Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences! This was a scary subject for me to bring up, but I’m glad I did. I agree that growing up as a JW is a totally unique experience. Also, thank you, jwundubbed, for suggesting therapy. I totally agree that therapy can help! I am so thankful to have everyone’s support. It makes me feel like I’m not alone.
Freeatlast2024
JoinedPosts by Freeatlast2024
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30
Experiences After Leaving
by Freeatlast2024 ini am writing to ask if anyone cares to share their experience and/or offer advice for people leaving.
i was raised in the religion, and both my parents died when i was very young.
i recently stopped associating because my conscience no longer allows me to preach or support the organization.
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Experiences After Leaving
by Freeatlast2024 ini am writing to ask if anyone cares to share their experience and/or offer advice for people leaving.
i was raised in the religion, and both my parents died when i was very young.
i recently stopped associating because my conscience no longer allows me to preach or support the organization.
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Freeatlast2024
ThomasMore, I wholeheartedly agree with your perspective. Everyone has to make their own decisions in life, but I personally could not be a PIMO. Also, I had to cut off some people that I really cared about because they were trying to convince me that I was wrong when I started having doubts. It’s been really hard because these are people I really care about, but I don’t regret my decision. It’s just hard.
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Experiences After Leaving
by Freeatlast2024 ini am writing to ask if anyone cares to share their experience and/or offer advice for people leaving.
i was raised in the religion, and both my parents died when i was very young.
i recently stopped associating because my conscience no longer allows me to preach or support the organization.
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Freeatlast2024
I am writing to ask if anyone cares to share their experience and/or offer advice for people leaving. I was raised in the religion, and both my parents died when I was very young. I recently stopped associating because my conscience no longer allows me to preach or support the organization. The problem is that most of my social network was people from the hall. I don’t really have family, so now I feel really isolated. I’d like to get to know different people, but I am honestly scared to reach out, because I have a hard time trusting people. I also feel like most people cannot understand me, because they do not know what it is like to be raised as a JW, lose your family in death at a young age, and then leave the organization to have almost no one left in your life. Also, I am still young.
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Crisis of Conscience
by Freeatlast2024 inthis is my first time posting to this forum.
let me start by saying i was born and raised as a jehovah’s witness.
i’m thankful that i was raised this way, because i feel it protected me in some ways, especially with regard to moral issues.
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Freeatlast2024
This is my first time posting to this forum. Let me start by saying I was born and raised as a Jehovah’s Witness. I’m thankful that I was raised this way, because I feel it protected me in some ways, especially with regard to moral issues. However, with all the recent changes starting late last year (2023), I started really questioning whether the GB was just making shit up. What really threw me over the edge was when the disfellowshipping changes came just two weeks after losing the Norway trial. Meanwhile, there are witnesses imprisoned right now throughout the entire globe for trying to follow the rules, but the GB can just change policy to win an appeal so they can hopefully one day get more money from the Norway government. I haven’t been back to the meetings since, but I was constantly questioning my decision to leave the organization, feeling that I didn’t have the right to question the GB. Also, well-meaning friends have been texting me warning me that I will die at Armageddon.
Then I came across this book online, called Crisis of Conscience, which I already knew about, but I found it free for all to read. I wanted to share the link for anyone feeling guilty about questioning their beliefs:
https://friendsofraymondfranz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CC2004-Eng.pdf
As most of you already know, it was written by Raymond Franz, a former member of the GB, who eventuality resigned from the GB and left the organization because of what he saw as a GB member.
A lot of good people are leaving the so-called “truth”, because they know it is a lie. John 4:24 says that God wants us to worship him “in truth.”
I just want you to know you are not a bad person for questioning everything. In fact, you are in good company with a lot of people who love God and want to do what’s right.