Does God count it as sin if you leave Jehovah's Witnesses?

small_sister · Apr 18, 2013

Dear readers,
I have been a Jehovah’s Witness until I disassociated myself from the Watchtower 3 months ago after intensive research. Consequently I am shunned. Beside the fact that I am now viewed as an apostate who willingly acts against God and that they “handed [me] over to Satan” (see 1.Tim.1:20), I am afraid that God Himself could count it as sin that I did not ‘pay my vow’ which I made at my baptism, namely to follow that organization. Deuteronomy 23:21 reads: “When you make a vow to The Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it, for it would be sin in you, and The Lord your God will surely require it of you.” (Also verse 23.)

My secret research led me to the conviction that the Watchtower organization is not only a false prophet (see Deut. 19:20-22), but also a misleading teacher who willingly manipulated the Word of God by false translation of key verses. I collected so many evidences of such mistranslations and know how they control the mind of all Witnesses.
Still, I have made a vow " voluntarily", and I can’t see any way of ignoring the verses above.

What is your opinion? Does God want me to return to the Watchtower? What can I do?

jediliz · Apr 18, 2013

You did the right thing by leaving the Jehovah Witnesses.

Stay far far away from the Watchtower society and read about the early church fathers. You will learn a lot.

pablope · Apr 18, 2013

No. Actually, you followed John’s words here:

1 John 4

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits[a] to see whether they are of God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world…6 We are of God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and he who is not of God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

You tested the spirits and God answered you and led you and opened your eyes.

Nicea325 · Apr 18, 2013

By all means, you have done the correct move. You did your homework and learned the truth behind the JW’s. They will defend the New World Translation by providing a long list of accolades of references trying to defend its authencity.

smp501 · Apr 18, 2013

Welcome! I’m glad you came here! When I first realized that I didn’t believe what I had been taught growing up, the people at Catholic Answers and CAF were extremely helpful and very friendly.
You did the right thing. The Watch Tower Society is a textbook example of a false prophet.
As others have recommended, start reading the early church fathers and the saints to better understand how the Catholic Church interprets the sacred scripture and why. If you don’t know where to start, I recommend “Confessions of St. Augustine.” He spent a large part of his life wrestling with a very non-Christian belief system, underwent a conversion sometimes referred to as “second only to St. Paul on the road to Damascus,” and became one of the greatest theologians of the first millennium. I’m sure others on this thread will have some other great suggestions as well.

Guilou67 · Apr 18, 2013

Like you said, you made a vow to an organization, not to
GOD. They do not even recognize Jesus Christ as the Almighty GOD. So you don’t have anything to be worry about that. You made the right decision. The Holy Spirit is guiding you for sure

RebeccaJ · Apr 18, 2013

Perhaps this article will help.

[BIBLEDRB]Matthew 5:33-37[/BIBLEDRB]

zz912 · Apr 18, 2013

The answer to your question is an emphatic NO.

Your vow was to God, with the implied and mandatory assumption that what you were told about Him was correct. You have found out this information was false. Specifically you have found out the nature of God is different, and your vow was to an incorrect view of God.

To continue in your vow would actually be a violation of that vow. Your vow was to follow God, and the organization which correctly proclaims God. Now that you have found out that the Catholic Church is the true organization which proclaims God, you should put this vow towards the Church.

Kc906 · Apr 18, 2013

You said so yourself, you were baptized into an organization when they baptized you at the convention. They changed their baptismal formula in 1985; they used to baptize people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. This changed after 1985. I’m sure you can confirm this, as the last part of the statement that you affirmed to was referring to the "Spirit Guided Organization." They replaced the Holy Spirit with “Spirit Guided Organization.” For people that claim they follow the Bible and ONLY the Bible, this is just not scriptural. Jesus never commanded us to baptize people into an organization, they are violating God’s will and their baptism is not a valid baptism in the eyes of the Catholic Church, among others.

I pray that the Holy Spirit may guide you as you search for a new home to worship our great God. Wherever you may land, please ensure that you are baptized in the formula that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 28.

Regarding your disassociation from the Watchtower and their members, i’m sure this is hard, especially if you have family members that are active. My prayers are with you that the loss of those relationships will not be stronger than you search for the truth.

odile53 · Apr 18, 2013

I am sure that God approves of your attempt to discover His Truth, not the distortions that you have been given.

small_sister · Apr 18, 2013

Thank you all so very much for your kind replies!
Yes, the article helped and I have confessed to God. And I will read the early church fathers as soon as possible. - Yes, they replaced the Holy Spirit by the ‘Spirit Guided Organization’. - Well, I promised God to do His will by being a JW. So I actually did make a vow to Him.

I am really very thankful for your thoughtful words.
Hopefully others read your answers and benefit from them, too.
I am trying to move on with Gods loving help. I am clinging to Jesus’ hand as He guides me through this troubled times.

Thank you, and may God bless you.

Deconi · Apr 18, 2013

God IS Truth!

How then, can a ‘vow’ - coherced from you with a falsity- based on an error, wrought from deliberate violation of God’s Scriptures - be JUST!, that He should hold you to it?

God DOES NOT endorse error - for He is Perfect!
He does not endorse FALSENES - for He is Truth!

When people try to hold you to Scriptures, examine the ‘version of Scriptures’ they use, AND examine the people and their behaviour. Fortunately for the world, The Catholic Church have protected Holy Writ from the beginning and you have much to study, learn and mull over.

God Bless and guide your walk.

po18guy · Apr 18, 2013

When you seek the truth, you will be lead toward God and away from the lies of the evil one. God is always pleased with that. But, your journey is not over until you locate the fullness of His truth and go there. Once there, you will be at peace.

LennyFL · Apr 18, 2013

When you made the vow you thought that the Society was the true congregation of God. I see it as this if there is any sin at all in this it would be of making the vow in the first place. It’s like if you mad a vow to murder someone it would be sinful but even more sinful if you actually do it. You can’t do God’s will by being one of “Jehovah’s Witnesses” because you can’t even get a legitimate baptism as a JW (In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) I understand how you must be feeling. I started studding with a Witnesses in my hall when I was 13. I am 16 now. I have already became and unbaptized publisher and have made many close and loving friends. It’s truly a family feeling. I have not told them I am going to convert to Catholic Church and I am really nervous about doing so. I am sorry it has to be so hard. It is worth it though. I always doubted that the Society was teaching the truth but now I know that the Church is truly God’s Church and I have found so many people in the Church that is more than willing to help me through this difficult period. Never give up hope. God is directing you. The Truth will really set you free.

KathleenGee · Apr 18, 2013

God bless you, sister…and look for the Catholic television network, EWTN. They have many programs that reflect many times the universality of our faith. They have history programs, others that have guests who share their journey into Catholicism. They have the Mass celebrated on tv, saints’ testimonies, movies, documentaries about Catholic people and church history in specific lands.

Your renunciation of that which is false has purified and renewed you.

I am so sorry about the shunning. I heard of a Protestant Afro American pastor who lost many of his friends by becoming Catholic and now he has many new Catholic friends. If you can, go to the nearest Catholic church, check their Mass time and visit and when Mass has ended stay after and pray before Jesus present in the tabernacle…on the altar with a sanctuary candlelight next to it.

He is there waiting for you and will console you like no person ever can. He will show you in time certain saints who will become your friends as well, along with the Holy Angels. The Rite of Christian Initation begins in parishes in the early fall and they prepare people for baptism and entrance into the Church with others who are also seeking.

It is a great thing at Easter to see the new members of the Church before the assembly, eager to welcome and share their life in Christ with them. I wish the same reality will be yours sooner than you think.

God bless you !

FabiusMaximus · Apr 18, 2013

You have come to the conclusion that the Watchtower is a false organization. Why would God want you to follow in the ways of a false organization?

Pray to God, and ask him where he wants you to be.

May God protect you throughout your journey.

yellowbird · Apr 18, 2013

Leaving the WT Society was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I loved my brothers and sisters and I loved attending the meetings. But like you, I slowly became convinced that what I had been taught was not true. I didn’t doubt their dedication to serving Jehovah - but unfortunately they had been brainwashed just like me.

It took me years to totally get over them… I’d have moments of panic like what if they were right? As time has gone on, it has become easier because obiviously their prophecies failed.

The generation of 1914 → all through the 1980s and early 1990s that’s all we talked about. I was in my late teens, early 20 and my whole life was based on knowing the system HAD to end because that generation would not pass away. Why bother with college? Why plan for anything… we were most certainly in the very last days. With each new year, we’d say well this is it…

and yet here we are 2013. That generation DID pass away, as did. the millions now living from 1925 who they said would never die → dead. It makes me sad to know that so many good and faithful JWs lived their entire lives for a lie.

Here’s what helped me:
I read my Bible - a lot. Not the NWT - it’s been altered. I bought a regular American Standard Bible - and read it and prayed for Jehovah to give me understanding. I told him all the tme that I loved Him, and asked him to show me the TRUTH. He did.

I found an ex-JW support group. They were wonderful people - former elders and overseers who loved Jehovah but like us, discovered the organization did NOT speak for Him.

I started reading books about the early Church. It looked nothing like the WT Society - nothing at all. It looked like the Catholic Church - which shocked me… the whole whore of babylon thing was hard to overcome. But God was patient and allowed me lots of time to come around.

My spiritual life today is beyond what I could’ve ever imgained as a JW. I truly love God with my whole heart, soul and mind, and I love His son, Jesus. I pray the same for you, my dear sister.

504Katrin · Apr 19, 2013

This is Moses’ book you were quoting. It doesn’t necessarily count for you guys if I understood you correctly as the New Testament has pretty much replaced the “old” Testament. No matter how that pans out I’m pretty sure that Jesus rules. And Jesus said that you’re not even supposed to make a vow. So if you take back that vow you might actually do something good as a (future) Catholic.

Phil_Marinus · Apr 19, 2013

I understand the Pain and Confusion you have gone through…
Theres an old Scottish saying I was once told…
When you walk away from things or people you no longer wish to associate with…
Just Wipe your feet and move on , and do not turn around, keep walking to the sunshine away from the darkness…
You have done the right thing,

FabiusMaximus · Apr 19, 2013

Dear Katrin,

It is true that that the New Testament is very important to us (of course!). However, the Old Testament is not “less important” to us. We take what God says in the Old Testament very seriously. We do believe the Levitical laws in certain ways have been superseded (especially in terms of diet and cleanliness), but we do not toss out the whole Old Testament.

Actually, if I remember correctly, one of the earliest heresies of the Church rejected the Old Testament entirely, believing that it was incompatible with the New Testament (for a variety of reasons). The Church viciously opposed that movement.

Hope that helps

Does God count it as sin if you leave Jehovah's Witnesses?

small_sister

Guest

jediliz

Guest

pablope

Guest

Nicea325

Guest

smp501

Guest

Guilou67

Guest

RebeccaJ

Guest

zz912

Guest

Kc906

Guest

odile53

Guest

small_sister

Guest

Deconi

Guest

po18guy

Well-known member

LennyFL

Guest

KathleenGee

Guest

FabiusMaximus

Guest

yellowbird

Guest

504Katrin

Guest

Phil_Marinus

Guest

FabiusMaximus

Guest