Hello everyone. I just wanted to introduce myself before I make any comments down the road, so you all will know who I am. I've been off the net for
awhile, and now just getting back on line.
My mother became a JW some time around 1973/74 time period. She became one, because a JW cousin convenced her that she would be very soon be reunited with her daughter. My sister had just passed away a couple of years earler. She was 5 years old at the time. And that as a JW, they did not believe in hell or the trinity. That was the big selling point for my mom. My dad never did become a JW, and it was him that told mom to start me in Kindergarden on time. There were folks at the Kingdom Hall that was telling mom, "Oh you don't have to worry about your daughter even having to go to school. This system of things is about to end." That was the only one good thing that my dad did for me. He was an very abusive SOB.
1975 came, and went, and over the course of time I ended up with 2 more sisters. In 1987, I was baptized at the age of 18. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. After I graduated from high school, I became very involved in the JW orgazation. I was a regular pioneer. I worked on the electrical crew, in building and remolding Kingdom Halls. I even worked in serving food at the different assemblies. I got a chance to visit Bethel, in one of those bus tours. My dad told me that I should go up there to New York, to work at the head quarted. My reply to him was, "They don't accept females." That ended that on his part. I had no desire to live there any way.
In 1993 I met my husband at a KH build. At the time, our congeration was put in a Missouri Circuit, because our ciruit had grown. So at this build we had folks from Missouri show up to build this new Kingdom Hall in Garnett Kansas. The only reason why I mention the town, some one pointed out to me that it was intresting that I met my husband in Garnett, Kansas, and that my birthstone is the Garnet. Five months after we met, we were married. We ended up having two sons.
From 1993 to 2000, we lived in Missouri, and most of this time I was treated like an outsider. It was so bad, that even my husband noticed it. Mom could never figure out why I could never "connect" with any of the congerations that I attened. Due to employment reasons, we ended up moving back to Kansas. We moved to a congeration, where I already knew almost everyone. I had worked with many of them at the hall builds, and even help in building their Kingdom Hall.
This was the turning point in my life. There were two major things that really shook up my "world", and made me question things.
The first was my son, he was 5 years old at the time. One night, while my husband was at work, our son got very sick. He was in the bathroom, having things coming out at both ends. Never before had I witnesed anything like this, so I took him to the hospital. During the testing, his white bood count was through the roof. The doctors was thinking it was possibly it was his appendix. So they admitted him, telling me to plan for surgery the next morning. There were other things they were testing for. I was scared out of my mind, so I called my mother, and sister. I told them of the situation. They told me that I needed to contact the elders. So I did. And the response I got from them was "What do you expect us to do about it?" It was not how they said it, but the way they said it, made me feel lower than a slug's belly. Fortunally it was not his appendix, and he never did need surgery. But it did take him a little while to recover from that. I forgot what he did have, but it was something that does kill small children, and the elderly, if not caught in time. During our time at the hospital, and the month spent at home recovering, no one from our hall showed up to see how he was doing. Not even my own mother bothered to stop by. She even passed through town once while visiting my sister.
When we did go back to the hall, we did not get a "we missed you, or how are you doing". Instead I was told that I better make arangements through the brothers for the up coming district convention. Now to the second part of what woke me up. I told mom, that because of everything that was going on I was not going to make it to the convention. So she talked about the different things that they talked about at the convention. There was only one thing that I remember was when talked about forgiveness. She said that when Armageddon comes, any one who married out of the "Truth", would die. It did not matter if their spouse became a JW, they became an elder, or a MS, or even a regular pioneer. That person who married out of the "Truth" would die because they showed they would not be faithful to Jehovah." (It really churns my stomach using those terms.) Not sure if she had taken what she heard out of context, I asked someone else who attened that same convention. She told me that was exactly what the brothers had said.
It was at this point I said "Enough!!!" I knew in my heart, that God don't hold those kind of grudges, other wise what was the point of Jesus and his time here on earth.
It was then I decided to do research on the internet. At the time I had books dating back to the 1950's, 60's and up to the present time. Using the internet I was able to see go to the paticual pages in my own books to see what I needed to see. It was a scripture Deuteronomy 18: 21, 22 that talks about false prophets. I don't know why, I did not take notice of that scripture before. I knew about the 1975 teaching, and even saw on the net, an old recording of some one from New York talking about how the end would happen at that time. I can't remember the dates, but I do recall how they did set other times, and nothing would happen.
What I learned really pissed me off. I was so angry that I ended up throwing all my books away. A decision that I later regretted. I wished I had passed them on to others for research purposes. But that is water under the bridge now.
I was not sure how my husband was going to take with me leaving the orgazation. I did not know what to expect, because I knew that in some cases, that also ment the end of their marrage. I thought about it for a couple of days, trying to figure out a way in telling him that I was not going to remain a JW any longer. Finally, while in the kitchen, I confronted him, and told him what I had learned. To my total shock, he told me that he was waiting on me to leave the orgazation. He had, had it with them also. It was at that time, he told me, that he was planning on ending his life that fall, it was very bad. (This was June.)
His aunt was a Sunday school teacher, so we talked to her about every thing that was going on, and what we had learned. It was during this time that we learned the true meaning of forgiveness. We accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savor, and did get baptized. We did go to church for a while. I had the odd feeling that I better write a dissocation letter. I showed his aunt, and our pastor the letter. They told us it was written well. We did not mail it off right away, but kept it just incase. And yikes, the time did come. It was about 3 months later, my brother in law (his goal is to become an elder) learned that we were going to church. He is not happy unless he is butting into other's business, and in our case making up balony. But that is another story.
So in 2001, my husband and I sent in our dissocation letters. Boy oh boy, it really did hit the fan soto speak when every one got their letters. (Our elders, his mother, and my mother all received a letter by mail.)
Since then we have now moved to Arkansas, and none of our JW relatives know where we live at. Oh they can find out, if they really want to. We are still in contact with 3 of my husband's aunts. We come together every Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I did have one sister also leave the JWs, but because of something she and her husband did to us, we don't have any contact with them.
Once in a while, my sons will talk to me about the "old days". My eldest still remembers it. He tells me that he is glad that I left it, he tells me that I'm a much better mommy now.
This is what my children have told me that they want to be when they finish school.
The eldest wants to go into the Air Force, and later get involved with Wild Life and Game Preserve.
The youngest wants to go to college and get involved with computer designing and programming.
My mother became a JW some time around 1973/74 time period. She became one, because a JW cousin convenced her that she would be very soon be reunited with her daughter. My sister had just passed away a couple of years earler. She was 5 years old at the time. And that as a JW, they did not believe in hell or the trinity. That was the big selling point for my mom. My dad never did become a JW, and it was him that told mom to start me in Kindergarden on time. There were folks at the Kingdom Hall that was telling mom, "Oh you don't have to worry about your daughter even having to go to school. This system of things is about to end." That was the only one good thing that my dad did for me. He was an very abusive SOB.
1975 came, and went, and over the course of time I ended up with 2 more sisters. In 1987, I was baptized at the age of 18. I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. After I graduated from high school, I became very involved in the JW orgazation. I was a regular pioneer. I worked on the electrical crew, in building and remolding Kingdom Halls. I even worked in serving food at the different assemblies. I got a chance to visit Bethel, in one of those bus tours. My dad told me that I should go up there to New York, to work at the head quarted. My reply to him was, "They don't accept females." That ended that on his part. I had no desire to live there any way.
In 1993 I met my husband at a KH build. At the time, our congeration was put in a Missouri Circuit, because our ciruit had grown. So at this build we had folks from Missouri show up to build this new Kingdom Hall in Garnett Kansas. The only reason why I mention the town, some one pointed out to me that it was intresting that I met my husband in Garnett, Kansas, and that my birthstone is the Garnet. Five months after we met, we were married. We ended up having two sons.
From 1993 to 2000, we lived in Missouri, and most of this time I was treated like an outsider. It was so bad, that even my husband noticed it. Mom could never figure out why I could never "connect" with any of the congerations that I attened. Due to employment reasons, we ended up moving back to Kansas. We moved to a congeration, where I already knew almost everyone. I had worked with many of them at the hall builds, and even help in building their Kingdom Hall.
This was the turning point in my life. There were two major things that really shook up my "world", and made me question things.
The first was my son, he was 5 years old at the time. One night, while my husband was at work, our son got very sick. He was in the bathroom, having things coming out at both ends. Never before had I witnesed anything like this, so I took him to the hospital. During the testing, his white bood count was through the roof. The doctors was thinking it was possibly it was his appendix. So they admitted him, telling me to plan for surgery the next morning. There were other things they were testing for. I was scared out of my mind, so I called my mother, and sister. I told them of the situation. They told me that I needed to contact the elders. So I did. And the response I got from them was "What do you expect us to do about it?" It was not how they said it, but the way they said it, made me feel lower than a slug's belly. Fortunally it was not his appendix, and he never did need surgery. But it did take him a little while to recover from that. I forgot what he did have, but it was something that does kill small children, and the elderly, if not caught in time. During our time at the hospital, and the month spent at home recovering, no one from our hall showed up to see how he was doing. Not even my own mother bothered to stop by. She even passed through town once while visiting my sister.
When we did go back to the hall, we did not get a "we missed you, or how are you doing". Instead I was told that I better make arangements through the brothers for the up coming district convention. Now to the second part of what woke me up. I told mom, that because of everything that was going on I was not going to make it to the convention. So she talked about the different things that they talked about at the convention. There was only one thing that I remember was when talked about forgiveness. She said that when Armageddon comes, any one who married out of the "Truth", would die. It did not matter if their spouse became a JW, they became an elder, or a MS, or even a regular pioneer. That person who married out of the "Truth" would die because they showed they would not be faithful to Jehovah." (It really churns my stomach using those terms.) Not sure if she had taken what she heard out of context, I asked someone else who attened that same convention. She told me that was exactly what the brothers had said.
It was at this point I said "Enough!!!" I knew in my heart, that God don't hold those kind of grudges, other wise what was the point of Jesus and his time here on earth.
It was then I decided to do research on the internet. At the time I had books dating back to the 1950's, 60's and up to the present time. Using the internet I was able to see go to the paticual pages in my own books to see what I needed to see. It was a scripture Deuteronomy 18: 21, 22 that talks about false prophets. I don't know why, I did not take notice of that scripture before. I knew about the 1975 teaching, and even saw on the net, an old recording of some one from New York talking about how the end would happen at that time. I can't remember the dates, but I do recall how they did set other times, and nothing would happen.
What I learned really pissed me off. I was so angry that I ended up throwing all my books away. A decision that I later regretted. I wished I had passed them on to others for research purposes. But that is water under the bridge now.
I was not sure how my husband was going to take with me leaving the orgazation. I did not know what to expect, because I knew that in some cases, that also ment the end of their marrage. I thought about it for a couple of days, trying to figure out a way in telling him that I was not going to remain a JW any longer. Finally, while in the kitchen, I confronted him, and told him what I had learned. To my total shock, he told me that he was waiting on me to leave the orgazation. He had, had it with them also. It was at that time, he told me, that he was planning on ending his life that fall, it was very bad. (This was June.)
His aunt was a Sunday school teacher, so we talked to her about every thing that was going on, and what we had learned. It was during this time that we learned the true meaning of forgiveness. We accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savor, and did get baptized. We did go to church for a while. I had the odd feeling that I better write a dissocation letter. I showed his aunt, and our pastor the letter. They told us it was written well. We did not mail it off right away, but kept it just incase. And yikes, the time did come. It was about 3 months later, my brother in law (his goal is to become an elder) learned that we were going to church. He is not happy unless he is butting into other's business, and in our case making up balony. But that is another story.
So in 2001, my husband and I sent in our dissocation letters. Boy oh boy, it really did hit the fan soto speak when every one got their letters. (Our elders, his mother, and my mother all received a letter by mail.)
Since then we have now moved to Arkansas, and none of our JW relatives know where we live at. Oh they can find out, if they really want to. We are still in contact with 3 of my husband's aunts. We come together every Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I did have one sister also leave the JWs, but because of something she and her husband did to us, we don't have any contact with them.
Once in a while, my sons will talk to me about the "old days". My eldest still remembers it. He tells me that he is glad that I left it, he tells me that I'm a much better mommy now.
This is what my children have told me that they want to be when they finish school.
The eldest wants to go into the Air Force, and later get involved with Wild Life and Game Preserve.
The youngest wants to go to college and get involved with computer designing and programming.
