Sail Away

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Posts by Sail Away

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  83

  As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Sail Away in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

  as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

  i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

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  Sail Away

  Marvin Shilmer
  

  The OP letter is well put together and hits hard.

  Thank you, Marvin Shilmer. Your letter from a current JW conveys the spirit of my intent. I wish to be left in peace and show love to any of my former associates who may wish to greet me.

  SailAway
• 
  83

  As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Sail Away in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

  as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

  i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

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  2. 
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• 

  Sail Away

  sir82
  

  your legal jargon and threats will be empty to them.

  Nope, elders are instructed to "call the branch" (Bethel) if any sort of legal action is threatened. In most cases, the threat of legal action defers or even indefinitely postpones any "no longer a JW" announcement.

  It has worked many many times before.

  ^^^This
• 
  83

  As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Sail Away in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

  as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

  i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

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  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Sail Away

  notsurewheretogo
  So basically you are disassociating yourself and will be shunned and it will be announced, your legal jargon and threats will be empty to them.

  I hereby declare myself no longer a member.

  notsurewheretogo, of course, the elders are free to do as they wish and to suffer the potential consequences. That is their call. This ultimately has nothing to do with them or what they may think or do. It is about my freedom and my ability to hold my head high. As I stated, I have nothing to lose.
• 
  83

  As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Sail Away in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

  as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

  i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Sail Away

  sir82
  

  Nice. It would be even scarier if you got a legal firm to write it on their letterhead.

  
  

  That is a possibility!

  
  

  SailAway
• 
  83

  As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Sail Away in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

  as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

  i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
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  Sail Away

  never a jw
  

  Are you planning to write in the letter that child abuse in the JW's congregations around the world and the RC hearings have prompted you to make this decision? It may start a slow process of waking up for the reader.

  
  

  Thanks for the support all!

  
  

  never a jw, I have given a lot of thought to that question. My local elders know that I initially walked away due to my decision to not shun my son, so they may think I am referring to shunning. If I do make a reference to the Royal Commission and child sexual abuse, I would want it to be clear and succinct. I do not want the letter to give any fuel to the fire.

  
  

  SailAway, a former JW "Sister"
• 
  83

  As a Matter of Conscience, I Am Resigning from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses

  by Sail Away in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  after listening to the hearings of the australian royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse, i am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization.

  as a matter of conscience, i do not want my name linked with the organization in any way.

  i know this letter has been posted previously, and i thank the author.

  1. 
  2. 
  3. 
• 

  Sail Away

  After listening to the hearings of the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, I am no longer content to have simply walked away from the organization. As a matter of conscience, I do not want my name linked with the organization in any way. I know this letter has been posted previously, and I thank the author.

  I have modified the letter to meet my circumstances and to specifically warn the appointed men that they may be held legally and criminally responsible for their actions. There are two congregations that meet at my former Kingdom Hall, and I have been a member of both. I plan to send a notarized letter to each body of elders. I was baptized in 1976 in the named congregation and refuse to disassociate from the organization. I was not baptized into an organization. I don't see this step as playing by their rules.

  I don't want to be contacted by appointed men under any circumstances and would prefer to not have to deal with the shunning, gossip and slander that would likely ensue should an announcement that I am no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses come from the platform. I am already effectively being shunned, as no witness will initiate contact with me, but they are civil in public. I would prefer to leave it that way, as I live in a small community. I have absolutely nothing to lose personally. I no longer want any connection to the organization as a whole. I have no issue with individual members who are held captive to the doctrine, principles and practices of this corporation masquerading as a religion.

  SailAway
  

  August 18, 2015
  
  Address
  
  SENT BY US MAIL, REGISTERED, CERTIFIED, RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
  
  To:

  The Body of Elders of the [named] Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses

  C/o [xxx], Congregation Secretary

  Address

  As a matter of conscience and to exercise of my rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,. I, SailAway, hereby resign from The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, et al , the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, et al, and the [named] Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses effective immediately, August 18, 2015.

  
  I hereby declare myself no longer a member.
  
  As a non-member, I demand complete freedom from all religious practices, which include but are not limited to discipline and retaliation. Examples of such religious practices may include a formal announcement of my non-member status before the [named] Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, shunning, intentional infliction of emotional distress, harassment, slander, invasion of privacy, etc. Should you engage in any such conduct towards me, I will immediately and fully utilize all legal means to stop those acts. Any and all of the above-named parties may be held jointly and severally responsible.
  
  Please refer to the following:

  · Bear v. Reformed Mennonite Church

  · Guinn v. Church of Christ of Collinsville

  · Hadnot v. Shaw

  · McNair v. Worldwide Church of God

  Furthermore, I request immediate, complete, and permanent cessation from all contact from church elders, ministerial servants, circuit overseers or any other member appointed to a position of authority in the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This includes, but is not limited to mail, electronic communications, telephone and in-person visits taking place at my residence (address noted above), workplace, or elsewhere. Please be aware that I will consider any in-person visits by appointed men on private property henceforth to be trespassing, and should that occur, I will utilize all legal means to stop that act, including but not limited to civil and criminal complaints.
  
  Thank you in advance for respecting my right to freedom from religion.
  
  Signed,

  SailAway

  [insert notary stamp and signature, if you're using one]

  
  

  I would appreciate any constructive suggestions from this community,

  
  

  SailAway

  
  
  
• 
  37

  Remember the two elderly sisters?

  by John Aquila in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  about a month ago i posted what had happened to two elderly sisters who were reprimanded by a couple of elders for crying because the jw broadcasting was going to be stopped at the kingdom hall and it was up to each publisher to learn how to use the internet.

  if you recall the sisters got together with my mom and talked about it and it resulted in all of them declining to make meals for the pioneers.

  here is the link.

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  Sail Away

  Fantastic! If only my in-laws would do the same, the WTBT$ would be a million+ lighter!
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  7

  ONE pedophile and TWO victims per Congregation

  by Marvin Shilmer in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  "sadly, though, most [pedophiles] go unpunished by authorities today.

  in australia, for example, it has been estimated that only 10 percent of offenders are prosecuted, and few are convicted.

  other lands have had a similar record.

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  Sail Away

  Sadly, my experience says this is accurate.
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  30

  Just for the record Vincent Toole and Terrence Obrien you are both lying SOBs

  by joe134cd in

  1. watchtower
  2. scandals

  i just thought i would mention this on the off chance they might be lurking here.

  the two quotes are.

  (1)vincent toole ="i've never heard of the term 'theocratic warfare'".

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  Sail Away

  My husband and I and our adult daughter are "inactive", and we are being shunned by JW family and "friends" no differently than our adult son who is DF'd. My JW in-laws want nothing to do with their infant great grandson.

  Yes, we were free to leave, but not without repercussions.
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  24

  RC: an emotional trigger?

  by sparrowdown in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  is this rc triggering any painful memories for anyone else?

  .

  for me, it's stirring up all the emotions of what it felt like dealing with assholes like this.

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  Sail Away

  I am taken aback by the level of anger, rage even, that I felt at the beginning of these hearings. Interestingly, in the years before my exit, my husband repeatedly pointed out that I was an angry person. I denied it and continued to to repress my painful cognitive dissonance.

  I think experiencing this anger while feeling validated by the kind and competent men conducting the procedings has been tremendously healing for me. With my indoctrination blinders off, I can see these "shepherds" for who they really are-- very small, clueless and deceptive men.

  Sparrowdown, thank you for your insightful and often biting, yet hilarious commentary!