Swimming upstream is never easy, but if you are a skilled and strong swimmer, you will conquer your goals.
It is difficult to even think about leaving the Jehovah's Witness (JW) organization, especially if you are already a baptized member of its society and vowed to be devoted to the top ruling class called the Governing Body (GB). Funny how their terminology always involves the body. As in the Elder Body, the group of men who run each congregation of JWs. Why the body? Because you, the rank and file are the members of that body. You do all the work while the body stays fixed. Without your arms and legs, you would be immobile. You could not feed yourself, earn a living, or get about on your own, you would be disabled and have to rely on other people to keep you alive.
The GB and the Elder Body are the same way. They need you to keep them alive by using your money, time, and resources to keep them very wealthy and thriving for years to come while you suffer and toil and never reach the end of that swim upstream. It is never easy to leave the JWs, and if anyone tells you it is, they are lying to you or were never really "in" the faith, as they say. They could not care less, perhaps they married a JW and fell into the organization and don't have any real emotional ties to it and can walk away at anytime. That's fine. But many of us were born and raised in the religious movement, and simply walking out those Kingdom Hall doors was a major, life-shattering moment.
Yes, I did it on my own. I conducted online research of the history of the JW religious movement with my only outlet being the JW message board where I could talk freely under a different name, and express my viewpoints and ask questions. The message board is still in existence, at: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/
You need some sort of outlet when you are planning your escape from the BODY. You also need that one moment that will push you out the door for good, and yes, sometimes you have to leave someone behind. The JWs love to say how they are not a cult, yet they behave like one, so what's the difference. There isn't one.
Perhaps this is your one issue that will get you to become a better person, to step up to the plate and take a stand by finding that courage to leave the JWs. Below is an excerpt from an article in The Guardian online newspaper. Click on the title for the complete story.
Excerpt: Louise Goode, a former Jehovah's Witness, says she left the faith because of its responses to allegations of child sexual abuse. "Since leaving ... I have become an activist and my aim is to ensure that all abuse cases or suspected safeguarding issues are reported immediately to the police rather than being dealt with in a secretive way in house by three elders who have had no safeguarding training."
Louise Goode did form her own group called JW Support Foundation, and that was her way to becoming "better" when leaving the JWs. However, please do not think there are any rules for leaving, no one way is the right way, it's your way that is the right way. I am not saying you have to form a group or organization, or do anything you are not ready for. Do not rush the process of leaving the JWs. But you can become a better person for taking on that difficult challenge of leaving the JW organization forever.
Blogging helped me to get my story out there since that was the best way for me to communicate. Other people have their own style, but doing nothing is fine too. Your simply walking out of those Kingdom Hall doors and never returning is a major step, and is by no means considered doing nothing. That is doing a lot, it's a huge first step. A point to remember is to work on the person inside of you first, seek out self-help books and videos, some suggestions are in the footer of this blog. Don't just crowd your mind with religious doctrines, think about your entire lifestyle. Are you eating well, sleeping well, and doing well on your job? Focus forward and become a better person inside, and the rest will fall into place.
No, it is not easy, but you can do it with a little time and planning. Share only your most deep inner thoughts with a trusted non-JW friend [I emphasize that]. I am sorry to tell you this, but even if you believe you have the best JW friend in the world, even if they are your spouse, they will turn on you. Why? It's their indoctrination into that JW religion who pretends to not be a cult. No one religious or political group has all the answers in this life. Life's purpose is the journey, not being stagnate waiting for "the end" of this system of things like JWs have you believe. They have all the answers so there is no need for further research, learning, or study. That is one major red flag right there. No one should tell you to only read their literature and only believe what they tell you to believe.
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| What are the JW Leadership willing to tolerate? Every crime imaginable. They sweep its worst offenses under the carpet, even allowing certain members of the Elder Body to walk out of the congregation, "forced" [ha ha] to write a disassociation letter, and never facing a real court of law. |
Explore the world around you without limitations. Perhaps look to non-JW co-workers and ask what groups they belong to, maybe get a gym membership or join a running club, something that gets you out of your head and into the...what? Into the BODY, your own body, and those walls inside of your brain will finally fall away and you can see life for what it means for you, individually.
Do what makes you happy. Harm no one on your journey.
#exJW
#theguardian
#freeyourselfnow
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