Sunday, March 20, 2011

Testimony From A Former Jehovah's Witness

I have 2 issues with the liars who call themselves the governing body, due to things that they led me to believe.

First, the idea that a 15 year old should get baptized. My father was a career Marine. There were a lot of things that he wanted to do with me/for me, but of course as soon as I got baptized I wanted to have nothing to do with any of it. My father and I reconnected about twenty years later and my father told me that my getting baptized was the only time in his life that he cried. My father had been through extremely trying circumstances in Vietnam, he did two tours there, lost his entire company on one tour. If I had taken a more balanced view of life there is no reason why I should have limited my involvement with my father at the age of 15, the way the WTBTS instructed (they deny this but they are liars) me to do. For example, I remember one year I refused to put up the Christmas tree because of the lies that the WTBTS teaches.

Second, the commandment from the WTBTS that we should not go to college. I love learning, I love reading, I can pick up new ideas and new skills pretty quickly. And I did manual labor most of my early adult life. AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH And for what? Of course they claim in their literature that they never said this. LIARS. They said this at EVERY assembly. And anytime I asked an elder for advice on this, the advice was always the same.

I graduated from high school at the top of my class at the age of 16. I could have had a Ph. D. by the age of 19 or 20. I could have easily gotten scholarships.

Instead I spent all of my youth going to five meetings a week and putting in field service time and working 12 hours a day 6 days a week at construction work because I had no education.

Oh, and the worse part was whenever a "Brother" would hire me. No overtime, no benefits of any kind, lower wages than normal for the same job, the Brother constantly telling me how lucky I was to be working for a "Brother". Did you ever hear about that all Witness company named Trimline? Oh my goodness those liars were evil. I worked for a "brother" for that stupid company. They call you a "subcontractor" so they don't have to pay you any overtime, or any benefits, or matching social security, or unemployment. I worked for them for 3 years. Then I saw just how brotherly these liars are. I got very sick and almost died. I had acute pancreatitis and it was misdiagnosed for over one month. Pancreatitis makes you want to die the pain is so bad. I spent a little over 3 months either in bed or in the hospital. The "Brothers" never came to see me once. When I was well enough to go back to work I went to the Trimline office and the two "Brothers" that ran the place told me that no one had been calling on my accounts while I was ill. Which meant that I would have had to start over again. I was so upset because I knew that these two brothers spent all of their time fooling around and they could have easily covered my accounts while I was ill. And their attitude when I brought this up was "well, you should have thought about that before you took all that time off". I became so angry that I unloaded all of their Trimline crap out of my truck and I never spoke to either of these "Brothers" again. I also made up my mind that I would never work for a Jehovah's Witness again.

So, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society destroyed my relationship with my family and made it so that I had no education which forced me to work at manual labor for years, while I have a very acute mind and should be doing more intellectual work. I only started doing intellectual work at the age of 35.

I got to know some of those 'Christains' who keep to themselves and do home schooling, when I lived in rural Virginia. I think they were Mennonites. They all built their own homes, by hand. They were all self employed. I was talking to one family and I asked them how did they learn such useful skills since they don't go to public school or college. They looked at me very funny and said "the elders teach us". So, here are people who have the same "don't go to college" beliefs but they teach you very high paying trades that are in demand so that you can support yourself. Do you know ANYONE who is a JW elder who has high skills and who could teach someone else? Not that they would. I can't think of anyone like that.

So, if you are going to tell young people that they cannot learn a trade from "Satan's world", then I think that you take on the responsibility of teaching them several trades yourself. And the WTBTS feels ZERO obligation to do this. They want all their members to be janitors so that they can all pioneer.

I think the people who write the literature are either insane or pathological.

8 comments:

jworld said...

Such a sad story. I have started to wonder what this organization would have looked like if Rutherford had failed in his takeover. The anti education thing annoys me too.

Aether said...

This really hit close to home. I too could have gone to college but didn't because they convinced me that I was doing the right thing. Then I got a job working in an all-Witness janitorial company managed by one of the elders. It was the absolute worst job experience I ever had -- under paid, over worked, miserable. My boss tried to strong arm me into making a change in my personal life and threatened to fire me. I refused to change so he did fire me and I am so glad I don't work there any more.

Toby said...

I can personally relate to your story. Man, I sad and kinda angry after reading this. I feel sad for the things that you have gone through due to your association with the organization and I feel angry because I see myself through your story.
I too was raised by my mother in a Jehovah's Witness environment. I did not ever get baptized but my mom, my uncle, aunt, siblings and myself were all going to the kingdom hall regularly when I was growing up. I know EXACTLY what you are talking about education-wise in this organization. At all the assemblies, kingdom hall meetings, talks, etc...all they do is stress the point that education should not be a priority. I knew TONS of witnesses that would work for a handful of witnesses in the congregation, some for many many years. They too, put off getting an education to make the meetings, preach, and work menial jobs.
I had a full scholarship to a university after graduating high school. I declined that. I just felt such a disconnect with what was being preached and taught to me at the kingdom hall, that I was just disgusted. I acted out all the time as a way of coping with the extreme lifestyle of the JW's and would get arrested and so forth. When I finally graduated HS I just had to get away so I moved to a whole other state.
5 years later, I am finally going back to college. During those five years I have worked every crap job you can think of and have been through hell because of it. Now, Im finally in the process of getting a Bachelors degree. Its truly just been a very damaging experience. I am sorry to hear the bad things you have gone through. You are not alone, as I am finding out now.
Best wishes in everything else you do in life. Thanks for sharing your story.

sunshine said...

These are only men & nobles which the bible any translation will tell you the truth, yet you have to read it. We are not to put our trust in men or nobles meaning the false phrophets. Jehovah God has always told the truth in the bible, yet I am constantly amazed! at 75% of people don't read the bible and listen to lies in all congrations. What is Jehovah God and Jesus Christ thinking? The Bible Jehovah God author tell all, and it is simple you only need to pray for Jehovah spirit to guide you. These corporations are only out for the $'s watchtower is a multi-billion $ publishing empire and realestate broaker.

sunshine said...

I just have to say more does the watchtower tell the members that they have the best on site :college educated; lawyers; dr; chefs; business adm; realestate; financial planners; investors; ask them about all the kingdom halls being hidden under land trust to hide thier assets and the treasurer being the beneficiary without benefit. They own more realestate in NY than any other realestate broaker; who do you think manages all the donations the educated college.Jesus said the truth will set you free and 16 years of inside research valadates all I am reading. I have experienced the same abuse emotional, mental, don't talk etc. Yet I have never been scared I always knew they were false phrophets, they have tried to run me off from the beginning. Jehovah says in his Bible if it is of man it can be overthrown, but when it is of God man will never be successful, they have tried all kinds of dirty tricks on me accusing me of being crazy, checking my medical records by thier medical lisason group.

sunshine said...

I have freeness of speech. I am a true Christian Witness of Jehovah and anyone who states they are a true christian is read the bible, the bible says in all translations you are my witnesses. Read the bible.

Unknown said...

It is by reading testimonies like these that i can rejoice that i was able to resist joining this cult. I did bible study with witnesses for a year or so. They were very charming while they thought they had me in their grasp. The charm disappered when i informed them of my decision not to join.They even tried tactic of bringing an elder to my home, and he used more forceful persuasion on me. I told him to get out of my house and never come back. Thank God i was srong enough to resist their pressure, as i was lonely and vulnerable at that time in my life.

Unknown said...

It is by reading testimonies like these that i can rejoice that i was able to resist joining this cult. I did bible study with witnesses for a year or so. They were very charming while they thought they had me in their grasp. The charm disappered when i informed them of my decision not to join.They even tried tactic of bringing an elder to my home, and he used more forceful persuasion on me. I told him to get out of my house and never come back. Thank God i was srong enough to resist their pressure, as i was lonely and vulnerable at that time in my life.