Why Did You Leave TWI?

[Eagle]

There are many reasons one left TWI? Why did you leave? If you have left?

[LornaDoone]

Don't think you can answer this by the choices you have up there. Many of us left for more than one reason but the main one is they got off the Word and that's not a choice. That included doctrine, butting into personal life, legalism etc. Some were abused & others of us saw abuse. So can't answer.

[jackdaniels]

You forgot all of the above :D

[Bramble]

The last straw was having our private life pretty much taken away. So that's what I voted.

When we left we didn't think TWI was 'off the Word.' We were pretty sure we were the ones who were off. Afterall, we'd been counseled about how awful we were for seevral years. Everything that was thrown at us ( mistakes, weak areas etc) was tied up neatly in a Bible verse or two, and repeated over and over by anyone in TWI you could talk to.

We did NOT see anything clearly at that time. We did not leave nobly because we knew the Truth. We left because we were in an ugly situation, and the only way out was to leave. Period. We didn't think our marriage would survive another 'help' session from TWI leadership, and we had no one to turn to except some M&A people who were far more damaged than we were. At least they told us that the kids being in danger because we chose to walk away wasn't true. Their kids were fine.

Fun Times.

[dmiller]

You forgot all of the above :D

That would have been my choice. ;)

David

[JustSayNO]

Well my answer is 2,4,5,6,7.

Edited October 17, 2005 by JustSayNO

[GrouchoMarxJr]

Yeah...I left during the "great purge" of 1987...Everything seemed to be falling apart at the seams, the great clergy meeting had just taken place...still no answers...Martindale continues to impliment new policies that are clearly unbiblical...Two close frinds of mine, who were both clergy, called me and invited me to come visit them for a weekend (they were in the same state)...When I informed the clergy guy in my area that I would be visiting the other two clergy guys, he went bonkers!...Told me that they had "copped out" and that if I went to see them, that I would become possessed!!! Needless to say, I went to see them. One of them was a guy that I had gotten into twi and we had been friends for 20 years...

I sat there and drank beer with these guys for the entire weekend, listening to the horror stories of sex scandals, wrong doctrine, corruption throughout, my head was spinning... I KNEW these guys!...and then there were more...more top people walked out...and then I walked out...never questioned my decision...I left 18 years ago and I am even more convinced today, than I was the day I left, that leaving was the right choice. L.Craig Martindale...man of God?...far from it dear friends...far from it. B)

[WordWolf]

I picked "lcm".

Out of the list, he was closest to the one reason.

I left in 1989 as the direct result of lcm drawing his line in the sand and

demanding an oath of loyalty,

and painting himself as "Spiritual Leader" and "Spiritual Head".

I would have left by myself at that time, but the state of NY,

as a whole, pretty much left together.

(lcm fired all the leadership together, which meant he had

guaranteed there would be a functioning alternative to what he

was doing in the entire STATE.

Since VF was capable of replacing him, and lcm put him in

the de facto position OF replacing him, that's what happened

locally.)

I think that eventually I would have left once I rose high enough

to see all the problems,

but they stole the issue by bringing problems down to me locally

so they were impossible to ignore.

So, leaving was inevitable.

[Allan]

I left because of 'hypocricy'. I can take virtually anything else thrown at me. If I'm 'hard out for the Lord', I expect my 'elders' to be as well.

And while we're (sort of) on the topic..isn't it interesting that the John of Revelation (supposed to be the one who leant on Jesus breast during passover meal) wasn't doing any 'hugging' in Revelation !! rather, he fell out of awe at the feet of Jesus.

There is no mention of Jesus the 'savior' in Revelation but rather Judge, Jury and Executioner !!

[markomalley]

The "loyalty letter" was the straw for me...although there was a lot that was going on before then that significantly loaded the camel's back before that point.

[JeffMedic]

I agree with so many others; multiple selections are reasonable and accurate. The last straw was what i selected: invasion of personal life. ie: when my wife left her volunteer position for the summer in order to spend time with our children, i was told i could look for a new job. IMMEDIATELY, no notice. It was a sunday and i was told monday morning to begin looking.

[Oakspear]

I left twice. Once in 1983, due to an argument with local "leadership" over interfeence in my personal life. But since I had retained most of my TWI beliefs, I went back when, in my opinion, things had changed. That was 1990.

I stuck around 11 years the second time around.

The lawsuit was my impetus for leaving, but they actually had to throw me out, since I was sticking around waiting for my then-wife to see the light also.

[CoolWaters]

Very long story shortened very much...

I was never 'comfortably' involved/accepted in twi. It took 'em nearly 3 years to convince me to take piffle...and then I heard vp say in piffle that if one applied what was in taught in piffle, one would never need another class again...so I took him up on his 'word' and refused to take another class but, instead, chose to try to master piffle (so I really get Mike sometimes). And I didn't try to master piffle by taking it over and over again. Nope, not me. I took piffle once and studied and studied and studied the material.

Well that went over like a lead balloon.

In the meantime, twi was blaming me for my first husband's homosexuality. Although that started at the branch leader level, it finally came all the way down from vp himself...in a telephone conference call with our respective limb leaders.

So from the very beginning of my involvement with twi (1974) I was marked as a 'trouble maker' who wouldn't 'renew' my mind.

Fast forward to 1980. First I married a man twi didn't approve of me marrying. Then, as a couple, we totally freaked out over the 'Fountain of Living Waters' idol. We took it upon ourselves to try to bring down that idol and, along with it, the idolatry of bible worship.

Then the 'if you don't work, you don't eat' doctrine became a way to purge twi of 'unbelieving believers' whose bank account was either non-existent or not up to snuff. We battled that doctrine.

Then vpw worship became so blatant and wide-spread that we began a letter campaign with all 'leadership' concerning all these doctrines that we believed to be rooted in idolatry.

Then along came 1985 in Alaska where the branch leader/children's fellowship leader was a pedophile...

Well, what transpired over all of that is well attested here on these boards.

Suffice it to say, I began my twi experience in doubt and ended it in certainty...certainty of its idolatrous doctrines and practices.

We were marked and avoided before there ever was an 'official' term/doctrine/practice in twi.

Did we leave or were we kicked out?

It was mutual agreement.

Be it a man, a golden bible, doctrines of devils, an absent Christ, protecting pedophiles, whatever...

TWI worshipped/worships a false god and we wouldn't follow them into the pit of hell.

It was definitely doctrinal differences.

[Cowgirl]

I would have to say too much legalism and the other biggie was BOREDOM !! Actually one other thing, I got so tired of trying to fit the "TWI mould" there was no more freedom to be yourself and just be accepted for who you were, it was starting to become like the "Steptford Wives" Everyone was starting to "look" the same. I woke up one day and came to the realization that I could no longer live out the rest of my life being involved with this outfit so that was the end of it for me.

Cowgirl

[Belle]

• Too much legalism and too little grace
  
• Required Tithing
  
• Invasion of Privacy and Running my Personal Live
  
• Spiritual Abuse or Physical Abuse
  
• Neglect by Leadership and Believers
  
• Elitism of the WC and the Trustees
  
• Abuse by the WC
  
• martindale
  
• Doctrine
  

Those are my reasons. I voted for the Legalism just because it seems to embody most of the other reasons, but I would have chosen "all of the above" if it had been an option.

[Second James]

Cowgirl..you hit the nail on the head...boredom...same ole same ole...over & over...same people at twig...entertaining them twice or thrice a week...them watching to see what wife & I would come up with next..almost like a circus act..I remember praying to God to "ease me outa the WAY" and two weeks later we were asked to leave!! Hooooray! I could see a distinct change in my BC (a really nice guy until POP) & confronted him via da WOrd..he just couldn't let go of VPW's "take" on it, which was his reasoning to ignore FACTS I was spewing forth!! LOL

Also..what was this "idol" pertaining to the fountain of living waters?? Never heard that one before, but know about the fountain by the BRC or house.....

Glad I'm out & glad we're communicating in some form or other..It was an interesting ride while it lasted.Huh?

[outandabout]

I left because I had been miserable being in TWI for a long long time but couldn't pinpoint why, since I didn't know my own thoughts.

I left a year after POP, after our branch leaders left.

My true feelings were that I wanted to leave, but I kept "renewing my mind" against it.

Now I see that my inner thoughts and feelings were valid and I only needed a little push to finally make the break.

I have never missed TWI since. And I've never regretted leaving for a second.

All I felt was incredible relief, like a huge weight was lifted from me.

[Eagle]

I should have included "All of the Above".

[Goey]

It was a combination of personal meddling, the smug elitist attitude of many Way Corps, advancing legalism, and the focus on money. This was in 1982.

Oh and "Athletes of the Spirit". That made me want to puke if not run for the hills.

Edited October 18, 2005 by Goey

[Belle]

All I felt was incredible relief, like a huge weight was lifted from me.

AMEN, SISTAH!! B)

My divorce was extremely painful, but it was because of WHY we were getting divorced (he chose a friggin' group of people over his commitment to me) and not because of the actual divorce or because of leaving TWI.

Life is sooooo much better now!

[oldiesman]

I never left twi...

they left me.

[GT]

I never left twi...

they left me.

You didn't chase after them?

[lilbit]

I was in the military at Ft. Lee working as a good worker bee to start up a PFAL class. At one of the Area corps meetings I asked AC some questions concerning abortion. Why there were verses that contridicted VPs teachings and eachother?

One year prior I challanger the CC of Gunnison about his conduct in how he was handling doubt and honest resolve to the paper on Adultery. He told me I did not have the scope of the word and that I was spiritually immature to see the truth of the matter. I had just completed reading The Gosples as a novel and had a different take on JC. I read about how he handle doubt and never ridiculed nor humilated his disciples publicly. It appeared to me he was never moved by questions. I showed SS verses about confrontation and compassion...he showed me none. RED FLAG!

Again my area cordinator said if I have to ask Questions that have already beeb answered by VP, I should not be in a leadership positon and should take the class again. Well, I never went back and he never asked where I was. A month later the letter for loyalty arrived and found its way into the trash. It took me years to get PFAL out of my soul. Leaving PFAL has been tougher.

Edited October 18, 2005 by lilbit

[mstar1]

I sort of left by default although the wagon was already heavily stacked and the bs getting deeper and deeper for quite awhile.

I moved from Florida to Massachusetts in 1989( or so) the very week of the loyalty letter. By the time I reached Massachusetts and the believers I had already contacted to fellowship with, they had all been fired and disassociated from TWI. So I guess I 'officially left ' then, when I took up with them.

I still did waystyle fellowships with them for a year or two but it was incredibly stale, then just got downright bizarre. I left that group in about 91.

Pretty much everything on the list came into play over the course of time

[ex70sHouston]

No one left for just one reason.

At the time what bothered me was some of the doctrine. I could have lived with that and believed my own way. Thats the way I am now. My beliefs are a little differant than the church I attend.

The thing that bugged me the most when I think about it was the fact that you had no choice.They tried to run your life.

Things where they controled (well tried to control) me.

No choice in what twig I went to.

Don't date outside of da way

Don't date any of the WOWs. I never figured this out.

Don't miss a fellowship. You would get a call.

Always give a ride to the less fortunate believers. How many smelly people to I have to haul around.

Let believers stay with you. Never again. I set towels out for the guy. After three days I ask if he ever bathed.

Why didn't you take her out again?

Why don't you call up so in so?

Pick up this stuff and take it to the class.

Take everything back after the class. I lived to close to the AC and had a pickup.

I think I had the AC's apartment key for a while.

Hell I think I want to jion again so I can leave again and this time make a big fuss.

Thinking about it now I almost want to call a certin corp person up and ask her exactly who I should have married.