Former Jehovah's Witnesses: Why did you leave the Watchtower organization?

Question

Was it because of the control issues? Did you discover their teachings were not biblical? Were you confused by the history of false prophecies? Or...something else?

And if you did leave, do you today consider yourself to be a Christian, or did you leave religion altogether? Thanks.

jeremiahman1991: Not sure about others, but I ask this question because I want to help people be free. Jehovah's Witnesses claim they are the only true Christians—a good sign they are not. I just want to help them find Jesus apart from their organization.

Answer 1

Originally for moral issues:

blood transfusion ban
sanctioning of child abuse
treatment of disfellowshipped/disassociated people

Later, the doctrinal issues confirmed that I had made the right decision.

You can read my testimony at my website, the link for which is on my Yahoo 360 page. I will also be giving my testimony on Paltalk this Tues. in the chat room called "Ex JWs following Jesus testimonies".

Answer 2

This made me LOL: Other forecasts of this apostasy were made by the apostles Paul and Peter both verbally and in writing, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself warned of its coming. In his illustration of the wheat and the weeds (Mt 13), Jesus said that the Devil would sow “weeds,” imitation Christians, “sons of the wicked one,” among the “wheat,” the “sons of the kingdom.” These would exist until the conclusion of the system of things, when they would be identified and ‘burned up.’ Jesus said that the Devil would sow “weeds,” imitation Christians: Meaning JW who act as if they care and are Christian which show very little Christian like ways.... “sons of the wicked one,” among the “wheat,” the “sons of the kingdom.”: Maybe the word kingdom is a hidden message that anyone within the Kingdom Hall would be 'burned up'. No one really knows we all only know what we feel in our heart. JWs judge just as I do and I plan to be Judge right back not from you but GOD and when that say come I will take what I get. As far as the JW as a whole admitting to their wrongs everyone will see that punishment...

Answer 3

I left the Watchtower Society because I knew that an organization full of lies and hypocrisy could not have God's favor. I can say with the utmost conviction and sincerity that leaving was the best decision I have ever made in my entire life.

The final straw for me was when I got chastised for going to college. After learning how to do real research in college, and looking into the history and dynamics of the Watchtower Society, it actually made me ill that I had been a part of it and had known so little about it's checkered past. What I thought I knew was only the surface!

In light of the current UN and child abuse scandals, and how their religious leaders are covering up and backpedaling from the WTS in response to them, I don't understand how the lies and hypocrisy are not obvious to all of its members. But just like I was in the past, they are extremely well-insulated from the real truth.

Answer 4

I didn't leave the organization because I was never a member. However my mother belonged to the Watchtower Society when I was 10 years old. She was kicked out of the group or whatever you call it. I have studied the organization and I can testify to it being a bunch of bovine excrement. If you have the truth you don't have to lie. Did you know that President Eisenhower's parents were Jehovah Witnesses? When his mother died he gave her a military funeral. This is the truth.

Someone just said these people teach the truth,which is a lie. I have their book called "Life-How did it get here?By Evolution or by Creation?".
This book is full of lies. There is a lie on every page of this book and it is 255 pages long. What is disturbing is that the people who put this book together actually read Darwin's "Origin of the Species", then go out of their way to distort and flat out lie about what it says.

By the way what gives these people the right to remove anyone from their group. Wasn't Jesus accepting of all people,and isn't that is sitting in judgement and reserved only for God,supposedly?

Then there's Judge Rutherford,the guy who is given credit for the Watchtower Society's doctrine.
He was an alcoholic who thought that the government did not have the right to tell him he could not drink. So during prohibition he broke the law every day. On top off that he celebrated Christmas. If these people have the truth they should not have to lie.

Answer 5

I became an ex-Jehovah's Witness after I visited the website www.biblepolygamy.com and realised the Watchtower did not teach the truth about polygamy.

Answer 6

I have answered this question numerous times.....look at my blog and most of it is there......I am now a Christian and free from the opression of this manipulative and wicked cult...Thank you Lord....amen


http://towerwatch.com





Pestie...for 18 years I fealt as you do...Then someone gave me a copy of "Crisis of Conscience" by Raymond Franz...Opened my eyes and what you can't understand is that now we are free to worship God with real freedom, because we are not under the law of Works anymore....It really is about Grace, something I never learned in a Kingdom Hall.

Answer 7

I was brought up from birth into a JW family and fully subscribed to all their beliefs while I was a witness. I believed that they, and only they, had "the truth" and that all other denominations were part of false religion, "Babylon the Great", the Harlot mentioned in Revelation who was going to be destroyed. My parents became witnesses in the 1940's and believed they would be alive when Armageddon came, to usher in Christ's 1,000 year reign over a paradise earth. They also believed Christ's second coming happened invisibly in 1914. They died disappointed.

I left the organisation in the mid 1970's when the eagerly anticipated "end to this wicked system of things" failed to happen. For years, I wandered in a spiritual wilderness, wanting nothing to do with JW's in particular and religion in general. I was completely disillusioned.

Unlike a previous answerer who has suggested that those who leave are unhappy, I must tell you that leaving this organisation was the BEST THING I'VE EVER DONE. Why? Because it was only after I had broken free from their clutches that I started to ask questions, to research into the history of the organisation and begin to seek God. And although I had abandoned God, God had not abandoned me. He broke into my life, softened my heart, unstopped my ears and opened my eyes to the beauty and simplicity of the Gospel Message. I became a Christian almost 12 years ago, thanks to answered prayer.

Yes, the organisation seeks to control the thinking of its members. Yes, some of their teachings are unbiblical (the important ones like who Jesus was, who the risen Christ is, who the Holy Spirit is, hell, the soul and only 144,000 will go to heaven). Yes, they are false prophets. Fortunately, God never turns away anyone who truly seeks Him, and the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and draws us to Christ. Thank God for his infinite patience and mercy to sinners such as I.

Answer 8

I don't wish to say anyThing bad about them.
I was removed because of elders making a mistake not the organisation.
Elders are human and make mistakes.
No problem with control as every thing they teach is backed by bible principles.
As to bible principles i have gone to other churches to study and all it has done is prove th JWs right.
No not confused by false prophecies in fact the JWs show the way to not get caught by Christendoms false prophecies.
I am more christian because of them.
I do not go to church anymore as if you compare the bible to church teaching then you know them to be of Satan.
One thing about the JWs they teach the truth and the truth will set you free.
I am resigned to my fate are you ?

Just an extra thought i have seen many people (i assume xJWs ) ask this question and i wonder if those people try to pick fault with them because deep down they know it's the truth and they are trying to ease there own consciouses

Answer 9

Every Witness I know who has left the Truth, for whatever reason, have expressed regrets. They always end up coming back, and they all have said the same thing: "It's one thing to not know the Truth; but when you know it and leave it, that's worse than not knowing at all."

And, contrary to popular belief, we have already "found" Jesus, and we follow his example (read Matthew 28:19, 20) to preach. We're currently having conventions worldwide with the theme, Follow the Christ. I highly doubt that we would have a whole 3-day convention based on Jesus himself if we didn't believe in him......

Answer 10

there are alot of questions like this

do you ask so you can find ways to keep them with you?

if not then why do alot of people ask this question?

EDIT: (to the additional details) fair enough