Jehovah's Witnesses do not provide a dignified process for their members who wish to leave their organization to do so. Problems such as social rejection and adjusting to a normal life outside of faith can prove to be a real challenge for those wishing to disfellowship. This article provides some basic information on how to leave this faith.
Steps
Step 1. Do your own research
You need to be sure you are making the right decision. Give yourself the opportunity to learn about the faith both through material provided by The Watchtower magazine and through material from independent and reliable sources.
Step 2. Determine how you feel about social rejection and the announcement that "So-and-so is not a Jehovah's Witness."
Step 3. If you wish to avoid social rejection, continue living as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, gradually moving away from the movement
A gradual withdrawal results in a slow downsizing of your engagement over the course of many months. Start by making a few comments, increasingly rarely attending field service, turning down assignments at theocratic ministry school, and ultimately reducing the number of meetings you attend. Be prepared to explain the decrease in your involvement to any witness who asks you for explanations, even in vague terms. As long as you can avoid doing things that qualify you for an excommunication or disfellowshiping, you can avoid suffering an announcement of excommunication.
Step 4. If social rejection doesn't bother you, just stop attending Kingdom Hall meetings and lead your life in a way that reflects your sincere beliefs
You can also write a short disfellowshipping letter. Send it to the Body of Elders in your congregation, directing it to the Kingdom Hall where the meetings you attended are held. After the letter is received, the elders may contact you to confirm your intentions. Then an announcement will be made: "So-and-so is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses." This announcement involves the implicit order that the faithful will start avoiding you, not even saying "hello" if they meet you.
Advice
- According to the current rules, if you have not been baptized you can leave the organization without being subjected to any excommunication.
- Some view the announcement of excommunication as a form of defamation or an invasion of privacy. If you wish to raise the matter in a civil court, contact an attorney. Remember that in most lands, Jehovah's Witnesses are protected by free speech and religious laws.
- Some people have found it helpful to participate in face-to-face or online meetings of former Jehovah's Witnesses.
- The refusal policy is not strictly enforced within the family environment. Consequently, if an excommunicated member lives with his or her family, communications will not be interrupted. Likewise, Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to provide help for family members, even in the event of excommunication.
Warnings
- Some attempts at phasing out are doomed to fail. If two members testify to your lack of faith that the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses directly represents Jehovah, you can be excommunicated for apostasy. Likewise, anything you do that is contrary to the faith, such as celebrating a birthday or Christmas, voting, joining the army, or joining another church, can lead to excommunication. This is also the case if you have not had any contact with Jehovah's Witnesses for several months or years.
- If you wish to rejoin the organization after being excommunicated, a reintegration process is available, but it could take several months or more than a year. During this time you will need to attend meetings regularly, but continue to suffer from social rejection.
- Quite often, family members and friends who see you leave the organization will have very negative reactions, even if you have not been excommunicated or disfellowshipped.
- Adjusting to life outside the organization can take time. If you are experiencing serious difficulties, you may need to seek assistance from a mental health professional.
- Jehovah's Witnesses view their faith as the only true Christian faith and as the only means of salvation from impending Armageddon, which they believe will occur in the near future. There is no dignified form of abandonment that does not imply that those who leave the organization make a grave mistake and are an ungodly person (1 Corinthians 5:13).
