For those not born into the JW religion, why/how did you join?

by JH 17 Replies latest jw friends

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  Frannie Banannie

  Do ya mean how much of a maroon was I? How human (HeadUpMyAssNow) was I at the time?

  I was 28, a single parent with 2 school-age children. I also was a follower of my older sister. We'd both been searching for the right religion, however I actually was searching for God's people, not the "truth." I kept following my older sister's lead. Problem is, she's human, too. Her best friend since high school was a jdubya and she convinced my older sis that the jdubya religion had the "truth." Since my older sis believed it to be so, I followed her lead. I've learned since then that she's just as human as I am.

  Frannie
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  FairMind

  I was already fed up with the hypocrisy I saw in the churches. My boss at work was a JW and witnessed to me using scriptures to reason on false religious teachings such as hell fire, immortal soul and how mixing pagan religious teachings with Bible truths was unacceptable in God's eyes. JWs have a lot of Bible truths but at the same time the organization works it so that they are getting the devotion that only belongs to God. Just like the churches there is good there and bad as well.
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  Frannie Banannie

  P.S.

  Of course, to begin with, the jdubyas didn't appear to be hypocritical and they naturally love-bombed me in the front door.
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  DanTheMan

  A more complete answer:

  I was a weird kid, I never really fit in or had a lot of friends, in fact I got bullied and teased quite a bit growing up, probably because I was small and kind of a crybaby/attention whore. I had some acquaintances that I spent a lot of time with during my late teen years that were especially cruel. At age 22 I was still living with my ever fearful overbearing dysfunctional Catholic mom, working at a menial job, and unsure of what to do with myself. I was becoming increasingly pessimistic about life. I was a regular Holden Caufield, everything seemed so phony and absurd.

  I met a JW girl at community college. She was kinda weird to, and we hit it off, sort of. I started attending meetings at the KH with her and fell absolutely head over heels in love - with the religion that is. So many things about it were appealing - I admit to being totally taken in by the blue Creation book, as well as the Live Forever book. I kid you not when I say that at that time in my life, those books were like sex and crack cocaine rolled into one. I was so desperate and confused, and here was something that seemed to make sense out of it all.
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  forsharry

  In a moment of weakness...my parents decided to join a cult. "The night time is the right time the night time is the right time." :)
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  AlmostAtheist

  I was 15 when I was first contacted. They showed me what other churches teach and why they are wrong, then showed me what JW's teach and why it's right. I felt empowered, like I was being let in on the best kept secret of the universe. It was awesome! For a young person, there's little better feeling than being a part of something special.

  It didn't hurt that everybody was nice to me, invited me to their houses, took me out in service, etc.

  Love-bombing and elitism. That's what got me.

  Dave
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  DanTheMan

  I felt empowered, like I was being let in on the best kept secret of the universe.

  Bingo!! You nailed it.
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  delilah

  My parents became JW's when I was about 10 years old...talk about hanging a number on a kid!!! Suddenly, I could not visit with my now, "worldy" relatives, nor did we celebrate any of the holidays anymore....it was really disruptive, at least in the mind of a 10 year old!!!