ExJW Quiet Activism: It's Sad When They Leave

Yes, very sad, but leave what? The Truth? That is the term indoctrinated Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) say when people leave their religion for good, and never wish to return. Such is apparently the case with a recent murder/suicide that is in the press right now, about a woman and her family who were former JWs and tried to start a life away from that Truth. The JW Truth is that God will bring about an earthly paradise before the generation of 1914 have died. That is, the people who were of a certain age to understand the teachings of the JWs around that 1914 date, so yes, those people are long dead and no Kingdom of God has been established here on earth.

The JW organization has no power to bring about any Godly Kingdom on earth and no power to either take your hope of an eternal life or grant you eternal life, yet that is the lofty position their leadership place themselves. It is a fantasy they sell and it is all about selling and marketing their unique belief system while pushing their agenda of gaining massive wealth and working with world leaders to keep that wealth. You see, you cannot store up treasures here on earth, only the JW leadership are allowed to do that.

I have not researched how many JW-related suicides there have been since it is too sad for me to do that. I really don't want to know. As readers of this blog may remember, my cousin committed suicide last May on the opening day of his regional convention while his JW wife was in attendance only to come home to find him laying on the floor having taken his own life. Oh well, tsk, tsk. She was told that it is up to Jehovah whether or not he will be resurrected in that JW paradise on earth. Suddenly, a life sacrificed to that bloodthirsty God Jehovah might get him a free ticket into that paradise. It is a warped viewpoint the JWs have, and some get caught up in that thinking and can't free themselves.

Reference the blog entry:
http://exjwquietactivism.blogspot.com/2017/06/dont-give-up.html

My cousin was born and raised in the JW Society like I was and we were very close as kids. My Aunt and Uncle had a beautiful sprawling ranch house and huge garden and I spent most of my summers with them. I have only good memories of my cousin. He was outgoing, funny, and was artistic, and even had a book published many years ago which was part of the reason I wanted my book published. I wanted my story told since the JWs keep us silent for so many years while inside the organization. I wanted to share my experiences with people who probably have no clue what the JWs are really like, and what a torturous existence it is for us kids growing up as a JW. It warps your world view and perhaps we never fully recover since it's all we knew since birth, just the teachings and constant badgering rhetoric from the JW published literature we were to read and recite back its words at all the meetings each week.

My cousin spent several years at the Watchtower farms in New York as part of his voluntary Bethel service and at its headquarters in Brooklyn. When he came back home, he was appointed as an Elder in his congregation. He married and had no children. I had no idea until after he committed suicide, that he began waking up the same time I did and was struggling to leave "The Truth". I wish I had not lost contact with him as I think maybe we could have helped each other. He was eventually deleted as an Elder and became inactive and depressed, and well, decided somehow that taking his own life was an answer to a question that only he knew.

If you are struggling to leave the JW organization, do not hesitate to reach out to a non-JW friend at work, maybe a non-JW relative, or even seek out a licensed counselor or therapist and describe how you are feeling.

I started with the self-help route and sought out an ex-JW on YouTube named Gordon Smith-Duran. His video link is in the footer of this blog. He not only helps people leaving the JWs, but he is an excellent example of someone who has successfully moved on from the organization, and moved on from obsessing about its ever-changing doctrines and policies, and developed a life free from Watchtower. He is a hypnotherapist, English and Spanish teacher, tutor, and his wife [who has never been a JW] have both formed a successful business in Spain.

It's easy to say but difficult to do, but you can do it - what? Move away from the JWs. Stop following their every move or watching all of their videos that are shown at their regional conventions. You know whatever they have to say, is the same old rhetoric designed to instill fear and loathing of the world and be afraid of everything with only the JW Governing Body having power over life and death. They are just mortal men getting rich off of your fear and wanting to watch their every move. Nope, you can move on from that. You are stronger than you think you are.

Sometimes physically changing where you live is a major help in leaving the JWs. Literally figuring out where you want to go next will help clear your mind of the JWs' useless teachings, and start fresh in a new town, new country, learn a new language, anything you want to do is open to you now. You do not need to provide any explanation to any JW about why you left. Wait until you are ready to express yourself. You can simply say that it was no longer your Truth, that life is an open ended question, and having new, positive experiences is how we grow into reliable and healthy human beings, mentally, spiritually, and physically. Don't be afraid of religion. Don't think you have to dump God or be afraid to walk into any church. On the other hand, don't think you have to join anything, there are no rules when it comes to what you want to research about this life and if there is an afterlife beyond the grave. Many ex-JWs become atheist because that is their JW programming. JWs' believe that this life is all there is, that when you die, you are gone forever, that is, if you are not a baptized and active recruiter for the JW organization. So many fall into atheism since they think there is no hope for them when they leave the Watchtower corporation and they basically hate all religion and hate God.

Becoming a spiritual person is not anything to look down on. Spirituality and religion are two different things. Maybe that is a place you can start on your journey to free yourself from JW indoctrination. Never give up on your quest for knowledge, that is the key to happiness and it is available to all of us.