As a few of you know now from my posts I've recently left the organisation & it's lies behind. It's truly a wonderful sense of freedom. What I'd like to know from you guys is when you left, what did you do then? Did you go to another religion? Did your beliefs change? Do you still believe that what they teach doctrinally is correct but just don't like the control they had over your lives?
Here is my story: (I hope you don't Mind)
What lead to my leaving was that though I'd been in the truth most of my life I had got lazy in the last couple of years and would miss meetings/bookstudies and the like. I kinda did what I wanted to make 'me' happy but still felt empty inside (always felt that emptiness even when I was a so called "strong" publisher) So I literally fell on my knees and begged to the God of Isaac, David, Abraham to come into my life and show me the truth. I bumped into a past friend who'd left the organisation and she invited me to her church (born agains) So I went & was a little uncomfortable at the freedom of worship, yet I felt immensely overwhelmed and felt like something was at work. That night in a gesture I would never have deemed possible I actually gave my life to Jesus (this was not an over emotional thing - I was deffinately moved)
After that I went to their "foundations" kinda like a group study where you go through basic doctrinal things. But during this time I was so confused and felt I was going out of my mind because I felt so guilty so I ran to the elders of my congregation and told them what I'd done. Yes they had a strong hold over me....Anyway they assigned someone to me to go over the basics again - I asked that this sister prove it ONLY with the bible and no publications.....she bought publications. In the meantime I continued to go to this other church and was moved all the more at the freedom of their worship - also I had tons of questions... Suddendly I was the 'baby' - I didn't have the answers.
Then my turning point was when I was assigned to give a talk (something basic) I had prepared and everything and was ready to give it when an elder approached me and said my aunt had phoned him and told him I was still attending this other church and she felt that I was not in good standing before Jehovah - I couldn't give my talk! He said that the one elder hadn't come to take the B school so it was a blessing - they then went and had the B school anyway. I was devastated, I stood outside the congregation and balled my eyes out, my heart breaking before all my so called friends & no one came to see if I was okay. I knew then they didn't have Jehovahs' blessing or love if they couldn't show it to one of their own....
The elders called me over for a chat - I arrived at the Kingdom Hall when I got to find out it was actually a committee case - I expressed my dismay that they had deceived me. Anyway there was pressure from them for me to stop and I vowed I wouldn't go to the church until I had cleared things up.....well that was about 4 months ago and I've kept faithful to my word - though they haven't bothered with me since the. In this time though I have been relying on God for help, and slowly reading my bible (along with a greek bible & dictionary) (not the NWT) through childs' eyes and I'm so overjoyed at the prospects God actually holds out to us. I've been floored at the outright lies I've been taught. I didn't realised how indoctrinated/brainwashed I actually was. But God has truly been good! I now have a close relationship with Him as His daughter and not a realationship of fear of an organisation run by men.
After that long story it would be great to know if some of you are spiritual, or if you've done a complete reversal.
What do you think about Trinity now? Birthdays? Heaven? Souls/spirits?
