" to the concluding prayer?
Don't worry, you're not going mad. You've simply started a process which will work to your own benefit, it's nothing to be afraid of. Thinking for yourself is a wonderful thing. It doesn't mean you are being disloyal to God. Open debate and discussion on controversial issues is not a mark of weakness - the attempt to stifle such freedom is. Because the Society have forbidden such 'independant thinking' and free discussion on policy and doctrine, good people like you and I find ourselves here. It is the Watchtowers loss.
Dear friend, don't endure the worst of both worlds. Don't be an outsider in your congregation, going through the motions but never being true to yourself and please, please don't be an outsider here. We will not judge you or condemn you for holding on to things which are so hard to let go of. There are no stupid questions. Please don't live forever in that nightmare limbo of existence where you cannot talk to anybody. Open up, you will never regret it.
If you've never made a post, if you are afraid of making contact or worried where all this may lead just remember, YOU are now in control.
My name is Nic', I hope you'll hit the reply button and just say "hello".
