How to Escape From Jehovah's Witnesses by Evans Lloyd

Author:Evans, Lloyd
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JLE Publishing
Published: 2018-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

Of course, nobody but you can decide on which course to take. While the fears and concerns of close friends and family members who will be impacted by your decision deserve some consideration, ultimately this is your life. It is primarily you who will bear the brunt of the backlash if you make public your escape. Whatever path you choose, at least by carefully weighing your options you can have the satisfaction of knowing that you did your best under the circumstances.

Though it is appalling that Watchtower has put you in this position by making itself a captive organization, there is some consolation in knowing that, whatever happens, you are by no means alone in your struggle. When you visit Facebook groups and forums dedicated to ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses, it soon becomes apparent that there are many who share your dilemma of pursuing conscientious freedom versus maintaining family ties.

Having personally faced this decision and chosen living an authentic life regardless of the impact on believing relatives, I can only say that I have no regrets—and my wife feels the same. If anything, we would have split with the organization sooner! As painful as the repercussions were in the immediate aftermath of disassociating, with many tears shed over the backlash from our Witness family, the joy and satisfaction we now feel for being true to who we are and living an authentic life far outweighs the difficulties we experienced during the initial firestorm. Escaping from Jehovah’s Witnesses can be very much like a pregnancy. The pain can be excruciating and seemingly unending when you are in the moment, but the final result is so beautiful that it is all worthwhile in the end!

Now that you are fully briefed on what to expect from elders who may try to block your escape, we can now turn our attention to other areas in which caution is needed—including your use of the internet.

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1 Eventually, a letter would be received from the London branch advising the body that the marking should have ended once the divorce papers came through. Unfortunately, by the time this letter was received and the advice implemented, considerable damage had been done in the congregation with no punitive action taken against the coordinator for using the body to serve his personal agenda.

2 While the Greek Scriptures do provide measures for preserving the spiritual cleanliness of a congregation by limiting social interaction with wrongdoers, none of these provisions insist on the break-up of families—especially to the point where family members are not to speak to one another. Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son provides a powerful lesson that family ties come first above all else, because the father ran to welcome the son while he was “still a long way off”—in other words, regardless of whether repentance had been established. (Luke 15:20) As recently as 1947, even Watchtower publications concluded that excommunication is “altogether foreign to Bible teachings.”—See January 8, 1947, Awake!

3 Watchtower is continually updating its guidance to elders. If you are reading this book

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