Ex Jehovah's Witnesses, what led you to leave The Watchtower Organization?

Hello Nelson....Thank you for a well-needed ministry.

We were members for 40 years.

It was the constant internal strife that signaled us year after year, that directed our attention to the promises of Jesus Christ, not the OT God.

As you know, they are programmed to reject any teachings, or correction, or criticism of their Watchtower held beliefs.

It is this rigid programming that is the real enemy, not the scripture context we have tried to deliver them with.

They are proponents for the God of the OT, and they have been trained to reduce Jesus Christ's effectiveness as King, and Lord, by the leaders of the sect.

The only way they can be reached is with love, prayers, and scriptural application in wisdom.

If they, as we did, learn that their salvation is NOT through an "organization alone", as we were led to believe, but through the Grace of the Lord Jesus, they respond with timidity, but it is the love from Jesus that will set them free.

If they are in a group, forget it, as they have a loyalty bond, and fear that they would be reported for listening to foreign teachings.

If you catch one alone in a store, on the street, in whatever place you find the Holy Spirit leads you to them, ask them this question;

"If you ever discovered the organization was in grave error, could you leave"?

If they say "never"...ask them if they are not willing to lose all they have for the real truth"?

Before they can answer, say; "Do you value the security of the organization, family and friends, more than the reliance on Jesus and Holy Spirit you would need, if you left"?

This has worked somewhat for me, and it has opened their ears for real truth to trickle in.

My wife and I left the organization when we realized their "deeper exotic" teachings were never spoken of, like the dissolving of Jesus' body in the tomb, or how they claim Michael the Archangel was Jesus, without any scripture proof, and how Jesus was not our direct mediator...that was a big one for me, because we realized we were in disagreement about their teachings, as it did not align with the reason that Jesus came to set all men free.

It took us a solid year of 2 to 3 hours a day of research and study, and prayer, to bring down the walls of doubt, and false training. The false prophesies and the true history of the WTBTS was incredible to learn about, and why we were never remotely interested in doing any research while we were members,.....that still haunts us.

We have our son still there, and they have commanded him to never speak to us again, under threat of elder discipline.

We have no organized church we attend, for the Holy Spirit is teaching us all things.

We are free, and happier than we have ever been...we thank our Lord and King Jesus for the real truth of His love, under grace.

Just listen to their defensive, and accusatory answers here...this is their "normal"..

Blessings, and may the Lord Jesus bless your efforts with the freeing of the prisoner of false teachings.

Agape,

Joe and Mary

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RE:

Ex Jehovah's Witnesses, what led you to leave The Watchtower Organization?

I have been teaching the adult Sunday School class at my Church about the Jehovah's Witnesses history and doctrinal beliefs. I'm now moving on how to witness to them effectively.

I can't say I've had a sufficient amount of witnessing opportunities with them. I have a...

The ones I heard about wanted freedom to choose things for themselves. But, I understand that the organisation is a little more flexible these days. But most groups of any kind want you to learn and stick to the rules. I was never 'baptised' as one, but I thought my investigations may help if you do not get a better reply.

I can not reason with Jehovah's Witnesses.

I guess I never fully understood them. I believe that if someone says its all truth, then it should be. If someone says the religion is the only one approved by God then it should be. The watchtower organization could not be put aside in any way, now or in the future or they would be offended. Studying in a group with just the bible is not allowed. Saying the watchtower org would be void in the new system was a sin. Hearing every week how when people dont accept the mags or books or the study they are turning down God, how they go past a house they like and say "those people aren't going to need that for long. I think I'll take it hahaha" when referring to who will be in the new system and who won't. it was a haughty mess. Im no rich kid, never was, so I never put myself so high on the throne as most of them that I met. Calling someone inactive was equal to calling someone lazy who didn't go door to door. They would get all up in everyone's business even to check bedsheets as to who was masterbating and what kind of sex a married couple was having and if it was right or not.....it was just too much. The nit picking, the clicks, the judging of each other, always keeping each other on edge, all the women on antidepressants, the men complaining about not getting any booty...it wasn't for me. The focused on who was doing what more than opening a bible. the magazines got more attention than the bible.

That was 15 years ago. I don't know if a lot has changed since then. Some of the people from that religion I have met recently are not like that. But I never want to be in a tight nit religion again. It was too much stress.

Perhaps a better word than 'leave' would be ESCAPE. Leaving implies that one can easily extricate himself/her by simply walking out the door. That is not the case in jwdom.

It all centers around the exercise of control jw leadership has established over the members. The Watchtower has drilled down and implanted the fear of 'leaving' by threatening to remove contact from all former friends and blood relatives. They perform this fear inspiring indoctrination by repetitive meetings and articles warning the members of the consequences for leaving.

Often when a baptized member realizes he has been duped, the only course of action to make a clean break by violating a jw rule, like smoking, fornication, adultery, or other of the many sins outlined in the elders manual that warrant a tribunal of 3 men to judge.

Over 200 people are disfellowshipped every day from the cult. Often these people want desperately to be relieved of the tension, guilt, and pressure of being associated within such a controlling environment. They take the easiest way out by decree of the religion, rather than trying to quietly and painstakingly trying to ESCAPE while jumping through hoops to salvage what they can of family and friends.

Before escaping most know that they are destined to be completely alone, with no support. Yet will willingly sin just to get the closure of being 'disfellowshipped'. The exodus can be completed in just the missing of one meeting, with those 3 elders assigned to pass judgment on you. If you tell them to take a hike, your out 1,2, 3.

@After reading one of the quite prominent jw protagonists responses to your question, I will add this observation to my above comments.

Her huffing and puffing "HOT AIR, eating your hat" bluster is the result of years of indoctrination and cognitive dissidence. The true personalities of those chained to an organization of men, reflect that organizations true personality. Her response a perfect example of how a follower of Jesus Christ should not act.

I voted with my feet when 1975 came and went without incident. We were all anticipating that Armageddon would happen sometime soon after October of that year. My parents, who became Witnesses in the 1930's, actually believed they would be alive to see Armageddon and the "new system." They died disappointed. Guess what? Jehovah's Witnesses still think Armageddon is imminent. On Sunday 8 April, their worldwide public talk is entitled "Is It Latter Than You Think?" It's almost 100 years since Jesus is supposed to have (invisibly) taken up his heavenly kingdom to start ruling and all their chronology points to the new system being established after Armageddon, which MUST be sometime real soon! The membership has to be motivated for a final big "push." For me, it was false prophecy that helped me to get out.

Since then, I have discovered how false their doctrines are and how they have misrepresented what Christians really believe. Jehovah's Witnesses are lovely, sincere people - but they are sincerely wrong. The biggest single false doctrine has to do with the person of Jesus. They say Jehovah created him as Michael, the archangel, and that Jesus' body was not resurrected. I don't know about you, but my Lord and my Saviour is no mere archangel. The second biggest false doctrine has to do with claiming people do not have to be born-again by the Holy Spirit, that you can earn the right to be declared righteous through your own efforts. Effectively, they are keeping people OUT of the kingdom of God because they preach a false gospel.

Please check out the link below for guidance on how to witness to the Witnesses:

An Ex-JW for about 10years. I can not bow down to an angel named Micheal but only Christ our Lord Jesus! They are on a mind control mission by New York. I have a 20001 CD as proof they lie but can't use it because of legal terms but I can use what is inside it to turn others from becoming one them from being in there CULT!

Every witness has their own reasons for joining or staying a member, it's next to impossible to know what someone's trigger would be, but I'd suggest just asking a question or two to get them thinking.

Use questions from their own literature otherwise they'll dismiss it outright as apostate lies. Literature that they society now tries to cover up so they'll need to resort to finding the answers on the internet.

Here are some examples:

I heard Witnesses used to ban Aluminum as a metal from Satan, why was that?

Why did the Witnesses build a mansion for their second leader, staff it with servants and provide luxury cars for him during a time when the world was in a depression?

Is it true that archeologists found new evidence that Jerusalem wasn't destroyed in 607? Wouldn't that completely change your calculation for 1914?

Sorry, I need to head out, feel free to send me an email for more questions or sources for where the above come from.

** Okay: Let's presume my religion is false: What else have you got? Where do I go from there? **

Your job is not done pointing out what is WRONG, your ministry to me, one of Jehovah' s Witnesses, is to point me to the TRUTH. I suggest you start with either proving there is no need for organized religion or NAMING YOUR RELIGION. Both would be effective starts for me , I know you care about me so I look forward to seeing those two posts soon. If I don't see them I will continue to dismiss you as a vessell of so much HOT AIR. All Jehovah's Witnesses are thinking what I just posted here. If you can get me, you can get them too. Just post your religion and let us examine it in detail. or PROVE no religion is necessary from scritpure.

again, two introductory posts

1) The scriptural reasons that no organized religion is necessary (we will of course rip that apart sentence by sentence but you are welcome to try)

or

2) the NAME of your religion. (We will then proceed to discuss the beliefs of your religion belief by belief. I hope that whatever faith you have can stand up to the test. If you HAVE NO RELIGION but only a "relationship" go back to ONE and post - see above)

PLEASE help me to take you seriously by POSTING the above as soon as possible. I'm waiting. My life and salvation may depend on your next move.

SUNSHINE

EDIT We all have families and responsibilities, most Jehovah's witnesses are married with childen, nearly all of us have jobs but we give thorough well researched answers to sincere questions. You have taken it seems to me a disproportionate amount of time to point out what is bad, poision and spiritually unhealthy, NOW TIME TO SHOW US THE TRUTH! How long does it take to name your religion? You just typed at least six lines to me, lets hear what your religion is or at least type CHRISTIANS DON'T NEED AN ORGANIZED RELIGION (six words to seal your fate on this suject - I would LOVE you to type that to us, because I for one will feed you your HAT).

Anyway, i don't want any more blah blah about me being in the wrong place, just tell me where the right place is (or that the right place is having no organized religion)

I'lll be right here waiting.