welp...
it's been a crazy ride for over 25 years, pretty much raised as a witness (ever since i could remember), rebelled against my parents, came back, straighten out for a little while, married within "the truth", but the last 5 to 7 years, i've been seriously questioning the changes and doctrines established by the wts.
never thought i would be looking from this side of the fence.
megawatt - At least you wised up about field service earlier on. Good on you! I stopped door to door just on a year ago, but it still feels like a novelty to be a normal person and actually have a sleep-in on the weekend. No wonder I was so tired all the time.
llbh - thanks for the welcome, I'm loving being here!
welp...
it's been a crazy ride for over 25 years, pretty much raised as a witness (ever since i could remember), rebelled against my parents, came back, straighten out for a little while, married within "the truth", but the last 5 to 7 years, i've been seriously questioning the changes and doctrines established by the wts.
never thought i would be looking from this side of the fence.
Hi megawatt, welcome to jwd.
The more research you do, the more your head is going to spin as you learn the truth about 'the truth'. Speaking from personal experience, it may be a long and sometimes painful journey for you and your wife. The other posters have already given you great advice. I would just add one more thing - please be aware that your wife will go through this journey at her own pace. You and your wife may feel an assortment of emotions and some stress. It would be great if you could be each others soft place to fall.
I wish you all the very best. Hang around jwd - I lurked here for a long time and it helped me a great deal. And one more thing . . . sleeping in on Saturday mornings is bloomin' marvelous!
i recently bumped into a jw i know that told me that her watch had been pinched at an assembly , she then went on to tell me that a lot of worldly people go to assemblys ,so she should have been more carfull !!!!!!!
this is someone that knows im "worldly" i was gobsmacked when i had recovered from my shock i informed her that i would not dream of stealing something despite being "worldly".
i dont even think she realised how offensive it sounded and she is not usually a judgemental person , so it must be all that self righteous association she has been mixing with lol
Hi Looloo, if you didn't know already, jw's are indoctrinated to believe that jehovahs organisation is perfect, a spiritual paradise. Nothing like theft would be committed by jehovah's people . . . right? Your friend was only spouting what she has been told a million times.
"Worldy People" are the scapegoats for everything. For a long while before every convention, the society sent letters to elders which were read out to the cong warning parents to not let their children wander around unaccompanied at conventions and assemblies, because some children had been molested by "worldy" people at the conventions. (And we all know jehovahs witnesses would never do something like that! ) What a cover-up! Jw's were labeled "a pedophiles paradise" by a judge a few years ago, but blame it all on the "worldlies". It's so convenient.
A family member of mine had a brand new expensive pen that was engraved with his name stolen at a kh. He left it on a chair with his books, got up to talk to friends, came back and it was gone. There were no 'worldly people' there that night. No-one to blame! After that incident, he always made sure his wallet was in his pocket when he was at the meetings.
i have just finished reading crisis of conscience by raymond franz.
i only stumbled across this book on wednesday in the town library while waiting for a public computer.
the last couple of days in the uk has seen miserable weather which has effected my work so i have had plenty of spare time to read this book.
I found Mr Ray Franz to be a highly articulate and persuasive person and the book Crisis of Conscience acted like a link-breaker from the governing body and their clutches. Once I read it, it become easy to understand how the governing body could sanction policies that protect the pedophiles in the organisation and silence their victims. They are so drunk on power and their position as "Kings". In my opinion, the quote from Lord Acton defines the governing body perfectly:
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."
Ray Franz also authored another outstanding book, "In Search of Christian Freedom", which is a sequel to Crisis of Conscience. It examines jw doctrines, policy and culture.
I am sure that the governing body thought they could silence him permanently when they disfellowshipped him - little did they know he would put those writing skills to such good use, helping free people from the jw cult.
hello newbies and all others !
with all of the newbies the last few months joining the board i wanted to provide a thread for them to express what stresses they are going through in exiting the jehovah's witness cult .
so please all newbies- we are happy you are here , tell us what you are going through , and some of us will help if we are able to.
I was very angry. This anger was what started me on the way out. I think it is one of the steps we have to take to heal. There is anger, sorrow, humiliation for being so stupid, and many other emtions that we go through.
Hi Velta - Anger can be a very good thing can't it? It can motivate us to take action when courage alone wouldn't be enough. The important thing I am wrestling with is not to remain angry with myself. I have to forgive myself. (even though I keep thinking "How did I believe so much CRAP!! for so many years? What was I thinking???")
I have been going through the grieving process for some months now, and I try and remember a saying I know - "This too shall pass". I try and picture what my life will be like in years to come - a happy and free life! Actually, I already feel a lot happier than I ever did when I was a jw. The meetings used to depress me. The small talk before and after the meetings with false christians used to depress me. Selling literature door to door used to depress me. The endless demands and rules of men used to depress me. Now, I have a growing sense of freedom. It's so very gratifying to be a christian just following Bible guidelines, free of the shackles of men who tried to imprison me.
hello newbies and all others !
with all of the newbies the last few months joining the board i wanted to provide a thread for them to express what stresses they are going through in exiting the jehovah's witness cult .
so please all newbies- we are happy you are here , tell us what you are going through , and some of us will help if we are able to.
Jw's started losing their grip on me when I saw an expose by respected journalists on jw paedophilia-protecting policies and the damage they are doing to victims and their families. I was in turmoil over it. It dawned on me that the governing body has a sinister and evil side that they hide from view. I began to wonder what else they had been lying about . . . little did I know they were lying about ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!!
I started to find out the truth about the so-called truth. I felt very distressed. I was MAD as hell. I had been scammed. So, Mr Flipper, you ask what am I dealing with? I am dealing with anger. I am wondering what on earth I could have done with my youth if I had just slammed the door on jehovahs witnesses years ago. I have a lot of regrets about missed opportunities. I have lost people I thought were my friends. It's still a painful time. It's a bit lonely.
BUT
I congratulate myself that I am a cult survivor. I am determined not to be bitter. I am determined to get revenge. How? They say living life well is the best revenge, and I am trying to do just that.
i started a serious thread on cult mind control- so i figured i'd start a sarcastic funny thread, or serious, your choice how to explore it , on personal study !
i got so sick and tired as a witness with that expression being crammed down my throat !
" personal study " they told us !
Hello Mr. Flipper. Thanks for the welcome! Yes, I agree with you that one does not need an organisation to worship God. I have come to understand that very clearly this last year or so. It is also amazing me that after being a jw for over 20 years, I realised that I know almost nothing about the Bible. I know isolated texts, I have no context. All of those hours of study, meetings, field service . . . I shouldn't dwell on it too much or I get depressed.
Also, the boredom was a real killer, but now I am BORED NO MORE!!!
i started a serious thread on cult mind control- so i figured i'd start a sarcastic funny thread, or serious, your choice how to explore it , on personal study !
i got so sick and tired as a witness with that expression being crammed down my throat !
" personal study " they told us !
I was baptised as a very young adult and I was hungry for Bible knowledge so I diligently studied absolutely everything. I even took notes during the public talks and assemblies and filed them. I am studious by nature and loved to learn. However, the longer I was a witness, the more bored I became. (I spent a lot of years stifling yawns at meetings and bible studies I conducted!) It was always a re-hash. During the last few years I quit studying anything! I found it frustrating to read the wt articles. Not because they were difficult or profound, but because of what I now know is the 'circular logic' that they employ.
Now, I don't study books that interpret the Bible, I study the Bible itself!! A real Bible like the NIV. I feel like I am finally learning about the Bible for the first time and I love it!
i just saw the eighth post by botheyesopen.
i noticed aliciaj, dogaradodya, chicken little, cognac, hypnotic, mochalatte.. some have been welcomed and some have not.. .
we have so many i can't keep up so.... .
Hello everyone. I have been lurking here for several months, but just signed on yesterday. Thank you so very much to all of you for sharing your personal story, your journey and your insights. It has helped me to not feel so very alone. JWD has been my therapy.
2007 was a huge year for me - I left the jehovah's witnesses. I never dreamed I would do that. You helped me deal with my pain and confusion. BIG thanks.
since 1987, i must have went to about 16 memorials and missed about 5.
I attended every memorial for 20+ years.
In March 2007, I began researching jw history and doctrines and was disgusted. While at the 2007 memorial, I realised that jw's do not have the truth and I made the decision then and there that I would never go back. That was my last meeting.
This year we will be partaking at home.
I have been lurking on this website for many months, and I want to take the time to say thank you to all of the posters here. You helped me to de-program my mind. I found this website a great tool for healing.
