Some time ago, I told you about my experiences growing up a Jehovah’s Witness. In one of the comments, my brother Tjeerd told me how he left the faith. Here it is:
“Every so often, tens of thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses gather in convention centers. Back then, the gatherings were called “Days of the Kingdom." Whenever they took place in Holland, we were there. My brothers and I dreaded those weekends, they were so boring. The following happened at the last one I ever attended.
It was just before lunch, and at the podium, an elder wrapped up a sermon. I was happy it was lunchtime. I was not hungry, but the sermon bored me to death.
When the speaker had finished, he stepped away from the podium, and someone else started to pray. The speaker walked back to where he and his family were sitting, past some people already waiting in line for food. He looked at them and said: “'I see your hunger for food is greater than your hunger for faith.” Then he continued walking towards his family to await the end of prayer.
What did he know? Maybe these people had all kinds of legitimate reasons to be there before the end of prayer. Maybe they had diabetes or some other condition, or their kids were hungry and irritated. Even if they had no reason beyond “I am hungry,” who was this man to have this 'holier-than-thou' attitude? A man who had no problem chiding other people for not having enough faith while he himself was walking around during prayer. Why was he not paying attention to the prayer? Why was he not remembering Philippians 2 verses 3 and 4; “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others” (One of the perks of being raised as a Jehovah’s Witness is knowing your Bible well).
This man was chosen to give a sermon to thousands of people. He must have been regarded as exemplary by the organization.
Had I been a grownup, I would have stood up immediately and would have left, never to return. But I was only 12, maybe 13. Still, not long after, I told my mother I didn’t want to go to meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses anymore (I used to go twice a week). She cried; after my two older brothers, now her youngest son didn’t want to be a Jehovah's Witness. She was also angry, something that rarely happened. I can still feel it. She wasn't angry for long, fortunately. Being angry was not her nature.
There were other reasons, too. Kids at school made fun of me because they had heard my mother went from door to door to proselytize. The main reason, of course, was that I didn't believe.
But this man was the catalyst for my leaving”.