Do you regret confessing your sins to the elders?

Cool! No stress :)

"Casting thy pearls before swine", comes to mind.  When i was on the JC we always felt great when some poor soul came in (because they had been caught or confessed to some grevous sin, like masturbation) and we could set there and channel the WT bullshit and go home feeling pious and holy.

In my final transition out of the cult, I am at peace with myself (25 yrs later) for putting THEM on the defensive when they called me in like a bunch of hyenas looking for a wounded victim to ravage. I told them, in so many words, to stick it where the sun doesn't shine and I've never looked back. 

I wish I hadn't. I wish I had had the courage to just walk away from my marriage and the JWs.

My sins? Never confessed that!  I did rat someone out because they were using me to be their alibi.  Wish I hadn't.  Oh well. 

I don't regret it, because it was my first step away from the Organization.  I even told the Elders to disfellowship me as I felt it was correct since I no longer believed JW's had or ever had the Truth.  I pointed out to them how their judicial committe wasn't in line with scripture, because King David confessed his sins to God on more than one occasion and Paul says that matters of this nature are to be brought to the attention of the entire congregation IF the first and second set of witnesses doesn't bring the person to his senses and he/she is unrepentent. So they were adding to the Bible, something condemned in the scriptures.

I've done it when I was young in the troof and only 19 at the time.  Very humiliating and I wish I could go back just couple years before that and I wouldn't have to be here still pissed at wts.  Either way I was never publicly reproved but lost the "privileges" of being a total slave for the Brooklyn scum.

My wife still takes my son to the meetings most of the time and she knows that he has no right to ever sit down in private with elders without me - the apostate! So I don't ever see that happen especially since he knows this is a fraud religion and only goes with my wife to somewhat make her happy :(

JC are pure crap, telling elders the details of what exactly happened and who touched who, where and when - WTF!  Is that going to determine if one is to get DF or reproved?  Totally inappropriate questions that have no merit!

I wish I kept my trap shut. I remember one JC and an eldr who had it for me took the opportunity to gets some verbal shots in. I threatened to leave but I knew at that point the cat was already out of the bag

For me, it was a necessary part of my path out of the JWs.  I needed to know I had tried it "Jehovah's Way" (tm).  Too bad it took half a lifetime to see it for what it is.

I couldn't have said that more beautifully!!!!!   After everything blew up in my life, I just felt that I HAD to confess...of course I honestly believed that Jehovah had pulled his Holy Spirit from me (although 'good' things were still happening to me) and that if I didn't confess, i would NEVER be able to serve him wholeheartedly.  I will admit - confessing EVERYTHING I had ever done really was freeing in a sense. Only because I finally didn't have to carry ALL that crap on my shoulders anymore - but it was painful to have to divulge so much personal stuff to 3 men who had no idea what emotional state I was suffering in.  Fortunately, the elders on my JC didn't ask personal questions like I've heard MANY stories of them doing to others...but 2 of the 3 elders 'had it out' for me as it was, and although i specifically ASKED that they not be on my committee - of course they were both given my life in their power and BOY did they take advantage of that. Both said some pretty harsh and cruel things...which is sad, because when someone comes forward they are typically at their lowest point and the very last thing they need is soemone beating them down even more. Thing is, had all of that nonsense NOT have happened, I would still be 'in' the org and living a double life is sooooo tiring. NO longer have to worry about that now!

I also agree with whomever said that pulling young people (under age of 18) into JC's and having their PARENTS as witnesses there to hear every little details is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo disgusting. I'm sorry!! As an adult it's traumatic enough, but a kid....ugh...I can't imagine.

I never did. When I was a believing JW, I didn't do anything I felt warranted a confession to the elders. When I stopped believing, I felt no need to confess anything to them.

The ApostaBabes here are always welcome to sit on my lap and confess all of their naughty sins. 

OMG YES!!!!  I was 19.They (especially one. BROTHER SELFRIGHTEOUS UPCHUCK) went to my parents (even though I was out of school and working/living on my own)  and told them HIS version. I didn't know this for 25 years.  Several years afterward the initial event one "kindly" elder showed my mother "notes" on the meeting.   No notes were written while I was in the room. In my 50's my mother and and I finally talked about it and figured out the real truth of the matter. I was not disfellowshipped but was publically "reprooved" reprooved at the initial event.  Then followed 25 yrs of misunderstanding with my mom.  Notto mention loss of friends.

Glad I did. And glad I was "unrepentant" too! It gave the opportunity to move on with my life!

ESTEE

Yes definately, i had no choice as i was dobbed in by my ex, within minutes of telling my hubby of my sins! he was on the phone setting up a comittee case ( come to think of it  now - i think he wanted me to be DF which i wasnt).  When it was his turn - he begged me not to tell the elders, i gave him 2 weeks .  I think it was harder for him as he was a MS. - Oh the Shame!!!  ( he didnt get DF either)   

nearlyfree, Could you please repeat your above statement more clearly. Sounds like you both crashed and burned but were  not DF'd (?)  What is your current status? Have you both accepted the Lord Jesus Christ Savings and Loan as your personal savings institution?

Yur gonna burn Gregor!

okay Gregor, without going into to much detail - i had a JC about 17 years ago....... my ex's was a year and half ago.  Two sepearte issues his was for imorality mine was not.  Im fading fast - as for him i dont know what his thoughts are or if he is still in or not.. 

Hope that clears things up for you :)

Yes I too regret 'confessing' to an elder about me struggling to suppress being gay.

Reason??

That elder is no longer a Jehovah's Witness!

Could he feel he has no reason now to keep it to himself?

Ed

Who do the elders expose their dirty dark secrets to? where do they go to wash their dirty linen? what about elders that rape little girls and still stand and preach?

The WBTS is no better, but far worse than any other religions, as all they do, they do so using Gods name to do it in.

Do they get off on other peoples misery?

What is legalism? legalism is the term used by fanatics and extremist religionists that everything one does, must be done so by means of works and rules.

They and the wbts use legalism to put burdens on people that God himself hasnt even asked for. It is when their opinion becomes your burden,because they are just all consumed with self, self explaining, justifying self, painting oneself to be pious. Legalism says you can get Gods grace and salavation if I say so, it also says if I can have fellowship with you or allow you fellowship with others, and thus, sadly, people no longer figure in on the equation of God, but that of man, and the words of God have become null and void because of their personal teachings and traditions. And this legalistic rhetoric can be seen in their publications such as their secret elders book, and the publishers book-all man made rules, man made extensions of Gods rules, but with a twist, just like the Pharisees. So, with friends like these, who really needs enemies?

The bible says Gods commands are not burdensome, so how do these people get off on making them a burden, and where does the authority come from to do so?

I tried to cut and paste the article here but couldnt, so here is a link for you if you are interested. You may find it highly interesting in what legalism means and how it is used.

www.realtime.net/~wdoud/topics/legalism/.html

never confessed a thing to an elder, never will, except this - i don't believe the load of crap you are peddling