The Fear Is Real, and You Are Not Wrong to Feel It
Shunning is not a misunderstanding of Watchtower policy; it is
the policy. Whether Scripture actually commands it is examined on
its own page, and I
think the answer is no — but that page is argument, and
this one is not. Here I only want to say plainly: the fear is
legitimate. People who tell you to shrug it off have never stood
to lose what you stand to lose. Any honest talk about leaving
has to begin there.
Nobody Should Rush You — Including Me
Truth does not spoil. If the things on this site are true today,
they will still be true next year, and the year after. You owe
nobody an announcement. You do not have to raise your hand at
the meeting, confront your elders, or declare anything to
anyone. You can read quietly, in a private browser window, for
as long as you need — months are normal, and years are not
failure. You can comment on any page here without using your
name; the
commenting policy
explains how. God is not pacing outside your door with a
deadline. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy
laden” is an invitation, not an ultimatum.
Staying Has a Cost Too
One thing should be said, gently, because nobody inside will say
it to you: the arithmetic has two columns. A shelf of unasked
questions gets heavier, not lighter. Answering at the door for
teachings you privately doubt, watching your children inherit
obligations you are no longer sure of — that costs
something too, paid in small installments for the rest of a
life. Jesus never promised that following the truth would be
free; He warned plainly that it can divide a household, and that
He must come first, even before father and mother (Matt.
10:34–37). But notice what He never asked: He never asked
you to stop loving them. If you ever leave, you will
shun no one. Your door will stay open even if theirs closes, and
an open door has a way of mattering years later.
The Church That Will Not Shun You
Whatever you eventually decide about the Catholic
Church’s claims, you should know one thing about her
practice, because it bears directly on the fear this page is
about. Nobody is shunned for walking away. A Catholic who stops
believing, stops attending, or joins another religion faces no
committee, no announcement, and no instruction to family to cut
him off. Millions have left, and their Catholic mothers still
call them on Sunday. The picture of God this site defends is the
father in the parable who saw his son “while he was yet at
a distance” and ran to him (Luke 15:20) — not a
gatekeeper with a ledger.
When You Are Ready to Talk
Read at your own pace, and when you have questions, ask them.
The comments at the bottom of every page can be used without
your name, and I answer what is asked in good faith. If all you
can manage today is to close this window and think, that is
enough. The tower is still worth building; that is why the cost
is worth counting.
