John's Story
 8-7-2004

Here is an example of a disfellowshipped Jehovah's Witness who agrees with the manner in which he was removed from their organization based upon a biblical principle found in the book of 1 Corrinthians 5. John says he and will eventually return to the organization.

I was a Jehovah's Witness 20 years or so ago. I learned a lot of great stuff being a student and was later baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I had my own bible studies and had some wonderful friends who were also in the truth.

I appreciated the knowledge which had been passed onto me and discovered that there were many bad and sometimes very evil things going on in many of the religions of christendom which were disguised as being from christian origins and even from the bible.

However, I fell from my position of grace when I became involved with a girl who was also a Jehovah's Witness, who apparently had no appreciation for what she had learned. She was one who had been raised as a Jehovah's Witness and the truth was less dramatic for her than it was for me. Being of course that she had nothing to compare it with. I on the other hand had been raised in the world of men and knew what Jehovah's people had was quite different than the rest of Christendom's worldly religions. Some of the people who I had been associated with in the world were members of the mob as well as other villainous individuals who were also church going people. Something which I had always found strange and questionable. Those men were in good standing with their various religious orders and were well respected and some were even family men who were also good for the most part towards their mistresses as well.

Anyway, getting back to the girl and the reason for my disfellowshipment; We became involved in a sexual manner and through a neighbor we were discovered and the elders were notified. The elders spoke to us and we were reproved. However, we did not stop our physical relationship and we were soon discovered again and this time I tried to lie to the elders and they did not believe me and I was
disfellowshipped.

I must honestly say that it hurt me to be thrown out of the organization and I was a little bit bitter about the experience. But I realized a little later on, that I deserved to be disfellowshipped based upon christian doctrine and knew that I respected them for their decision based on bible principles.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13
5 Actually fornication is reported among YOU, and such fornication as is not even among the nations, that a wife a certain [man] has of [his] father. 2 And are YOU puffed up, and did YOU not rather mourn, in order that the man that committed this deed should be taken away from YOUR midst? 3 I for one, although absent in body but present in spirit, have certainly judged already, as if I were present, the man who has worked in such a way as this, 4 that in the name of our Lord Jesus, when YOU are gathered together, also my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 YOU hand such a man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, in order that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
6 YOUR [cause for] boasting is not fine. Do YOU not know that a little leaven ferments the whole lump? 7 Clear away the old leaven, that YOU may be a new lump, according as YOU are free from ferment. For, indeed, Christ our passover has been sacrificed. 8 Consequently let us keep the festival, not with old leaven, neither with leaven of badness and wickedness, but with unfermented cakes of sincerity and truth.
9 In my letter I wrote YOU to quit mixing in company with fornicators, 10 not [meaning] entirely with the fornicators of this world or the greedy persons and extortioners or idolaters. Otherwise, YOU would actually have to get out of the world. 11 But now I am writing YOU to quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Do YOU not judge those inside, 13 while God judges those outside? “Remove the wicked [man] from among yourselves.”

I am still disfellowshipped and will eventually return to Jehovah's people, because in my heart I know that this organization can not be replaced by anything which christendom in general could possibly offer. Anyway, this is my story. And in the interest of being fair and impartial, I am hopeful that Shaun's website will publish this story in the hopes that others will see that not everyone who is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses is openly bitter and resentful about their experience in the only organization for which I know teaches the truth about Jehovah and his son Jesus.

John Lynn Terry
PO Box 71
Bloomingburg, NY 12721

 

 

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