Just thought I should share a bit of my story with you all, I'm on this board everyday and can't stop reading.
I was raised as a Witness by my Mother and Grandmother, dad and gramps weren't Witnesses. I was baptized at 15, I believed it was the truth but was still pushed into baptism by my mom, she thought it reflected negativly on her as a mother that I wasn't dipped yet. I was raised in Columbus, Ohio and had a pretty average JW life up until I got married. That started the ball rolling. The way Elders in my hall reacted to my marriage disturbed me, they said that since she was married before that our marriage would likely be doomed to failure, I couldn't understand their logic.
Not long before I stopped going to meetings I was a pioneer, first year, zealous... Many of the other pioneers in my congregation were older
women in their 70's, my spiritual mothers who I'd known my whole life. I was excited because of the circuit overseer visit, I would finally be able to see what the circuit overseer teaches to pioneers in private, I couldn't wait. It was a particularly active winter and several snowstorms had caused all of us to be behind on our time, and the C.O made sure to rub it in, he looked into these old womens eyes and told them that they werent doing enough. He told these faithful women who had devoted everything to God that they had to work harder. these women put cayenne pepper in their stockings to keep warm because they had to wear skirts in the snow...I dont remember any spiritual upbuilding that day, just the shock that this "godly" man would berate old women and widows...
I should have known then that it was not the truth, too bad it took a long downward spiral to wake up.
It when I felt spiritually hungry and picked up the bible and began to read in the king james version that I finally awoke. after reading many passages, I would be brought to tears but it wasent the same as when I was a witness the tears were brought on by heartbreak, because I was begining to understand the Watchtowers twisting of Jesus words. It was like reading a new book, painful to read because of the lies I was fed but awe inspiring because of the radiant light I felt as the life of indoctrination began to melt away and the scriptures finally began to make sense. I immediatly bought an Interlinear greek Bible and was appalled as I compared it to the new world translation, not only were words changed, but entire concepts had been invented out of thin air. I was led as a puppet by a mind controlling cult. I felt totally betrayed, and then I began to remember what it was really like to be a witness and everything began to made sense.
The sister who told someone in the ministry that Jehovah would not allow a war with Iraq... The elder who said from the platform that he had "a good idea of when the tribulation would hit" but "wasn't saying"... The paedophile who got attacked by a witness at a convention because he had been going to all the congregations in the city to try and seduce young girls... being afraid of apostates... being afraid of not being good enough... being berated at judicial commities because of small personal sins... the nagging thought at the back of my mind that I could lose Gods favor at anytime and die at armageddon... no independant thought...
It is all based on fear and lies, I thank God that I was able to escape from their clutches, and that my wife has stood with me in discovering the truth.
Things I've heard from the platform:
Watching a Lord of the Rings movie will cause you to lose favor with God. (Presiding Overseer of my Congregation)
We are so close to paradise that we can almost taste the Coconuts (district convention)
If you commit a serious sin now, there might not be time to be forgiven ( blasphemous talk at an assembly by an austrailian brother from bethel)
